Let's Remember the real reason for Memorial Day

Memorial Day has for a long time been remembered as the beginning of Summer. A long three-day weekend filled with picnics, beach trips and parties and the Indianapolis 500! Let's take a moment to remember the real meaning of Memorial Day.



Memorial Day is really a time to commemorate U.S. men and women who died in military service for their country. Originally known as Decoration Day, it first honored Union Soldiers who died in The Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to include all wars or military actions.

It is traditional to fly the U.S. Flag at half-staff from dawn to noon. We used to celebrate Memorial Day on May 30th, but somewhere along the line the date was changed to the last Monday in May to insure a long weekend.

If you want to go out and party this weekend -- that's fine -- but please take a moment to reflect on the real meaning of the holiday and give thanks for all of those brave men and women who have given their lives for this great country that we live in!

This would also be a good time to pray for the folks that are currently serving in our military.

Have a GREAT HOLIDAY!

Please leave a comment.

Still Lost After Finale

OKAY -- what did we learn from the Lost finale? Are viewers more lost now than ever? Here is what I discovered. Please leave your comments and share your theories.

Desmond

• He got his sailboat from Libby
• He may have caused the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 because he didn't enter the numbers in time
• His lost love Penelope, who has a lot of money may play a bigger role in all of this
• He has the failsafe key and the courage to use it
  

Locke

• Actually breaks down and starts to cry
• Doesn't push the button -- but he was wrong -- the button is real
• We do not know his fate -- he was last seen in the hatch when the system failed
  

The Others

• The real leader is Henry
• Their camp was a fake to impress Michael, even their hatch was fake
• What the heck was the giant statue with four toes all about
• They say they are the good guys -- hmmmm

Hurley is set free with the task of telling the rest of the survivors not to try to find The Others. Michael is reunited with Walt and they are giving directions on how to leave the island. Jack, Sawyer and Kate are still held captive by The Others. We don't know what happened to Syad, Locke or Mr. Eko.

The producers say that next season we will learn more about The Others. I think the season went out with a big bang! Can't wait till next year.

Please leave your comments.

No Rest for Jack Bauer

WOW--if you watch 24 you know what I am talking about! What a GREAT finale for this season. Just when you think Jack is going to get a little rest...well, I don't want to spoil it if you haven't seen the last episode yet.



My favorite character on 24 (besides Jack of course) has got to be Chloe! She is so smart, an has a real attitude! I loved the episode where she is working on her laptop in a bar and keeps getting hit on by some drunk. She zaps him with a tazer and never misses a stroke on her keyboard.

I'm very sad to see the season end...don't know what I will do on Monday nights now. It's going to be a long wait until January 2007! I guess I can pick up the other seasons on DVD and watch them -- actually I never saw season 1 or 2.

Please leave a comment...and tell me who your favorite 24 character is.

Taylor or Katharine?

Tonight Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee will sing their hearts out for the title of American Idol! My vote goes to Taylor, I think he really has fun up there on stage and gives a wonderful performance. Of course, Katharine does a great job also, and she sure is beautiful!

If you look at the past American Idols, you will see that it is time for a white, male to win...so odds are it will be Taylor this time.

We shall see...it's up to the viewers to vote. I think the talent this time around has been the best ever! It has been a great season, and there really are no losers. There will be offers for all of the young men and women who sang their hearts out this year.

Please leave a comment and tell me who you think will win.

Vacation Time

It's that time again...the weather is getting really nice and thoughts of wonderful vacations begin to fill our heads! Be sure to check out my other blog, Bed & Breakfast Experiences , for great tips on vacations and out of the ordinary places to stay.

Also click on the Travelocity link if you want to save money and customize a trip. This is a great site for vacation planning!

Wherever you go...HAVE A GREAT TIME, and drive safe.

Cell Phones

What did we ever do before the invention of cell phones? I never thought I needed a cell phone but since I finally have one of my own I must admit I am lost without it! If I leave home and forget my cell phone, I will have to turn around and go back to get it!

I do have a few pet peeves about cell phones though so here are the Top Ten:

People talking on cell phones in a restaurant.

Hearing someone’s cell phone ring in the movie theater, or worse yet someone answering their cell phone during a movie!

Talking on the cell phone while driving and not paying attention to the road.

Cell phones ringing during meetings.

Cell phones ringing at church.

Talking on a regular phone and a cell phone at the same time.

Stupid rings that people download for their cell phones.

Why do I need a phone at home if my wife and I both have cell phones?

Where do all my unused minutes go to?

How the heck do I get my messages off of my cell phone anyway?

However, after all is said and done, cell phones are a great invention, especially for traveling and for emergencies. I never leave home without my cell phone.

I have had several different cell phone carriers: Verizon, AT&T, Cingular Wireless and SunCom. Here is what I have discovered. I dropped them all, and went to Wal-Mart to pick up a TracFone; I now have a pay-as-you-go plan with no contracts involved and I am very happy! When I need more minutes, I simply go on line and buy more minutes; and the reception is better than I had with the other major carriers I have tried.

The other phones I had (which were much more expensive) would never work in the small town where I live and I could not get any reception at all in my house! This cheap phone works fantastic, even in my house and in all the places I could not get a signal before! I love it!

If you have any great cell phone stories, rants or raves...please leave a comment.

Do You Like FREE things?

Do you like to save money? Would you like FREE business cards? Click on the image below and check out the offer there. I use this company all the time for my printing needs. It's quick and easy and they have great deals! Their products are high quality and I recommend checking this site out. You will be glad that you did.

How was your Mother's Day?

I know there are many Mommy bloggers out there...I would like to hear what was the best thing and the worst thing (if any) about your Mother's Day. Please leave a comment. What did you love about Mother's Day, and what sucked?

