Economic Stimulus

Here are some random pictures from the Economic Stimulus Road Trip 2008 where we drove to Warrensburg, MO to Indianapolis, IN to Middletown, NJ to Atlantic City, NJ to Middletown, NJ to Orwigsburg, PA to Auburn, PA to Chambersburg, PA to Annville, PA to Chambersburg, PA to Philadelphia, PA to Middletown, NJ to Fairborn, OH to Warrensburg, MO and all the way back to Kansas City. It was a long time in the car, but it was super fun. And the best news is that we never paid over $2.09 for gas the entire trip.

Random highlights:

This was the house I grew up in. First, in order to get into the gated neighborhood, I had to remember the number to the front gate (It was the area code that I couldn't remember because I never dialed it. Thankfully Carolyn was looking at signs for businesses that had numbers on them and we figured it out.) and then lie to them about who I was and that I was expecting myself... After I got in and saw the house and yard, I freaked! The garage doors were white! The little trees were so huge! There's a new tree in the front yard in a really weird spot!

But really, why would you change the garage doors to white? They looked nice when they were maroon like the shutters and door.

This is Brenda in Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. That's a lot of chocolate right there.


This is Carolyn hugging Hot Dog Frank, a statue at my undergrad school. I think that everyone that went there has some sort of photo taken with Hot Dog Frank. I know I have one where I'm kissing his cheek. Anyway, the funniest thing is that we had to come back later because the bookstore was closed and Janelle wanted to purchase new LVC apparel. When we came back, I had Remy with me who went for a walk and happened upon Hot Dog Frank. She totally hawked out and barked at him. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen her do, and I'm so upset that my camera was in the car for it.

Remy does not like Frank. Although, she did get close enough to him to sniff his hand, which was the cutest thing, ever. I think she was confused because he smelled like metal, not human. Adorable.


Pictures from Erin's place and our 5 year college reunion, including the elusive Sarah who is apparently allergic to photographs or something.


My FAVORITE car picture of all. Brenda's trying to sleep, Remy's yawning, and I'm trying to get the shot from the front seat. Cramped much? Remy didn't believe in personal space.


"The pilgrim companion drank from the cup of life while the hunter looked on." Don't ask me what that means, these two were completely goofy on Thanksgiving and sitting at the other end of the table, like a million people away from me. I'm sure Brenda will blog about her escapades with Cherylann.


We made friends with this guy by waving Carolyn's Kansas hat at him in the window. A Pennsylvania plate with KU on it! Marybeth will be so proud! And it's even a Prius. It's like he went there.


This cross is the biggest cross, ever. It's in Illinois. In Effingham. Which makes us giggle. Doesn't that sound like an effing curse word?


Remy's personal boundaries are awesome.

We took nearly 40 video clips as well, but it'll take me some time to get through all of them. There are tons of other pictures as well, but I just wanted to get some up of the trip now.

Stay tuned.


End Blog.

Try This at Home

I read in article in the August 30th issue of Science News that dogs are susceptible to that weird human quirk of contagious yawning. You know the one, I yawn, you yawn, you yell at me for making you yawn... that one. Well, turns out, you yawn, your dog yawns, you get to giggle like mad.

After I read the article which suggested that canines are capable of empathizing with people, I thought that Remy would totally do it. She seems really good about picking up on human cues and body language. So, when I came home today, I let her out, played with her a bit, and got the garbage ready to go out. As I was carrying the bags to the door, she was lying on the couch. I looked at her and yawned big, with the fun sighing noise... and she yawned back with her high pitched jaw jittering yawn.

It totally works. Quick, go try it on your dog!


End Blog.

Atlantic City Doesn't Deserve Madonna

In fact, I think she should change her tour next year and come to Kansas City instead. That town would be too polite to ever SIT DOWN during a Madonna concert.

I'll start off by saying that this was my favorite Madonna concert, having seen the Drowned World Tour and the Re-Invention Tour previously. I'm not sure if I liked this one better because it was better, because let's face it, she's 50 and dancing less than she used to, so you'd think that would be upsetting, or if it's because I actually had people shell out the money and attend the concert with me. I think it's likely the latter. And I'm sure I wouldn't have seen her this year if I didn't have friends to go with.

That being said, the people in Atlantic City ruined this concert for me. Madonna was brilliant. Amazing. But, c'mon people... what is your major malfunction? If you wanted to see a concert, you should be happy to be there. You should not spend $150 on a ticket and then expect to sit in your seat.

While we were sitting waiting for the concert to start, a DJ came out to basically 'open' for Madonna. I thought that was kinda weird because no one has ever opened for her before, but since I knew that she'd make us wait, I was happy to have something to entertain me. Meanwhile, the people behind us started talking about how they were happy they got the seats that they did rather than the ones on the floor (could these people afford floor seats!?) because they we're going to have to stand the whole concert. At this, I laughed. Sure they were. Everyone would be standing the entire concert. Haven't they ever seen Madonna? I certainly knew better. They would be disappointed; they were sitting behind me.

At 8:55 (for an 8:00 concert) she finally started. People stood up and cheered and then everyone in my section (214) SAT DOWN. I looked at Brenda and was flabbergasted. "People are sitting!? I'm not sitting!" And we didn't. Carolyn did, however. She said she felt too guilty standing because there was a young kid behind her. (Side note: who brings a kid to a Madonna concert? Don't they realize that she'll likely do something... inappropriate?)

She opened with Candy Shop which actually has the words "get up out of your seat" in it. In the second song, The Beat Goes On, she sang, "Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat." I was standing this whole time even though no one around me was besides Brenda. I kinda felt guilty about it especially since Brenda leaned over and said, "They want us to sit down." Apparently someone behind her had asked. I refused. Yes, I defy you crazy people behind me, sitting at a Madonna concert. I defy you!

Human Nature began and I sang really loudly, "And I'm not sorry!" Okay, maybe I'm an asshole, but the whole thing blew my mind. Who were these people? Besides, had they been sitting in any other section, they would be standing. People to the left and right of us were still standing. If everyone stood up, we'd all be able to see! (Don't worry, no one could hear me singing that I wasn't sorry. The concert was very loud. I couldn't even hear me, which is why it was okay to sing the whole time.)

