My Top Three- Cola Flavors

1) Barq's Root Beer (it's got bite!)
2) red cream soda
3) Sprite

My Top Three- Pizza Toppings

1) chicken
2) cheese
3) bacon squares

My Top Three- Cars (Vehicles really)

1) 300
2) old Dodge Charger type
3) Hummer

Planes, Trains & Automobiles, and oh yeah, boats too!

It shouldn't be hard to get to somewhere from where we are. Simple planning usually does the trick. What will get us there? Which way will we take? What route do we follow? What will be the cost?

So we have been planning a trip in Europe and figure it should be straight forward enough. Leave, go and come back. Right? I think planning a trip before there was internet might have been easier than now. Today we get to see each place, see what each company offers, and compare it with others or even against itself and collector sites (resellers) to find the best deals out there.

One choice between two places would be so much easier.

We know we need to fly. Simple. Really. With connector flights, multi-city options, one leg flights, cost-saver airlines, and buy now deals... it is just ridiculous. Not all the flight options are money savers. We had one roundtrip flight say that it would cost $10,800 for two. No thanks (Air Italia).

Welcome to Italy

In less than three weeks we are off to Europe. This girl might greet us at one of the hotels that we stay in. If everyone is as pleasant looking as she is that we should have no trouble having a fabulous trip. I don't want to over hype the trip. Just enjoy it for what it is. The best part, by far, will be the company I will be with. Everything else is a bonus. Hope to see the Eiffel Tower, but it looks like we may not be able to get that way.

Measure Of This Man

In a slow manner I've begun to read The Measure of a Man by Gene Getz. This book is not the book of his that I wanted to start reading (he has written a few) but it is the one I know I need to read first. I have the 17th printing (1964) edition with 218 pages to get through.

The challenge is this: the format. Each chapter is self contained with a personal project at the end to develop a particular quality and make it a part of my life. This will hopefully be a productive springboard in a continuing journey.

I progress.

The Return

Tax time for most is a dreaded time of year. Scrounging up paperwork, records... figuring out the totals... did the one get carried... do I get a refund or do I owe. For me, I never like this time of year, not because of the fear of owing... (just the hassle of gathering all of the needed figures and records). Having a look back at a years worth of transactions can uncover a lot of truth and emotion. 2007 was a rough year overall and the transactions show it. Why I don't like this time of year is I can file away the figures but I cannot file away the emotions. I wish... I wish... I wish... someday,... maybe?

Travel

airtransat.ca/
holidayhouse.ca/
transatholidays.com/
holidayescapes.ca/
globusjourneys.ca/
itravel2000.com

just a few links to explore when planning a trip to Europe.
agentlingo.ca
budgettravelonline.com
airfrance.ca
transatholidays.com
trafalgar.com
exotictours.com

as well...
aircanada.ca/
expedia.com/ (helps with connector opportunities)
ramada.com/
bestwestern.com/

smushed boobs

I am just happy to be here.

i have never been a huge fan of Pamela Anderson. Baywatch... mmah. Her movies were just awright... My wife was looking on an entertainment site (i think it was for US magazine) and they had a feature showing pictures of what they thought were smushed boobs and included this picture of Pamela. She has had enhancements, then taken them out, then put them back in. Does that kind of action make sense? Is it for personal reasons or for her is it an opportunity to enhance her marketability? She does have large breasts and they do seem smushed in this picture but what is on her mind? I look at the expression in this picture and think that either her dress is too tight or the crown on her head is dug in a little too deep or maybe one change too many, if you know what i mean... The eyes say it all.

If I had to step it up

18

It's a wierd question to have to take on, wierder still that I got this link from a youth pastor. Fun to know, I could take them.

Getting dumped

Today it is going to snow. Do you know how much we are going to get? It starting to become a challenge to figure out exactly how much we are supposed to get. At this point of the year, any amount is too much.

I am listening to weather reports on the radio stations and they are all saying the same thing these days. I know that they all get their reports from Environment Canada and that the stations I am listening to are owned by the same company, but I am not interested in doing math to figure out exactly how much snow to expect.

They said today. Up to 2cm in the morning. 2 to 5cm in the afternoon with a winter storm advisory in the afternoon followed by 10 to 15cm overnight. Then another 2to 4cm the next morning.

So are we really expecting 16 to 26cm over the course of the day? Are they spreading the snow out over the day to give themselves something to talk about? Or would it be more sensational to talk about the Blizzard of `08! March is roaring in like a lion, but they are making it seem like it's a stuffed toy. Roar.

Am I too pretty?

The below article is from a Tampa Bay newspaper report this week. Do you think they were too pretty or just victims of their own circumstances? How do you go about determining who is too pretty? What do you use to measure the level of prettiness? Do you have to stand beside a Richard Simmons cutout and pretty it out for boarding judges? Guess we'll have to drive if we want to get around the southwest!