I cooked breakfast for my wife, we sat on the patio outside and watched the hummingbirds and other birds as we ate. Then we went to church. After church we went out to brunch where we were joined by my wife's daughter, our niece and her husband, my wife's sister and her husband and my wife's best friend. We enjoyed a our brunch at an Italian restaurant. They had a singer there and the food was great.

It was nice to be with our family who are in this area and we exchanged gifts and flowers for all the Mom's at lunch. Then we went home and relaxed the rest of the day. My wife received a gift certificate for a Swedish Massage at a local SPA.

Please share your day with us.

How Many Shoes Do You Need?

WOW -- I was trying to find something in our closet the other morning and I had to dig through piles of shoes! Not my shoes, I only have a pair of black dress shoes; a pair of brown dress shoes; a pair of sneekers and a pair of cowboy boots.

The piles of shoes belong to my wife; I did not have time to count them but I'm sure there are over 100 pairs of shoes in our closet alone! Now if you were to look in my wife's car, you would find at least 5 or 6 more pairs of shoes!

This prompted me to start asking other people how many pairs of shoes they owned. I asked everyone at work and here's what I found out.

The women all said the same thing, they had no idea how many shoes they owned. Most of them said over 100 pair easily. The men on the other hand replied they only had 4-5 pair of shoes.

Why do women need so many pairs of shoes? Of course if there were a special occasion coming up a man would wear what he already has in the closet, but not a woman...she will have to run out and get a new outfit and a new pair of shoes to match! What's up with that?

Please leave a comment and tell me how many pairs of shoes you own. If you feel the need to purchase more shoes, check out this website, they offer GREAT DEALS!

Mother's Day at a Bed & Breakfast

Here's a GREAT IDEA for Mother's Day:

Still haven't figured out what to do for that special someone on Mother's Day? How about a weekend at a cozy Bed & Breakfast?

Check this link for a Bed & Breakfast in your area.

Many Bed & Breakfasts will offer a Mother's Day Special. If you really want to surprise her this year, find a baby sitter for the kids and spend a romantic weekend together at a Bed & Breakfast. It will be a weekend to remember.

Be sure to check out my other blog, Bed & Breakfast Experiences.

If you have a favorite Bed & Breakfast, please leave a comment and share it with us. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Lost is Back with a Bang!

OKAY...just when I was about to give up on Lost, they come back with a bang! This week's episode was really awesome!

Do you think that Ana-Lucia and Libby were shot because the producers are trying to send a message? Don't Drive Drunk!

According to an article in tvguideonline the answer is NO. The producers say that Michelle Rodriquiz only wanted to do one season of Lost right from the get-go. They had planned to kill her off anyway, and it had nothing to do with the DUI. Either way, it was quite a shocking episode, I really didn't see that coming!

I wonder if Michael has gone over to the Others or if he is just doing whatever it takes to get his son back? I liked Ana-Lucia, I'm sad to see her go. Can't wait till next week to see what happens next.

Please leave your comments.

Lost has lost its appeal

When Lost first came out, I loved it. I couldn't wait for the next episode each week! Now it seems like there are nothing but repeats, the show has lost it's appeal. You think the writers would come up with enough stories to fill a whole season without having to show repeats so often!

Even some of the stars must be bored. Two of them were arrested for driving under the influence recently. Michelle Rodriquez, who plays Ana-Lucia decided to take 5-days in jail and a $500.00 fine instead of doing 240-hours of community service. Now she will get to test her tough-guy image and see how it works in real life!

Fellow cast member, Cynthia Watros, who plays Libby, was also pulled over on Dec. 1st within 15-minutes of Michelle's incident. Watros was given a $312.00 fine and 14-hours of counceling.

Both cast members were pulled over in Kailua which is on the island of Oahu where Lost is filmed.

I hope ABC starts playing current episodes again or I will have to find something else to do on Wednesday nights.

Unusual Weather

Here in North Carolina we have been experiencing very unusual weather. We didn't even have a winter -- I am not complaining about that, I rather enjoyed it! Now it is spring but the temperatures have already been in the 90s! If it's this hot already in April, I can't imagine what it will be like in July and August! We are under water restrictions because we have hardly had any rain at all lately.

I'm sure this is not just a local event, the weather has been strange everywhere. Now I do not have the answers as to why this is happening, but I'm sure that someone reading this will have an opinion.

Please leave a comment and enlighten me as to why we are having such strange weather lately.

Lottery Tickets

It's been a long time coming...North Carolina has been fighting the lottery ever since I can remember. Finally we have a state lottery now. I thought I would give it a try today and bought $5.00 worth of scratch off tickets. Two $2.00 tickets and one $1.00 ticket.

This must be my lucky day because two out of the three tickets turned out to be WINNERS! One ticket was worth $20.00 the other $7.00. Not quite enough to quit my job and retire on my winnings, but I'll take the $27.00! Thank you very much. I play the lottery once in a while and usually spend $5.00 at a time.

I'm curious to know what everyone else spends on lottery tickets. Please answer the following question by leaving a comment: How much money do you spend on lottery tickets each week?

• $1-$5
• $6-$10
• $11-$20
• More than $20 per week
• I do not play the lottery

Embarrassing Moment

Normally my wife and I will remember to turn off our cell phones while we are at the movies, in a meeting or at church. However, this was not the case last Sunday. My wife sings in the choir at our church, so she sits right up there in front of the whole congregation.

The timing was perfect, and could not have been planned any better if we had tried. The minister was in the middle of his sermon and came to a place where he paused for a moment for effect. Suddenly my wife's cell phone starts to ring loudly, she turns beet-red and quickly trys to shut it off but can't find it in her pocketbook.

After what seemed like an eternity she managed to silence the offending cell phone. Our minister, without missing a beat, continues with his sermon adding, "It appears that God has a special message for us!"

I think my wife will remember to turn off her cell phone in church from now on. I felt so sorry for her embarrassing moment. I guess I have now added to her embarrassment by posting it on the Internet for the whole world to see!

