But it looks like I got one anyway. See?

We also have some gorgeous large bushes with pink knock-out roses which are very pretty to look at, but not so good for clipping. There are two different blood red rose bushes in the yard, but right now no good stems on those to show you.

I'm so happy the yellow ones are finally starting to bloom. They are my favorite.

So said Peaches on the topic of "Just So You Know"
Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world. Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them. When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well. But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

Note: Clearly I need to find something better to do with my time. But I just love it when I get the answer I wanted!

I guess I speak American....

Hmmm....must be all the states I've lived in (North, South and East anyway).

I know a girl named Cory. She thinks she's cool. I've talked about her before here.

Anyway, I was talking to my sister tonight and she informed me that Cory had broken her wrist over the weekend while playing dodgeball. The Boy and I watched Dodgeball a couple weeks ago. It was pretty funny...although I think the PG-13 rating was a little weak....

Anyway, you expect people to break their wrists snowboarding or playing hockey or football or something...but dodgeball? Completely ridiculous.

Unless of course you are Cory. She not only thinks she is cool....she is VERY competitive. I can just picture her flying through the air, checking everyone in site to avoid a ball as she fell to the ground - only to hear that crisp, clean snap of her wrist bone breaking (radius or ulna....I'm not sure) as she landed.

But I still think she could have picked a cooler activity than dodgeball if she was going to fall on her sword and break her wrist.....

1. It's nice out. I mean really nice out. See how nice they say it is?

2. The pool is still clean. See it in the plenty of sunshine that we have?

3. I am slightly more tan (see #1).

4. The boy is full with soup and a grilled cheese.

5. I am not full; therefore I must go find something to eat.

That is all.

So said Peaches on the topic of "Just So You Know"
Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

We've all heard about the dangers present on the Internet when it comes to kids. Our computer babies are now all on line IM'ing their friends, looking up materials for reports, and, yes....creating their own personal sites and blogs.

While I don't think there's anything wrong with them doing this if they are closely supervised, I do think there are dangers out there that the kids refuse to acknowledge. I have a niece and nephew who have their own sites on a faith-based service. But their sites are public and anyone who has access to the Internet can read what they've written, see their personal profiles, and look at the pictures they've posted of themselves. Their last names are no longer on the profiles, but they used to be and that worried me greatly. Not because I think these kids are stupid - because they're not. But even the smartest kid or adult can be led to think a person they are conversing with on line is trustworthy. Sometimes they're not...and this can have serious consequences, especially for a young teen aged girl.

Oh, I've talked to them about all this stuff and the importance of maintaining anonymity on line, but they truly believe that only good Christian kids they know at church or elsewhere even bother to go on their sites. I say just because they're not commenting, it doesn't mean they're not looking....it's a good thing they live in a very safe area and the danger is very low that anyone would be able to find them in person. Or I would worry a whole lot more about them, especially my niece.

Anyway.....our son does have IM capability but we closely monitor who can IM him (only allowing messages from people he's put on the approved by us list), what he's saying and look at the log to read what's been said (same with his Internet history to check which sites he's been visiting). I think this small invasion of his privacy is a small price for him to pay to have all the modern conveniences at his disposal. But there are lot of parents out there that both work and don't have the time to monitor things as closely.

If you have teenagers who have access to the Internet, I strongly encourage you to watch the Dateline episode on this subject on Sunday. The more times we can show our kids how easily this stuff can happen to even those that think they are being safe, the greater the chances that the message will finally get through their very trusting (and sometimes naive) natures.

Yes, spring is officially here in the great state of Texas. I always know the cold has passed when the roses start to bloom. All of our bushes have buds, but one of them was a bit farther along than the rest the last time I looked. So today I walked outside to see what we had, and here is what I found:

Doesn't it look lovely in its special vase by the pool? We have roses!!! Yay!!! I can't wait until the yellow ones bloom. Those are my favorite, but red is pretty too, yes?

So said Peaches on the topic of "Just So You Know"
Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

but I think the cross vine over our metal arch thing by the pool deck is blooming. See?

So said Peaches on the topic of "Just So You Know"
Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Oh...sorry. Were you expecting entertaining drunk ramblings? No, it's just drunk ramblings about the conversations I've had with Comcast today. Gotta be fair and balanced on the whole customer service thing, don't I?

Anyway...We dissolved our relationship with Comcast at the end of February when we switched to the OH so much better Verizon FIOS for TV, Internet, Phone...everything.

Anyway...we got our final bill and paid it on March 3rd...paying for the entire month of March, mind you even though we were no longer using their services - for anything. Did I mention that Verizon picture quality and DVR is OH so much better for the TV and we now get 36 MBPS on the Internet and we have fiber optic clarity on the phone? Didn't? Sorry...well, all true. I'm too buzzed to look above to see if I've said it.

Anyway...today...(of course while Tommy is away)....we got a bill....for APRIL service on Comcast Internet and cable with HD. What? Yeah...that's what I said.

So...while I was waiting for The Boy at school I called the number on the bill...and got...what sounded like....a very old, very new person possibly on lots of meds. Although he wasn't Indian (thank God I could kinda understand him)...his speech was slurred and I had to repeat myself many times. I even had to ask him to read back to me the notes he wrote in the account to indicate that I had called, had already received a final bill, and then had been rebilled for services we had not used for many weeks.

