Show Some Love!

Since the weather is warming, the 173 Airborne in Afghanistan is already being attacked by the Taliban. You can give them your support by sending an e-mail or card. Show them you care! JP at

http://milblogging.com/

has details and links--jump to it!

February 29th

This is my sister's birthday and I thought I would repeat the post I did after she died in 2005. We miss her and think of her often.

Sisters

If this was a leap year, today would be one of my sister’s birthday. We used to joke that even though she was nine years older than me, I was technically older than her because of the actual birthdays. She was one of my 3 older sisters, the youngest of them. Their father was killed in an accident when they were small. I liked to say I was an only child with 3 sisters. There has always been the 4 of us for as long as I can remember. Until 2005, just after Thanksgiving, when my sister died of cancer. Losing a sibling is a jolt.

She had lived in CA for most of her adult life with her family. She graduated from college as a x-ray tech, met her husband in GA and since he as an AF pilot, moved several times before CA. She quit working for awhile and took care of her son and daughter. When her son was in his teens, she went back to school and earned a double-masters and started working on her Phd but found it too stressing to be away from her family. She started teaching at a local college and really loved it. She taught anger-management, which if you knew how much of her anger I saw growing up, you’d know how funny that was! (We worked that out long ago!)

I would go visit them in IL and baby-sit my niece during the summer and at Christmas. The fringe benefit was being introduced to some cute guys by her regular baby-sitter!

The last time she came home was in 2003, for our mother’s funeral. She stayed with my sister in FL, so I didn’t get to spend much time with her. And, at the time, I didn’t know that cancer was on its way. Even after I knew, I wasn’t prepared for the phone call that said she was in the hospital and time was running out. And shortly thereafter, she was gone. It was no longer the 4 of us, no more jokes about how old she was, just an ending.

Three months later, her husband also died. She had spent the past decade or so looking after him with heart disease.

One of my favorite things to do when we were all under the same roof, was to make the phone ring and sit down and listen to my sisters running through the house, fighting over who was going to answer the phone! Then I’d hear my name screamed and would have to run for cover!

I still have a hard time believing she’s gone. She was the one who ate healthy, did yoga and was so proud of how good she looked.

I miss my sister.

Rambles

We had a fun night with tornado warnings into the am! I bought one of the weather radios that alerts you if one is headed your way. Problem is, we should've set it up when we weren't under stress! We are surrounded by some huge trees and I'm glad they all seem to be still upright around us! AND......we have power, obviously! Very lucky, we were!

I just watched a man jump out of a plane wearing a flight suit which was kewl and scary! He had to wear a parachute that he didn't use until he was close to the ground--the Today Show requested it. Bur he plans to do a landing in just the suit, which looks something like a flying squirrel! I've never wanted to jump out of a plane myself!

Have you seen the video of the nanny with the twin babies letting them flop around on the sofa? She didn't hit them but she allowed them to fall off her ample lap and picked them up like sacks of flour! The mom was watching at work and drove home to fire her! Woo, I would've had steam coming out the ears after watching that! My question: why do people like this get jobs caring for babies??

I saw where Farrakham--the one who refers to white men as the devil--thinks Obamarama will save the world! Yeah, what a shocker!

I'm alittle discouraged after looking thru the apartments, TH and houses for rent! I think we could use a small miracle!

I still have a spot on the ball of my foot that  I'm trying to heal--another problem with diabetes. Bloody diabetes. I hope the new medicine is doing wonders!

I may have to be kidnapped and taken to the eye clinic! Having trouble picking up the phone and making that appointment!

Needer, needer, needer

Ralph Nader:

I have decided...to run....for.. president.

NO, REALLY?? Pffffffffttt! Run, Ralphie, run!!

Taylor Hicks

Taylor Hicks with America's Music Award from the Alabama Hall of Fame. Sweeet!

Taylor Hicks to Receive State Award

Tonight in Montgomery, Taylor Hicks will receive the America's Music Award at the hall of fame's annual induction and awards ceremony. Sharing the award will be Angela Hacker of LaGrange, the 2007 winner of the "Nashville Star" TV show.

"I'm very honored. I think the last award I received was for being tardy the most in high school. This will be a step up." Taylor  will perform  "Soul Thing." Other performers include Kris Kristofferson, Percy Sledge, Tommy Shaw, Beth Nielson Chapman and the Commodores.  Randy Owen of the group, Alabama, will be the master of ceremonies.

3 Senators Rescued in Afghanistan

John Kerry, Chuck Hagel and Joe Biden had to be rescued when their helicopter made an emergency landing in a snow storm in Afghanistan. Who were they rescued by? By those dumb troops stuck in the war zone! You need to go read this on Hot Air and read the comments, too.

Too funny!

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/02/21/kerry-hagel-biden-rescued-by-us-troops-stuck-in-iraq/

Move America Forward Petition

Move America Forward has a petition you can sign to be given to the Berkeley City Council about their anti-Marine demonstrations. If you didn't see the video of Gold Star mom, Debbie Lee, giving them a smack down, it's on that page, too.

http://www.moveamericaforward.org/

New Words

In case you missed it. Here is the Washington Post's Mensa Invitational which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

The winners are:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
2. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole.
3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
10. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.
11. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
12. Karmageddon: It's when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, and then the Earth explodes, and it's a serious bummer.
13. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you
14. Glibido: All talk and no action.
15. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
16. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
17. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
18. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

Hey, I've totally had a number 16!! blech and shudder!

From SK

And I Thought Dog Fighting Was Evil

Horse fighting in the Philippines. Ears ripped off, kicked in the head so hard, eyes pop out-- just horrendous wounds and death! They tie up a female in season and let two stallions go at it until one dies. Sickening.