Please leave a comment.

Women's Empowerment

I am going to put in a plug here for my work. I work at Radio One, a group of radio stations in Raleigh, NC. Each year our biggest event of the year is Women's Empowerment Expo. If you are in the NC area be sure to check it out! Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations. You can buy tickets online here.

April 1, 2006 will be our 12th Annual Women's Empowerment Expo. We are expecting over 10,000 people to attend this year. Our keynote speaker is Robin Roberts from "Good Morning America". You can read more about Robin Roberts here. There are over 100 vemdors and many informative seminars to attend. Doors open at 11:00 am and the program lasts until 8:00 pm. Below is a list of the performing musical artists.

• Eric Benet
• Meli'sa Morgan
• Ray J
• Ruben Studdard
• Avant
• Ann Nesby
• Donell Jones
• Rizen
• Jeff Majors
• Lashell Griffin

You can visit The Women's Empowerment Expo website for more details (by the way, I designed the website).

Eight Below

We took our grandkids to the movies yesterday and saw an awesome Walt Disney movie! "Eight Below", you can view a trailer here. I don't know why anybody would want to go to Antarctica, it's way too cold and desolate for me.

This was a great story about a team of sled dogs that was left behind in a winter storm and they had to survive on their own for over six months. You can't help but fall in love with the dogs as they struggle against the harsh elements of Antarctica.

A great family movie, based on a true story. The film is rated PG, there is one scene in the movie that will make you jump out of your seat, so be prepared!

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words

It has been said that a picture tells a thousand words. Here is a before picture of our bathroom remodel. I will post the after pictures when the project is done...if it ever gets done!

We had a disaster in our bathroom last week (let me point out that our house is small and we only have one bathroom.) Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to complete this job quickly! The pipe that feeds the water into the toilet had a slow leak that went unnoticed for a long time. Recently it became noticable when we had to continually mop up water on the floor. Finally the pipe burst and we were forced to make some repairs.

We had a plumber come out and fix the pipe and make sure the toilet was in good working order. He pointed out that the floor was rather mushy between the tub and toilet and we should have it looked at. We called a contractor to come and take a look, and sure enough the floor had been ruined from the continuous leaking. He had to tear up half of the bathroom floor and replace the sub-floor which had rotted out and become very mushy. If we had let it go on without repair we would have eventually fallen through the floor one day!

Speaking of pictures -- be sure to pay a visit to my renter this week. Bozette's blog, "Pictures From My World", is full of awesome photos! Just click on the snapshot under rent my blog in the right hand margin.

OOPS--MY BAD!

Old age does funny things to your mind...sometimes I forget things, like where I parked my car at the mall, or I will rent a video to watch only to discover half-way through I had already rented this a few weeks ago! It doesn't matter...it's all new to me anyway! I made a boo-boo in my last entry, and said that Robert Blake was Spanky in "The Little Rascals".

Well, Robert Blake was in "The Little Rascals", but his character was Mickey, not Spanky! Sorry about the slip up, blame it on old age. It's been a long time since I watched that show.

I stand corrected. Thanks to Mulligan from Can't Keep Quiet, for pointing out my boo-boo.

What a Difference a Few Years Make

Remember Spanky from "The Little Rascals"? Well maybe not...that was a long time ago. However, if you are my age you will remember watching "The Little Rascals" and enjoying the antics of one of my favorite characters, Spanky.

If you are too young to remember Spanky, how about Baretta? This show aired in the 70s, starring Robert Blake as a street-wise detective with a pet cockatoo. Notice a resemblance between the two actors? Very few people realize that they are one in the same. That's right, cute little Spanky grew up to be Baretta! The trouble that Spanky got into on "The Little Rascals" is nothing compared to the real life troubles that Robert Blake has now!

He was accused of murdering his wife, Bonnie Blakely who was shot to death in 2001. Blake was aquitted of the murder charges but now he has lost a wrongful death suit filed by Blakely's children and was ordered to pay $30 million. Robert Blake filed for bankruptcy just before the wrongful death suit and is now fighting the verdict.

What a difference a few years make.

Happy Birthday to my Wonderful Wife

March 11th is a very SPECIAL DAY! It is my wife's birthday...HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTINE! Of course, I can't mention her age, but I always say, "Age is a matter of mind...if you don't mind -- it doesn't matter!"

In Christine's case it doesn't matter anyway, because she is as beautiful today ,as she was the day I met her 13-years ago!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTINE

Paul McCartney and The Seals

Paul McCartney and his wife Heather show their opposition to the Canadian seal hunt as they visited a harp seal nursery off the coast of Canada.
(Photo from Sea Sheperd)

This years hunt is scheduled for the end of March and during the last three years the Canadian government has allowed more than 900,000 seals to be killed. About 97 percent of them were under three months old and many less than one month old!

To learn more about this savage hunt where baby seals are clubbed and dragged across the ice with boathooks to be skinned alive, visit www.harpseals.org . You can also download a petition here to sign and send to the Canadian government.

I understand that this hunt is a source of income in an area where jobs are scarce; however, there is no excuse for the cruel way that the baby seals are being slaughtered. Please help stop this practice now!

Age is a Matter of Mind

I only have a view minutes to come up with a post before the finale of "Dancing with the Stars" comes on. Because I am under a lot of pressure and have a case of writer's block I will re-post something from the archives. This is a true story...

It was Thursday and we had just three days left to enjoy our vacation on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. One of my favorite things to do at the beach is ride the waves on a boogie board. On this particular day, the waves were very high and the surf was rough because of an approaching storm.
The bigger the waves the better the ride, so I was having a great time getting being tossed around and fighting the sea. Before I go any further, I should explain that I am fifty five years old but in my mind I still think I am in my twenties. I always say, “Age is a matter of mind…if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter!”