So..needless to say...I did not have total confidence that the issue had been resolved. So I sent an email to Comcast telling them what had happened and asking for written verification we would not have to pay for service we are not getting or using.

I got an email response saying I had to do an online chat with a rep...so off I went for the online chat.

And...I think...I cannot prove...that I got an Indian guy.

When he asked me to tell me the name, I gave the name - and the account number....and he said:

"I will have to terminate this conversation. Chat back when you are professional."

What?! As an aside, let me just say that I cleaned all day and was not in the best of moods. Anyway, when I asked him what that previous entry meant, he replied:

"I apologize for that....That was a mistaken."

So right away I knew the guy was not a native.

Long story short (I know...already long)..after going back and forth with the guy I had to escalate (Tommy HATES when I escalate). Here are some phrases you might want to keep in your back pocket for future reference:

1. "Where does it say in the contract that we have to give six weeks notice for termination? We've already paid an entire month for March for services which we did not use since we terminated the relationship in February."

2. "If you can't help me, can you get a supervisor who can?"

3. "I just want to be clear on what you're saying so I can cut and paste this entire chat into the attachment I send in with my complaint to the Better Business Bureau and the appropriate State of Texas Agency."

Yes, make them repeat what they tell you and make sure they know you intend to register a complaint. Guess what? I don't have to pay the bill they sent and they apologized for the fact that it's their problem, not mine...that they could not schedule a service rep to disconnect the cable we are not using and have not used since February.

Did I make threats? Yes. Was it kinda belligerent? Yes. Did I feel I had to to get the point across? Yes. But in the end, the supervisor took care of the problem.

But I am left wondering....how many other people do they continue to bill after service has been cut off that don't know any better and continue to pay for service they are not getting?

Watch your bills, people. Watch your bills closely. And take action when you need to.

I better go drink water now. I'm kinda dizzy....

I made him an apple pie today. See?

I made the pie partly because it's his birthday on Wednesday but he will be out of town with his parents and siblings. So I guess you could call it a "pre-birthday pie".

Also....when he came back from Dublin yesterday he brought me these:

Lovely Waterford crystal cocktail glasses, aren't they? Worth a pie at least, don't you think?

So said Peaches on the topic of "Just So You Know"
Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

See my lovely clean pool in all its cleanliness? No longer is it cloudy and tinged with browns and greens....it is clean. And clear. Clean is good. Clear is also good. We can now see the bottom of the pool which we couldn't upon our return from London after the three week lag in service.

Turns out we did have to pay for a brand new filter grid, but it was due to be changed anyway. Still no charge for labor to replace the grid or to clean the pool. And the guys stayed until it was fixed. I am quite happy with my pool builder, I must say. Quite happy. And ready to get into that hot tub!

So said Peaches on the topic of "Just So You Know"
Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Get this.....our pool filter started to leak before we left on the London trip. So on the 2nd a guy from the place that built our pool came out and said to turn the pool off, we needed a new filter, and to not turn it on until he came back with the part to fix it. After not hearing anything, we had to call the service center a couple days later to find out the part would take 5-10 days to get here, but that it would be installed as soon as it got in and not to worry about the pool being off for that length of time because it hadn't started to get warm yet.

By the 10th we hadn't heard from anyone so I left a message at the service center. We got a voice mail on the 13th saying that the part was ordered and it would be there any day.

Well when we came back...last Saturday...the 18TH....they STILL had not fixed the thing. So I called this past Monday (the 20th) and asked what was up. They called back and said the guy "was no longer with them," apologized, and promised to get someone out here Tuesday (that's a couple days ago for those of you keeping track).

The manufacturer rep came out on Tuesday. Not only had he NOT received an order until the 20th (18 days past the initial service call...clearly he had never been contacted about the repair) - he didn't have the tools he needed. So he'll be back out here by noon today.

I called the pool place today to see if they could help us out with labor and maybe a discount on the chemicals we'll need to rebalance the pool. Explained everything to them - in detail - about our three week repair time line and the fact that our pool is dirty and way out of balance because of it.

And...guess what? They called back in less than an hour and said that not only would there be no charge for the labor, but they were sending a tech out to vacuum the pool and re-balance the thing...ALL at no charge!!!! It was going to be about $150 in labor alone because the part was covered under warranty but not the labor.

Long story short...pool filter was broken...needed to be fixed...they didn't fix it...but now they are....and I got that plus an extensive pool cleaning for free! Yeah!

For those of you who are not familiar, we have this thing in the military (in our case "had") called a Hospitality Check. Now, what this means is if a military member and/or his family arrive at your door, you are required to "pass" the Hospitality Check and welcome them with open arms, offer them a place to crash, provide alcohol and a good meal or a fun night out. Now, were were lucky in this case because we had notice. The ultimate test is if you get a Hospitality Check - No Notice. THEN the truly committed will show their stuff and welcome the fellow military happy wanderers into their home, no questions asked. These can be especially interesting if the person is on an assignment, but their family does not and will never know where they are. In these cases you spend a nice evening with your compatriot, say goodbye to them when they leave, and never mention it again. We had one of those in Florida once.

So anyway, Buffi dropped by for a Hospitality Check with Notice yesterday. Yep, Buffi came in to DFW last night and she stayed at our house. Tommy picked her up while I cooked up my bow tie pasta dish. After she arrived, we gave her the grand tour of the house, had dinner at the dining room table (the boy was doing a project with his dad at the kitchen table...you'll probably hear about that on Tommy's site some time), and chatted like old friends. I even made key lime pie (Tommy was happy about that). And of course we had some damn fine Argentine wine.

