Happy New Year !

I am at home, with Steve and Tony.I Believe Steve and Boo are safe and happy [and hopefully not partying too much] in their own homes. We are safe and warm,our jobs are secure,and we are disgustingly healthy. My barometer is steady. And Grateful. So,for the second time this week, Thank you for being here, and a happy healthy New Year to You and Yours :O)

[gorgeous pic Jackie :o) ]

Wordless Tuesday

When you just can't wait for Wordless Wednesday.

Or, "How men get into the Doghouse."

Or, "How to tell if you are in the Doghouse, if you are so clueless that you cannot tell by the look on your wifes' face."

I lied! Words! I know any women seeing these shots will know what I am saying......the comments are directed at the men :o)

The oil change for the vehicles, and other various bottles.Out by the shed. Left there for a While.Which gave me the idea for todays bloggie. I didn't have to go far,or think hard,for more.....

.....and the ice scrapers,on the ground again.We are EXTREMELY classy people....we use a cinder block to stand the scrapers up in. Looks like someones aim was off, and I'm guessing this might be a recurring theme in a mans life :X






A righteous BUSTED....he wore this tie and tack to the Company Christmas party.You ALL know when that was, cause I blogged that puppy. So, THAT is how long the tie and tack have been on the desk:

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE ! This is your classic triple-dis. Such style, such finesse, only the Bravest of men can pull this off. Not only is the tie on the desk, and the tack, AND the tools he used for his last project.....but, what is that? A Soda can? On the desk? RIGHT NEXT to an unused coaster?? [I didn't notice that til after I took the pic,and had to go make sure it was in frame ] That is talent, a round of applause for Steve.

....and the ever-popular, always a hit, jammies on the floor.You may remember, I do not get mad...... I get even. Now, FAR be it from me to not perform my wifely duties, one of which is making dinner. No,I would NEVER not do my job,would I? So,I made Damn sure my man got dinner. And a cluebat.....

[p.s....we don't have a dog.The food and treats appear,as if by magic,when someone is in trouble]

GM or Toyota?

I like to know, how in the HELL did I wind up with 5 loads of laundry? HOW? WHERE in the hell did it come from? How many people did I have here? I would also like to thank my children,for rooting thru the freezers in their quest for [God knows what, I don't] ...one of you unearthed a batch of homemade meatballs,and saved me a lot of time making dinner tonight.TYVM.

Right after college, Steve was working at a dealership that sold both GM and Toyota, and when that dealership changed hands,in the early 90's, he had to decide....do I want to work with GM parts or Toyota parts? All those years ago, he chose Toyota. Regulars here know, that Steve works at a Toyota dealership to this day. He is a Toyota Master Partsman and a Toyota Master Parts Manager. We've put our eggs into Toyotas basket, if you will. We have been following the agony of the Big 3, and agonizing for the workers involved, and what this does to their lives. Today I read this article:

http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/12/auto-bailout-dead-end-cars-on-credit.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/8wevwb

And it hit me so hard. There but for the grace of God, goes Steve and I and our family.This could have been our fate this holiday season. When I read the article,I didn't see the banks and vp's that ran the auto industry into the ground. I wasn't looking at their golden parachutes or severance packages, [although I hope they rot in hell for what they've done and what they've stolen]....I was looking at rank and file..... the men who worked hard all their lives.They are entitled to a little job security at this stage of their careers. I'm looking at them,- looking at their wives and children, and wondering "what the HELL are we gonna do now?" When you've been on the line, or in the garage or salesroom [or in the parts department] for that many years, you can't simply pas de deux and jump into another career.

I'm thinking about the Big 3 automakers wives, just like me, doing the best we can for our family. My heart is broken for them, for the fear they must feel, and the loathing they must feel. They hitched their giddy-up to hubbys pony [or visa-versa],the whole family trusted in their jobs and in their industry, and now they face financial disaster...no....Financial Ruin. I cannot begin to understand, it must feel like a death in the family to them. Only, it was the rank and file people who were the real family, not the corporate rapists masquerading as execs. I don't understand how this could happen.The perfect storm.

Responsibility.It's something you try to instill in your kids. You live and breathe responsibility in front of your kids, and you pound it into their heads over and over and over again, hoping that they've learned the lesson you're trying to teach them. Where the hell was the responsibility here? Where was the accountability? The management that Steve works with now does not provide for year end bonuses for the employees, so Steve makes sure all his crew gets a bonus as a Christmas gift,...and that comes straight from us. Responsibility. I am proud of him and back him up 100%. Where was the pride or responsibility of these execs? Sweet baby Jesus, I *think* I've overdrawn my bank account and my palms get sweaty,and these execs ruin millions of peoples lives,and walk away with half a billion or more for their effort? Didn't they HAVE parents, and if they did, what the hell happened? THIS is how the Mom phrase "Would you jump off a bridge because your friends did it?" originated . All these bastards, one-upping each other to see who could get the biggest wad of cash. And all the regular people suffer the collateral damage.

I think God moves in really odd,ironic kinda ways. I told you, Steve had to decide between GM and Toyota all those years ago, we could be losing a lot right now if he had yawed towards GM. So I asked him, what made you decide all those years ago, to go with Toyota? And it was as simple as, it was easier to look stuff up for Toyota. Because it was easier to look stuff up, I can empathize with the auto families of the Big 3, instead of sympathize with them. That's ironic.

~Always remember to pillage before you burn.~

Crosses to Bear

Hello,my name is Gail and I am addicted to lip gloss. I have a bowlful of lipglosses in the hallway. I don't know why, this is the only one I wear :

Pretty pedestrian, huh? Now, you may be wondering, why in the hell is Gail telling me what lip gloss she wears? hehehe. Usually when you are speaking to women about things you use, they will tell you what their favorite product is, and try to hook you up.Word of mouth, capice? Well I have a friend named Danielle, and she had to be just a bit different,.... she showed me THIS:

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=155686&aid=336079&aparam=weirdname

No comment :X

I have a confession to make. I am the biggest dumbass.Yup, You heard it here first. I balanced my checkbook this morning. Instead of subtracting a payment, back on Nov 21st, I ADDED it. Doubling the damage I did. In my life I have never overdrawn my checking account, we all have out little crosses to bear,and THINKING about overdrawing gives me the heebie-jeebies......I have NO idea why the thought upsets me so much, but there ya go. I even keep a mini calculator in my purse with my checkbook, how's THAT for bad? Now, I am a "buffer" type of person. Let's say I buy something for 35.47. I'll put that amount in the register, but subtract 36$,rounding up. I do it all the time. It appears I have almost a 300 dollar buffer in my account because of that. It doesn't help,though,when you're balancing the checkbook register and discover that there is a minus in front of the number on the calculator. You freak out. Do the math 4 times. Let out such a string of curses that Steve is laughing hysterically ,-a) he's glad I'm swearing at myself and not him and b) I am a talented curser,it was kinda funny. I still feel kinda sick over it. I got so upset that I TOTALLY forgot the buffer, grabbed a deposit slip and 150$ and sent Tony to the bank.....but all I had to do, if I really thought I was in danger of overdrawing, was to transfer money from savings to checking online. THAT is how much that rattled me. Crosses to bear. Checking will always be one of mine.