After an hour or so in the water I was beginning to get really tired but I didn’t want to quit because these were the best waves we have had all week and the next couple of days were predicted to be rainy. The waves were getting higher and the sea more violent, but I loved every minute of it! I smiled at my wife as she watched from a lawn chair on the beach and I caught an especially big wave. I just knew this was going to be a fantastic ride!

The wave carried me into shallow water and slammed me into the sand beneath with unbelievable force. As I was being crushed by the power of the sea I heard a terrible cracking sound and felt a horrific pain in my side! I knew immediately that I had broken my ribs. It was all I could do to haul myself up out of the water and drag myself onto the beach without being drowned. The waves kept smashing against me and knocking me back down again. Every step was very painful and took all of my strength. My wife was laughing and yelling to me telling me to pull my bathing suit up; the force of the wave had pulled my suit down around my knees and I didn’t even realize it. I really didn’t care because that was the least of my worries at the moment as all my efforts were concentrated on hauling myself to shore and collapsing on the beach.

My sister went to get the car and after much struggling I was able to fall into the back seat as I grimaced in pain. It must have taken at least ten-minutes just to get into the car because no matter how I moved it pulled at my ribs and sent shockwaves of pain throughout my body. Of course I could see everyone trying to hold back their laughter as I struggled to get in the car.

We made it to the hospital and x-rays later confirmed I had broken one rib and cracked another. We were in the emergency room for several hours, which seemed like days to me because every little movement caused me terrible pain. When the nurse came in to wheel me in a wheelchair from the waiting room into the examine room she accidentally crashed into the doorway and I let out a loud scream. Of course everyone else thought this was hysterically funny!

I spent the rest of the week trying to find a comfortable position to sit in and taking pain pills. The next six months I had to sleep in a recliner because I was unable to lie down. Looking back on the events of that day I can see the humor, but believe me when I tell you I was not laughing at the time! I have not been to the beach since then but even though I now have a better respect for the awesome power of the ocean I still refuse to grow old and will probably jump right back on that boogie board again!

Please leave your comments.

Don Knotts Dies at 81

"The Andy Griffith Show" is a big deal here in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. In fact, Raleigh was often mentioned on the show. Old Andy, and Barney are sort of folk-heroes in this neck of the woods.

Today I was saddened to learn that Don Knotts passed away at the age of 81. Knotts died Friday night of pulmonary and respiratory complications at a Los Angeles hospital. He was best know for his roll as the bumbling deputy, Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show".

I also loved him on "Three's Company" where he played the swinging landlord, Ralph Furley. Knotts had more than 25 movies to his credit and 7 TV series. He was one of my all time favorite funny guys! He will be greatly missed, but not forgotten!

The comedian also picked up 5 Emmy Awards as he entertained us for over a half-century. Andy Griffith said, "Don was special, there's nobody like him. We had a long and wonderful life together."

Lost Repeats

Somebody please explain to me why they keep showing repeats of "Lost"? It really drives me crazy! The season only just started a little while ago...didn't they write enough episodes to fill a whole season! You don't see any repeats of "24"!

However, I must say that I never do get tired of looking at Kate!

If anyone can tell me why there are so many repeats...I sure would appreciate your comments.

The Chronicles of Narnia on DVD

I actually posted the article below a while back, but it is worthy of a re-post. The BIG NEWS is this awesome movie is going to be released on DVD April,4, 2006! If you didn't get a chance to see it at the movies, make sure you see the DVD...we will be buying it to add to our collection. Click Here to pre-order your DVD NOW! Many other Narnia items available here also such as the complete 7-volume set of books by C.S. Lewis.

Disney was taking a chance with a cast of unknowns, but they pulled it off. Having read all seven books several times, I had visions of what Narnia would look like in my head. Today when I saw the movie I was amazed to find that Narnia looked exactly like what I expected it to.

My vote for the best performances go to Georgie Henley, who did a wonderful job as sweet Lucy; and Tilda Swinton who potrayed the cold-hearted White Witch. The cinematography and visual effects were great as well. Filmed in New Zealand the countryside makes a spectacular backdrop for the movie. Director, Andrew Adamson (of Shrek and Shrek 2) did a fantastic job. Liam Neeson was the voice of Ashlan and may very well be the only name you recognize in the credits.

Speaking of the credits -- don't be in a hurry to get up and rush out of the theater as soon as the credits appear on the screen, because there is still a little more to come. One final scene kept the audience standing in the aisle and stopped the mass exodus from the full house. I can't wait for the sequels, you know it's not going to end there. If you never read the books the movie was complete in itself, but for those of you who are in the know...there is still much more to come!

I highly recommend this movie as a must see. I only hope that the Christian symbolism is not lost in all the excitement. The movie is rated PG but some of the battle scenes may be a little scary for real young children. Narnia is a combination family film and action-adventure thriller. I totally loved the move!

Watch trailer here: http://www.blogger.com/AFF&p=

If you've seen the movie, or read the books please leave a comment here. If you haven't done either -- what are you waiting for. C.S. Lewis has always been one of my favorite authors and when you combine that with the magic of Disney you've got a GREAT movie!

Zathura

This weekend the weathermen told us to expect snow and sleet, so we rented a bunch of videos and bought some popcorn to settle in for the weekend. One of the videos we selected was "Zathura". If you watched, Donald Trump's "Apprentice", you would remember that one of the tasks the contestants had was to promote this movie when it first came out. One team kept getting the name wrong during their presentation and failed miserably! I had no interest in seeing this movie since it appeared to be a rip-off of "Jumanji". However, the video store in our small town was pretty much wiped out of good movies so we ended up with "Zathura".

Unlike "Jumanji", which starred Robin Williams and Kirsten Dunst, the cast of "Zathura" was made up of unkown actors. Both movies are about kids playing an old board game that when played thrusts them into dangerous adventures. They must finish the game to stop the magical onslaught that happens with every move they make.