Our visit ended this morning when I dropped Buffi off at the car place for her rental so she could drive to her next base and look for a house. But she will be back tomorrow! She has to come back...I have some of her stuff in our guest room. We all know I hate to shop. But I might be convinced to take her to the mall for while until we can meet her friend after work and have dinner or something before we say goodbye and she goes off to take care of the wedding shower she is helping to put on for her friend who is getting married in April.

It was so nice to meet Buffi in person. She is good people, and I'm sure we'll see more of her in the next few years as she will only be living a couple hours away.

I mowed the lawn after dropping Buffi off. So now I must shower and try to stop sneezing from the grass pollen. No gym for me today....just mowing....and sneezing. Oh, and showering. Definitely showering.

I saw this little quiz on my nephew's site so I thought I'd give it a whirl while I try and get the first load of laundry done before napping. Truly, it's highly accurate on the percentage believe it or not.

You're 80% Irish

Congratulations, you're a shining example of an Irish lass. There's hardly anyone more Irish than you!

As you know, I spent the entirety of this most hallowed day on the road so I didn't get to part take in the traditional Irish toast (or Gaelic Blessing, whichever you prefer). I'm not particularly religious, but I really like the vibe of these words. So here goes, out from me to all of you. Hope you had a good one!

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Only problem is......we have to drive ALL DAY tomorrow to get to the hub city airport. We can get on any of the flights leaving for London on Monday just fine...there are seats. However....it appears many other employees need to get to a hub city to reach their vacation destination...and many of them have priority over us for open seats.

So...tomorrow...off we go in the car...to the hotel by the airport. It will be a long, boring drive (12 hours about). But the good news is the London flights leave later in the day so we can sleep late, go to breakfast, and lounge around a bit at the Marriott before we get in our "ready" clothes and head to the airport and wait for them to call our names for seats.

We will be in London for the work week, and we get back on Friday. The hotel has Internet, so if it is working more than likely we will post some things here and there about our trip. We will have three nights and almost three days in London to go explore and see and do.

Man, I wish I'd had vacations like this when I was Scytheboy's age. Lucky kid. He might not have his dad around all the time, but he sure gets to go to some neat places during school breaks.

Enjoy your Sunday tomorrow...while we drive, and drive, and drive, and drive...well you get the picture.

Your Hidden Talent

You have the power to persuade and influence others. You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around. The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it. Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think!

Come on, you know you want to discover your hidden talent...so go find out.

As I sit here listening to Scytheboy practice his sax, the T.V. cannot be heard above his greatness (not that I'm biased or anything). So I thought I'd let you know what I thought of "The Weatherman".

Okay, this is an interesting character study if you like that sort of thing. Some bits are funny, but most are pretty serious. But I like Nicolas Cage and he was good as usual. But you know what? I almost liked Michael Cain better (he played Cage's father). Is there a character role that man has ever played that he did not absolutely ace? I think not.

Oh - definitely NOT a movie you would want to watch if there's a danger a kid or two might hear or walk into the room. Lots of f-bombs tossed and one or two scenes they definitely do NOT need to see. Trust me.

But other than that...I'd say it's an OK movie but not a great movie. And probably not a movie Tommy would make it through. He doesn't like dramas. Only comedies or action adventure flicks with scantily clad females. Go figure...

Tonight I watched "Walk the Line". I'd seen all the clips, heard all the hype, seen all the morning (and evening) talk show interviews. So I was ready. Ready to watch that movie with Reese Whiterspoon and Joaquin Phoenix singing like Johnny and June Carter Cash. I mean...that's what they played up, right? Them...who don't sing...who learned how to sing just for this movie....singing.

And the DID sing. They sang well. Very well. Some might say even better than the originals (no they didn't). But they were good. I have to give them credit. The music was good. Really good.

Um....what there was of it. For those die-hard Johnny Cash fans there is no better movie and I highly recommend you go see his life's story. It is an intense, realistic look at what we've all heard his life was like. And I'm sure it reveals new information about Johnny's childhood and family dynamic to many.

But for those of us that watched the movie for the music...there wasn't enough of it. What there was of it was good though. I just wish they had maybe cut some of the earlier stuff about him growing up and included more stuff about Johnny and June after they married and continued to sing together.

So to summarize...don't watch the movie if you're there just for the music. Download the soundtrack. But if you are truly interested in Johnny's rather intense life story and how he got June, then yes by all means see the movie. You will enjoy every minute of it.

Later this weekend I will watch "The Weatherman". Maybe another review will follow. Maybe not. We'll have to see....