As long as I'm outing myself, I'll also tell you that I am responsible for the backup of traffic on the NYS thruway Sunday morning. SOMEONE didn't clean out the canister on the vacuum cleaner,[you know damn well it wasn't me, I hate to vacuum] leaving it for me to do. It ought to be bitter cold out, but it was 60 degrees around 11 this morning, so I grabbed the vacuum canister, a garbage bag, and went outside......forgetting that I was wearing my polkadot pajammies, TRES chic :X, and that I went out the front door,...the thruway door. So sorry about that if you were caught up in the traffic jam, I'll try to remember to get dressed or use the kitchen door from now on.
All the kids are in NYC this afternoon at MSG for some wrestling event. They'll be eating at a restaurant very near the place, and hooking up with Tina [ the sometimes commenter here,my niece] and some other relatives. So, we know where all our kids are,that they are fine and having a great time. And Mom and Dad have the house to themselves .

Have a great evening yall :O)

Naked Lady!

What a great holiday! It would have been even better if we'd been able to resolve the kitchen sink issue before the guests arrived. We have a double sink, so while Steve was plunging sink one, I was trying to keep the second drain closed, and I had to tippy-toe to get enough purchase to do it. And in walks the first contingent, one of my sisters and her kids. "Oh the show started" hehehe, it was pretty funny.We *do* have it fixed now.

I have a dry erase board in my kitchen,....a rather big one,and anyone who cares to leave a comment can do so. The board gets erased before we are expecting company, because certain family members swear just as much as I do,and they would not know what "pc" was if it jumped up and bit them in the ass. [Yes,Stevie, I am referring to you. And Boo and Tony too. And Steve, I've seen the stuff you wrote there, so don't go feelin' all superior and innocent, you are busted] Well, I thought to get a pic of the talkin' board and blog it, but it appears that my extended family and friends are just as bad as my immediate family.You just never really know about a person til they write on your wall, do you? It makes me love them so much.

We went house hunting again today,and you will NEVER believe this...we ACTUALLY went into a house! The first one that I took off the table, ...Steve wanted to see. So I went. Evidently this family is into home improvement with a capitol "I-don't-know-what-the-hell-I-am-doing". They'd installed, in a room really too small to support this large thing, a huge slate fireplace. The slate goes from floor to ceiling. The sheer weight of the fireplace and slate makes the livingroom structurally unsound,cracks from the floor to the ceiling and beyond. NOW we know why the first sale fell thru. Steve and I are capable of a LOT of stuff, but when you need the army corp of engineers to sort something out, it's time to bow out. We have another house to view next weekend. I am just constantly amazed by the way people show their homes. If you have something SO SO stinky that you have to burn scented candles in every room before a showing,wouldn't it be better just to take care of the stinky thing? And WHY would you leave a picture of a naked woman,on your fridge? No head, a neck and torso shot,but badly cropped. [I think it was supposed to be an art shot, but there was a recipe for turkey chili to the right next of it, and a coupon for a dry cleaner under it, so it wasn't showing well :X] Did they not think kids might be present at the viewing? And a kid, at eye level with where the pic was on the fridge, they are at the age where you are still trying to convince them to keep their clothes ON.

I had something else to say,but as usual, crs reared it's ugly head. I'll give you this,....it is "engrish"..... english written by people whose first language isn't english.It sounds EXACTLY like something a politician would say, especially a humorless politician, and it made me laugh.

--->Its Always Something<----

12 hours til guests arrive:

-Kitchen sink is totally backed up.Where's the snake?

-Ice maker is not making ice. Totally out of ice.

-Steves brackets to SUPPORT [the repair job he just did in the fridge......we are moving soon,and since we don't know what appliances will be included, or the space they will occupy,we are NOT buying a new fridge right now,only to find out it's impractical in the new house. Also, I want the french door fridge,with a big drawer for the freezer below,and I need more time to work on Steve to justify the cost. I know I'll get what I need, the kitchen is MY domain, but I need him to be on board. Oh Shit,I KNOW he reads this blog,and I'm talkin' like he ain't in the room :O)] the support for the shelves is working hunky-dory. It's only when you go to pull the veggie bins out that those brackets move, and now we have a shelf issue.I know he can fix it, but we have enough that needs to be fixed tonight.

"Murphy's law is an adage in Western culture that broadly states, "if anything can go wrong, it will."

Steve and Gail law addends that, it will go wrong at the WORST possible moment. If you look at it properly, and we do, it IS kinda funny in an ironic kinda way. But it is also a major pain in ass. hehehe.It's ALWAYS something ;o)

Loopies

I think too much. I know it, and I try not to. When I thought about all the holiday stuff I needed to do, I wanted to run from it. Play. Take a nap [and TRUST me on this, if you have insomnia, a nap is anathema to you.] I was gettin kinda blue, and it's not the type of blue you want to fess to the hubby or kids, you want the holidays to rock for them. So, you go thru the holiday motions anyway, and wait for that holiday spirit to kick in. It kicked in with a vengance,and from a great source......my loopies. For those who may not know, loops are groups of people who communicate almost exclusively in e-mail. I am lucky enough to be in 3 great loops, but one of these is a loop of my Heart.Women I've posted with for 10 years. We have told each other things we have not told the hubby or family.We support each other through life, and through death, and everything inbetween. We speak on the phone, and we were all invited to one loopies' daughters Bat Mitzvah :O) Well,this loop of my Heart busted a move about 2 weeks ago,discussing holiday menus,and the discussion yawed [ I LOVE that word] into holiday candy and dessert making. Their passion for this art, and their love of their families, inspired me and lifted me up when I needed lifting, and I busted a move of my own today. The cheesecakes and the multi-covered pretzels,the cassie fudge and the regular fudge, all ready to go, some of that is right here,all I have to do is artfully arrange them. You get to see the just made versions ;o)