The mare not only receives repeated kicks from the two stallions but also has to mate with each winner, which means she may be mated 30 times in 6 hrs. Barbaric apes!

The losers are usually cooked on site and sold to the "spectators". Truly disgusting.

There is someone attempting to help, Network for Animals, but it seems to be run by organized crime.

link

HT/Hot Air

Fidel Wants to Say Bye-bye

According to the news report, Fidel Castro is not going to seek re-election! No, he's just going to write a column in the newspaper. I guess he'll be a Dear Abby!

Good riddance!

Coming Soon......

...to a toy store near you, Taters of the Lost Ark! Yep, that would be a Mr. Potato Head for the new Raiders of the Lost Ark movie!

ALL YA NEED IS LUV

Have a happy Valentine's Day! I will be spending part of mine having lazer surgery on my eye--lucky me!

I hope you are doing something special for your loved one!

Update: My cousin who lives in the Montgomery area sings in a choir and they had an ad in the paper that peopke could call and request that they come out and sing for their sweetheart! Haven't talked to her yet, but I hope they got calls! And I hope someone took pictures! They were wearing pintafors with hearts on them as part of their outfits! I would've definitely called!

Don't Forget the 14th!

No excuses!

I finished packing Valentine Boxes to mail to family and deployed soldiers yesterday--YAY! I lugged them to the PO and got them mailed. Not as soon as I should've for some people but, hey, they're on their way! I ran out of boxes and had to take a few home to pack and then had to go to the PO at the Galleria last night! While I was in line balancing 2 boxes, my purse slid down my arm and almost caused an accidnt when it hit the inside of my elbow! I heard someone asking if I was okay and turned around to see a man about 2 people back and he was asking if he could hold my packages for me--how nice! I declined saying I just needed to get my purse situated, but thanks!

We had a dusting of snow this morning! Stop that! I like the 60-70 degree days lots better!

Fox News Wants Info

Fox News Channel's Jamie Colby has a new report up talking about the big showdown in Berkeley, CA tomorrow - TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH - when patriots from around the nation will hold an all-day pro-troop demonstration and protest against the Berkeley City Council for their reprehensible attacks against our military men and women.

The report is called: “Berkeley Military Bashers Meet Marine Supporters”

We need you to post a comment on this topic and let the Berkeley City Council know how you feel. Read the report and post your comments here:

http://colbyfiles.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/02/11/berkeley-military-bashers-meet-marine-supporters/

And finally, we need you to join us tomorrow - anytime between 5:00 AM when we begin our all-day pro-troop demonstration, all the way through 7:00 PM when the Berkeley City Council meeting begins. You can also sign the petition that we will be delivering personally to the City Council:

http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org

(This came from SK)

UPDATE: Be sure to go over to Blackfive and read about what happened yesterday. (The Battle is Joined) Seems the police in Jerkley like the color pink!

One Week, Sweethearts!

Valentine's Day--I hope you've got the wheels turning, trying to come up with something sweet and thoughtful for your sweeties! Anything from cooking dinner to buying some jewelry!

I have been busy getting boxes ready to send to deployed soldiers. I've already sent 3 but I have a few more, plus relatives that live out of town! I think Little Debbie should be paying me! That isn't all I'm sending but I'm sending a lot of it! Maj B requested some sugar in little packs and I finally found some at the grocery store. There's a soldier who was in Afghanistan in 2004 who just landed in Iraq. A soldier with the same last name but spelled differently and several others, some from Alabama. And, of course, JP and the Bad VooDoo platoon. I would like to do more but this is about all I can handle! I did have a brainstorm while in the store when I walked by the boxer shorts for Valentine's! How funny would it be to send enough for the entire platoon?! HA Yeah, bur I quickly realized that would be too expensive! Would be fun to put a smile on their faces, though! Thank goodness for the flat rate boxes but sometimes there are things that won't fit! I'm going to have to buy a couple of boxes for some larger things. Hopefully, I'll have most of them mailed by Monday. So, get a move on it out there!

Stress

I'm going to tip-toe out on a limb and say I think I'm seeing alittle better for the last two days! I don't want to get too excited, but maybe. Just as I was about to give up driving at night! I noticed last night when I went to vote that things looked somewhar clearer and today noticed the same. But I'm not going to allow myself to get excited just yet!

I went to see a different doctor at UAB--still wondering why I was having pain in my head. The wind was so strong--trying to walk felt like being in a wind tunnel and by the time I got there my hair looked like an egg beater had been through it! Oh yeah, we had some kind of wind last night! Tornado warnings all night!

When I got to the doctor's, my BP was 200 over 170! Not good! They took it again later--standing, sitting and laying down and it went down. He did an EKG and was talking about doing a test where they watch your heart beat. He thinks I might have a heart murmur and the BP could be causing the pain in the cranium. Sounds better than what I was thinking!

He gave me new diabetes medicine, new BP medicine and wants me to come back next week so he can see how I'm doing. The day after I'm suppose to have lazer on my left eye---I predict some stress!

Also stressful, finding a place to park! I parked at the eye clinic which was a couple of blocks away, and it's usually $2 with validation. But because I didn't see a doctor there--$15! I will have to seek other parking places.....if possible!

Sleeping Beauties

Northern Exposure

I'm adding one of JP's platoon mates to my blogroll, Northern Exposure. Actually, Toby Nunn was already on under the Bad VooDoo Platoon but they're working on the website and I had to ask JP how to find Toby's blog. So this is my solution. If you want to know what the soldiers are doing in Iraq, read some milblogs! JP's Milblogging.com is an easy way to locate as many as you can read! Read Toby's blog, Northern Exposure, to keep up with the Bad VooDoo Platoon as they criss cross Iraq--keeping it real!