2nd Funniest Moment??

I'd almost forgotten this one!! David bought me several books listed on my Amazon wishlist. However, he didn't just buy them from Amazon; he used Booksamillion instead. Something became lost in translation--literally. One of the books arrived in Spanish. :) The good news is that it is a book of logic puzzles, not a novel or academic book. I'm going to give it a shot!! Pasatiempos Logicos by Michael A Dispezio ~Diane

Funniest Moment of Christmas Day

I was thrilled with the many tubes of lip gloss tucked into my Christmas Stocking. I love lip gloss!! I was especially delighted to see a Bath and Body “Winter Candy Apple” and opened it immediately. I was surprised that it was a roller-ball tip instead of a sponge applicator, but not dissuaded from applying it with fervor!! It burned a little—another surprise because I didn’t see that it was a ‘plumper.’ It also tasted nothing like Candy Apple. I had Cherilyn try some on to see if it was my mind playing tricks on me. She grimaced, but complied—she doesn’t share my affinity for gloss. When I saw the look on her face as she rolled it onto her lips, I grew concerned and grabbed another ‘flavor’ to read the ingredients. Final surprise—funny to some and mortifying for me—it was not lip gloss at all, but a roll on perfume. :) And I had forced my 15-yr old daughter to put it on her lips!! Link to Bath and Body On-the-Go Shimmer Scent

Christmas Musing

Have you ever heard the phrase "he gave all" in reference to Jesus Christ's death on the cross? We use this when talking about soldiers or others who sacrifice their life for a purpose, but I don't think that Easter is when we should commemorate Christ 'giving all.' He gave up his divinity, he confined himself to human form, at Christmas. So, this Advent season, I have been thinking on Christ's sacrifice at that first Christmas. What love.

Family Snapshots

Click the title to view full-size, but there are tiny photos in the right hand margin. :) These were all taken 20 December just for fun---why spend so much money on cameras for the kids if we have no family snapshots??

TypeTees - Funny, awesome, original slogan tees and t-shirts curated by Threadless

TypeTees - Funny, awesome, original slogan tees and t-shirts curated by Threadless I cannot help it. I love these funny t-shirts!! It is akin to my addiction to Facebook Flair! Just a little bit of sarcasm to help me through my day. :)

A better song..

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Ok, this makes up for the Cat Carol (though they are on the same album). This is the Barenaked Ladies singing God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman and We Three Kings with Sarah McLachlan.

Sad Christmas Song--The Cat Carol

Tragic Lad Theatre - comics and stories by TragicLad I always say that I will avoid those things that manipulate my emotions--commercials, television shows, etc. I fail in my attempts, however, when it comes to music. I am an absolute glutton for punishment when it comes to songs that make me cry. I don't even have to hear them--remembering the lyrics is enough. I'm sharing this one so that those of you like me can have a good cry--and the rest can be cynical and laugh at me. :)

Medical Update

I have now had two sets of blood work done, one MRI, a visit to the endocrinologist, the oncologist, and the radiation oncologist. Done!! And the results are---no change. Which, when you are concerned about brain cancer and radiation damage, is the best news you can get!! Thank you all for your love and concern.

Brain Teasers Forum (Powered by Invision Power Board)

Brain Teasers Forum (Powered by Invision Power Board) Another place for brain teasers. Some with poor grammar and there are responders who cling to their wrong answers with a stubborn stupidity, but the puzzles and the answers are fun. :)

Best Buy is NOT on Fort Hood

This is the craziest thing. My sister, Katie, emailed me after seeing this Best Buy commercial--described by one lady in a bulletin board post: "I know this is silly, but I just saw a Best Buy commercial that pulled on the heartstrings. It claimed to be located on a military base. It featured a young man claiming he has seen many people purchase Christmas gifts for people they haven't seen in over a year...It showed a silouette of two military people in the background." Click for her full post. My response to that post: I'm sad that they used proximity to the military installation to increase profit--worse, to capitalize on the current high number of families in the area surviving deployements. If they were on post, they'd not charge sales tax and would probably also offer a discount--things they do not do in their current location. Sounds like a case of false advertising to me. I can't imagine how it was allowed to happen. At a minimum there should be an apology. Here is the reply I sent back to Katie (I also posted at the CMO's blog where you can view the commercial video): Best Buy is in Killeen, which could be referred to as a military town, but is not a military base. Fort Hood is an Army Post (not a base) and you can click here to see where Best Buy is: Diane's Google Map I think this is shameless profiteering. Using the situation of families facing or surviving deployment to boost profits is nasty, but this is worse since it is also false advertising. It makes me a little sick. This is an excerpt from a letter about the issue from Best Buy’s CMO: “Stephen Suttles, the gentleman in the commercial, is an employee in Store #182, not an actor. He was selected to appear in the commercial as part of a new campaign we recently started called “True Stories.” The idea behind the campaign is that our 140,000 employees across the country have great stories about making a difference with our customers every day. So we asked them to share stories of Best Buy at its very best. Stephen submitted this particular story about how he loves feeling like he can help military families make the most of their holidays knowing their time together is so precious and limited. Stephen’s father is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, and Stephen describes himself as a true “Army brat” living most of his life on military bases up and down the East Coast. As such we felt that his genuine and heartfelt desire to help families facing a difficult time – even in a small way like helping them select the perfect gifts – would shine through in the commercial. I realize he uses the phrase “on a military base, specifically.” And you are correct that the store is not actually on the base. However, there is no intent to deceive anyone. This is simply Stephen telling the story in his own words; he was not scripted or told to use any specific phrases or language.” So, ostensibly, any employee could have told any lie for their commercials as long as it made the store look good and increased sales. I thought this a good topic for blogging since I don't see much mention of it on the web yet. Visit the blog cited above for more responses.