Lovin' on your family,THAT is what makes a holiday, and I needed to focus on THAT. Not the cleaning, or shopping [although the shopping for them was fun]. When Steve walked in tonight,he had a big smile on his face,and he said it was because of the big smile on mine. And I was thinking about my loop of the heart, and how much I heart them :O)

I don't know if I'll get a chance to blog tomorrow, and I didn't want to let the opportunity pass to wish you all a wonderful [fill in the blank] Whether it's Christmas, or Hanukkah, or nothing but-you'll-enjoy-some-time-off. Blogging has brought me a great deal of pleasure. It brings me even greater pleasure to know that some people actually read what I blog, and have opinions about it [but I am STILL firm on Patterson being a humorless pissant, I caught some flac for that.] Some of you may never say a thing on the blog, but e-mail me if I piss you off. That's ok,and kinda funny, .....I read my e-mail before work, and sometimes 5am is really early to be reading stuff like that. Mary,if you ever want to comment,all you have to do is go to google:

http://www.google.com/

sign up for a free account,and use that username and password on the comments page for this blog. Others may never say a thing period, and the only way I know you're there is the counter on the blog. Thanks for being there :o)

All the Best to You and Yours,

From Me and Mine :o)

Passin' time

The Holiday Menu. I tell Steve, close your eyes and listen. I run down the menu for the Christmas dinner, asking him to think of things I may have forgotten. I am sitting on the couch with the menu in my hand, and my laptop lid is preventing me from seeing his face. As I finish reading the menu, I sit forward, and there he is,...eyes wide open, staring at the tatas of a bimbo in a perfume ad [and by "bimbo", I mean any woman who tries to use sex to sell something to Steve.*I* am the only one allowed to use that amazingly effective technique, dammit.] So I say, "Did you hear a WORD I just said, or were you staring at her jahoobies?" Steve says, Oh NO, hon, I heard every word,...and Tony says, I call bullcrap on that.Even his son, in the next room, knew he was lying :X You friggin' men.

Gails' Favorite Holiday Tips
-Do,do-do-do-do-do-do-do NOT scrub out your fridge right before Christmas,if you are fridge challenged. You know what I mean....the stove would NOT dare balk you, it's knows your name.The fridge will throw stuff out at you every single stinkin' chance it gets, and it especially enjoys spitting HEAVY stuff at you. Let a friggin 59 cent bracket break on one shelf, and you have a 13 lb turkey and a 13 lb ham on your left foot. And Steve, hearing the commotion, yells from upstairs, Are you OK Hon? Of-friggin COURSE I'm ok with 26 pounds of meat on my foot. Just peachy, thank-you-very-much. STEVE however, will NOT be if he can't stop laughing.

-De-stress! I find that the time I spend on my passions is inversely proportionate to what I need to get done. Need to clean the oven? Go play the cello! Need to get the $%^% laundry done? Go online and amuse yourself! I've tried to share links of interest with you when I found them, and it was pure serendipity that I had 3 sites handed to me in the past 24 hours.John started it with this:

http://www.yellow-llama.com/epic-fails-from-around-the-world/

I could SWEAR I saw a family member in there, which distracted me from what I should have been doing even more effectively than usual. I replied to John to thank him,and his son sent this along, I liked it so much I listed it on this blog, under "places I like to visit" so I wouldn't forget it:

http://failblog.org/

Fast forward to this afternoon,Boo is home for the holidays. I'm telling her about the sites I got, and she says she has one for me:

http://www.killsometime.com/Video/Video.asp?ID=555

Other people do the same thing I do ! Now I don't feel so guilty ! :X

Of course I found other things to keep me from doing what I oughta. I'm making a turkey for dinner,luring all the kids home [evil genius.....I say turkey,they say when] instead of baking.
Plus, I got sidetracked when I saw this, this is the bathroom window,around 2:30 this afternoon.The small windows upstairs ice up in extreme cold, it usually only happens overnight, so you know it was under 20 degrees out:

and so I uploaded that, and wound up organizing some pics too...and I STILL have not found the pic I'm looking for dammit. But I put off the things on my holiday chart, so I was successful at something. Depending on how you look at it.
And this, because it's funny:



Happy Birthday Laura!

-->Evil Genius?<----

Hey! My Halloween Cactus busted a Christmas move !! I LOVE when things flower out of season for no reason :O) [I put the white pinecone in there to be seasonal]

Evil genius or ass? This is the question Steve makes me ask myself a lot, and last night was no exception.We are pros at hosting for the holidays, and we do a lot of things in advance. One of these things is peeling and mashing potatoes. 10 pounds of those babies. This has traditionally been Steves job. Last night, it was time to do the deed. I went out to help. On his VERY FIRST tater, he cut a bit of the tip of his thumb with the peeler,and started bleeding....making it impossible for him to continue peeling. He CLAIMS it was an accident, but as I stood there peelin', I had to wonder......would he, COULD he, cut himself to get out of an onerous task?
I put it to him. Steve,- are you an evil genius or an ass? I got the "deer-in-the-headlights, innocent whistling,who-me" look, so I had to tater him. [note to family and friends who may be reading this and eating here on Christmas day...the offending tater was trashed ] I'm watching him snow blow right now,so I guess I don't mind peelin' taters too much,since I never have to do that.

