Farewell to Singlehood!

Yes, it's about 20 minutes till my wedding day, so I wanted to make one last blog as a single gal. A few years ago I never thought this day would come...I'd given up on searching for Mr. Right. Best move I ever made, because shortly after I'd made that decision, I met Ed. Of course at the time, I had no idea that we'd be more than acquaintances. But despite the distance between Raleigh & Atlanta, we developed a friendship and from that friendship came love.

Yes, I'm marrying my best friend...what could be better than that?! I seriously don't think there's a person who knows me better than Ed, and that is such a plus in starting our life together. We have a communication level & a comfort level with each other that is amazingly open...and I know I can be myself with him, and he understands the real me.

I can honestly say I've never been happier in my life...and tomorrow will truly be the bestest most special & happy day I've ever experienced! Mrs. Ed Morgan is who I'm meant to be!

Winding down...

So I have one week left in the Atlanta office before heading out into the unknown territory known as the Raleigh office. It's gonna be weird, leaving the place where I've spent soooo many hours over the past 2 1/2 years. I think I'm ready to leave the work I've been doing in Client Service and learn exactly what a Database Specialist does...and investigate new challenges & learn new products & skills.

What I'm going to miss the most are the people. While my team has undergone a number of personnel changes while I've been a member (people moving into new positions within the company as well as those who have left to pursue new jobs elsewhere), I've really enjoyed the people I've worked with. Coworker Ed has kept me laughing with his dry wit and we've made a really good partnership, working together to keep our accounts happy & running smoothly. The other girls on the team have been a lot of fun to work with as well as joke around with. I'm going to miss many of my customer contacts...who I speak with on almost a daily basis and a few of whom I've even had the pleasure to meet and develop friendships with.

But that's part of life...moving on when the time is right, but not burning any bridges when you leave, instead taking with you pleasant memories and knowing you can always come back and visit.

Best Quote from Election 2008

"From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working. After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World, and fill the shoes of Abraham Lincoln, FDR, JFK and Ronald Reagan. 143 days. I keep leftovers in my refrigerator longer than that."

--Cindy McCain

Who let the dogs out?!?!?!

Or more accurately, who let the bird in?

Yes, for the second time since I've lived in the house, a bird has managed to find its way into my house...and scare the heck out of me. I awoke this morning to hear rustling and some squeaky noises coming from outside my bedroom and my first thought was "ACK mouse or squirrel" and once I got up the nerve, I scampered out of bed and rushed over & closed the bedroom door. Then I threw on some clothes, socks & shoes (not knowing what I would be encountering outside the door), took a deep breath, and opened the door.

All was quiet for the moment, so I stepped out into the living room (where it was still a bit dark due to it only being 7:15 am and overcast) and looked around. Suddenly there was rustling from the front picture window area and what do I see? A bird sitting on top of the bookcase...not one of the little finches who sit under the window awnings and watch me play on the computer, but one of the black birds that remind me of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds when copious numbers of them gather in the backyard.

It began to fly into the window trying to get out, so I jumped into action...hurrying to prop open the back door so I could shoo him straight across the living room, through the pass-thru opening into the kitchen, and it would then have a straight-line out the door. I grabbed the broom, returned to the living room, and proceeded to try to use the broom to direct the bird away from the window. After several tries where the bird tried to hide in the corner, I finally got it flying and as I'd hoped, it made a straight dash towards the kitchen & out the back door. *whew* Heart could return to normal.

The only way I can figure that the bird could get in the house is down the chimney through the fireplace, so note to self: when I get the roof checked out, see if they will check what kind of cap/cover is on the chimney...and get the damper fixed (and shut it).

"What A Maroon!" - 7/16/08 edition

A Periodic Blog Series dedicated to exposing the idiocy exhibited by members of the Democratic Party...and getting a good chortle out of them!