1. We had Comcast service for cable and broadband.

2. We don't anymore.

3. Because it was expensive.

4. And I kept losing the signal to the router...several times a day and always at the most inconvenient times.

5. I lost some posts because of Comcast.

6. I did not like Comcast.

7. Cable companies in general are evil.

8. Comcast is losing the market - at least in our neighborhood - fast.

9. Because NOW there is something better, cheaper, and faster.

10. It is called Verizon FIOS.

11. It is glorious.

12. The cable picture is better, the broadband speed is faster, and I have not lost broadband signal at ALL in days.

13. Verizon FIOS TV comes with dual tuner DVRs.

14. I love dual tuner DVRs.

15. Not that I'm addicted to TV or anything...certainly NOT me.

16. We canceled our TiVo account.

17. But guess what? You can STILL use it to record shows and pause live TV. But you can't update your guide is all.

18. We updated our guide with Verizon info. before we canceled our TiVo service. Tommy's smart that way :).

19. Did I say I LOVE the dual tuner DVR? Now I can watch American Idol and record Deal or no Deal - AT THE SAME TIME.

20. For those of you which already have a dual tuner DVR...shut up. I'm excited. Don't spoil it for me.

21. I don't own an MP3 player and I rarely listen to music.

22. Except maybe if I'm cleaning.

23. Some would say I clean all the time so therefore I must listen to music all the time.

24. I don't clean all the time...just when something needs cleaning...oh....never mind.

25. We are early adopters of technology.

26. FIOS is so new they haven't even trained their techs on their new laptops which must be used to activate services on site at your house.

27. This must be why they schedule installs in four hour blocks of time...all that navigating through an unfamiliar program.

28. But that's OK, they hire talented guys and they figure it out eventually.

29. Our house is so wired that some nights we all sit at our respective computers and chat via IM as we do what we do on our own computers.

30. Yes, this includes the boy. Shut up, he is not spoiled rotten...spoiled maybe but certainly not rotten.

31. The HD DVR is cool too and it has its own dual tuner. Now Tommy can record hockey while he's away...oh boy.

32. Did I mention that the boy has a cable box in his room and TV recording software on his computer so he can also record shows and watch them back later on his monitor through his computer?

33. I TOLD you, he's not rotten. Just spoiled.

Those are my random thoughts on technology. Now I must go watch one thing while the DVR records another thing...just because I can.

The painters are gone. The house is beautiful. Tommy has to put the stuff back up on the walls tomorrow. And here are some things I learned about painters and having your house painted in the past couple of days:

10. You WANT to leave the house when they are getting it ready to paint. This is tedious work and not much fun to watch.

9. While you're out, you might as well have breakfast, go to Best Buy, and go to lunch and maybe a movie and do some shopping (at least that's what we did).

8. Stop back by the house every once in a while.

7. You just might catch the crew playing pool on your nice pool table while they wait for the repairs to dry.

6. Once caught playing pool on the owners' table, painters will stay extra late to make up for having been caught.

5a. Speak a little Spanish to the crew...that way they'll know you know if you know what I mean...and they'll be a little more respectful when chatting amongst themselves about you - the owners.

5. If you have textured walls, you need to use the extra matted rollers (we've never done this, but will do it again given that they can take out an entire wall in the game room in less than five minutes with one of those bad boys).

4. Painting takes practice.

3. Once you practice enough, you don't need to screw around with that sticky blue painters' tape...you just push the brush up by the separation between the wall and the ceiling and paint a straight line.

2. It's ALWAYS a good idea to have someone ELSE do the painting.

1. If we ever build another house, we will tell the contractor "Don't worry about the paint. We'll take care of it"...because....they will charge you an upgrade fee for color but will still use the same shitty, chalky, $4/gallon paint so it's just not worth having them do it...call in a contractor and manage the work yourself.

So that's my top 10. As an aside, they're not paying me for this but I will direct you to the site of the place that did our job (try to look past the typo on the front page...they repaired all the friggin' cracks and buckles in our sheet rock and THAT'S what matters). They are VERY good....and we didn't pay a dime until we were satisfied. AND....they will come and fix stuff for up to three years from today. No questions asked.

Very nice.
Very happy.
Very pretty house.
Very satisfied.
Kinda buzzed (we drank wine to celebrate).

That is all.

The painters came yesterday. They were supposed to be done by last night. But they were an hour late due to icy roads, and they didn't leave until 7:45 last night....and they're not done.

So they're coming back today. To paint. All morning.

But...I've decided it's MUCH better to have them do it than us. These painters even patched all the cracks from where the house settled and fixed a couple other spots that were caused by owner error. And...we got to spend the whole day with Scytheboy...away from electronic devices. It was nice. Everyone should do that once in a while I think. A whole day.....away....from T.V. and the Internet. We even went to a movie together which is rare because Tommy works most weekends.

The other thing is...they moved all the furniture into the kitchen - in front of my computer so I couldn't look at anything last night. Tommy could though. He was on his computer while Scytheboy and I watched House and 24 in The Man Room.

The painters will move all the furniture back, sweep and vacuum the floors, and put the drapes back up. So by this afternoon all will be back to normal...and I will be out of excuses not to go to the gym. Damn.

about eating at McDonald's - or at least make you look at all your fries before you start. Yuck.