December 21
-Phineas Fogg "Win a Wager" Day

~Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, ...it doesn't matter. - Mark Twain~

Dear Diary

Dear Diary,
What a loverly day! We had an appointment with a realtor to view 2 homes we were considering buying.This was all set up on monday. On friday,we got 8 inches or so of snow,and travel conditions Sucked sat. morning, but we were game. A 45 minute ride, and here we are, pulling into the driveway of the first house. We get out of the truck [and did I tell you it was 14 degrees and still blowing snow?]A woman starts yelling out of the window above the garage that she spoke to her realtor 3 hours ago, and she is NOT showing today.Well, that helped US a lot now, didn't it? Then she had company and didn't want to be bothered.We were a lil surprized by the sellers attitude, but were lucky to have seen the house, something is not right.We could not believe how small the house was.The listing said it was 21oo sq ft. If that puppy was one foot over 1300 I will kiss the owners ass. If they lied about that, they lied about other things.We took a pass on the house altogether.
On to the second house. A very steep driveway. Unplowed. Yes,dear Diary, I can see you're getting the pic. The RE got stuck about 3/4 of the way up.We laughed it off, pulled halfway in, and hiked the rest of the way up. BUT ! Just as the RE was unlocking the electronic lock on the door,a huge black dog appeared out of nowhere, inside the home, and let us know that he meant business, there would be chunks 'o flesh a flyin' if we went in. So, a Double deuce today! The very first house we saw,we went in alone,with no realtor.The second 2 houses we tried to view, we had the realtor with us, but never got a foot in the door! We're just l our a's off over this, if things like this are going to happen, they will happen to us. So,we'll go back next Saturday to view house two, and keep looking online as well. I don't know what I expected today to be like,but the LAST thing I expected was to never set foot in a house :O)

December 20th:
Sacagawea Day [just for you Boo :o)]

~Being 'over the hill' is much better than being under it! ~

That's my Boo

Talk about sandbagging yourself,every time I see the ticker, to the right, announcing how many days there are until Christmas, I get a lil thrill of nerves. I think I'll rethink that thing.

In my E-mail today, from Giant Microbes, a website that sells dolls of popular diseases :X I told you a while back how I ordered black death and mad cow for Boo . I think it is hysterical that :

"Giantmicrobes, Inc. is pleased to announce our Winter 2008 Release! Four new designs are now available: West Nile, Anthrax, Cavity, and C. Diff." OMG,they are PLEASED to announce them? I had to lol at that, and I hadn't even had my coffee yet.

Do you want to hear nice? And good business practice? I live in southern NY, and we are due for 6 to 12 inches of snow,starting early fri. morning, and snowing all day,we are under winter storm warning. At work,we get paid on fridays.The head honcho came to us today,and said that he knew a lot of us probably couldn't make it in tomorrow,so the front office was ready to write paychecks,that we could cash at their [local]bank during our lunch breaks, TODAY. All we had to do is go tell the book keeper we needed a check. [I'm waiting until monday,I have no plans to spend all my moolah before then anyway.At the rate the moolah is going right now, I don't have to go anywhere, I'll just open my wallet and it'll fly away.] I was Flabbergasted. And awed, that takes balls, and I was really proud of where I work and the people I work with.

It's no secret to readers of this blog that I'm a real word hound, the odder and more archaic the better.Well,today,we have a REAL treat. My daughter Boo has decided to grace us with one of her finds, she tells me you MUST know this word. If there was ever any doubt that this person is my daughter, surely it would be GONE after you read this. The word happens to be the Dutch "Word of the Year", and it is "swaffelen". The Definition? Here's a quote from the source, and the source: [NOT g-rated]

"Today the Dutch word of the year was announced and the winner was 'swaffelen' which means to sweep the male organ from side to side while banging against an object such as a building. The word came to prominence when a young man posted a youtube video where he 'swaffled' the Taj Mahal. Since then most of the world's major landmarks have succumbed to the same fate"

and the source:

http://faoiseamh.blogspot.com/2008/12/dutch-word-of-year.html

Now,this begs a few question.First...Boo,WTH??? HOW in the hell did you find THAT one? What were your search parameters, What were you searching for, that you could trip over that gem? A male appendage banging a building? Second....do they ever freeze to the side of the building [landmark]? Like, if you lick a flagpole in the winter,your tongue will freeze to it? Do they have any records of any emergency room visits from guys with frozen tallywhackers? And what about sunburn? Or bird attack, [a pecker pecker!] depending on the size, of course. What about if sight-challenged politician with no sense of humor reaches out to shake a guys' hand just as the guy is swaffelen-ing the gummint building up thar in Albany? What type of violation would that be? Would the politician be blind with rage? I sure as hell wouldn't be a-swaffelen in NYC,near any dirty water hotdog cart.

It's really, REALLY good to know that, in times of finals, and LOTS o' studyin', you found the time to enrich your mind Boo. That your quest for knowledge never ends. O-M-G ! And Thank you Honey :O) [no picture,for obvious reasons]

[Happy 32nd year since our first date,Steve!!! That's one loooong date]

I'm thinking of.......

~Wordless Wednesday~

--->David Patterson,humorless schmuck<----

An update....we had that problem with the shaving gel can getting left out again today. Steve had the day off, and when I got home, guess what I saw left out, leaving it's mark like a dog at a fire hydrant? That's right,the can.So, I [say it with me] "didn't get MAD,I got EVEN". I grabbed the can and walked slowly down the stairs,telling Steve "Oh,it's ON " He panicked when he saw the can, but isn't fast enough to out run this old broad. I shot shaving gel down his shirt.Of course he got to laughing, and when he was helpless,I shot him on the neck too.I don't think he'll be forgetting that can anytime soon. He had to go take a shower before we went to see the.......

REAL ESTATE AGENT ! Woo-Hoo ! We really liked her,and we're going to see 2 houses this saturday. One location makes a commute to my current job iffy,the other makes it impossible.The APR for our mortgage went from 6.25 when we started looking,to 5 !! And it may fall again before we buy. YAY TEAM GAIL !!!!

Oh,and SNL...^5,WTG !! David Patterson,guv of NY.....grow up. It was not an attack,it was COMEDY already. Remember? Oh,wait, SNL shit on your sacred cow.....blindness.Whoopsie! It WAS SNL, not a political rival. It's insulting to your constituents that you think viewing the skit makes us think you are not capable of running the state [right into the ground...oh,wait,did I THINK that or TYPE it? I don't remember] I'll bet you laughed when other politicians were savaged on the show.This is the ONLY reason I don't bust a move and become uber famous, I'm afraid of the satirical way that SNL would portray me.

Oh,and something hysterical...on the way home from the real estate agent,we stopped at Stop n Shop.They were having a sale on bsbc [boneless,skinless chicken breast] so I got 2 big packages for the freezer.While I'm still in the meat dept., Stevie texts me to tell me he just saw a SMOKIN deal on bsbc at [his] SnS...1.99/lb,down fom 4.29! So,we were in alternate universes,both in our own SnS, in the meat dept., at the same time. GMTA,pretty funny.