Barack Obama keeps spouting that he's for change & electing him will bring change...yadda yadda yadda. His recent speech to the American Federation of Teachers, the biggest example of what a pox upon America unions are, exhibits that one thing he won't be changing is the current "entitlement culture" that has been ever-present for the last two generations (going back to the day when social programs such as welfare became a long-term source of income instead of a short-term handup).

In his speech, he states:

Real change is finally giving our kids everything they need to have a fighting chance in today’s world. That begins with recognizing that the single most important factor in determining a child’s achievement is not the color of their skin or where they come from; it’s not who their parents are or how much money they have. It’s who their teacher is.

Note the words/phrases in bold. "Giving our kids"...shouldn't kids have to actually attempt to learn, instead of being passed through each grade & graduating functionally illiterate? Shouldn't kids be taught to be self-reliant instead of learning that all they have to do is rely on government for everything in life?

And then Obama tells us that parents aren't the most important factor/influence on a child's ability to achieve, but instead it is a teacher. I vehemently disagree! One of the biggest problems in schools today is the lack of discipline shown by the students. Why is this? It's because parents are not parenting & teaching discipline to their children, but instead are expecting the schools to do this. Where did today's parents get this absurd notion? From 40 years of indoctrination dating back to LBJ's Great Society when the nation was told (much to this country's detriment) that government is here to take care of you - you don't have to do a thing, you no longer have to have a personal work ethic, because government will do it all for you. And since public schools are part of the government system, more & more parents are handing off responsibility for raising their children to teachers. This role is not what teachers are intended for. This role being foisted upon teachers IS THE REASON why children are "being left behind". If parents would do their job at home, then teachers could actually teach...and if the parents are doing their job at home, children would have the fundamental life skill of personal discipline and would be in a position to actually learn...and less likely to be "left behind".

Obama = more of the same.

Pretension, thy name is Dunwoody

Back in the day, Dunwoody was the suburb of the wealthy and many a joke was made about the Dunwoody housewife who spent her day playing tennis, lunching at the club, and ferrying the kids to soccer practice. These days the equivalent community is further north: Alpharetta.

I guess Dunwoody was feeling a bit left out in the world of snobbery...and now we have the newest form of pretension: climate-controlled wine storage. Yes, while out procuring lunch today, I passed by Dunwoody Self Storage and a sign out front proclaiming the availability of wine storage. Now I do enjoy my wine and love learning more about good wine. I have a nice 8 bottle wine rack and do look forward to the day when Ed and I have a house with a finished basement which will be our entertainment & sports room, complete with a bar and a small wine chiller/fridge. But the idea of paying a monthly charge for a wine locker or wine storage room seriously blows my mind:

Climate Controlled Wine Storage Units

In addition to all Dunwoody Self Storage units being 100% climate-controlled, the Wine Storage area duplicates wine cellaring standards. The wine storage area is a walk-in controlled area that requires special codes on the entry door key pad, over and above the general security of the facility.

Who really has need of enough wine to warrant this? Talk about having more money than brains...

Channelling Patti Labelle

I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes
Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do
I tidied up my point of view
I got a new attitude

I've had a tendency of late to let myself get bogged down in negativity, be it coming from my frustrated coworkers, from reading political threads on message boards, or from stressing myself out about the move and/or the wedding planning. It's amazing how easy it is to wander down that path and suddenly your spirit has spiraled down into a dark pit, and you find yourself sniping right & left at people. I don't like being this person and I've realized over the past few days through a conversation with Ed and in a brief series of comments this morning with a guy over a gas pump that I have a choice in my daily attitude. I can choose to take a positive stance. I can take stock of my life, count my blessings, and thank God for the wonderful people He has brought into my life. Most of all, I can get up and begin my day with prayer. Starting my day thanking God, praising Him, asking for His guidance in my daily walk, and listening for His answers...this is the best way to turn my attitude around, and make sure I'm following the right path.

"What A Maroon!" - 6/10/08 edition

A Periodic Blog Series dedicated to exposing the idiocy exhibited by members of the Democratic Party...and getting a good chortle out of them!