I didn't have a "real" post for today - per se- but I do have some random thoughts so here goes:

1. I've been painting.
2. The guest bathroom under the stairs.
3. A dark color.
4. With a light ceiling.
5. And accent trim and door.
6. I hate painting.
7. I REALLY hate painting.
8. I hate painting so much that Tommy called in a contractor, which will be painting all the ceilings and walls in the visible parts of our house later this month.
9. Why didn't we go ahead and have them paint the bathroom too?
10. Nobody knows, not even us. Maybe because we already bought the paint and I claimed I needed something to do.
11. Remind me to tell Tommy to remind me the next time I think painting a room's a good "something for me to do"....not to believe me.
12. But I digress.
13. Did I mention that I hate painting?
14. And all that goes with it?
15. The taping - HATE the taping - but ya gotta do it or you'll be sorry.
16. And for some reason the Scotch blue painter's tape is the only one that really works. What's up with that?
17. I might possibly hate sanding even more - but again, ya gotta do it. To avoid extra coats. On the trim and door.
18. Always remember to PAINT THE CEILING FIRST.
19. Nothing sucks more than painting a dark color on the walls, and a light color on the ceiling, which drips on the freshly painted dark walls.
20. Didn't do that this time...but HAVE done that before. BIG mistake.
21. Dark colors require more coats.
22. I hate more coats.
23. The ceiling's done, the walls are done, and first coat of paint on trim and door is done.
24. Did I mention I HATE to paint?
25. Why is it taking me days to do one tiny bathroom, whereas the contractor claims his experienced crew of five or 6 can do all visible parts of our house (22' ceilings, sheet rock repair and all) in merely a day?
26. Is that fair? I don't think so.
27. Why is that I painted the entire ceiling (twice - OK I confess, Tommy did it once too but I did it twice) without getting much paint on me?...
28. And the dark blue walls - twice - again, not much paint.
29. And by the end of today (long painting day 2) - I had huge splotches of the trim and door paint on my old yoga paints, old t-shirt, in my hair, and on my shoes?
30. What's up with that?
31. Must be because I HATE TO PAINT and it's the end of day 2.
32. I have to be done tomorrow.
33. Because I have a nail appointment.
34. My nail lady's gonna be mad at me.
35. Because I ran out of gloves at noon today.
36. Three pairs weren't enough.
37. I've had half a bottle of wine.
38. Because I had to paint today.
39. I'm saving the other half.
40. Because I have to paint again tomorrow.

That is all.

I can officially call myself "Bootylicious". Beyonce said on Letterman tonight that to her, it means:

Beautiful, Bountiful, and Bouncy

Beautiful - Check (according to Tommy)

Bountiful - Check

Bouncy - Check

Yep, I'm definitely "Bootylicious". Of course, if you want the "official" definition in the dictionary, you can look here.

Personally, I like Beyonce's definition better. It's much more accurate - and cleaner.

Okay, so as usual I'm having a hard time coming up with something to post about on this beautiful, sunny February day in Dallas. So I was scanning the headlines and I ran across this article. I know...it's on the Fox site....sorry for those of you that don't like to go to that page but the story did catch my eye.

Apparently there are some businesses that have been complaining to sites like Yahoo and AOL that their emails are not making it through to their customer base. And some customers have complained that their needed emails have been taken out by spam filters. So....Yahoo, AOL and probably others are going to offer a program where in exchange for paying a fee, e-mail senders will be guaranteed their messages won't be filtered and will bear a seal alerting recipients they're legitimate.

Of course, we've all missed emails from companies that we do business with and that we probably need to see...but that's what the "Bulk Mail" or "Junk Mail" folders are for. We don't lose the emails, we simply delay looking at them until it's convenient. This way WE can control when we sort through what we do and don't want to read. So there are workarounds for those of us who like and use spam filters.

Look, we all know these sites are in the business of making money, and while they would like their customers to think their included spam filters will protect them from obnoxious, unsolicited ads.....this program (in my opinion) will negate the filters. Now, spammers will look at the additional fee as a normal cost of doing business.

The article didn't say if there are review measures in place that would disallow companies known for sending out pure spam (re-finance solicitations, Viagra ads, etc.). It only says that companies can pay for their emails not to be deleted by the spam filter. Here's an excerpt:

In exchange for a payment and a pledge to contact only people who have agreed to receive their messages, the companies would be ensured their e-mails aren't diverted to spam folders or have images or Web addresses filtered out.

The companies also would receive reports showing how many e-mails were received successfully - great, not only can they bypass the spam filter, they can ensure they sent the spam to a legitimate address and then sell that address to other spammers.

Wonderful. Sounds like this program is tailor-made to aid spammers, not deter them.

So the end result of this program will be, I fear, that now we will all start seeing many emails in our Inbox claiming to be legit that aren't, and our email addresses will be sold and re-sold at an ever-increasing rate through the spam community.

Happy Monday.

According to an article pulled from the AP, Army Chaplains have started training GIs how not to marry a jerk.

First, I can't say I agree with the name of the program. I know they're trying to make it fun, but still.....THEY can be jerks too. How about..."How not to be a jerk."

Having said that....I do think a program like this, especially in times like this is a good idea. I know from personal experience that many deployments, varying in length to in excess of a whole year or more, can be stressful on a marriage. You definitely have to be the right type of person to thrive in a relationship where your better half could be called at a moment's notice to a war zone or for training for an extended period of time. People with dependant natures and people who are selfish of their own needs over the needs of the country do not do well in military marriages.

I did see some women like that while we were in the F16 community, and nine times out of 10 when a long deployment came they ran home to mommy so their parents could help them with the kids and provide emotional support. These same women, when a state-side training deployment happened....actually went to the city where the deployment was and often times brought their kids along and stayed in the hotel with their spouses. Bad idea...VERY bad idea. Flying jets is intense, and passing the academic courses (like Squadron Officers School for example) was necessary to progress in one's career...having the family distracting the pilot from the goal of passing the course or from flying the training exercise was a bad deal for the pilot and the family...the family felt neglected because the pilot was focused on the mission at hand, and the pilot tended not to do as well in classes or on training missions due to lack of sleep and the distractions associated with having the wife and young children in the room.