December 16th:

National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day

~Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. - Alex Levine ~

So easy,a clown can do it

You may remember a while back,my blogging about a former aol employee, as stupid a wench as they come. I wondered then, how in the hell she got a job, doing something she has NO knowledge or skill set for doing, and as time proved, no aptitude either. [You know the type,- you give that type of person a little power, and they turn into a meglomaniac]Well, she did it again. She actually wrote a column, about empty nesters and the challenges their marriages face......while she is a twice divorced single person. A single person giving marital advice.The column refers to a study she read, and advice she offers from her perspective on it. Here's one of her gems:

"Here's my advice to those who are feeling a little low. Remember when the kids were teething, sick, sleepless or just plain mean spirited? Try to remember how you felt then and what you wished you were doing instead. The time has come to fulfill those wishes"

WTF? Where's the loving on your spouse, focusing on the two of you? What about the wishes of your spouse, do you communicate to your spouse what you need, and ask what your spouse needs that they aren't getting? Did she remember she HAD a spouse, did he figure in anywhere there? When's the last time you had a few yuks together?
THIS is the single biggest problem I see with getting info off the net....most of the time, you are not in a position to know who is giving the advice. In this case, a person whom I know to be as mean-spirited, churlish, and rattlesnake-nasty as they come. Masquerading as your favorite auntie, she thinks she can read a study and offer marital advice! So, MY anti-advice is..... don't count on the net for advice. Technical advice, yes in a lot of cases, considering the source. Advice for affairs of the heart? A BIG nichter to that.

I was tempted to write a letter to the editor,...but I figured, the people who hired that ass knew what they were getting, and must have wanted 1200 words at the lowest possible price. I have found that there is no problem between me and people that I care about that can't be solved by a suitable application of love and attention. I notice those 2 things were not recommended by the columnist in question.
Hey! Do I think I can do better than that asshat? Damn Straight! Let's see how I do:

Gails Marital Advice
-Always close the bag in the cereal box. ALWAYS.
-if a bill is being paid from Steves' checking,made triple dog sure you enter it in his register. Don't leave him a note or tell him.
-Lid DOWN, gentlemen, lid DOWN. Don't make me draw you a schematic, I'll only bop you in the head with it.
-Don't talk about important things during Pass Time [a Speed channel show Steve loves]
-When you get pissed at him, Look at him. REALLY look at him. Right now I am watching him hang Christmas lights outside. He borrowed a hat from Tony, one that has ear flaps.[he looks like Ralphie in "A Christmas Story" ] Look at that face, how can you stay pissed at that face? [I Told him, print this pic out, baby,and present it when you're in trouble.......a free "Get out of Doghouse" pass]

-Don't drive his car and forget to put the seat back where you found it, and put the radio back on his channel. Also, turn the volume down.He's deaf enough, no need to make it worse.
-Cook together.We are trying 2 new recipes tonight involving stuffing fresh chicken tenders into manicotti shells, and if I laugh any more today my head will explode. Lots of fun in the kitchen [Dawn,not a WORD !!]
-Don't get mad......get even. Did he leave the shave gel out again? Leave it on the front seat of his car. Leave a pretzel bowl on his nightstand? Slip it lovingly into his sock drawer. Pay stubs....the dandruff of the computer age [especially since he has direct deposit] Did he leave 11 of them on his dresser? Then you stuff them all in his pillowcases, be SURE to get a few in each one for maximum effect. Did he leave a dirty glass on the coffeetable? Then you take everyones' dirty glasses and pile them up on his desk,right on top of all those car magazines. You know,the ones with the busty blondes whose chest measurement exceeds their IQ? Did he snore last night, then have the balls to deny it? Then,when he's in the shower in the morning, not even awake yet, you walk right in and start lobbing washcloths over the top of the shower curtain. You do enough of the "Getting Even", and your spouse wil be forced to listen to reason. They can't fight back when they're laughing so hard they can't walk upright.

You see? Laughter and Love, the two basic things you need for a successful happy marriage.Don't listen to jerks who tell you *all* you need a hobby,....I remember what *I* was thinking when the babies were up a lot at night,and it wasn't about a hobby or a vacation, it usually entailed a cast iron frying pan and Steves head. For all you know,you'll wind up putting model airplanes together,and sniff too much glue. Stick to the passions you already have,and make sure your spouse is one of them.
There! I'll never get paid for it, and now I can call myself a published advice maven. Scary,ain't it?

------------>Cat Herders<--------------

A great day ! Boo and Stevie dropped in for a while and Stevie said, and I QUOTE:

"Seems like yesterday you didn't know anything,now you know everything."

I guess he's officially an adult.I might have to knock him upside his head a few more times, a Mothers' work is never done, but he turned out good :o)

I felt bad for Boo, she and Steve planned to hang the outdoor lights today,but it was too damn cold [28,with the wind chill it was 18,not good weather for asthmatics to be playin' outside].I forgot I blogged that I didn't have any klondikes, and Boo called me on it. Whoopsie! Can't hide something you're holding right in front of her face, I guess :X Good luck on your finals Boo, you will ace them ALL. Don't worry, remember,-I'm always right ! This is what you'll be saying very shortly:

[you see the arrows pointing at the title of the blog? That will let you know when I've embedded a link in the title.]

[another one for Boo,to a very nicely bastarized Pachelbels' Canon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUNmLuNdiL8&feature=related

~All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy. ~

December 15th:
National Cat Herders Day

Not so wordless Friday :X

Memes' are blog themes that pass around from blogger to blogger like the common cold. A common meme is "Wordless Wednesday" where you generally post pics, and no text.You have gotta be kidding if you think I'm wordless ;o) Also, I forgot to shut up on Wednesday, and the odds are I ain't gonna shut up today either, so there ya go. But,I will try to keep the words to a minimum,and get with the wordless.

13 days til christmas. 20 days until I'm ready for Christmas. You do the math.

Without further delay,my "Wordless Friday " [hehehe] or "How I spent the afternoon not doing anything I should have been doing this close to the holidays but DAMN it felt good"

-lots of practicing on Ruby the cello:

[you will notice I am up to "Down in the Valley" woo-hoo!]