It looks like Obama's newest buzzword is "windfall profits tax": http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSWAT00963020080609?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true

"I'll make oil companies like Exxon pay a tax on their windfall profits, and we'll use the money to help families pay for their skyrocketing energy costs and other bills," the Illinois senator said.

What Obama doesn't get (or maybe he gets it & just doesn't want the average American to realize the truth) is that a windfall profits tax hits the shareholders, and the shareholders are not just the oil & natural gas company execs (who only hold 1.5% of those company stocks). The remaining stock is held by middle America, people who have oil/gas company stocks in the portfolios of their mutual funds, pension funds, IRAs, etc. (Don't believe my stats: check out THIS STUDY done by Robert J. Shapiro, undersecretary of commerce for economic affairs under Bill Clinton.) So wealth distribution under Obama's grandiose plan will in actuality be taking from the retirement plans of the hardworking middle class, not from the rich as he infers. No thanks - keep your hands off my $$!

How does a Monday become a great day?

When you see, for the first time in the history of evAr in the state of Georgia, this beautiful sight on the shelf at the Floyd Road Kroger:


OMG, what a miracle! What bliss!!

"What A Maroon" - 5/20/08 edition

A Periodic Blog Series dedicated to exposing the idiocy exhibited by members of the Democratic Party...and getting a good chortle out of them!

I almost titled this blogpost, "Ludicrous...not just the name of a rapper anymore", but my inner proofreader wouldn't let me, since Mr. Bridges spells it "Ludacris". *giggles*

Anyway, Barack Obama is the newest Democrat to make a fool of himself and win a spot in my blog...for 2 reasons. His first gaffe is this mouthful:

"We can't tell [other countries], don't grow. We can't -- drive our SUVs and you know, eat as much as we want and keep our homes on you know, 72 degrees at all times, and whether we're living in the desert or we're living in the tundra, and then just expect that every other country's going to say OK."

There is just so much wrong with this entire quote. Talk about stereotyping the whole US population regarding car ownership and thermostats. But most of all, since when do the citizens of US have to get permission from other countries to live our lives as we see fit? Government has no place in policing the lifestyles of its citizens...at least not in a republic. And the last time I checked, there wasn't a line-item added to any bill passed by Congress that turned the US into a socialist state. But just watch for that to happen if the new Messiah is elected...

Gaffe #2 is Obama's whine towards his critics:

"These folks should lay off my wife," Obama said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America."

Hello? His wife made one of the worst statements ever uttered by a First Lady-wannabe when she spouted her now-famous "for the first time in my adult lifetime I'm proud of my country" when her husband moved into the front-runner position in the Democratic primaries. When you participate in a campaign (and yes, making statements to the press on behalf of your husband does constitute participating in a campaign), you become fair game to the media and to the voters. And the voters of this great nation should take notice that this woman made it to the age of 44 without ever being proud to be an American. Do you really want this woman representing the US to foreign dignitaries at state dinners around the world? Do you really want this woman speaking for you? Think of the other First Ladies of the 20th (and now 21st) centuries...women like Rosalyn Carter, Eleanor Roosevelt, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush...these were women who represented this nation well...who were proud to be representing the US...who were proud to be American citizens. I, for one, would be ashamed to have Michelle Obama as a "face" of the US after she made such a statement.

THINK...voters of America!! THINK before you place your vote this fall! THINK about who you want speaking for you. Don't be led by pretty words & empty promises...remember the ugly words too!

Happy Birthday to Me!

So the week (okay, prolly closer to 10 days) of Dawn has ended and it was a wonderfully enjoyable celebration, thanks to family, friends (both old & new), and a certain awesome fiance.