Although the movies were similar I found "Zathura" to be very entertaining and there was a moral to the story that made it a good family movie. The two young brothers, Walter and Danny, barely get along with each other at the beginning of the movie and their teenage sister totally ignores them. However, as they are thrust into their intergalactic adventure they learn to work as a team and grow closer together. This movie is rated PG which was refreshing, considering most of the movies today are full of sex, blood & guts and horror!

It turned out to be a good movie and I would recommend it. Yes it is a clone of "Jumanji", and even has a scene that will remind you of the "Wizard of Oz" with the house spinning through space, but "Zathura" was worth watching and kept us on the edge of our seats throughout the entire show. If I were asked to pick the best of the two, I would have to say "Jumanji" since I am a huge Robin Williams fan; but make sure you do see "Zathura", it's a good movie. Please leave your comments here.

P.S. It's Sunday morning and we haven't seen any snow or sleet yet...the weathermen got it wrong again -- but that's another story!

Something for Nothing

Who says you can't get Something for Nothing? I finally figured out how to do it and I will share a few examples here with you now. The first one, I'm sure you have all heard of already.

Everywhere you look you will see Google Ads, they are on many blogs and thousands of web sites. Somebody is making money off of those ads...why not you? I decided to try out Google Ads for myself and signed up last July 15th. I put the ads on several of my web sites and my blogs and waited patiently to see some results. I finally got a check in the mail in January and will be getting a second check this month! It cost me absolutely nothing to sign up for Google Ad Sense and each month the check is getting bigger and bigger.

Here's another example. How would you like to pick up 250 FREE BUSINESS CARDS? Just click on the link below and you will be taken to Vista Print. They offer many great products that you can design on line from their templates. Things like Business Cards, Brochures, Letter Head and much more. I use Vista Print all the time. You will have to pay a small S&H charge but the 250 Business Cards are FREE and everything you get from Vista Print is high quality. You can sign up to be an affiliate also and earn some money by offering their links on your web sites and blogs.

if you spend a little time doing some research, you will be able to find many affiliate offers that cost you nothing to join but offer a source of income for you. Leave a comment if you know of some other good ways to earn some money on the Internet.

Incredible Hulk Becomes a Deputy Sheriff

Everyone knows who the "Incredible Hulk" is; however, some of you may be too young to remember the original TV series starring Lou Ferrigno way back in the 70's. We've had an actor become President of the United States (Ronald Reagan),"The Terminator" is California's Governor (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and now "The Incredible Hulk" (Lou Ferrigno) has been sworn in as a deputy sheriff!

Ferrigno will be a reserve deputy sherrif in the Los Angeles Police Department and will help to recruit new deputies and work with the sheriff's Youth Activities League and the Special Victims Bureau.

What's next, Oprah for President?

Cheney Shoots His Hunting Buddy

OOPS, my bad! Cheney accidentally shot his hunting buddy, Harry Whittington, while quail hunting over the weekend in Texas. The 78-year-old lawyer is said to be in stable condition after being sprayed with bird-shot from the Vice President's 28-gauge shotgun. He was hit in the face, neck and chest with pellets.

Whittington had left formation and went to fetch a bird he had shot. Then he came up behind the hunting party just as Cheney turned to take a shot.

Police officials said no charges are being filed. However, there have been questions raised as to why it took nearly 24-hours before the Vice President's office reported the incident.

A spokesperson from Mr. Cheney's office said they did not release the information right away because they felt that decision was up to the ranch's owner.

OOPS, I Did It Again!

Britney Spears may have won many awards; however, I don't think she will be getting nominated for "Mother of the year"!

"I made a mistake and so it is what it is, I guess," Britney Spears said to "Access Hollywood", when asked about driving with her baby in her lap.

Here's another case of celebrities getting away with a slap on the wrist. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it won't pursue any charges. I think it's a shame that no action will taken against Ms. Spears. She clearly endangered the life of her4-month-old son. The law says that infants must be in the back seat secured by a child-safety seat.

Spears is blaming the whole thing on the paparazzi. I say she should be reported to child welfare services and also given a ticket for motor-vehicle violations. What do you think?

Please leave a comment.

15 Cent Hamburgers

I made a post on my other blog, Mike's World about McDonald's new packaging with nutritional information. It got me to thinking about the good old days when you could get a hamburger, fry and a drink and change back from your dollar! That's right, in fact that was McDonald's slogan back then.

I worked at McDonald's when I was 16. Here are some of my memories. You wouldn't recognize it as the same restaurant. The buildings were red and white and very small. The menu was very limited, all we served were hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries, drinks and shakes.

Hamburgers cost 15 cents, fries were only 07 cents. The hamburgers weren't the frozen type you get now-a-day, it was fresh ground beef. The fries were real too. We got in 100 pound sacks of potatoes, put them in a machine to peel them, then washed them and sliced them into fries. The milk shakes were great also. The kind you had to put on a spindle to stir up.

There were no drive-thru windows and not even a dining room. All we had were two sliding glass windows for walk-up traffic. There were a couple of picnic tables outside to sit at, but mostly people would eat in their car or carry the food home. The golden arches were much bigger then too.

I earned a whopping 75 cents per hour when I first started working at McDonald's. Another interesting fact is there were no women working there, only males. We wore silly looking paper hats.

The buns were put in a big toaster and tasted great! Ahhhh, the good old days. I actually ended up staying at McDonald's and becoming a manager. I worked for ten years at McDonald's as a manager and another ten at Burger King and Wendy's. I guess I've eaten my share of fast food.

Don't forget to leave a comment.

E-Stamp

Here's the latest idea to prevent spam e-mail. Yahoo and AOL are going to begin charging from one-quarter of a cent to one cent for every e-mail you send. They will still accept e-mail from non-paying customers but the ones who pay will be giving special treatment. This program should be ready to launch in a few months.

I'd like to know what everyone thinks about this idea.

