It's Not Fair

It's Not Fair

The other day while my wife was driving home from work she had a car wreck! Thank God, nobody in either car was injured. Here is what happened, please leave a comment and tell me if it seems fair to you.

She came to a full stop at an intersection where she had a stop sign. There were no cars coming so she pulled out and then crash! A van had suddenly come speeding over the top of the hill and she hit the van broadside as she was pulling out!

In my opinion, the driver of the van was at fault because he was travelling at a high rate of speed coming up on a blind intersection. The State Trooper did not agree, he issued a ticket to my wife. His explanation was that she failed to yield. I argued that there was nothing to yield to when she pulled out there were no cars coming. The driver of the van was speeding and should get a ticket also. The Trooper said it didn't matter how fast the other guy was going, the person at the stop sign has to yield to oncoming traffic. (In other words it is okay to speed while you are coming over a hill and approaching a blind intersection.)

Does this seem fair to you? Please leave a comment. We are not paying the ticket, but will go to court and talk to the District Attorney about this. It is a 3-point penalty on your driver's license and God only knows how much the car insurance will go up!

What Do You Really Think About This Blog?

What Do You Really Think ?

OKAY -- I've been blogging since Sept. 2005 and it's time to find out what you really think about "Ramblings and Rhetoric". Please take a few minutes and leave your comments.

• Tell me if you like the design of my blog
• Do you find the content interesting or boring
• Are you a regular reader or first time visitor
• Have you checked out my other blogs; 3 is the Charm and Bed & Breakfast Experiences
  
• Have you ever clicked on any of the ads in my blog
  

Thanks and have a GREAT DAY.

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.