The birthday celebrating began on Friday, 4/18 with a very sweet e-card from Ed to start things off that morning at work. Sunday after church was grilling out over at my sister's house (yummy brats) including some tasty pina coladas. It was nice to just leisurely hang out, play with the small fry, and enjoy a beautiful sunny day on the deck. Everyone went in on a digital camera and small camera bag for me...and the kids gave me a picture taken of the 3 of them on Easter, in a small acrylic frame for my desk at work. :)

Wednesday was the big day, and I was totally surprised to get a box of absolutely beautiful pink & orange roses (with that pretty purple stick-up stuff) delivered to me at work. Yep, you guessed it...from Ed! And my coworkers have been most complimentary...and jealous! ;) Wednesday at NewPraise practice, Julie told everyone it was my birthday and so I got to hear "Happy Birthday" sung in 4-part harmony - what a treat! Wednesday night, my Bible Study girls & I met at Macaroni Grill for drinks and dessert, instead of meeting at our normal Starbucks, and this was a very nice time - I love the fellowship time with them! Let me say that the red sangria was great and the tiramisu simply divine!!

Thursday night was what I'd been waiting on for 10 days - my flight to Raleigh and seeing Ed! He met me at the airport with cards & presents: yummy-smelling tealight candles from Yankee Candle Company, a beautiful framed picture with part of 1 Corinthians 13 printed and a shadowbox inset with a cross embedded, and a book about Tom Glavine! (Living on the Black: Two Pitchers, Two Teams, One Season to Remember ) We had our traditional beer at Hibernian on the way home of course. (Oh yeah, Ed actually gave me present #1 a couple of weeks prior when I was up there - a Fodor's Guide to Vancouver & British Columbia, including a section on Whistler, so we can read up on our honeymoon spot - so I guess technically it was the 2 weeks of Dawn... *giggles*)

Friday morning saw us picking up a rental car & hitting the road north for our weekend roadtrip to attend Ed's cousin Aylin's First Communion. It was a lovely day for a drive and we enjoyed lots of conversation in the car & lunch with one of my clients in Richmond as we headed up I-85 to I-95, then over to Hwy 301 to drive east through Virginia & up through Southern Maryland. Whilst in Charles County, MD, we took a detour past the house my family lived in for the last part of 3rd grade through 5th grade. First time I'd been there in about 33 years...what a weird feeling, yo! Finally we made it up to Pamela & Steven's house, where Ed & I enjoyed some microbrews on the porch with Steven before we all went out to a Greek restaurant for dinner. Talk about incredible seafood! I had gargantuan crabcakes and Ed had a broiled seafood platter - OMG, awesome!!! And we had drank enough beer that Ed & I decided to do some karaoke together, choosing Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name" to entertain the masses. What fun!! And a little bit later, I did a solo karaoke rendition of "I'll Still Be Loving You" by Restless Heart. Yes, big awwwwww!

Saturday we got up early & hit the road for York, PA for the mass...and it also meant me getting to meet Ed's aunt & her family. Aylin looked just like a beautiful Disney princess in her white dress, veil & tiara! And I thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet Aunt Shell, Gil, Morgan, Aylin, Beth, Mohammed, and baby Adam, and spending time with everyone (including Ed's folks) at the backyard lunch afterwards. I felt right at home and a part of the family already. We got some "quality baby time" too, holding & feeding Adam, which was a lot of fun - babies are soooo sweet!

After we bid goodbye to Aunt Shell & family, we drove east to spend the night near Ed's folks' house near Valley Forge (which took us through some picturesque Amish country & we even saw a couple horse & buggies, but no Amish midgets...sad panda!). After getting settled in at the hotel, we picked Ed's mom up and had dinner at a local joint where we were able to watch more of the NFL draft, pay attention to the hockey scores, and enjoy some tasty prime rib. Good times! Ed & I had decided we wanted to bring some local beer back home with us, so we asked our waitress where we could find a beer store. She gave us directions to the most perfect place (with a perfect name, even if it is misspelled - LOL): Jamison's. It is owned by a couple who love & appreciate microbrews and beer in general and Ed & I spent prolly a good 45 minutes there, browsing and talking with the owners about beer. The wife even went in the back & brought out a beer for us to sample that she thought we'd like (what a treat!). We liked it, so we bought a case of it: Flying Fish Farmhouse Summer Ale (out of Cherry Hill, NJ). Then while we were paying, the husband hands us 2 pint glasses from that brewery to take with us! Very cool!!