I got up from practicing the geetar, [that's Oscar] turned around, and saw this in my spathe,which lead to a round of playing with plants:

Decided to get with the program, and dust/vacuum the livingroom.Co-opted Tony into vacuuming, and just as I started to dust, I got sidetracked, aGAIN. Baaaad Gail:

[ignore my party hat, I'll put it away later ] I have GOT to get the piano tuned. Oh,it was so funny...playing with the nano,"Silent Night" being sung a capella by a famous boy band. They started out in D major,and slid off the road into C/B major, I just sat there laughing. Millions of dollars they get paid to slide off the road like that. Sweet Jesus,*I* can do that! The fish in my fishtank can do that, and they'll do it for a lot less than Boyz II Men [oopsie,did *I* say that? ]

Oh,and about the damn funniest thing.... I gave you the website, to "Elf yourself"...well,I elfed Tony.OMG, my belly hurts from laughing,so here's my effort: [thank you for letting me blog this Tony,you're a good sport]

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/LUFaA3QZ4AFR7BGu

So there you go....my version of a wordless Wednesday.A few days late, and a lot of words,but hell,I took pictures! PICTURES !!!!

Kenny Rogers

Can someone explain why I keep getting Kenny Rogers alerts from my itunes account? Not that there's anything wrong with him, and his "You decorated my life" is a catchy tune....but since he had his face lift, I can't even LOOK at him, and I know I didn't buy anything of his recently.

Today I had to stay home from work. You will never guess, in a bajillion years, what I did. I took a NAP! I am afraid of naps,-with the insomnia being so bad, I wonder how much worse the night would be if I slept at all during the day.This morning,I said the hell with it, let tonight take care of itself, and took a pre-lunch nap. That was DivinE!!!! Naps are the Awesome!
So, of course, the tv was on, and in between stories [ I like "Americas Newsroom" on Fox news. I know,that makes me a philistine, but I KNEW I was a philistine years ago, so THERE] there were....commercials.Yes, I DO have a problem with the way some commercials portray women, [honestly,I have a problem with the way they portray just about everybody, but this morning was"pick on women" morning] you can TELL when an ad account rep had a bad morning,-fought with the spouse, the kids flipped them the bird,maybe the dog pissed on their leg, and they got a speeding ticket on the way to work,so they were gunning for bear. I think that's what happened with the College Inn broth ad person. You see a woman cutting ONE LEG off of a chicken.Her little girl asks her why, and then you see grandma look up at the ceiling, and as if heaven inspired, we get the back story....the Grandma couldn't fit a whole chicken in her pot. What did she do? Did she buy a pot that actually served her needs? Borrow one from the neighbor that tipples a bit then talks too much about soap operas? Borrow one from the neighbor guy who likes to wear frilly aprons and trade recipes? Trade in those S&H Greenstamps for one? NO. She cut one leg off the damn bird. So, what does her [adult] daughter do? Learn from Mom's obvious lack of intelligence? NO, SHE cuts a leg off the bird, and tells her little girl it is a family secret. A family secret to be a dumbass. I have news for her. When you're that dumb, the whole neighborhood knows, and it ain't pretty. That's not something I'd care to advertize.

Dear Klondike Bar company,
Hi! I have a few questions regarding your new product,Reeses Peanut Butter cup Klondikes. First off, was I supposed to eat them, or apply them directly to my hips? 6 of one, half dozen of the other, I know, but I'd still like to know. Second, is there any way you can change the color of the package? That orange is "Reeses Orange" and waving that color in front of my crew is like waving a red flag in front of a bull.They would remove everything from the freezer looking for that orange color [and it's more likely a baby carrot out of a frozen veggie bag than a Reeses,but for a Reeces they will leave no stone unturned. And every veggie out on the counter to thaw.] Third, would you happen to have a home address for the member of the marketing team that thought the product up? I would LOVE to go straight to their home and thank them. I SWEAR, I have no ulterior motive, like beating them upside their head with a bag of frozen veggies, dousing them with teriyaki or defenestrating them,or ANYthing like that, oh NO, they are perfectly safe from this hip-challenged pms'ing very close to 48 year old who is ready to go out on a tear. Honestly.

Sincerely,

Gail

[p.s.....kids,....that is called a "rhetorical" question. I do NOT NOT have Reeses klondike bars in the inside freezer. No I don't, so leave the poor freezer alone, it never did anything to you.]

December 11th:

-International Mountain Day

AOL ate my Blog.

I had a perfectly good blog entry running around,and typed it up.I'd included a link to Amy Winehouses "Rehab" and Dvoraks' "New World" Symphony,4th movement, so you could hear what I'm hearing.A little yadayadayada too. And then AOL ate my blog. Sonofabitch. So I'll hook you up with Dvorak, Amy will have to wait until tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yctfXIqugXc

Go Tell Aunt Rhody

Here it is, this is what I saw this morning on the CBS morning show [g-rated]
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/09/earlyshow/main4657060.shtml

Bearbaiting: noun
[archaic] The former practice of setting dogs to fight a captive bear
[current] Setting Gail down at her favorite work station, with her favorite job. Then, setting a very religious person who HATES Christmas carols, [and the two people sitting behind Gail] down in front of Gail, and setting a man and a woman who HATE the religious person down behind Gail. Then, putting on a radio station that plays all Christmas carols this time of year. Another perfect storm,and I never saw it coming.

This was my work environment today. These people hate each other [but the ladies love me, and I'm growing on the guy] What a MESS. On the one hand, they are all being so intolerant, as a Mom I could just lecture them til the cows come home, then knock their heads together [religious lady is as bad as the other 2] As a co-worker, I was choking back laughter, I think I sprained a face muscle trying not to laugh at the things I heard. The religious lady resents references to Jesus, and the others kept singing Christmas Carols like "Jingle Bells" which have NO reference to Jesus or religion at all, [go ahead, sing it quick in your head, I'll wait] ...and she'd STILL get up on that high horse....and none of them realized how stupid that was, Jesus was no where to be found and none of them got it. Kids. So, you might wonder, what would the wise woman do under these circumstances? I don't know, but I'll tell you what *I* did. I decided that my air compressor was so loud it was giving me a migraine,it just would NOT shut off, hehehe. I got a company hat [baseball cap style] and wore it low so I wouldn't have to look at anyone, and wore my noise canceling headphones. Voila! Got a free hat out of the deal! Looked up every once in a while with a smile, and that was that.