Fourth song: Vogue. Let your body groove to the music, people. The video screens were pretty during this, there were eyes with cool makeup and lace and niftiness. I started to forget about the people behind me and enjoy the show.

Then she sang Die Another Day. Okay, that's a lie, she didn't sing it, there was a video thing and the music and she was off changing a costume or something. Brenda loves this song. I know because every single time it came on in the car during the trip, she stopped whatever she was doing and said, "I love this song!" So, we were just a bit sad that she wasn't actually singing it... but then, this dude behind me got our attention and asked us to sit down. Carolyn expected a throwdown. She pretended she didn't know us.

"Can you sit down? We can't see."
"Stand up! It's a concert!"
"I'm 6'4", if I stand up, no one behind me will be able to see."
"That's not my problem."

Yes, that actually happened. No, I didn't sit down. Yes, I am a big fat jerk. No, I do not care if I ruined the concert for them because the feeling is pretty much mutual. Madonna does not want you to sit at her concerts. I know. Trust me. You cannot persuade me to sit down with your faulty tall man logic.

The next song was Get Into the Groove. Madonna sings, "Get up on your feet, let's dance to the beat," and I screamed along with her, adding in my own, "Yeah people! Get up!" along with it. Have they never heard her music? Have they never been to her concerts?

The next song was Heartbeat, from her new album. I think this songs is really beautiful, but it's slower and my standing comrades in the sections adjacent to mine started sitting. I was loosing people. The video screens, which could move by the way, were showing graphics I really enjoyed. It would be a cool tattoo design, if I ever thought that I wanted a tattoo.

Then she brought out her black guitar, the one that made me love the song Candy Perfume Girl (Before the Drowned World Tour and seeing her perform that song live, I absolutely hated that song. It was the guitar that made it awesome.) So, she's there with my guitar, and she starts singing a rock version of Borderline. Her vocals were lower, thankfully, and it was a really awesome version of this song.

The next song, She's Not Me, was my favorite part of the concert. On the video screens there were old 'versions' of Madonna, and then her dancers came up from under the stage dressed as her during different periods: Like a Virgin, Blonde Ambition, Material Girl, and Open Your Heart. She ran around and took off a piece of their clothing, a shoe, a veil, etc, and threw them. She kissed the Like a Virgin bride a la Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and it was super fabulous. I loved this so much, especially knowing that her divorce was finalized the day before. I heard it took eight minutes. I was hoping it would only take four.

The next song was Music,and I mostly thought about how different this crowd was than when I saw her perform it in Washington, DC. She closed the show with it for the Re-Invention Tour and it was so great to have the crowd on their feet and singing along together. Music didn't bring the people together Saturday night. Atlantic City sucks. The bourgeois behind me would not join the rebels (me and Brenda). I mean, people were happy for the song and screamed and stuff, but some were still seated - namely those in my section. I kept thinking, "Get up, people. Madonna is 50 and sweating her ass off, the least you could do is stand up."

The next bit was a costume change, the music was a mix of the Eurythmics, Here Comes the Rain Again and Madonna's Rain. Madonna was no longer on stage and Carolyn somehow convinced me to sit down. So Brenda sat when I sat. I wasn't really happy about it, but figured I'd just stand back up when she came back out. Madonna emerged from under the stage on top of a piano. She sang one of my favorite songs from the new album, The Devil Wouldn't Recognize You. It was slow and pretty and not really energizing enough for me to legitimately stand up again. I had made a grave error. I was sitting. How was I going to justify getting back up now?

Rain and water flowed down all the video screens. I was really happy that I didn't have to pee. Then she sang Spanish Lesson. It was an upbeat song and I thought about getting up, but didn't. It wasn't quite exciting enough to stand. And then, it was like Madonna could hear my inner thoughts and she did the most amazing thing.

"This is not a sitting concert! Get up out of your seats!"

So, I did. And I screamed a whole lot. "Thank you, Madonna! I didn't think it was a sitting concert, either!" Brenda and I were the only people in our section that got up. Surprise.

The next song was Miles Away, followed by La Isla Bonita. I was sure that Carolyn would get up for La Isla Bonita, but she didn't. It's one of her favorite Madonna songs, but if she was happy in her seat, that was okay. I certainly wasn't happy sitting. During this song they weaved in something else Spanish or Greek or something. I'm a cultural moron, so I don't know for sure, but then they took a shot of something alcohol-like on stage and it was pretty sweet.

The next song was You Must Love Me. It was her and this mariachi type band on stage, with some other stringed instruments and whatnot. They showed video from Evita on the screens and it was really beautiful. The best part is that she missed her intro and said, "This is where I'm supposed to start." Then she went on to say, "It's kinda smokey in here. Are you going to continue smoking your cigarettes? That's really annoying." Seriously, Madonna should never go back to Atlantic City. Ever.

Then she sang 4 Minutes (to Save the World). The biggest hit from her most recent album... and you guessed it, people were sitting. During it, they had movable video screens on the floor and had sort of life sized Justin Timberlakes singing with her, which I thought was kinda neat. It was like he was performing with her.

This was followed by Like a Prayer, my second favorite part of the concert (and favorite Madonna song). This was really beautiful, as the screens had different sayings about religions and spirituality, and treating your neighbor as you wish to be treated. It made me happy to be part of the human race, regardless of the fact that the people sitting in front of me were obviously robots. (WALL-E has more heart than they do.)

Then she played the opening bars to Ray of Light and Carolyn screamed, "I didn't know she was singing this!" and she stood up. (I think she was happy to sing that it felt like home, being back in NJ and all... even though Atlantic City obviously sucks.) When she did, the woman next to her stood as well, saying, "None of my friends are dancing, so I'm going to dance with you!" Obviously too many people succumbed to the guilt of standing in front of those sitting behind them. I wonder what that says about me... (I am selfish.) Meanwhile, there were really weird motorcycle helmet wearing dancers on stage with her.

At the end of the song, a single spotlight was on her alone on stage, and she made shadow puppets on the wall who fought each other. I laughed a ton. It was probably my favorite moment, it all its hilariousness and made Madonna more human that the super popstar that imagine her as.