• Will it help to prevent spam?
• Is it going to destroy the free-spirit of the Internet?
• Is it just a scheme for AOL & Yahoo to make millions of dollars?

Please leave a comment.

Super Bowl-Super Bucks

I don't usually watch sports on TV, I would much rather watch a good movie or a funny sit-com. However; I do watch the Super Bowl every year. Not because I pulling for my favorite team, most of the time I couldn't even tell you who is playing! The reason I watch the Super Bowl is because I love the commercials!

When the Super Bowl first premiered back in 1967, $40,000.00 would buy you a 30-second commercial. The cost today is $83,000.00 per second -- that's around $2.5 million for a 30-second spot! All that money will buy you an expected 90 million viewers during the game.

This year you can go to ifilm and watch the commercials online. You can even download them. I believe the commercials will also be available on ipods this year.

One of my favorite ads was the Bud Light commercial where the pilot jumped out of the plane to get the Bud Light. I'll post tomorrow about my favorite commercial from this year.

I like the commercials so much I even went to SpotBowl and downloaded a score sheet to rate the ads.You can vote on line for your favorite ad at the SpotBowl website.

Leave a comment here about your favorites.

Granpa Munster Dies

Many of you may not remember the TV show, "The Munsters" which was popular in the sixties; and even fewer of you will recall "Car 54, Where Are You"; so you may not recognize the name Al Lewis. He is best know for his roles as Grandpa Munster and Officer Leo Schnauser.

Lewis died after a long illness. His age has been reported as 82, 83 and even 95, so I'm not really sure how old he was. He is survived by his wife, Karen and three sons as well as four grandchildren.

The sixties was a GREAT time for TV and Al Lewis was one of the GREATS! He will be missed. (Photo from the Associated Press.)

Google Adsense

OKAY...I can testify that Google Adsense is for real! I received my first check from Google today, and I am really excited.

I was skeptical at first when I signed up for the program because I had tried may other affiliate programs and never saw any money! I started with Google on July 15th last year. I design websites and figured I could place the Google ads on all of my own personel websites and blogs and at least some of my client's sites as well.

Google forbids you from talking about how much money you earn, but everyone knows you have to make at least $100.00 before they will send you a check. My goal was to break that magic one-hundred dollar barrier within six-months, which would be by Jan. 15, 2006. I reached my goal ahead of time by the end of December 2005, so I am very happy!

My next goal is to make at least $100.00 per month from the Adsense program. Currently, I have Adsense on 4 of my blogs and 12 websites. None of the websites were specifically designed to be a Google Adsense moneymaker but one site has emerged as the leader of the pack! I am going to use that site as a guide when designing other sites.

Keep in mind this hasn't cost me any money, the Adsense program is FREE. I have not tried the Adword program yet, but I have heard that is a good way to increase your income from Adsense. When I start making $100.00 a month from Adsense, then I will consider buying some keywords.

Bottom line...if you want to try a program that actually works and start earning a little extra cash from the Internet, then sign up for Google Adsense. If you have experience with adsense and would like to share your tips on how to make more money, please leave a comment or email me at cmmdtp@gmail.com

PS. Next time you are surfing the net, go ahead and click on a couple of Google Ads, somebody will make a couple of cents and be grateful to you; and who knows, you just may find something that you were really looking for!

Cindy Sheehan at it Again

If you were watching TV Tuesday night you probably saw The President's State of the Union Speech. What you didn't see was Mr. Bush's nemesis, Cindy Sheenan, being arrested again!

It seems that she had received a ticket to the event from Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Santa Rosa. Cindy says she was reluctant to attend because she knew that George Bush would say things that would hurt and anger her. She still blames Mr. Bush for the death of her son Casey in Iraq.

When Sheehan removed her jacket in the House gallery a police officer noticed her expressive t-shirt with "2,245 dead, how many more?" He escorted her out and she was charged with a misdemeanor.

All of this happened before Mr. Bush entered the House chamber. Later, while Mr. Bush was speaking, officers spotted Beverly Young, wife of Florida Republican Rep. Bill Young, who was sitting six seats away from first lady Laura Bush and wearing a "Support our Troops" shirt. They ushered her out as well. Young was told by officers that since Sheenan had been removed for wearing an expressive t-shirt, it was only fair that they remove her also. However, Mrs. Young was not charged.

I am interested to hear your opinion about this incident.

• Do you think that Cindy Sheehan was just up to her old tricks, trying to get in the spotlight and draw attention to her cause
• Do you feel that she was arrested unfairly and should have been allowed to stay
• Do you agree that the police acted correctly in removing her from the House gallery because she may have caused a disturbance

Please leave a comment.

Microsoft IE 7 Beta Released

Microsoft hasn't released a new version of Internet Explorer since 2001, allowing competitor Firefox to gain ground. Firefox now has about 10% of the market share compared to IE's 85% so they have a long way to go to catch up; however, I have been using Firefox now for the past year and really prefer it to IE.

Microsoft's new IE7 will feature enhanced security enhanced guards against malware and phishing. It also promises to be easier to navigate with a sleeker interface. Another new feature will be an icon that users can click on to automatically add RSS feeds to your favorites folder on the browser. Microsoft plans are to ship IE7 along with Vista, the upgrade to Windows XP, in the second half of this year.

I am downloading IE7 as I write this post and will try it out, but I have been very pleased with Firefox and do not plan on returning to IE. After I have tried the new IE for a while I will write a review here, so check back soon. I am interested to hear your opinion on IE vs. Firefox. Please leave a comment. If you would like to download IE7 Beta version, Click Here.

FDA Approves Inhaled Insulin

YES...this is really good news for diabetics. The FDA has approved Exubera, the first inhaled insulin treatment for diabetes. I for one, am very glad to hear about this. I am a diabetic and have been taking insulin shots for fifteen years. I take five injections per day and it has not been fun! I hate needles, and I will be happy to switch to Exubera.