Prejudice against pretty?

That's the claim from a pair of 18-year-old best friends from Oldsmar who were escorted off a Southwest Airlines plane.

USF student Nisreen Swedberg and friend Sarah Williams claim the flight crew was rude to them from the moment they stepped onto the plane at Tampa International Airport on February 14.

Swedberg said she asked a flight attendant for a bottle of water and was told she could wait until the rest of the flight was served.

“And I patiently waited and then when they came around with water, they skipped me,” Swedberg said.

At one point, Williams had to use the plane's bathroom. She saw another passenger in it, and when he hadn't come out 15 minutes later, she knocked on the door.

When he came out, Williams says the man came over to her seat and yelled a profanity at her. Williams admits she yelled a profanity back at him but was puzzled when she says the flight crew only questioned her.

“I think they were just discriminating against because we were young decent-looking girls. I mean, nobody else on the plane looked like us except us,” she said. “[The flight attendants] were like older ladies. We were younger. Who knows, they could have been just jealous of us because we were younger.”

Southwest defends the incident, saying the women caused a disruption on the flight.

When the plane landed in Los Angeles, the women were escorted off by four uniformed police officers and later questioned by the FBI.

Nearly two hours later, the women were released. No charges were filed.

Still, Williams and Swedberg say they were banned from all future Southwest Airlines flights, including their scheduled flight home to Tampa.

Swedberg spent $419.50 on a one-way return ticket and arrived at TIA on Monday. Williams is still in Los Angeles trying to find a cheaper flight home. She hopes to be back to Tampa by Saturday.

Wierd Words

A reasonably common word which contains all five vowels, each used once, and in their correct alphabetical order. What is it?

blog block begone

I have had a lot to say over the past year but no real strong desire to get the words out... over the last two days i have seen enough to reenforce that feeling... i see something bloggable, but just cannot get it together to put it into text... i don't know what that makes it, but it's not nice...

A Christmas Wish

To All My Democrat Friends:Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

To My Republican Friends: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Smarter than a first grader?

A first grade school teacher in Virginia had 25 students in her class. She presented each child in her classroom the first half of a well known proverb and asked each to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind that these are first graders, 6-year-olds, because the last one is a classic!

1. Don't change the horses... until they stop running.
2. Strike while the... bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before... Daylight Saving Time.
4. Never underestimate the power of... termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but... how?
6. Don't bite the hand that... looks dirty.
7. No news is... impossible.
8. A miss is as good as a... Mr.
9. You can't teach an old dog new... math.
10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll... stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust... me.
12. The pen is mightier than the... pigs.
13. An idle mind is... the best way to relax.
14. Where there's smoke there's... pollution.
15. Happy is the bride who... gets all the presents.
16. A penny saved is... not much.
17. Two's company, three's... the Musketeers.
18. Don't put off till tomorrow what... you put on to go to bed.
19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and... you have to blow your nose.
20. There are none so blind as... Stevie Wonder.
21. Children should be seen and not... spanked or grounded.
22. If at first you don't succeed... get new batteries.
23. You get out of something only what you... see in the picture on the box.
24. When the blind lead the blind... get out of the way.

and the winner and last one!

25. Better late than... pregenant.

Christmas Countdown

Roll The Dice

Coming up snake eyes



The surveillance car turned chase car turned wait car


Feet, just waiting



I am still at Odell Park. I have been passing time by for about an 90 minutes and still have over 90 minutes more to wait. The longest wait in my life. The biggest gamble of my life.

I am very dysfunctional, I think if I have an idea of what I want in life I can be very methodical. I can clearly see the steps or processes needed to make that happen. I can see the outcomes and I feel I can influence what happens. It is a great feeling when this is successful. Structured, within expected time frames, little to nothing overlooked. This is a big contrast from how I was brought up in my youth. I love my parents but life didn't present the opportunity for them to stay together, and I was raised by my mother, who did a great job considering what she was working with. Very little structure as a result. Which is fine.

For as structured as I like things to be, I love chaos a lot more. I like to gamble. Not so much with money, but with life decisions. I have an instinct for making correct choices at the correct time. I credit this to God. Always. He has had such a huge hand in my life. Timing is everything! So very true. I am impulsive. I have no problem be spontaneous (especially when the mood suits). I would often times in college get up one morning, grab my bag, music and a book or two and head down to the bus station and go just any random place a day would take me. No itinerary, no plan. Just go and enjoy. Out of my control as to what would happen, what I would see or do, but it was okay and fun.