She then talked to the audience again and said she would take a request. She asked a man his name and he screamed, "Everybody!"
"That's an unusual name."
"Amir."
"Pierre?"
"Amir!"
"Amir? Where are you from?"
"New York."
"Really? What do you want to hear?"
"Everybody!"
"I don't remember all the words to that."

So, she sang one line and had us sing the next, although no one, including me, knew all the words to that song. She wrapped it up by saying, "You sucked, I sucked, we both sucked." I love her. She made us clap forever and kept yelling, "Keep time, people!" The worst part about this was the song that Amir picked. I mean, really? Everybody? Why not pick something better like Don't Tell Me or Cherish or Holiday (which would have been great since she's claimed she'll never sing that song live again) or a ton of other songs that people would have actually been able to since along to? Dumb Amir. Why can't I afford seats in the second row?

She continued to have a conversation with a different man in the audience, asking if she was keeping him awake, if it was past his bedtime, if she was boring him. Which I thought was kinda funny. You could tell she was totally annoyed with people, as I was.

Then she sang Hung Up. There was a chess game in the background. I wished I knew how to play chess. She said something about the Queen, and I think we cheered for the queen, and then she won. I was happy she was singing my ring tone. The next song was the last - Give It 2 Me. It was the big party ending, although there was no confetti like the other concerts. It wasn't quite as exciting as the ending of the other two concerts I've been to, but it was more fun than previously. People were finally standing. It was finally a party, now that it was ending.

All in all, I had a good time. I got over the fact that people weren't standing after awhile and realized that I had the best view I've ever, or will ever, have at a concert because everyone in front of me was sitting down.

So, thanks, Atlantic City, but on the same token, screw you.


End Blog.

(ETA: Check out Brenda's blog about this event. It actually talks about the concert, her thoughts, and things other than people sitting, unlike mine.)

Superfabulosowonderific Start

It's 10:00pm the night before the big road trip. My suitcase is packed, but nothing else. Remy has refused to gather her things, once again using her lame excuse about not having opposable thumbs. I'm packing the rest tomorrow - all the electronics (Garmin, phone, chargers, etc.) and all the bathroom type things. Carolyn's bags are ready to be put in the car already and Brenda said that the Madonna concert tickets are already in her bag.

There's still stuff to do, and I'm sure that one or more of us will forget something, but I'm really excited. The camera has charged batteries, tons of room on the memory card, and Remy's been resting up. (Or sleeping all day like normal.)

If I get a chance, I'll blog on the road.

To the batmobile!


End Blog.

Happy Birthday, Remy!

Today is Remy's birthday, so before I went to work, I made sure she got a super great Birthday Bone!

Birthday Girl

I think she was pretty happy about the bone and surprised I even remembered and had a present for her. I'm sure glad I have her around. Look at that puppy!

Meanwhile, I'm having a party for her tonight, but the attendants don't really know it. We're gonna order some dinner and watch a movie, but I'm thinking of it as a party in Remy's honor. Because she totally deserves it.

Happy Birthday!

I was only slightly late this morning because I obviously hadn't planned on making a happy birthday singing video before work... but I did. The good news is that the trial run for taking videos and getting videos off of my 16GB memory card worked, so the road trip is going to be superfabulosowonderific now.


End Blog.

Keith Olberman on Prop 8

Why is it that we had to wait for this until after Prop 8 had already passed? Why didn't I see anything like this before the elections? I mean, don't you think that Keith Olberman could have swayed a few more voters, just with this speech alone?



Maybe not. I mean, only the liberals are watching MSNBC. It's not like you'd ever hear anything like this on FoxNews.

Apparently Keith thinks that gay is the new black, too.


End Blog.

Happy Random Day Off

It's Veteran's Day which means that I don't have to go to work. And I got three D days for my grandfather's death and will be traveling to and from Pennsylvania for the next three days, which means, I only had to work one day this week. Seems really odd, especially since I have a scheduled 10 day vacation coming up.

Anyway, I thought that I'd get my car all ready for its drive to Atlantic City next week by getting an oil change and tire rotation... which I'm totally doing. I just couldn't get it into Firestone until 5:30pm. So... there isn't that much to do right now.

I booked my flight and have already checked in because Continental called me and asked me to. It was weird. They now have an automated voice ask you questions and then you're all of a sudden checked in and all you have to do it print your boarding pass from any airport kiosk. I'm thinking about carrying on my bag, but I don't know how small the plane is going to be from Newark to Harrisburg, and I would need to get travel sized shampoo and whatnot. I also have to look up what they need me to do for my medications.

I had planned on using this day to do some damage control yard work since small trees have grown along my fence line and I have insane ivy-type climbing vines all over the place. But, as it turns out, it's cold and raining, so I'm not going to do that.

Which leaves me only with packing, cleaning up the house, and... playing video games. Or maybe catching up on some Dexter or True Blood episodes since I've fallen miserably behind.

In other news, my fantasy football team totally eeked out a win last night, by 8 points. Kurt Warner is my new hero. He got over 31 points alone. He threw for 328 yards and completed 76% of his passes! The funny thing is that I have Peyton Manning on my team, sitting the bench. I have a 5-5 record, which isn't all that wonderful and am in 4th place overall in the league (out of 8), but oddly enough, I am the total points leader. I guess that's something to brag about, even if I'm not winning games.

Sorry for the randomness, but I was looking for something to do on this rainy day off.


End Blog.


(Hey, look, it's 11:11, make a wish!)

Flesh Eating Face Bacteria

I have decided that I am five years old, and I'll tell you why.

I had what I thought was a pimple under my left nostril sometime around Monday night or Tuesday morning. And, being me, I couldn't leave it alone. So, I somehow got it infected. The sore got bigger and even with an over the counter antibacterial ointment, I couldn't seem to get better. On Saturday morning, I woke up to gross clear-yellow crustiness, so I figured it best to go see someone about it. I went to the Minute Clinic at CVS because I knew I'd be able to see them on a Saturday morning. The nurse practitioner there told me that I had impetigo.

Awesome. Impetigo. In case you don't know what that is, because I didn't until Saturday, it's a Staph infection that little children between 2 and 6 usually get. I suppose we all know that I am a child, but I didn't need this sort of confirmation of the fact. Someone could have just bought me a box of Legos and it would have proven the same point. (In other news, I bought myself Lego Batman for PS2 to make me feel better.)