The military spouse has to be independent, willing to take on all the spouse's responsibilities at home while they are away, and must be able to handle crisis situations with the kids and the house and make firm decisions quickly to ensure the home life remains stable for the kids and worry-free for the spouse that is deployed.

I'm sure they're covering all this in the course which I think is a VERY good thing. The lure of having something to come home to can be strong...but it has to be the right kind of "something" to come home to. I can remember during Desert Storm I a lot of people were deployed that were under the mistaken impression that they were in a "safe" career field that would never see the front. Um....wrong. Anybody in uniform should expect to be deployed to a war zone at any time for any reason. Those that joined up simply to take advantage of the GI bill without having to actually perform a function in a war zone were either stupid or living in a dream world. Unfortunately, before the war these same people married spouses who were also led to believe their husband or wife would never be deployed to support a war.

Unfortunately, many who live under this impression cannot handle it when the spouse is deployed. I can clearly remember talk in line at the base Credit Union of women who had cleaned out their bank accounts, left the base, and filed divorce papers while their husbands were deployed to Iraq because "they didn't sign up for this".

For me, when you marry a member of the military, you ALWAYS "sign up for this". Those that think otherwise should not marry into the life.

In short...from my experience and what I've seen happen to military marriages...the program is a VERY good idea....but they could have done a better job with the name.

I don't know about you...but to me, it seems that Cindy Sheehan could do with a bit of a makeover.

I mean, if she did something with her hair and got a good support bra and actually wore a little makeup and invested in some clothes that fit (even if I wouldn't necessarily agree with what's written on the clothes).....I think she might get a bit more media coverage which is apparently what she's looking for.

Maybe she can get some of those groups that seem to be funding all her travel and escapades to pony up a stylist or something.

I'm just sayin'......

When you put on your bikini and it covers more of your rear than it did last year.

THAT (if you are a girl) is the definition of bliss, my friends.

I am very happy.

That is all.

Not feeling very creative lately, as you can probably tell from the lack of a post yesterday.

But I do have good news to report with regard to the gym. Today was the first day in almost a month that I did my full cardio workout....a full hour including 55 minutes on the elliptical machine and a five minute walk on the treadmill. I managed to log 5.7 miles and 670 calories. And I did 45 minutes of intervals on the stairs and my full chest and back weight routine yesterday. Yessir...I am BACK.

I still have a slight cough and a little beet of wheezing, but I have to say that ain't bad for someone that's...shall we say...a bit over the age of 35.

I promise I'll try and think of something a bit more entertaining for my next post.

Spam is definitely a ridiculous item. I had it under control for a really long time. For a while, I got no spam at all. Then, I launched this site. It started out with just a few here and there to my site email address. Then....someone got hold of the entire email list for the customers that use our ISP....and I was getting upward of 20-30 spam emails a day.

I was using Outlook for my email, contacts and calendaring because it was what I used to use at work and it was so damned convenient...didn't even have to think about it.

Tommy never has used Outlook, and he's been on Mozilla Thunderbird for quite some time. Every time I would complain about Outlook, he would tell me to use Thunderbird. But...I refused to move.....after all, Outlook is the standard, right?

Well, I got up today and was greeted with my daily dose of spam first thing in the morning (it comes all day, but I get a block of it every morning). And...I...had had....ENOUGH. The Outlook spam filters are either too hard for me to figure out or too labor intensive to keep updating constantly with all the new tricks the spammers have. Okay, so maybe I'm just too lazy to figure it out....

Anyway, I downloaded Thunderbird (by the way, when you do this it recognizes your current email program and then automatically moves everything over for you, except the calendar; all your emails, contacts and personal folders show up when you launch the program). I then whined about how it wasn't working like I wanted it to...so Tommy sighed and came down to fix my email settings and download the contacts and calendar extensions for me.

The only issue I've noticed so far is you have to manually move each calendar item over to Thunderbird as it is a new extension and doesn't automatically install with all your other items.

But the really cool thing about Thunderbird is it has spam filters that are intelligently designed so that as you give them new information they get better and better as time goes by - learning more about junk mail and filtering more of it each and every day. Way cool.

To summarize...had Outlook....with associated Spam.....got sick of it...finally caved and listened to Tommy....now have Thunderbird. Thunderbird is better - unless of course you love to get spam. That is all.

It appears I've rounded the corner on the whole being sick thing. As you may recall, it started off with a bang in the wee, wee hours of New Year's Day (a sickness not caused by a hangover as I only had three drinks New Year's Eve but which I'm now convinced was directly related to drinking like absolutely no water for a week which caused sever dehydration). Then I immediately moved on to the cold that everyone in Wisconsin and on all our flights on the trip seemed to have in varying degrees.

Tommy has the cold now. He had to call in sick for his current trip.

I think the turning point for me was on Friday when I decided the house was a sty and needed to be cleaned, no matter what cost to my personal well-being. I simply could NOT stand it anymore. So I put my cleaning clothes on and off I went to "just clean the bathrooms"......four hours later the entire house was clean with the exception of mopping the bar floor and dusting our very high ceiling fan in the living room and light fixtures in the the entry.

But damn, I sure did feel better after that. I actually felt like I was sweating the sickness out of my body. Yesterday (Saturday - day after cleaning) was the first day I woke up and finally felt half way normal. Didn't even take cold meds until bed time and then it was only Sudafed and Robitussin.