Not at all like today.
Today, I feel like it's such a crap shoot. Everything has been planned by other people. I don't know the whole plan. But I am told bits about it and then find out more, than more, than more. I am told one thing than see another happen. So frustrating! Hard to trust. Hard to believe. Even harder when I am asked to step back an let nature take its course. Fuck. I did so much to persuade and convince, so that the right 'us' scenario happens. All I want is the best. I feel helpless, so utterly helpless. I have actions I can take, but it won't bring me the result I am looking for. The risk is too high to pursue those options. I need to be trusted as much as my trust needs to be given. I am willing to do so. I just cry out to my Lord that the same will be returned.

Rely on each other for life. Tough to do when people are so independent and have their own ulterior motives for taking the steps they take. Here I am waiting. I feel helpless, like I'm being taken advantage of. I feel alone. I see three outcomes and I only like one of them. I feel it won't be the outcome that happens. Sucks.

I have prepared for the moment. I have done my research. I know all the outcomes. I pray to God I have made the right choice. I am so afraid that I have not. And having rolled the dice, I feel foolish.

Tomorrow might be a bigger gamble. One I hadn't counted on. Like, I'll be taken advantage of. Sucks.

Originally written: 15 August 2007 @ 3:31PM

Yes Or No?

When to Say "Yes" and When to Say "No"
By Michael Masterson
I make a lot of commitments that unnecessarily add stress to my life. Why I find it so difficult to say "no," I can't say. But it's something I'm teaching myself to do.
The first step is to figure out when to say "yes" and when to say "no." Here's what I've come up with...
1. Say "yes" - often but not always - to two people: your spouse and your business partner.
2. Say "no" - as often as you possibly can - to everyone who asks you for help. This would include:
your lazy colleague
your shiftless friend
your spoiled children/grandchildren
your most self-centered customers
anyone who isn't willing to give back
Here's something else you can do to lighten your load and maintain your forward momentum:
Write a list of 20 things - people, situations, responsibilities - that cause you stress.
Reduce that list to 10.
Reduce it again to three.
Now pick one of those three - and stop doing it.
If you are like me, the thing that is creating the most stress in your life right now is something you are doing to help out someone who doesn't deserve it. And if you're like me, you feel guilty about even thinking about stopping.
Do yourself a favor. Call him up right now and tell him very definitively that you are going to stop doing it at the end of this day/week/month/year. Offer a simple explanation. Don't feel the need to elaborate. If he objects, say "I'm sorry that this will be inconvenient for you. I am sure you will be fine in the end. But the decision has been made."
And stick to it.
Try it. You'll be amazed at how good it makes you feel. Do that and don't take on another responsibility for at least 24 hours.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

Not too bad advice. I am on track with agreeing with his statement on saying yes often but not always to your wife, which is something I have always tried to do but sometimes it is harder to do than others and ends up in discord... something for another post, in my head.

On his line about making a list of the 20 things, then reducing it, then again... I just don't see how that works. There have got to be certain circumstances where that is not possible to 'reduce the stress', particularily if it involves family or friends. I know I have some things beening done around me that are causing me stress and I would love for them to be stopped and have even tried to put an end to them -to no such luck, the things are still going on and I am still being stressed about them (along with other things). Maybe he is talking about something different. Not saying it cannot be done, just not sure how it can work.

What Are You Working For?

A job is only a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Most people have only one problem in mind, and it's short term. It's the bills at the end of the month. Money now runs their lives. They have created a pattern of get up, go to work, pay bills, get up, go to work, pay bills. You say you are different than everyone else? Are you saying, "I'm not interested in money."? Then why are you working at a job for eight (or more!) hours a day? There is a denial of truth- if you weren't interested in money, then why are you working?

Most of the time life does not talk to you. It just sort of pushes you around. Each push is life saying, 'Wake up. There is something I want you to learn.'. If you learn life's lessons, you will do well. If not, life will just continue to push you around. People do two things. Some just let life push them around. Others get angry and push back. But they push back against their boss, or their job, or their husband or wife or common law partner. They do not know it's life that's pushing. Some give up. Others fight. A few learn the lesson and move on. They welcome life pushing them around. To these few people, it means they need and want to learn something. If you learn the lesson then you will grow into a wise, wealthy and happy person. If you don't you will spend your life blaming a job, low pay or your boss for your problems. You'll live life hoping for that big break that will solve all your money problems.

Or if you're the kind of person who has no guts, you just give up every time life pushes you. If you're that kind of person, you'll live all your life playing it safe, doing the right things, saving yourself for some event that never happens. Then, you die a boring, old person. You'll have lots of friends who really like you (facebook???) because you were such a nice hard-working person. You spent a life playing it safe, doing the right things. But the truth is, you let life push you into submission. You chose to play it safe.

What will you do?