I can't tell you how sick I am of not being well. I thought I had beaten the whole back pain thing, and now I have to deal with a super awesome infection to boot. Apparently it's highly contagious, which must be true because I spread it from the spot under my nose to my forehead before I got medications. Hooray!

Speaking of medications, I'm on a oral antibiotic three times a day for ten days, and I have an antibiotic ointment that I am also supposed to use three times a day. I'm hoping it all clears up really soon.

By the way, not only does this infection make me five years old, but it also makes me a rockstar because if you google image search impetigo (which is not recommended because it's way grosser than what I actually have on my face) you come back with a bunch of pictures of Amy Winehouse.

So... like... don't let your opinion of me match your opinion of Amy Winehouse. I'd rather you think of me as five years old and buy me a big box of Legos for Christmas.


End Blog.

Rest in Peace, Pap

George A Bareika
Born in Frackville, PA on Nov. 3, 1925
Departed on Nov. 7, 2008 and resided in Hondo, TX.

George A. Bareika formerly of Frackville, PA of Hondo, TX went to be with the Lord on Friday, November 7, 2008, at the age of 83 years.

George was born on November 3, 1925, in Frackville, PA, the son of Anthony & Sophia (Digruis) Bareika.

He was a member of St. Ann's Catholic Church, Frackville Area Senior Citizens, Knights of Columbus, Fr. James A. Hogan Council # 2580, all of Frackville and Schuylkill Assembly, Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus # 0923.

George was a veteran of WW II having served in the US Navy.

He is preceded in death by his parents; wife, Helene (Walukiewicz) Bareika; sisters, Helen Bareika, Florence Bareika, Stella Ryder; brothers, Albert Bareika, John Bareika.

George is survived by his daughters, Dolores Rickert and husband Bruce of Hondo, Elaine Blackwell and husband Raymond of Longview, Christine Barge and husband Ed of Fairborn, OH; granddaughter, Bethany Blackwell, Nicole Blackwell; sister, Anna Brennan of Frackville, PA; brother, Leonard Bareika of Ocala, FL.

Funeral services will be private. Interment will be in St. John's Cemetery #2, Hamburg, PA on Thursday at 10 a.m.

www.thomasmsullivanfuneralhome.com

I didn't know my grandfather as well as I should have and I suppose that will always be something that I regret, to a degree. His body is being shipped back to Pennsylvania to be buried with his wife, and though there will be no formal services, I feel the least I can do is try to get there for it. I'd really like to say goodbye, and be there for my mom, if nothing else. Flights are surprisingly a lot cheaper than I thought they would be. We'll see how it goes - I need to talk to my boss and reschedule some things at work tomorrow, if possible.


End Blog.

Gay is the New Black

I was happy with the election results for about twelve hours. Sure, Missouri finally went for McCain and was wrong about the new president for the second time in voting history, but that isn't the reason I'm bummed out over the state of affairs in the United States. Yes, the world reaction to Barack Obama's election was positive. It was fabulous to know that the world respects our country just a little more these days. And I was proud of this country until I got up this morning and started figuring out what happened in the elections beyond the president. And now I'm upset with Americans.

In particular, I was looking at the ballot initiatives in four states: California, Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas. Now, I know there isn't much to do about the 27 other states who had already voted on some sort of same-sex marriage ban or defining marriage between a man and woman, but when Proposition 8 came up in California this election, I was sure - certain - that it would be voted down.

That didn't happen. Proposition 8, which will eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California, has the support of 52 percent of voters. If it is to pass, it would override a state Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage not all that long ago. I mean, something like 20 thousand couples just got married! So what - now they're just going to take it away? Again?

They're still counting votes so let's hope that I'm wrong about this. Let's hope that Californian voters can restore my faith in all of America.

Similar things passed in Arizona and Florida, where voters decided that marriage is only a union between one man and one woman.

Not only that, but 57 percent of voters in Arkansas supported a measure to prohibit unmarried partners from adopting children or from serving as foster parents. The measure specifies that the prohibition applies to opposite-sex as well as same-sex couples. WHAT? Because there are SO MANY foster kids finding good homes that there just aren't enough to go around to second class couples who aren't married? WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? Why would marriage make you a better parent?

Whatever happened to those old American ideals about equality for everyone and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?

Many news outlets are reporting that we've broken racial barriers, I mean, we have a new African-American president for goodness sakes, so we must have overcome our racial bigotry. Right? What else is it going to take for people to realize that homosexuals deserve equality, too?

By the way, California also passed a ballot initiative for egg laying chickens so that they don't have to be in cramped cages. So, apparently the hierarchy of things goes something like this:

Men of any color
Women of any color
Egg Laying Chickens
Homosexuals
(oh my goodness, don't even mention bisexuals or transgenders!)

That looks a whole lot like equality to me.

Le sigh. You win some, you lose some.

Let's hope this new administration takes notice to the injustices still evident. It'd be nice to pass a federal amendment stating that you can't vote discrimination into a BILL of RIGHTS. Hopefully the Supreme Court will get involved and fix this... someday. Maybe when I'm 100 I'll be crying tears of joy over an election just like Jesse Jackson. There's still hope.


Eng Blog.

Election Day

Today is your last (or maybe only) chance to vote. Make sure you do it because if you complain about the President or any other leadership, and you didn't vote in the election that hired them, you will be killed in your sleep.

Seriously.

Vote.

If you want to bitch about it, you gotta get to the polls. Belinda agrees.

Or you can listen to a bunch of famous people saying the same thing. (Including my Halloween costume.)




End Blog.

Halloween 2008

I found the perfect costume. It didn't require a lot of work, effort, or time to put together, and it was probably the most comfortable I've ever been in costume on Halloween. There were several other costumes Friday night that also looked very comfortable, but I was the only one not wearing pants. Because I was Tom Cruise in Risky Business... or anyone in a Guitar Hero commercial. And I was very pleased about the no pants thing. I'm pretty sure it's all I talked about. (I also bought men's underwear for this because you can't do this costume without them.)

Beth was turned into a zombie before the big dance and gnawed on her boyfriend Steve's arm all night. She was pretty fabulous posing for pictures.