And today I'm feeling better still and I'm planning on making peanut butter cookies with my new mixer. I don't eve like peanut butter cookies, but Tommy does so the goal is to try out the new mixer whilst avoiding extra calories that would result in me eating the finished product if I actually liked it.

Oh, I'm under no illusions that I won't at least try one of the cookies...but they're not my favorite so hopefully I'll be able to keep it down to just a taste.

To summarize - was really sick...then was cold sick....am now better....will be baking today.

That is all.

UPDATE: As you can see, I didn't waste any time. The second batch just came out of the oven, and I didn't even wait until the cookies had cooled before I sampled one. They are damn good. I've already scarfed my second. The mixer did excellent work for me blending all the ingredients perfectly. However, this recipe should be outlawed as it necessitates multiple tastings even for those that don't even care for peanut butter. I mean, seriously...

If you'd like the recipe, you can leave a comment on this post or send me an email. Yummy.

So said Peaches on the topic of "Just So You Know" & "Yummy"
Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Man, what a game it was last night! Texas came through at the last minute to gain victory over USC. Tommy's got pictures on his site if you'd like to check it out.

We all stayed up until the end, even Scytheboy...who wore one of his Longhorn shirts to school today as he planned on exercising his bragging rights to the fullest extent possible.

Go Texas!!

Yup, it's that time again. Time for Texas to kick ass on the football field. You can read all about the upcoming game here.

Tommy and I are both proud graduates of The University of Texas, and Scytheboy aspires to be the same one day. So we will all be in the man room watching the game tonight (I'm allowed only on special occasions...). I'm not much for watching football, but I do feel that on this night it is truly required...even if I'm sick.

Hook 'em!!!

Yeah, apparently all that drinking and stressful traveling took their toll on me. About 3:00 a.m. this morning my body decided to reject any and all contents currently residing therein...in a very expedient manner.

I won't go into details...but...ewwww.

So poor Tommy had to take a cab home from the airport this morning. Happy freakin' New Year, right?

He also had to take care of Scytheboy and cook the ham and blackeyed peas. They said they were good...I tried to sequester myself in our room for fear of getting sick again from the ham smell. Never could stand to smell meat cooking when I was sick. Today wasn't any different.

The good news is I've kept some stuff down and I'm feeling much better. Our 19th anniversary is on Tuesday so hopefully whatever it is that got me sick will be long gone by then.

I hope your day was better, whatever you did.

Scytheboy and I returned from Wisconsin this morning, after being stuck overnight in the Cincinnati airport flying standby. It wasn't so bad, really. We just stayed at a nearby Marriott and ordered in some Chinese food, and then turned around this morning and made it on the first flight back to Dallas by the skin of our teeth. They were actually counting children and bags to get some slack so they could give us that last extra seat.

Not that she'll ever read this, but our thanks go out to our gate agent who went far above and beyond to get us on that plane. She is truly a New Years Angel to us.

I won't talk much about the trip but to list a few things that stand out:

1. It totally sucked having to get up at 4 a.m. to catch that early flight out of Dallas on Monday

2. But it was worth it...even the running through the airport to barely make our connecting flight - because I was able to make a lunch my mother had put together at which all of my siblings, their spouses and kids were present as well as favorite cousins and aunt and uncle...SO worth it

3. It sucked that Tommy wasn't there

4. While at the lunch, I was so exhausted and hungry from the flight I was really out of it...and you can tell from the pictures just how bad off I was...but again...worth it

5. I had forgotten that in my family it's perfectly acceptable to hit the hard stuff at noon if it's a special occasion...yup, had my fair share of rum and coke (shut up I wasn't driving so I could drink all I want)

6. I stayed with my younger sister, husband, and their 2 year old

7. The 2 year old is damn cute

8. We taught him how to say Guinness...among other things

9. Our second day there, many of us met at my older sister's place for pizza at lunch

10. That time, we broke out the booze at 11:30

11. I was drunk by one

12. It was cool

13. My brother in law makes kick-ass onion rings

14. There was a lot of snow on the ground, but none on the street and the snow was melting

15. We had a 2 hour drive to the airport on Thursday, followed by a flight we barely made it on (again...counted bags and babies to get us on)

16. Then we waited...and waited...and waited....until the last plane to Dallas took off

17. It's not so bad getting lots of rest during the trip back at a decent hotel and ordering in...really it's not

18. I worried about the cat the whole time we were gone...he was alone for almost 5 days

19. The cat is OK....he just threw up a few times on the carpet due to gluttony from all the food we left out

20. It's good to be home

21. But I wouldn't have missed that trip for the WORLD - even with the travel troubles flying standby over the holiday - my mother had all of her kids and grandkids in the same place at the same time for the first time (yes, captured on film - no, you can't see the pics)

That is all.

Mr. Average is off to South America for back to back trips over the next week. So Scytheboy and I have decided to attempt a trek to the great white north to see my side of the family (most of them anyway).

We leave really, really early in the morning (if we get on that first flight) and we should be in Wisconsin before lunch if all goes well.

We're staying with my sister who is on dial-up. So chances are I will not be able to post while we're away. So I hope while we're gone that everyone has a very happy holiday.

With any luck we will be able to make it home before the new year and I can check in with all my blog friends to see how their holidays are going.

In the mean time, be safe and take care, everyone!