How does Exubera work? It delivers insulin in dry form through an areosol spray to the lungs and from there it enters the blood stream.

Pfizer Inc. is the first manufacturer to put the new insulin on the market. Before too long, I'm sure you will see other brands competing with Exubera. This is the first new method of insulin delivery since 1920...now if we could just come up with a cure!

Richard Hatch may have to learn how to survive in prison

You may remember Richard Hatch as the "fat, naked guy" from the first "Survivor" series. He was always running around the island without any clothes on. Now Hatch is going to have to sharpen up his survival skills all over again. However, this time he may find it more difficult than anything he faced on the island in the original TV show "Survivor".

Hatch was convicted of tax evasion and other charges and faces up to 13-years in prison!Richard says that he believed the TV show was going to pay his taxes on the million dollars that he won. It seems that Hatch found out about some cheating that was going on during the show and he claims that the producers offered to pay his taxes if he would keep it quiet. He is also accused of using money for himself that was supposed to go to a charity he had set up.

I'm thinking that there just might be a guy named "Bubba" sitting in prison somewhere with a big old smile on his face anxiously awaiting the arrival of Richard!

Man's Best Friend

Here's a great story I read in the paper the other day and forgot all about it until I just saw it on The Ellen Show again today.

Steve Hoffman, a sheriff's deputy in Indiana, had just finished a traffic stop one night when he noticed a strange light coming from a cornfield. He walked towards the flickering light and saw two dogs. One was holding a flashlight in its mouth and the other was lying on top of an unconcious man to keep him warm!

Deputy Hoffman performed CPR on Bill Burns who was diabetic and had passed out in the cornfield while walking his dogs. The two dogs, Butch and Dusty are credited with saving their owner's life. Mr. Burns said that his dogs were not trained and had never picked up a flashlight before that night.

They were just being man's best friend!

Ending the Week with a Big Bang!

Okay, I'm happy it's Friday and the work week is over; however, it really ended with a BIG BANG! After the long, hour commute home from work I am one block away from home and I hear a BIG BANG! Then my tire starts making weird noises...thump, thump, thump! It's a flat tire, but since I'm only one block from home I continue on my way, knowing that's probably not too good for my rim, but I am so close!

I get home and check out the situation and sure enough, one of my tires is flatter than a pancake. The sad news is there is still a lot of good tread on the tire so I must have run something over.

Now you think it would be a simple thing to change a tire, but it's not shaping up that way for me. I pull out my spare and notice that although it looks brand new, it is very low on air...I hope it's okay.

After tearing the pickup truck apart looking for a jack, I discover that there is no jack in the truck! That can't be a good thing! I open up my wife's car to borrow her jack and notice that there is about 200 pounds of boxes, clothes, shoes, papers and assorted other "important stuff" in her trunk blocking my path to where the jack would be (that is if she even has a jack).

It's beginning to get dark outside and since I am not really feeling like moving all that junk out of the way to look for a jack, I decide to give it up till tomorrow morning. I don't have anyplace to go tonight anyway.

The next morning I borrow my wife's car and go to the auto parts store hoping to purchase a jack...the guy tells me they don't sell jacks, nobody uses them anymore. I ask him how do you change a tire then. He replies, most people don't get flat tires now adays. I go to another store and find a jack for $14.95 and buy it. I also run by the gas station and put some air in my spare.

When I get home with my new jack I discover that it doesn't lift the truck up high enough to change the tire! Now I am really getting mad! I swallow my pride and go to my neighbors house and ask if he has a jack I can borrow and my problem is solved. He had a nice heavy duty jack and we made short work of changing the tire. (Thank God for good neighboors!)

Now I've got a spare on the truck that has been plugged before so I figure I had better go buy a new tire and keep the plugged one for a spare. So I'm off to the tire shop to purchase a new tire. Then I'm going to come back home, relax, and enjoy my weekend.

Thanks for listening.

24 - The Best Show On TV Is Back

WOW...what a premiere for the 5th season of 24. Two nights and four-hours of 24! 17-million viewers tuned in on Sunday night to make this the most-watched two episodes ever for 24.

If you have never seen this show, you are missing out on the best action-packed show of all time! It really doesn't even matter if you saw the first four seasons or not, you can jump right in and follow along with no problem. (By the way the first four seasons are available on DVD. You can purchase just one season or all four at Amazon.com)

I don't want to spoil the show if you happened to have recorded it and not watched it yet, so I won't go into any details here. If you want to see a recap of the show check out Fox TV's Website . (That's where the above photo is from.)

In my opinion, there are several things that makes this show such a success; the first being the unique, real-time storytelling method. Secondly, the non-stop action is full of plot twists and surprises which keep viewers on the edge of their seats! I don't know where Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) gets his energy from; he barely solves one crises and another is upon him!

Please leave a comment and if you know of any great 24 websites let me know. You know where you can find me on Monday nights.

Mystickal Incense & More

If you are not a member of Blog Explosion, you need to sign up now. The "rent my blog" feature which allows members to rent space on their blog in return for credits or buy space on another member's blog is just one of the many GREAT FEATURES at Blog Explosion.

Speaking of GREAT, you must visit my tenant of the week, Stephanie Davies. Her blog, Mystickal Incense & More, is very nicely done. (To visit her blog, click on the screen shot in the right hand margin of this page.)

It is both a personal and business blog, but it's not an in-your-face, pushy sales blog. Mostly it's a personal diary with an occasional mention of the products which Stephanie hand-makes; things like incense, candles, and bath & body products. She has a link to take you to her sales website Mystickal Incense & More.

When you visit Stepanie's blog, be sure to leave a comment and tell her that Mike sent you from Ramblings and Rhetoric.

When is a Motorcycle not a Motorcycle?

Riddle me this -- When is a motorcycle not a motorcycle? Would you believe when Arnold Schwarzenegger is driving it?