She attacked people all night, until the most frightening costume of all arrived and kicked her butt. Her name was Sarah Palin, but I called her Tina all night.

We also had Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus show up together. I was waiting for Clark Kent and Superman to do the same, but they never did.

Battlestar Galactica also had some crew members in appearance: Starbuck (Dany) and Boomer (Brenda). These ladies actually put effort into their costumes, so kudos to them. They were pretty awesome. Brenda shot you if you tried to shake her hand. Even Steve got shot.

Alex had another comfy costume, although he had to be hot because I wasn't... and I didn't have on pants. In case you missed that part.

Comfy costume number three was actually one of my favorites. The only thing that would have made Waldo better was if Tom had made it his personal mission to get in every single picture.

Also, Zorro was there. I'm pretty sure Carolyn thought she was Dracula though because she kept posing with her cape all night like she was a vampire.

The Prom Queen of 1992 was also murdered, but came to the party anyway. I think Belinda, Beth, and Paul were the only ones with fake blood all over them. They were pretty cool.

Suppose the doctor can save Beth?

Carolyn's brother Bobby and Cherylann came as military and we had a fun trip to the army supply store to get their costumes. Sadly, I couldn't get them to buy a hand granade.

This is stewardess Linda. Her name tag said something about the Mile High Club because she's awesome like that.

Ashley and Daniel were both farmer types in overalls or flannel and fun hats. Not that Dan is in his here.

Candra came in the most ridiculous outfit of all - a designated driver. (Dan's hat is on his knee.)

And somehow I ended up with Belinda's prom queen crown. I think it looks good on Tom Cruise, don't you? Man, that popped collar is so awesome. As are my super white legs.

And Steve ended the night passed out in the candy pot.


It was a super great night and I had a lot of fun. I love the annual Anderson Halloween Bash.

Also, this took me forever to post because I got a new 16GB memory card for my digital camera and my computer couldn't read it even after I updated all my drivers and card readers. My camera had no problems with the card, but my computer's mind exploded because of it. I had to get a usb cable to hook my camera up to the computer to finally get the pictures off, and even that didn't go very smoothly. But I got them. Finally. And now I am able to share them with you.

I hope they were worth the wait.

Happy Halloween, everyone!


End Blog.

For Beth and Sean

Someone linked to my blog today because they typed "catbus pumpkin carving" into Google. I'm the 4th hit.

I thought you both should know.

Google Score = A+


End Blog.

Ballot Initiatives

Dear Kansas Citians,

If you haven't figured out what's on the ballot next Tuesday, I have a website for you. Here is a listing of all the ballot initiatives.

And this is a Kansas City Star article on the Light Rail.

Honestly, I'm torn on the light rail system. There is both bad and good in it, and the funny thing is, I should be all for it since it's basically my exact commute to work. You'd think that I was an underwriter for it or something. The trouble is, it would take 38 minutes to travel the whole route, and I can make it to work in 20 if I drive (and there is no traffic).

So, if I vote for it, maybe it'll get everyone off of the roads and there won't be traffic and I can still drive. I suppose the other main factor is that it would increase my property value. Although, I don't want my taxes to go up.

And speaking of taxes... this will push the sales tax in Missouri to something like 8%. That's a lot. I thought the sales tax was a lot when I moved here. I liked Pennsylvania and its 6%. Blerg.

Le sigh. At least all the other choices were relatively easy.

Make sure you check them out before being surprised at the polls on the 4th!


End Blog.

Pumpkin Carving Take Two

Beth had a pumpkin carving night of her own tonight so I ended up carving another one for someone else. Beth decided she was going to make "catbus" which only she and Daniel know about, along with little Japanese kids and the guy who created it. He's some secondary character in some anime cartoon, but she loves him, so it's adorable. Actually, she ended up making a super awesome pumpkin catbus.






Carolyn made another pirate pumpkin, because everyone should have one at their house. And I made a giant pumpkin eating pumpkins because Beth loved the one she made last year so much that I think it's going to become a running theme at her house. Therefore, I made a pumpkin eating TWO pumpkins and challenged Beth that next year she has to make a pumpkin eating THREE pumpkins... or a pumpkin eating a pumpkin eating a pumpkin. Because that would be the coolest, ever.






Beth made her little pumpkin vomit seeds last year and asked that we continue the trend. It's so much fun to make a pumpkin vomit and pretty cool to have this guy just gnawing on other pumpkins.

Funny that Beth's carving is supposed to bring joy and mine terror, although I still think Belinda has the creepiest pumpkin of all.

I think I'm all carved out for this year.


End Blog.

(Hmmm... it seems I somehow changed the resolution on my camera for no good reason. These pictures are huge!)

Missouri Rocks Pictorial

End Blog.

Influence

I know you're not going to believe me, but I'm so super cool that people want to be just like me. It's true. You see, Brenda ends her blogs much the same way that I end mine, and now Dany has started her own blog and has a two word sign off as well. Although hers is not quite as similar, her blog template is the same as mine. (Yes, I know there aren't that many to choose from. Also, as soon as I get around to it, I'll be putting a picture/graphic at the top of my blog. It's just taking me forever to do so.)

So, if Brenda and Dany are secretly twins, as they think, I might be their long lost older sister.

My sphere of influence is growing. Soon, I shall control the world! Mwahahaha!


End Blog.

Still Falling

Gas prices are $2.13.

I heard that the oil companies are going to cut production so that they can send prices back up, but right now they are $2.13. I think it's possible it might go under two dollars... Would anyone have imagined that this summer while it was over four dollars?

I love the world markets and their ability to crash so well.


End Blog.

Return of 30 Rock

True, season 3 of 30 Rock won't air on network television until October 30th, but you can see the first episode RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. The last section is totally the funniest, but sadly the storyline right now is very Baby Mama-esque. Although, the good news is that Tina Fey is writing it. And she gets a do-over, as the episode's title states. Fabulous.

(Thank You, Hulu)

Not the best episode of them all, but I'm super happy to have it back.

Also, Tina Fey was on the Thursday edition of SNL tonight, with Will Ferrell's George W Bush. Just another good reminder of how SNL lost all of its best talent. Especially since we know Amy Poehler's leaving, too.