Golden Ticket

A golden ticket from Sears might win David a motorcycle. :-)

Grumbling or Gratitude

Enjoy this Thanksgiving-appropriate article.

My website

I lost connection to 4porters.net about one month ago. I still am not sure what went wrong, but I was fiddling with my McAfee software today, and voila! I'm able to access it again. Now to total revamp the site. I no longer am using FrontPage, and can't figure out the Office 08 alternative, so my goal is to use the free tools that arkwebs.com offers. Wish me luck!! UPDATE: Lost it again. This must be a case of my computer trying to protect me, but it is becoming very frustrating.

Killing time

I'd played this years ago, but just re-found it and thought I'd share. Who needs Rock Band??

Where did October go??

I was trying to post at least monthly, but I seem to have lost October 08. No mind, I must have been very busy!! I did start my third term at WGU and was very busy with PWOC International Conference planning. (There may have been a quick trip to San Francisco in there, too!) Instead I will suggest a visit to Flickr to view photos from October.

Really cool song

Hanky Panky by Throat Culture combines many songs into one fascinating rhythm fest. Enjoy!

MeeVee

Can't figure out how to limit profanity on my MeeVee and it all seems about a year old...so this link does not come as a recommendation, but as a request for other alternatives. (I hate tvguide.com)

Catherine Tate with David Tennant

A comedy sketch starring the Doctor Who duo. :)

Recent Blessings

I want to 'count my blessings' for the record. :) I can only begin tonight, but hopefully, you will see more in the future.

1. I am changing my BA program from Interdisciplinary Studies to Educational Studies. In short, this means I won't get a teaching credential and I won't have to student teach. Some may wonder why this is a blessing--basically, I don't want to teach.
2. Signing my son up for college went better than smooth and easy. I am very appreciative to his counselor and God for a great schedule and access to all the needed classes.
3. My husband has been off for two weeks--to help with the grad/bday party as well as burn some leave. I could get used to having him around. :)

More to come...

Comments? Suggestions??

Hey! I think I figured out how to make my comments link work!! I'd done it before, but didn't save the changes. Whoops!! And since I thought I'd tried that fix, I wasn't sure what to do next. Revisiting the original solution revealed my error. So, please...comments are welcome. :)

George Carlin and the Power of Words

I love what this article says about the power we the people ascribe to words. I am a Carlin fan, and I always appreciated when, in his routines, he clearly differentiated between God and Religion. He would mock our concepts and our organization of religion while he asked the 'everyman' types of questions with regard to God.

BBQ Birthday

I'm still killing flies in the house!! Here is a link to photos from the party---not too many of the 'man of the hour,' but you can still get a sense of the fun we had!! The slideshow on the right side shows the same photos.

Go Boy Go

Today was very special. We celebrated Christopher's 18th birthday in conjunction with his high school graduation. I am overwhelmed with the awareness of God's blessings. Here is a short list:

1. 18+ years of Christopher's life
2. Though most family couldn't attend, most would have if not half a country away!
3. Family did attend--Michelle, Heath & Jennifer
4. God has given us a family of friends--each with a heart for us and both children

Will try to post a photo or two soon.

No apologies

I decided long ago to not begin every entry in my journal with the same phrase: "It has been so long since my last entry." I'm obviously doomed to repetition. :) So, I am just poppping in to say "Hello" and thanks for stopping by. My friend, De'Etta (who has real blogs worth checking out at http://not2many.blogspot.com/ and at http://gafbpwoc.blogspot.com/)

encouraged me to post something!

Since I am here, I will suggest a few sites worth checking out: http://www.pwoconline.org/, of course http://www.fthoodpwoc.org/, also And, if you are doing the Roast with Ruth study at Fort Hood PWOC, here a few more sites worth a peek: http://www.wcg.org/lit/bible/hist/ruth1.htm http://www.wcg.org/lit/bible/hist/ruth2.htm http://www.wcg.org/lit/bible/hist/ruth3.htm etc... http://www.aspire2.com/Ruth.htm http://www.soulpersuit.com/ http://www.biblical-art.com/biblicalsubject.asp?id_biblicalsubject=148 http://www.biblical-art.com/biblicalsubject.asp?id_biblicalsubject=149 etc... http://www.studylight.org/his/bc/edr/ebh/view.cgi?book=3&chapter=21 Enjoy!!

Book Reviews for Christian Parents

This might be of value to some as a resource. I am interested in seeing the blog used in this manner. I have failed with keeping my blog updated, and haven't done any better with the website. I think I'm just an email-list girl. :) After more examination, I might be posting the link on my email lists. ~Diane