Sunday brought a sightseeing drive in the AM in Philly, courtesy of tour guide Ed. In my numerous business trips to Philly, I'd never had the chance to go into the city, so this was a real treat! Ed showed me the historic high points and drove us through some of the ethnic neighborhoods. Let me say I LOVE the architecture in Pennsylvania! He also made sure to show me two of the more famous Philly Cheesesteak places! From Philly, we drove south to Silver Spring, MD to have lunch with Rich & Katrina. They introduced us to Ethiopian cuisine and it was quite tasty - the lamb & chicken dishes were great and it's fun to eat with your hands, scooping up different dishes using injara (a pancake-like bread) as your utensil. We also did a little walking around downtown Silver Spring. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with them again! Then it was time to hit the road and head back to NC. We spent the drive talking and when you do that, instead of just listening to the radio, it's amazing how quickly the time (and the drive) passes! And luckily we didn't hit any of the really heavy rain until we weren't too far from Raleigh. Whew!

Monday morning brought the usual 6 am flight back to the ATL...and back to work. I'm soooo looking forward to the time when we don't have to get up at 0-dark-30 to put me on a plane!

"What A Maroon!" - 4/28/08 edition

A Periodic Blog Series dedicated to exposing the idiocy exhibited by members of the Democratic Party...and getting a good chortle out of them!

The District of Columbia gets an A for being proactive in upgrading transportation, but an F for wasting taxpayer money: D.C. Streetcars Await Track Construction

Three streetcars purchased by the District of Columbia for about $10 million are being held in the Czech Republic until the city builds tracks for the cars.

The cars were purchased 3 years ago and the city has no timeline for constructing a streetcar line? Talk about a bunch of brainiacs...methinks the collective IQ of the D.C. elected officials is about 12.

Only 6 months to go...

...until the day I become Mrs. Ed Morgan! *happy dance*

Gimme some Dramamine whilst I ride the gas price rollercoaster!

The price changes aren't just happening weekly anymore; they've moved to daily. You'd think the dudes at the gas stations would get tired of changing the numbers in the middle of the night.

Let me give a rundown of the past couple of weeks at my local RaceTrac:

3/27 - $3.12/gal for regular unleaded

3/28 - $3.21/gal

For the next week, the price would drop a cent almost every day, reaching $3.15/gal on Sunday, 4/6.

4/7 - $3.25/gal for regular unleaded, $3.39 for midgrade.

This is a first for my area - typically the price differential between the grades of gas has been 10 cents. Seeing a 14 cent differential between regular & midgrade definitely makes me glad that my 2005 Alero doesn't require midgrade or premium!

And I'm so glad that my commute will probably be cut at least in half once I move to Raleigh. Savings just on gas will be like getting a raise!

Certified, bay-bee!!

I passed the Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) exam this morning. What does this mean? It means that I have the basic knowledge that a payroll professional should have (which helps in supporting those payroll folks I have as clients). It also means that I've met one of my goals on my performance management plan for 2008. I can also put this on my resume and it may help in the grand scheme of things in transferring into the HRO (Human Resource Outsourcing) group in the Ceridian Raleigh office when I move up there this fall.

What it also means is that I haven't lost my skill at studying or learning. These past few weeks leading up to the exam, I've really been anxious, wondering how to keep all of the facts & formulas & rates in my head, when I'm not using them on a daily basis (since I don't do payroll, I just support the software product). My best sections ended up being the payroll calculations section ("I can do math on a calculator!") and the payroll accounting section. And this from a history major even...

Last but not least, I can put those lovely initials "FPC" after my name on my work email signature...what a rush! LOL

"What A Maroon!" - 4/3/08 edition

A Periodic Blog Series dedicated to exposing the idiocy exhibited by members of the Democratic Party...and getting a good chortle out of them!