The self taught classical guitar is going very well, I play the meanest "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" you ever Heard.

Oh, Snap.we are under winter storm watch for thursday, all day, significant icing possible.That bites. I think Steve will want to take my truck to work, I might just get an unplanned day off,.....hey now, that doesn't sound so bad.

And here,is something funny. I KNOW I could do this, I do it all the time ! I laughed my Ass off at this [g-rated], you may have seen it, but if you're a Mom or Dad it bears watching again. [todays shennanigans at work made me think of this] The Mom song, sung to the William Tell Overture :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM

December 9th:

Weary Willie Day

[here's a link, MORE g-rated stuff,can you believe it?? behave yourself:]

http://tinyurl.com/6blntt

UPDATES:

-I still haven't found that $%^^ picture on this puter.

-No news on the house front,still looking.

Dog save dog

I'm ready to leave for work,honestly! But wanted to blog this.I am watching the CBS morning show,and they just showed a clip of an injured dog in the middle of the road.....and another hero dog went out into highway traffic,and dragged the injued dog to safety.I don't have time to link it now,I will later if I can find it.That just touched me.

.

AHA ! An Appletini

Woo-Hoo! I had a great time last night, I usually do at those parties,I just get nervous beforehand. And the drink situation resolved itself....we walked in and started greeting people. Steve asked what I wanted to drink, just as one of his co-workers gave me a hug, and his drink smelled heavenly! I asked him what he was drinking,and the sky opened up and the sun shone down on his head ! "An Appletini !" So that's what I drank, and plenty of em :O) Apple liquor and vodka, with a maraschino cherry in there for no apparent reason [oh,maybe so I could keep the stems,and keep count of how many I had :X ] my kinda night. I think that'll be my party drink from now on. Right off the bat, one of the guys asked me about my job,...you have to admit, it's not the most usual job for a woman to have, and in an automotive crowd, you don't forget it. I told him it was going great, and I was kicking ass and taking names, and he thought that was the funniest thing he's ever heard, he went around telling people what I said. Anytime he pointed at me, I knew what he was saying, even when he was across the room. The real fun started after the dinner.They started playing the music so loud, it hurt. I never understood that, it's a party, not a Billy concert. It was so loud we couldn't talk, so a lot of us went back into the sitting room, where the drinks and apps had been served. As we got to talkin, one of the young women that works at the dealership came to our table, and I don't remember what got it started, I think I admired her tattoo,.....but the conversation turned to bras. She had on a strapless top, and was having enough trouble keeping the girls in it, but then she was gonna show some of us ladies her bra....except that our men were right there too, and it never occurred to any of us that the men might have a problem! She was just so well-meaning and adorable, [like I *really* needed help finding the right strapless bra, can you picture the scene? Dancing at a company Christmas party ,and Lucy and Ethel pop out to say "hello" ? Steve would give himself a hernia laughing, and I'd have to kill him] it wasn't sexual in any way,unless you count damn near exposing yourself in a crowd as sexual. This morning Steve is telling me he didn't know what to do or where to look. I said,I KNOW where you wanted to look, and he said yeah, but I didn't want to get hurt. The poor guy was looking everywhere but at the "display". I'm sittin here lol'in at the scene. THAT is loyalty !! That's OK Hon, you look all you want. The day you touch, is the day you die :O)

One of the most fun websites I've ever come across, it makes it's appearance every year, and again, TYVM Ruta for sending it along. We laugh until we cry every year:

http://www.elfyourself.com/

December 8th:
International Cotton Candy Day

Oh BOY,Oban

I'm blogging a bit early today, cause tonight is Steves' company Christmas party. It's hard for me to go,because I am not a big-crowd-of-people-you-don't-know kinda person. Every year,in advance of the party, I select my drink for the night,and Mr Steve makes sure I have one in my hand at all times.This year I'm choosing a Black Russian,or a double Springbank or Oban single malt scotch,rocks. I hesitate to order the scotch because it certainly isn't "lady-like",all the ladies seem to order "red or white wine" and I'm thinking for Steves sake I'll try to blend in?? Maybe I can get the scotch in a wine glass?? :O) Or two,or......

OMG! 2 Funny as hell things for you today! The first comes to me via Mz Tater,TYVM honey,I about bust a gut...you've heard me here talking about how Steve can get so far back in the doghouse that you can't see the whites of his eyes, it looks like he has a cousin :
http://bewareofthedoghouse.com/VideoPage.aspx

I will say there have been years where I got an appliance,but that was because I wanted it badly. I never got a vacuum cleaner, and here's fair warning Steve, I'd better NEVER get one for a present :o) Nor do I ever want gears, a car computer,tires, ...I'll accept a whole vehicle,but NOT it's components! :O) Not even with a big festive bow on em!

The second funny I originally got from Nin, but I think Tater sent it along too.This is a link to a blog I LOVE LOVE LOVE,and I hope I am Margaret or Helen when I am their age. Don't be put off by the political talk on the current blog entry there,I wish they were my neighbors:

http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/

Also,....Steve and I are no longer house hunting virgins! We saw our first house today. We'd been following the mls listing online,and Steve knew right where it was.The key was in a lock box on the front door, so we called the realtor,who let us right in.Too bad they didn't tell us it was a foreclosure :/ But,we had a great time driving around this morning looking at the areas we're interested in,Plus I got me a strawberry shake so, good times :O)

Wish me well tonight :X And kids.....Tony knows there are to be no parties,and Kristin and Ronnie will be watching over him tonight,capice? THe only cars they expect to see in the driveway are Tonys',and ours when we get home.If you come for a visit,be prepared for a visit from your aunt or the neighbors,ok??? hehehe.Sly as a fox ;o) NOT FOR ONE MINUTE that *I* think you'd do anything sneaky,you never have :X :X :X but Dad gets a lil nervous :o)

~Amazingly Simple Home Remedies~

-Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop.
-Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink.
-For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.
-A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
-If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives; then you'll be afraid to cough.
-You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.
-If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem.

Happy Birthday Stevie !