You get one of these for Christmas. And you think it's one of the most romantic things he's ever given you.

He's already reaped the rewards. I made a pumpkin pie with it today. It IS a really cool mixer. Note to guys: anything you give the wife that makes her work lighter is a GOOD thing.

P.S. I promise, I wasn't cheating. In our house we all get to open one gift on Christmas Eve. Tommy opened this.

And Scytheboy opened this.

The rest will remain a mystery until tomorrow.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

So said Peaches on the topic of "Just So You Know"
Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

I don't have a post for today (per se) so I thought I'd provide some useless ramblings for your entertainment. Here goes:

1. I've had a headache for four days. It's one of those that hangs out behind your eyes, roaming from behind one eye to the other or camping out between them. What a nice holiday treat.

2. I made the mistake of waiting too long to take Excedrin when this headache first started. I knew I was in trouble when I finally caved and took it...and it did absolutely nothing to dull the pain.

3. In case you're interested, it's behind my right eye now. I took two Excedrin and two Advil about a half hour ago. And now I can actually sit in front of the computer and look at the screen without cringing in pain...so I guess that's something.

4. I had my eyebrows waxed yesterday....FYI, don't do that when you have a headache. It doesn't help.

5. I cleaned the house today, because I figured I already had the headache - surely a little dust couldn't make it any worse - WRONG!!.

6. I tried drinking four rum and cokes last night to dull the pain...didn't work but my face got kinda numb and I was in a good mood so it was an improvement.

7. The headache was still there after I got back from the gym yesterday and today. Didn't make it any worse, but didn't make it any better.

8. Today at lunch, I was convinced the cause of the headache was withdrawal pangs from McDonald's. The no. 1 value meal didn't help, but it sure was tasty.

9. Scytheboy's a sweetie when I have a headache. He mixes me drinks and puts his hand on my forehead whenever I want. Nothing like a son's comfort when you're a sick mom.

10. I think the cause of the headache is allergies from the Christmas tree. But I like a real tree. I refuse to cave. No artificial trees at the Average household.

11. The cat keeps drinking water out out of the Christmas tree stand and the pine needles on the low branches have rubbed bald spots on his ears. Stubborn cat.

12. Tommy will be home less than a day over Christmas. He leaves Christmas morning to go back to work. He has back to back trips to South America the week between Christmas and New Year's. He gets home New Year's day.

13. It goes without saying that Tommy's December schedule sucks.

14. Scytheboy and I are attempting free flights to Wisconsin the day after Christmas to see my side of the family. It will be the first time in MANY years that myself, my two sisters and my brother will be in the same state with our children.

15. Wish us luck on getting seats.

16. The headache is now down to a dull roar.

17. That is good.

18. I've become hooked on Deal or No Deal. Why?

19. Scytheboy and I are going to watch The Brothers Grimm tonight in Tommy's man room upstairs.

20. Don't tell him.

This poem was written by an unknown Marine in Okinawa, Japan some years back. Although many will post it this season I am sure, I feel it is more than worth the space on this page and the time it will take you to read it.

A Soldier's Poem

'Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone
In a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney with presents to give,
And to see just who in this home did live.

I looked all about, a strange sight did I see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the mantle, just boots filled with sand,
on the wall hung pictures of far distant lands.

With medals and badges, awards of all kinds,
a sober thought came through my mind.
For this house was different, it was dark and dreary,
I found the house of a soldier, once I could see clearly.

The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone,
curled upon the floor in this one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle, the room in such disorder,
Not how I pictured a United States soldier.

Was this the hero of whom I just read?
Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?
I realized the families I saw on this night,
owed their lives to these soldiers, who were willing to fight.

Soon round the world the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year,
Because of the soldiers, like the one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.
The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

The soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice;
I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more,
My life is my God, my country, my Corps."

The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it, I started to weep.
I kept watch for hours, so silent and still
And we both shivered from the cold night's chill.

I didn't want to leave on that cold, dark night
This Guardian of Honor so willing to fight.
The soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure,
whispered, "Carry on, Santa,
It's Christmas Day, All is secure."

One look at my watch and I knew he was right
Merry Christmas, my friend, and to all a Good Night!

Please take a moment to send out good vibes to those lonely souls keeping watch over our freedom in distant lands.

My thoughts are with them and their families as they remain apart this Christmas.

Peace,

Peaches

I'd have to say this is pretty accurate, in more ways than one. Good thing I live in a "red" state, right? And I definitely have opinions on things, one way or the other. H/T to Paula for this.

Your Blog Should Be Red

Your blog is full of intensity and passion. You are very opinionated - and people love or hate you for it. You have the potential to be both a famous and infamous blogger.

I realized tonight while Scytheboy was mixing me a rum and coke that there are some major benefits to becoming a parent. Oh, of course there's all that warm fuzzy loveliness associated with bringing a child into the world and watching them grow and learn new things and love you unconditionally.

However....

There are some other benefits to parenthood that are not discovered until the child reaches double-digits in the age category. These are (in no particular order):

1. Decreased house work - as they grow, you can teach the children to do various house chores ranging from picking up their own toys to loading the dishwasher to vacuuming the rug.

2. Decreased laundry chores - after the age of 10, you can teach a child to pour detergent, load the washing machine, and even how to add the liquid fabric softener and set the machine to the proper cycle. You can also teach them how to transfer the laundry to the dryer and dry it at the proper temperature.<