Nancy Pelosi's lastest tree-hugging effort to "Green the Capitol" is ending up costing the American taxpayers a heap of change: new more "energy-efficient" lights for the Capitol.

First, the contact to update the lighting will cost $671,900. Naturally this was not the lowest or even the second lowest bid. The bid went to a company in the home district of Rep. Robert A. Brady (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Administration Committee. Can you say PORK?

Second, the current lights which were installed in 1990 cost a whopping (term used sarcastically) $15,000 a year in electric bills. So let's say that electric rates stay static...it'll take 45 years to recoup the expenditures on this "improvement".

The final kicker is the justification by the Democratic environmentalists:

Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said the project is not just about money. New
lights "will not only bring our 'beacon of democracy' in line with other
landmarks on the National
Mall but allow the dome to be a beacon to all reminding us of the need to
address the global climate crisis," he said.

Yeah, that's EXACTLY what I think of when I'm observing the Capitol at night. [insert your favorite rolleyes smiley]

The Gideon Bible hotel monopoly is over

I think we all have grown accustomed to seeing that ubiquitous Gideon Bible in the nightstand drawer at every hotel we've stayed at over the course of our lives, along with the local Yellow Pages. It's just one of those things I've never questioned, just accepted as a normal practice.

Well, a boutique hotel in Tennessee is changing things up a bit. The Hotel Preston near the Nashville airport, owned by Oregon-based Provenance Hotels, will now offer a "spiritual menu" through room service:

A team of Provenance managers came up with the spiritual menu's lineup, Nishioka said, which will feature the King James Version of the Bible and the New American Bible, the Torah, the Quran, the Tao Te Ching, The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, the Book of Mormon, books on Scientology and Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text.

I have to admit it's a novel approach, and one that I really can't complain about. It's not being PC, but rather acknowledging that not everyone is Christian, and offering spiritual reading for all travelers. It's a heap better than travelers spending their time downloading porn or watching Skinamax, don't you think?

I loolered at some of the other offerings provided by the hotel:

visitors to the 200-room hotel are offered complimentary pet fish, rubber duckies and lava lamps for their rooms, as well as a pillow menu. Most recently, as part of a living art display, Hotel Preston began hiring young women to take turns wearing pink lingerie and living in a glass-plated mock hotel room in a corner of the hotel's cocktail lounge.

Okay, so maybe lingerie models are stretching good taste just a bit...

It's a craxy tournament weekend!

First, the ACC tournament - pretty normal, except for Clemson beating dook and reaching the finals of the tourney for the first time since 1962...when they lost to a Final-Four-bound Wake Forest. I dearly hope Clem (and his son) can topple the Tarholes today - Virginia Tech came close to knocking the Evil Empire out yesterday, so they are definitely beatable. GO TIGGERS!

Then the SEC tournament - multiple OT games, the rest all with less than a 6 point differential, and don't forget the tornado! Yes, an F2 tornado whooshed through downtown ATL Friday night during the OT of the Alabama/Mississippi State game. While watching the game over at Laurie's house, we were amazed to see the catwalks near the ceiling sway, pieces of insulation powder the court, and the roof of the GA Dome rippling as the storm passed over it. The game was delayed for 64 minutes, then they finished that game (MSU pulling out the victory, much to Laurie's joy). The decision was made to postpone the GA/KY game which was to follow, due to the damage to the Dome as well as the rest of downtown.

The rest of the SEC games were moved to Georgia Tech's ThrillerDome (talk about irony) where more craxiness ensued. Given the late night & such on Friday, you'd think that the favorites would win on Saturday - and you'd be dead wrong. Georgia played Kentucky at noon & pulled out yet another OT win (they'd beaten Ole Miss in OT on Thursday). Then the first game of the Semi-finals pitted Arkansas against conference favorite (and #4 ranked) Tennessee. In a barnburner, Arkansas hit a jumper with 5.3 seconds left to clinch a 92-91 victory over the Vols. Then came Georgia's second game of the day, going up against a rested MSU team. Unfortunately MSU was not playing on all cylinders, falling behind big early in the game, but scrapping back to take the lead. The second half was much closer, with both teams playing killer defense and not generating a lot of offense. But in the end it was Georgia with the 64-60 victory. So Georgia & Arkansas face off today in the finals...I'll bet WTF is going through the heads of many SEC fans!