Today is Stevies 25th Birthday ! Happy Birthday Stevie!! It's hard to remember 25 years ago, being in labor with him,being childless until he came along. We always hoped we'd raised him right, and it looks like we did.
Stevie was special because he was the first grandchild on Steves' side, and the first in a long time on my side of the family. We got married very young, and a lot of family members thought we were too young, but they got over that when Stevie was on the way. The Peacemaker baby. He was so anxiously anticipated,....when I was 9 months along, I guess we had the audacity to go out. My parents,a sister,and a brother were on their way out to dinner and "happened" to drive by our apartment. When they noticed Steves car wasn't there, they drove up to the hospital [*only* 20 minutes away :X] to see if his car was THERE, if we'd gone into labor. I still laugh about that,the Baby Detectives.
Stevie was always a good baby,and a great kid. Aside from the normal kid stuff, [when he wasn't locking his 2 year old ass in the bathroom or trying to stab his eyes out with car keys] we never had too many problems with him, just the normal teen-age big-mouth stuff. He's a wise-ass.....he's always getting the jab in,or the last word. For example [and you KNEW I'd have one or more] I told you about my beloved soup and crackers. Stevie was here yesterday,hoovering his way around, and found my crackers. I walk thru the diningroom,and there's the open, brand new box of crackers, so I tell him "Oh NO you didn't leave that box open,go put it away". Oh,he put it way ok. I could not FIND the sucker this morning,...it was with the cereal :X I'm trying to open the box with one hand while drinking coffee with the other, and I canNOT figure out why the damn box won't open, I KNOW it's open, right? Until I look at it. Stevie closed it alright....and used half a dispenser of tape on the lid,taping it so well I thought I'd have to open it from the bottom. Wise-ass, I had to lol every time I thought about that today. And the rush hour speeding ticket...trying to convince me he was keeping up with rush hour traffic,and got a speeding ticket....until I realized rush hour traffic would be headed in the opposite direction he was headed in at that time of night. Nice try! Or, when he was 16 ,with a fresh drivers license.....he was working at Stop n Shop, so I gave him with a short list and my debit card, and asked him to bring stuff home with him. We had just sat down to dinner,and I asked him where the debit card was. He said "I don't know"...you can imagine the shriek I let out. He said he thought he dropped it in the Stop n Shop parking lot. I said GET UP and GET YOUR ASS back there and get it! So later on,I ask him, Stevie WHY did you leave the card and come home? And he said "Because you were making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner." HOW could I stay mad at THAT ? [well, I did, but I was shaking my head and smiling at the teenaged angst on the inside.]
I'm really proud of him because he is a stand-up guy, and a decent man. Sometimes you wonder when the kids are growing up,how your home life will influence their lives. Stevie saw the struggle his little brother had with his learning disabilities,and he saw the fantastic teachers Tony had,offering him support and guidance all though school. He heard me talking about the teachers I had,that I never forgot and love to this day. And Stevies Dad is the most patient, kind, loving man on the planet. So, was it any wonder that Stevie became a teacher? He has dual cert in Social Studies 7-12 and special ed 7-12 and teaches in our local district. We could not love him more or be more proud of him. Happy Happy Birthday Stevie!!

[pssssst....Stevie,...click the title of the blog. A link just for you! ]

Thank you for reading this far :O) This is my first year with the blog,and I wanted to be sure to blog about the people I love most. I still have a few birthdays and an anniversary to blog, but you're safe for now :o)
December 5th
-Bathtub Party Day
-Happy Birthday Stevie!!!!

~I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalog: - 'No good in a bed, but fine against a wall.' - Eleanor Roosevelt ~

Complete with Butterflies!

Oh,my!
I received an e-mail from an internet friend this morning, directing me to the blog of a former aol employee. One that was publicly fired. [let go would be a nicer term,I guess] This woman was a self-serving,egomaniacal, lying, stupid [by that,I mean she couldn't remember her own lies]asshat who could not do her job effectively, and ignored abuse reports by people who were not in her own little clique [which is probably one of the reasons she was "let go" in the first place. ]
Normally,I only read blogs about people I care about and am interested in. I was Facinated by this blog, it said that the employee in question was now saying that she chose to leave her [extremely well-paying] job,because fate "told her she's be dead in 2 years if she didn't,and she wanted to pursue a lifelong dream". Also claimed the decision was "the bravest one she ever made." I always figured, blogs are online diaries, you write about what YOU want to write about, but I guess I have another yardstick to blogging too....keep it real. If you don't want to mention something, that's your gig, but sweet baby Jesus, don't blog your alternate reality unless you clearly mark it FICTION or "How I wish it wuz". I just looked this over,and I guess I blogged about it because I am shocked. Anymore, blogging is like talking to a neighbor. Your neighbors know everything, so why try to float a lie?

I got my classical guitar lessons book yesterday.Yay! I wish they had instrumental lesson books for musicians though. All the lesson books I've used assume you can't read music in any clef, and have no knowledge of theory. I rifled thru the pages to page 8,and the first exercize,which told me to use the hand position on page 5. Whoopsie! Had to go back and find that. It was stuck in the middle of learning to read in the treble and bass clefs @@ A lot of pages wasted on me,in terms of time as well as $$. You should have SEEN my first book for flute study, all it said was "beginners"......it was aimed at 4th grade girls,-it was pink, complete with butterflies! OMG, every time I opened that thing I had to l right out l :o)

Poor Stevie! He teaches at the local high school.Tonight is Parent/Teacher conference night, and he doesn't have ONE parent signed up to come in, but still must be there. He ate dinner here,and when he left I told him to enjoy his nothing :o) Hope he has a good book,damn,wish I remembered to ask.

Here is something I meant to show you yesterday,....see, I DO occasionally remember the lost things! This is an informative article about holiday Cyber scams. I almost got phished once...I was shopping at Cooking.com. At the end of the transaction, I got a pop up,it LOOKED like it was from the c.c company whos' c.c I was using, and it asked if I wanted the info stored...and asked for my c.c # and the last 4 digits of my s.s number.Something didn't feel right about that, so I captured a screen shot of it. Found out what it was,and reported it to cooking.com,who claimed I was wrong and I had a virus.Anyone with an ounce of knowledge knows that *that* is not the way this particular thing works, so I no longer shop there. If they'll ignore getting hacked once, next time I might wind up with a real nasty from them. Oh,the article ! :

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/154781/fbi_warns_of_holiday_cyber_scams.html


~There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Mark Twain~

November 4th:
-National Dice Day