Funny how the 30 Rock episodes says she's working all the time... (Maybe we can get some of Tina's new found fans from her Sarah Palin impressions to start watching her show!)


End Blog.

Slice and Dice

Here are the six pumpkins that we carved last night at Belinda's house.

Carolyn did the one on the left, Belinda the one on the right. It's clearly the creepiest of the six.

I did the one on the left, Belinda, again, the one on the right.

This is Carolyn's pirate skull, although the picture's not the greatest. It's sitting on my front porch. (The first four are at Belinda's house.)

Here is my pumpkin. I got a white one this year. They are different. They even smell different when you're cutting them up. But, since it was white, I decided to make a spider web. And I carved a spider on the back so that it'll cast an orange glowing spider on the wall behind my pumpkin, like it's coming back to its web.

I had to go back and fix the spider so that you could see its legs better, but I think it's gonna look neat. These pictures don't show it really well.

Also, I carved the pumpkin on its side because I don't follow general pumpkin carving rules. And I am awesome.

We also picked out all the seeds and separated them. Belinda is gonna toast them. I hope I get some.


End Blog.

Radio Regulations?

Dear Radio,

Why is it that in Christina Aguilera's song Keeps Gettin' Better, she can sing

"So baby yes, I know what I am
And no, I don’t give a damn
And you’ll be loving it,

Some days I’m a super bitch
Up to my old tricks
But it won’t last forever"

and the radio does not censor the word bitch, but when Katy Perry sings her song Hot N Cold, they silence it out? (In one case, I heard a little cuckoo birdie over it, which was hilarious.)

"You change your mind
Like a girl changes clothes
Yeah you, PMS
Like a b*tch
I would know"

This makes no sense to me. And Christina says it four times in her song, as opposed to Katy Perry's one. Do not use the excuse of time of day. I have heard these songs back to back during afternoon rush hour traffic sung exactly this way.

I don't think it's fair. What sort of standards practice do you have? The same rules should apply to everyone.

Love,
A concerned listener.


End Blog.

1 Month Hiatus... Stinks

It's been a month since the bee sting incident and another three weeks since the broken back thing, so I decided it was about time I got out there to mow my grass one last time for the season (I have high hopes that this is the last time). I thought, what better time than to do it now while I have sore muscles from thinking I could speedwalk yesterday?

It went well. I have a nicely mowed lawn for the first time in almost 2 months.

Remy went outside to play in the yard after I was done. She was sprinting around like a maniac, as she is known to do. I was messing with her with my broom since it was out from sweeping off the back concrete porch of grass clippings and she was play attacking it. When she got bored of that, she wandered around the yard. She always inspects it after I am done cutting it so I didn't think anything of it... until she started rubbing her shoulders into the ground.

It was actually really funny because I thought maybe a feral neighborhood cat had peed on that spot and she was masking the scent with her own. But when she came back to the back door, it turned out she was rolling in shit and now had both shoulders and her collar all gross and smelly.

Thankfully, I knew what she had just done, so she didn't get to go inside, and I gave her a cold bath with the hose right there. It was really cold. She was not happy. Maybe she learned her lesson.

At least she didn't come in the house covered in shit and spread it all over things.

She's never done that before. This better not be a new thing to do, either. Because it was icky. Do you hear that, Remy? Icky.

I suppose it's my penance for having a nicely mowed lawn. It's a lot easier to find shit in it now.


End Blog.

Speedwalking Is Not My Idea of a Vacation

So, it's finally come to pass. I quit the sports walk after completing 1.25 miles (5 laps) instead of the 2.25 (9 laps) I was supposed to complete. It was a combination of things - not wanting to totally screw my back again, being super out of shape and not being able to breathe properly, the extra poundage I carry around with me everyday now, and the fact that you have to walk... which I still think is ridiculous. It's so fast! Also, I had to slow down since my back was tweaking, and I knew that at the speed I was going, I wouldn't make it... by maybe half a lap or so. So, I accepted the fact that I couldn't do it without really hurting myself and decided that those two vacation days just weren't worth it to me, especially if my back health was at stake. My muscles are still too tight, which the chiropractor even commented on today.

I get, like, 14 vacation days and two personal days off a year. And when I'm there for 5 years, I'll get 18. Plus, I had a hard time using all my days this year. Probably because I didn't take a real vacation this year. So, with the days I took at Thanksgiving, I still had 7 left. Which means I have 7 days to take at the end of the year near Christmas, or I lose them.

Regardless, the whole point of this is to reward people who are in good shape. And because I'm not really in good shape, I think that's a bad idea. You see, they have this thing at work where you can take an hour to go workout in the middle of the day. Right in the middle of your work day. So, you're exercising instead of working and still getting paid. And by doing that, you're getting in better shape so you can complete this sports walk thing. So, you do the sports walk and get rewarded with more time off. So really, the biggest slackers at work - those who take off for an hour in the middle of the day - those are the ones being rewarded with vacation time.

Now, the hard working folks who stay at their desks, those poor slobs aren't in shape enough to win days off. Which is really a shame because they are the hard workers who deserve a reward. Those are the people there all day, everyday. It hardly seems fair.

I could be one of the people that takes off in the middle of the day to workout, but the free gym we have a membership to had a shooting in front of it. And since that happened, I haven't been back. I mean, what's more important, my health or my life?

I'm nothing if not really good at making up good excuses. Besides, I win at a whole lot of other things in life.


End Blog.

Annoying People

Today I saw a parked car with a blue ball cap inside with Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign logo on it. It was displayed proudly in the back window. Then, right next to it, there was another hat supporting the McCain/Palin ticket.

What is wrong with people?

If you supported Hillary, you can't switch sides. McCain doesn't stand for anything that Hillary was supporting! Hillary herself is going to vote for Barack Obama.

If you are just voting for the ticket with a woman on it, you shouldn't be allowed to vote. In fact, there should be a quiz on the ballot and if you can't answer basic policy questions that you're supporting, your vote shouldn't count.

In fact, screw the whole equality thing. You should have to take an IQ test before voting. Regardless of your views, Republican or Democrat, it makes no matter - you can come in and get your ballot and IQ test. Take them both, submit them together... but if you don't score high enough on the IQ test, your vote won't be counted. And you will never know.