Now we await the conclusion of the conference tourneys, Selection Sunday (complete with frantic completion of numerous bracket pools), and then NIT Selection. Will Wake make it in? Stay tuned...

What a great way to improve date night!

Do not allow minors under the age of 18 to enter theatres after 6 pm on Friday and Saturday without being accompanied by a guardian.

I wholeheartedly agree with the folks at the Carson City, NV Galaxy Theatre at Casino Fandango on this one! The incessant talking & cellphones ringing during weekend evening movies only gets worse every year, making me a great fan of Netflix and a very infrequent theatre-goer as a result. But there are times when it would be nice to take in a movie when it first comes out (like I'm planning to do in May when "Iron Man" and "Prince Caspian" both come out) and not have to deal with distracting teenagers. Perhaps other theatres across the US will follow suit if the Galaxy's move proves not to be a loss on the books.

I do have to take issue with this comment from a teacher who encouraged her students to write a joint letter of protest (I like that she encouraged them to make the move, but not this part of her reasoning):

My opinion is that I'd like to see (the theater) hire people who can look after the children rather than keeping them out.

WTF??? Why should the theatre hire de facto babysitters for parents who are too cheap to pay a sitter to watch the kids at home or are too lazy to properly discipline their children as they grow up and teach them how to behave in public?

The MSB sez on 3/1/08

Let's see if the MSB can rebound from the deplorable results of 2/24/08...

Q. Will Wake Forest beat Georgia Tech?
A. Focus and ask again.

Q. Will dook beat NC State?
A. The stars say no.

Q. Will Wake Forest beat Georgia Tech?
A. Don't bet on it.

Googling the past

I've always been fascinated by research. As a kid, I would sit down and read a volume of the New Book of Knowledge encyclopedia from cover to cover, like a regular book. Crazy, I know. Some of this innate geekiness probably led me to become a history major in college...and has led me to my love affair with Google.

Ah Google...a researcher's dream to have so much information at one's fingertips! What I wouldn't have given to have had the intarnets when I was doing research for my senior thesis...think of the countless hours spent ruining my eyesight poring over microfilms that could have been avoided. But I so enjoy having Google as my toy today! In my family I'm known as the Google queen. Just today, my mother told a friend that she'd have me look for something on the internet...if it was there, I'd find it. And as recently as one hour ago, I did that for my mom...typed in a few words and found the perfect website about the local chapter of a society for a debilitating disease, complete with name & phone number of a support group, clinical care unit, etc. that Mom could pass on to her friend who has a grown child with this disease. Yes, Google is a very useful tool.

I also spent a little bit time on Google today at work while between projects & waiting for reports to generate. Why? Because I'd read a really interesting article in an online newspaper today and thought the author might be someone I'd known in high school the summer I was at Governor's Honors. After checking a few links on Google, I discovered that indeed he was who I thought he was! Very cool to find out that he'd grown up to be a journalist...one who'd been nominated for a Pulitzer! That got me to thinking about other folks I fondly remembered from GHP. So I did some more Googling...I couldn't find the guy who I'd worked on Model UN with, but I did find the guy who I'd done my summer research project on the Holocaust & concentration camps with. He now sings with a gospel quartet that tours around the Southeast. I think most people who knew him at GHP would be shocked by that...tall basketball playing jock got music & religion? But I recall our talking about our experiences singing in HS choral groups, so I'm really not surprised at all. I tried finding some of the girls I knew, but it's so difficult to find women under maiden names. :(