California's Governor crashed his motorcycle into a car that was backing out of a driveway and had to get 15 stitches above his lip. His son was riding in the sidecar but was not injured.

It turns out that Arnold did not have a motorcycle license. Did the Governor get a ticket? NOT! The Los Angeles Police Department did not issue a citation because they didn't see the accident happen. The DMV and California Highway Patrol said that since his Harley had a sidecar attached to it, a motorcycle license was not required.

Is this another case of celebrities getting away with breaking the law? Even if you buy the sidecar making the motorcycle not a motorcycle story what about all the other times Arnold was driving his Harley-Davidson without the sidecar? He has been driving illegally for years! Governors and Movie Stars should have to obey the law just like us commonfolk do!

Arnold broke six ribs and spent four days in the hospital in 2001 from another motorcyle crash. Hey Arnie, maybe your "Terminator" days are over!

Your comments are welcome.

NASA Needs You

If you ever had dreams of working for NASA, here's your big chance. NASA is looking for Internet volunteers to study stardust. OK...the pay really sucks, it's a volunteer job; but you could get to name the particals of stardust that you discover!

Here is a link that explains the Stardust Project. Basically, NASA has captured some stardust particles from a comet and will be returning them to earth for study - that's were you come in. If this were twenty years ago NASA would have hired an army of people to peer through microscopes and study the particles, but now that we have the Internet they plan on using a web-based microscope and volunteers. You will have to pass a test in order to qualify for this opportunity for your fifteen minutes of fame! You will be searching for carrot-shaped trails that have been left in the submicroscobic dust particles. Sound like fun?

(Photo from NASA website)

NBC's The Book of Daniel

NBC has a new TV show that started Friday, Jan. 6th, called "The Book of Daniel". It is a pretty controversial series about a pill-popping, unconventional priest with a very messed up, dysfunctional family! Daniel is not only able to see Jesus but he also talks with Him and asks him for advise about all kinds of situations.

There are more sub-plots and story lines going on then you can keep up with. The series strikes a nerve of Christians because of the way it mockingly portrays Jesus as a wimpy character. Christ is shown to give flippant answers to Daniel's questions about serious moral issues.

The show has everything from drug abuse, homosexuality, and premarital sex, to stealing money from the church. A snapshot of the world we live in today? Perhaps.

I don't doubt that there are priests who have problems nor do I pretend to be unaware of the plethora of moral issues we have going on all around us. However, I do take offense to the way that Christ is depicted in this show. What would Jesus do if he were here now? I'm sure He wouldn't say things like, "He's a kid, let him be a kid", when asked about a teenager's sexual escapades!

I would like to hear what you think about the show. Please leave a comment and share your thoughts. My opinion is...NBC should cancel this show, although I'm sure they are getting tons of publicity from the controversy and therfore will let it air for a while. However, they did introduce this as a "limited series"!

A Handy Tool to Help with Your Diet

NO...it's not the bathroom scale. Look at the top of the page.

Many of us have made New Year's resolutions to eat healthier and lose weight. Here's a handy little tool at the top of the page to help you with this. Just select a category and type in the food you want to find the nutritional value for.

Here's an example. If you select bannana you will find everything you ever wanted to know about a banana. In a raw banana there is 200 calories, 1 gram of fat and 28 grams of sugar. The website will tell you what's good about a banana and what is bad for you. You can look up raw bananas, banana pudding, banana baby food, dehydrated bananas and just about any other kind of banana you are looking for! It is an amazing website and a useful tool for helping you select the right foods to keep your New Year's Resolution. I am going to keep the tool bar at the top of this page, so come back anytime and check out your favorite foods.

Good luck with your diet.

Tag - You're It

I have been blogging since Sept. 2005, and this is the first time that I have ever been tagged. I don't know if I should be honored or mad (because I really don't have time for this). But I will play along. Thanks a lot to Eric, Blogging Boss for tagging me!

I was tagged on my Bed & Breakfast Experiences blog; however, I really want to keep all the posts on that blog on subject, so I will post the tag here on this blog.

Four jobs you've had in your life:

Restaurant Manager
Bartender
Warehouse Supervisor
Taxi Driver

Four movies you would watch over and over

Somewhere in Time
Bravehart
Pirates of the Carribean
The Godfather (all four movies)

Four places you have lived

North Caolina
California
Connecticut
At Sea (on board an Aircraft Carrier - The Bon Homme Richard)

Four TV shows you love to watch

24
Lost
Desperate Houswives
ER

Four places you have been on vacation

Blowing Rock, NC
Myrtle Beach, SC
Disney World in FL
Ashville, NC

Four websites you visit daily

Google
BlogExplosion
USA Today
Reuters

Four of your favorite foods

Ice Cream
Scallops
Lobster
Steak

Four places you would rather be right now

On Vacation
Hawaii
Greece
In bed sleeping (it's 3:00 am)

Four bloggers you are tagging

LUKA - http://www.incogblogo.net/
ANO - http://all-night.org/
NAMELESS - http://blogs.forumer.com/anonymous/
MOMMC - http://dr1.com/blogs/?u=MommC

First Tenant of the New Year

First Tenant of the New Year

Over at Blog Explosion, we can rent space to other bloggers in return for credits. This is a good way to gain exposure to your blog and pick up some new readers. If you haven't yet checked out Blog Explosion, you need to go there right now; it's a GREAT community for bloggers.

Speaking of GREAT -- you need to visit my current tenant, Peter Porcupine. Just click on the screenshot of his blog in the right hand margin and check it out for yourself. Peter says of himself,"I STAND FIRM FOR TRUE CONSERVATIVE PHILOSOPHY, AND AGAINST RAPSCALLIONS OF ALL POLITICAL STRIPES."

Peter Porcupine is an awesome blog, it's one of the blogs that I read all the time. While you are there leave him a comment and tell him that you were sent there from Ramblings and Rhetoric.