Ah, if I ruled the world...


End Blog.

Everyday Things

You know, as I was walking down the hall at work today, I thought to myself, "If anyone else saw this, they would think it was unusual. Funny how I see it just about every day."

I was looking at a shopping cart full of long guns being pushed down the hall by a woman. (Things in the rifle/shotgun family... you know, the long kind... It's a technical term.)

The guns were coming to the lab to be logged into property, but for some reason it just struck me as odd today, though I've seen it a hundred times. It seems like something you should see The Joker doing in a Batman movie.

Anyway, thought I'd share... yay random thoughts.


End Blog.

Falling Domino's

Brenda and I got food from Domino's this weekend. I am banning them from my life now. This is even more severe than the Chipotle Ban, but that's because I don't like them as much.

I'll let Brenda explain why they are so dumb.


End Blog.

The Halloween Dilemma

My friend Beth's favorite holiday is Halloween. Every year she has a party with costumes. Every year I have no idea what to be. This year is no different. Please help me by giving suggestions as to a super great Halloween costume that doesn't require too much work, is not uncomfortable to be in all night, and doesn't require a dress or lots of makeup.

Hmmm... maybe that's why it's so hard for me to come up with something...

Meanwhile, Remy has picked out her Halloween costume. This was our conversation about it:

"Remy, I don't know what to be for Halloween."
"Aw, that sucks, Mom. I've already got my whole costume planned out."
"Really? What are you going to be?"
"I'm gonna put on a bunch of lipstick."
"That's not a costume, Remy. Lipstick isn't really enough."
"Sure it is, Mom. I'm going as a hockey mom." *

Who knew my dog was so political and super smart? She must take after me. Too bad she's not invited to the party.

Yeah... so... think of a costume for me!


End Blog.

*If you live under a rock, Remy is referencing Sarah Palin's vice presidential election speech where she told this joke: What's the difference between a pitbull and a hockey mom? Lipstick. Granted, Remy is not a pitbull, but it's still a funny costume.

KC Star Letter to the Editor

I don't read the paper much, and I don't visit it online much, either... but we usually have a paper floating about the lunch tables at work and the two coworkers I was eating with today were perusing its pages. So, I was reading bits and pieces over their shoulders and those things pointed out to me.

I read a letter to the editor that made me really angry, so I pointed it out to my friends so that I wasn't the only one seething over it. They were equally as angry, because unlike the author of the letter, they were educated in this matter. (I found it for you online at http://www.kansascity.com/309/story/832962-p3.html and have copied it below.)

Sexualized culture promotes rape

The Star’s article “Motive may never be known” (9/15, Local) questioning how Edwin Hall went from juvenile delinquent to rapist and murderer turned a blind eye to the obvious.

The abduction, sexual assault and murder of Kelsey Smith is more evidence of the negative effects of a highly sexualized culture on communities. Rapes have increased in Kansas City by 45 percent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 26 percent of teenage girls have a sexually transmitted disease.

It is cause and effect: garbage in, garbage out. We can’t afford to be indifferent and dismiss as harmless fun the pervasive flood of highly sexualized commercials, videos, TV entertainment, Internet porn and sexualized music, all exacerbated by emerging handheld communication technologies. The pornification of America has changed everything.

Kelsey Smith was likely one more tragic victim of fantasy-driven criminal behavior. The public will never know? Wake up and smell the coffee. We all know. Denial and desensitization are the issues we should examine.

Phillip Cosby

Executive director, Kansas City Office

of the National Coalition for the Protection

of Children and Families

Overland Park

Really? Really Phillip Cosby? There are a million fallacies about what you have written.

I'd love to know where you got the statistic that rapes have increased in Kansas City by 45 percent. LOVE to know. Because, as one who works on these sorts of crimes, I have not seen an increase like that. Maybe you need to be more specific. Rapes have gone up 45 percent since when? The 1920s? Maybe. But you could counter argue that women just weren't reporting it back then.

Besides that one little "fact", I'd like to point something out to you regarding criminology. Rape isn't about the sexual act. It's about power and control. It's violent, not sexual. So, your argument is completely STUPID.

I banish you from writing letters to the newspaper, now and forevermore!

Secondly, I looked up the National Coalition for the blah blah blah...* of which Phillip Cosby is the Executive Director.

Do you know what their mission is? "To protect people from the harms of pornography and the sexual messages of today's culture." Oh, come on!

I for one, am sick of people not taking responsibility for their actions. Edwin Hall is a rapist and a murderer and you, Phillip Cosby, are blaming his actions on all of society. No. This is Edwin Hall's fault. There are millions of people out there right now exposed to the same horrible cell phones and television and commercials and music that he was and they seem to behave appropriately. All of society is not running amuck raping and murdering each other. This is not a cultural problem. Rapes and murders happen everywhere - even places where they don't have televisions and internet pornography.

People should hold themselves accountable for their actions. It's not a question of the "pornification of America" or what sort of pressure society is putting on the populous, but rather having good moral and ethical character to know that rape and murder are wrong and abstaining from them. Our culture has not desensitized us to that and entertainment has not brainwashed society to turn a blind eye to these actions.

If they had, Edwin Hall wouldn't be in jail for the rest of his life.

Oh no! Someone take my cell phone away from me! I'm feeling the urge to rape and murder! Is that prime time television coming on? Oh Noooooooooo!


End Blog.

*This site is uber religious. The offices are bases in Kansas. Enter at your own risk. As a gauge of how crazy they are in their religion, they have a section under their links to five different homosexuality recovery websites.

Palin Debate Flow Chart

A friend sent me this through email yesterday. It made me chuckle, so I thought I'd share.



I think that this is Tina Fey's script for her SNL skits as well. My favorite part is "Do something cute. OMG! You're such a great debater!"

I suppose if I liked her it wouldn't be so funny. Although, I do have to say that I was impressed with how well she did during the vice presidential debate. She really only completely avoided a few questions and sometimes actually sounded like she knew what she was talking about. I did laugh out loud a few times though, specifically when she gave the shout out to the 3rd grade class and when she said, "Say it ain't so, Joe!" I was proud of myself because I knew it was from the Black Sox Scandal. (I recently watched Eight Men Out.)