Then I looked down at the sweatshirt I'd worn to work today & decided to Google a person who I met about 10 years ago...who had given me the sweatshirt. Now I hadn't thought about him in a long time, but had often wondered over the years how his life was going...if he'd figured out whether the line of work he was in was really the right one for him & if he'd managed to find some balance between his life as a Type-A Workaholic and his home life with his wife & daughters. Lo & behold it only took clicking on one link and I found my answer...he was in the right field, and he is now the President & COO of a very successful company. Reading his professional bio, I saw he was able to implement a lot of the ideas that had excited him back in the day...and managed to do so while working for a different enmployer. And the picture on the company website showed what appears to be a successful happy man. What a delight to find good news about an old friend! And to think it was the wearing of an old sweatshirt that led to finding the news...ironic, I'd say.

So while Google is a useful tool 99% of the time, today it grew beyond that...it became a path to the past, a conduit to my memory bank, the vehicle that drove me down Memory Lane for a short while...bringing a smile to my face while remembering the past, but also a smile to know that people who meant something to me at different points in my life seem to be happy in their present. Thank you, Google, for that gift!

The MSB sez on 2/24/08

The MSB has spoken as to how the ACC Sunday Night Hoops doubleheader will go:

Q. Will NC State beat Virginia?
A. Answer unclear, ask again later.

Q. Will Wake Forest beat Carolina?
A. You can count on it.

Q. Will NC State beat Virginia?
A. So it shall be.


I like it!

Most accurate definition of "democrat" evAr!

I need to add this book to my reading list: Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. In this book, the author, noted historian Joseph Ellis, provides the definition that our founding fathers gave for the term "democrat":

"... the term "democrat" originated as an epithet and referred to 'one
who panders to the crude and mindless whims of the masses.'"

I find it quite interesting (and appropriate) that the term still applies to members and candidates of today's Democratic Party.

"What A Maroon" - 2/19/08 edition

A Periodic Blog Series dedicated to exposing the idiocy exhibited by members of the Democratic Party...and getting a good chortle out of them!


So we keep hearing the Democrats rail against corporate profits and how corporations don't pay enough taxes...yadda yadda yadda. Hillary Clinton even goes so far to say that she would take away oil company profits:




But does anyone ever hear how much in taxes these evil corporations, especially the oil companies pay? Heavens no...the Democrats don't want to tell the WHOLE truth. Let's take Exxon-Mobil for example (quotes from this article):

For 2006, Exxon's EBT (earnings before tax) was $67.4 billion, it paid $27.9 billion in taxes (41.4% tax rate), and its NIAT (net income after tax), or profit, was $39.5 billion.

Compare that to the bottom 50% of US taxpayers:

just one corporation (Exxon Mobil) pays as much in taxes ($27 billion) annually as the entire bottom 50% of individual taxpayers, which is 65,000,000 people! Further, the tax rate for the bottom 50% is only 3% of adjusted gross income ($27.4 billion / $922 billion), and the tax rate for Exxon was 41% in 2006 ($67.4 billion in taxable income, $27.9 billion in taxes).

And we wonder why corporations are outsourcing jobs overseas where they can operate without being penalized so harshly for being successful...


Thanks to boortz.com for the comic strip!

Prolly just wishful thinking...

...but you never know! Tonight dook plays Wake in Winston-Salem. Wake always seems to play dook hard at home & has been known to pull an upset or two. I don't know if this year's team will be able to defeat a one-loss dook squad, but the Magic Sports Ball seems to think so:

Q: Will dook beat Wake Forest?
A: Chances aren't good.

My fingers, toes, legs & eyes are crossed...

Resurrected from the dead

Blogger was a brief stop for my blog before I discovered the fun of MySpace. Since Ed & Rich have migrated to Blogger, I figured I might as well revive my account & lo & behold, my blogs were still here. Twas fun reading & remembering where I was & who I was a mere 2 years ago...those 2 years seem a lifetime ago! So much has happened since I last blogged over here, and I am in a much better place today, thanks to a certain someone with a legendary bad knee. *grin*

Look for more blogs yet to come... :-)