Anyway... funny chart. Click on it to enlarge.


End Blog.

Gas Prices

It's been a long time since I've said anything about gas prices, but I've been thinking two things about them recently.

Numero uno:
I love it when the stock market crashes and we have an economic crisis because gas prices fall a whole lot. I wouldn't mind if we continued this crisis. I mean, I am not struggling to make my mortgage payments (though it'd be cool if they were lower, but really, who doesn't think that no matter how much they are paying?) so I feel rather comfortable... but, wouldn't it be great to have a crisis so that all of the prices everywhere go down? I still can't figure out why exactly it's a bad thing, especially since I have absolutely no investments. And all you people thought I was pretty dumb! Stock market crash = lower gas prices. I've seen it happen. It's not a bad thing.

Secondly:
During the presidential debate last night, one of those candidates said they were paying $3.80 for gas in Nashville, TN. Excuse me? "Did the stock market not crash everywhere," I wondered. Let me tell you something... living in Missouri is super. Would you like to know what we're paying for gas here in Kansas City? Probably not, because your heart will have palpitations. The gas station near my house is currently selling regular for $2.86. That is well under three dollars, folks. It's not a typo. The average price for the state of Missouri is even lower at $2.69.

I went to my favorite gas price website (http://www.gasbuddy.com/) that I used in the past to see what the gas prices were in DC because it always made me feel better about what I was paying. And you know what? No matter what zip code I put in, I couldn't find cheaper gas - although New Jersey is pretty close. I checked all the zip codes I know for my friends and family around the country: Jersey, Texas, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, California, and Virginia. Then I just started clicking on random states: Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Alaska (holy crap, never move there), Hawaii, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arkansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire... Okay, I didn't click on all of them, but you know the only state I found that had lower prices?

Mississippi. If there's more, there are not many more.

And thus, everyone should move to Missouri. It's super awesome here. Do you hear that all you friends staying in the the northeast for no good reason? Move to Missouri. It's cheaper to get around.

So, here's to the second great depression, falling gas prices, and the awesomeness that is Missouri!


End Blog.

Back to Good

Okay, not really. But my back is starting to feel much better, even with my little set back this weekend. Dr. Baker could tell too, my muscles were much tighter and I was harder to adjust today, but when he did, I felt so much better. So, right now I'm feeling pretty good.

That's what always happens right after an appointment, but the next day I'm all sore, so I shouldn't be so happy right now. Tomorrow's probably going to suck. And I have two more appointments this week - on Wednesday and Thursday. I've been keeping track - that's seven times I've been so far and by the end of the week it'll be nine.

So, imagine my surprise when I got my insurance notices in the mail saying what it cost (holy cow, thank god for insurance) and how much they paid... and what I might still owe. Now, the documents clearly say that they are not a bill, but here's what it looks like:

Initial Visit -

Total Billed Charges: ......................................... $260.00
Minus Member Savings/Discounts arranged by BCBSKC: $97.67
Minus Other Not-Eligible Charges: ............................$0.00
Leaving and Allowable Provider Charge of: ..............$162.33
Minus Plan Payment of: .....................................$132.33
Leaving a Balance you may owe: .............................$30.00


Second Visit (and the next five after that, I assume) -

Total Billed Charges: ....................................... $55.00
Minus Member Savings/Discounts arranged by BCBSKC: $14.09
Minus Other Not-Eligible Charges: .........................$0.00
Leaving and Allowable Provider Charge of: ..............$25.91
Minus Plan Payment of: .......................................$25.91
Leaving a Balance you may owe: ............................$15.00

So... I totally thought that I was going to owe them money because getting better was certainly going to cost me something because I had no other choice but to do it. So, I brought the "not bills" in today and asked them about it and they told me that I do not owe them anything. Even though one of the "not bills" told me I had a $30 copay because Dr. Baker was considered a specialist or he took x-rays or... something.

Regardless of the reason, I still don't owe anything. Thankfully. I thought I was going to owe $120 today and when I told my bank account, it cried.

So, bottom line is I'm feeling pretty good right now and I still haven't given them a dime. It's all coming directly from my insurance... which is magical, and I have no idea how it works considering they think that I may owe money. I just hope that it doesn't come back to bite me later considering that I don't get how it works.

Can you imagine? If I had to pay all of that money right out of pocket because I didn't have insurance, that would be... *does math* $590.00. So, for all you people who nagged me to fix myself 2 and a half years ago when this happened the last time and I had no insurance... I say, "See! I knew I couldn't afford it then. I can't even really afford that now!" I feel pretty vindicated...

Let's see... not much else is new. I'm watching new TV shows, thankful that the writer's strike is over and I'm reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. It is full of ANGST. I mean... it's a lot of angst. I get that's exactly how everything felt and was SO important in high school... but isn't that why people don't want to go back and relive high school? I hear that the next books get better, so I may continue with the series. I'm only half way through the first book and not entirely committed yet. I'll let you know how that goes.

Otherwise, I'm just working (currently I'm compiling quarterly stats. It sucks. I have no idea how I got myself into it.), getting my back cracked, and sitting in awe of my insurance "not bills".

Exciting times in the Blackwell household.


End blog.

Fey and Sudeikis Take on Palin and Biden

Because I can't stop posting them now, here's the SNL opening from Saturday. Queen Latifah showed up as a special guest star to be the moderator from the Vice Presidential debate. I think I laughed just as hard at Jason Sudeikis playing Senator Biden. (Remember, they were dating each other on 30 Rock.)



I'm sure these are way funnier if you're actually watching the debates. Next one is tomorrow night.


End Blog.

It's Not a Parody If It Actually Happened

Okay, I didn't realize that Tina Fey was just repeating Sarah Palin from the Katie Couric interview, but that's what she was doing. I didn't get to see both in close proximity to one another, but this CNN clip puts them together nicely.

I bet Ms. Fey is sitting on the edge of her seat waiting for the vice presidential debate tomorrow night. It must be nice for her to not have to come up with anything to write.



Holy cow. And she wants to be Vice President? The scary part is, it might actually happen.

If that's the case, I say we stage a coup d’état and put Tina Fey in her place. No one will ever know the difference. It'll be just like Dave.


End Blog.