Headlines

Thought these were pretty funny. When I used to be able to stay up late, I would watch Jay Leno on Monday nights when he had headlines sent into him from people around the world, here are some that I found on a website, they are pretty funny.

Include Your Children when Baking Cookies
Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands
Teacher Strikes Idle Kids
Clinton Wins on Budget, But More Lies Ahead
Plane Too Close to Ground, Crash Probe Told
Miners Refuse to Work after Death
Stolen Painting Found by Tree
Two Sisters Reunited After 18 Years in Checkout Counter
War Dims Hope for Peace
If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last a While
Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
Man Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge
New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
Chef Throws His Heart into Helping Feed Needy
Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
New Vaccine May Contain Rabies
Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Iraqi head seeks arms
Something went wrong in jet crash, expert says
Police begin campaign to run down jay walkers
Drunk gets nine months in violin case
Prostitutes appeal to Pope
Panda mating fails; veterinarian takes over
Squad helps dog bite victim
Enraged cow injures farmer with ax
Juvenile court to try shooting defendant
Two Soviet ships collide; one dies
Never withhold herpes infection from loved one
Cold wave linked to temperatures

Makes you think.

I got this forward from my good friend Amy, and I thought it was worth passing on.

T h e ' L I T T L E ' t hi n g s ...
As you might know, the head of a company survived 9/11 because his son started kindergarten. Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.
One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.
One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.
One of them missed his bus.
One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.
One's car wouldn't start.
One went back to answer the telephone .
One had a child that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.
One couldn't get a taxi.
The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore ! to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.
Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone... all the little things that annoy me. I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.. Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow getting dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated; God is at work watching over you. May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may you remember their possible purpose.
Thought this was pretty neat, it really does make you realize that the small annoyances in life, aren't worth getting upset over.

The New year is 3.6 days away

FOR LUCK IN THE NEW YEAR
Traditionally, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man.

Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.

Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.

Christmas Bliss

Well, as usual Christmas has come and gone so quickly it seems quicker every year. Jason and I were able to enjoy our first Christmas together as the Raikes. We are so lucky to have so many people who love and care for us, we got so many nice things, I can't even express our thanks to our family for everything they got us, we are indeed blessed. I really like to see the face of my family when they open the gifts we got them, that alone is a thanks. I love Christmas time, being able to give to those who mean so much to us, it's a great time of the year. I got some really neat old toys, some cookbooks, cds, dvd sets, KEITH URBAN tickets, scrapbook/card set for the computer, Braylon Edwards jersey, Fiesta Bowl t-shirt, Kewpee doll, shoes, Crock Pot, some really neat Ireland stuff from my aunt and lil bro. That is just the tip of the iceberg, there was a lot more than that, again thanks to everybody! It's times like this when I am constantly reminded of just how lucky I am. This was also Clark's first Christmas, he seemed to be just as enthused about the wrapping paper as he was his actual presents, but he was having a good time nonetheless. He has taken an extreme liking to Andy though, since Andy helped mom watch him while Adam and Mary Beth were on vacation, he would barely leave Andy's arms all day, pretty funny stuff, of course his aunt was a tad jealous, but I did get to hold him a little bit so I'm not complaining. As the year draws to a close, I sit and think about how much has happened in 2005. It started out just great with Clark being born on January 7th. Then in May, Andy went to New York and then headed out over seas to take part in his adventure, then Jason and I getting married in July. Then in September, I started my new job which is going really well. Also, recently Andy got promoted at his job. All is well with the Metz/Raike kids. This will be a pretty hard year to top! A lot of amazing things happened again all going back to how lucky we are.

Happy Holidays

Well as I am here on December 23rd working a full day along with 3 others in my office and another who is putting in a half day (my manager so she can do what she wants) :) I brought up some facts about the holidays and giving time off to employees, which proves as we all thought to be beneficial to the company. As I am here slaving away, my husband is probably out buying my Christmas present, Adam and Mary Beth are flying back from Vermont, Andy is probably still sleeping, mom is probably playing with Clark as we speak. So, Dad probably worked last night, not sure about that, and Vic is working today, again as I always have said in the past and I know that Vic can relate, "People need us!" :) Happy Holidays everyone and safe travels!

As an employer, it's essential that you understand the importance of providing paid holidays and vacations. These two benefits allow employees to rest and relax with family and friends, and come back to work rejuvenated and more productive.
So how much holiday and vacation time should you set aside for your employees? In terms of holidays, there are numerous ones through the year, but the big six are:
New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Fourth of July
Labor Day
Thanksgiving (and the following Friday)
Christmas
Almost every company recognizes these holidays. In fact, according to a survey by Hewitt Associates, a management consultant firm specializing in employee benefits, only one percent of businesses in America provide less than seven paid holidays per year. About 28 percent provide 10 paid holidays per year.
Other popular holidays include Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday and Veterans Day. Many companies also allow employees to take a personal holiday for their birthday.
Vacation time usually increases in conjunction with the employee's length of service. The most common vacation schedules among businesses are two weeks after one year of service, three weeks after five years of service, four weeks after 10 or 15 years of service, and five weeks after 25 years of service.
Hope everyone has a great holiday with your family and friends. Be safe as always and don't eat too much, oh heck eat as much as you want, it's Christmas! God Bless!

Live, Love, Laugh

-17th Century poet Joseph Addison once wrote, "Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for".

Here are some of my favorite quotes and words to live by off the top of my head.

-LIVE WELL, LOVE MUCH, LAUGH OFTEN
-People rarely suceed unless they have fun at what they are doing.
-Smile, it makes people wonder what you are up to!
-Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
-To the world you may be a person, but to a person you can be the world.
-Live life joyfully!
-Good things come to those who wait.
-Don't marry someone you can live with, marry someone you can't live without.

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus

Underwear

Alright, lately I've been putting true stories on here that are funny. The fact that they have actually happened I think makes it even more funny. I got this one as a forward from my mother-in-law. This is too funny.
From the Northwest Florida Daily News comes this story of a Crestview couple who drove their car to Wal-Mart, only to have their car break down in the parking lot. The man told his wife to carry on with the shopping while he fixed the car in the lot. The wife returned later to see a small group of people near the car. On closer inspection, she saw a pair of male legs protruding from under the chassis. Although the man was in shorts, his lack of underpants turned private parts into glaringly public ones. Unable to stand the embarrassment, she dutifully stepped forward, quickly put her hand UP his shorts, and tucked everything back into place. On regaining her feet, she looked across the hood and found herself staring at her husband who was standing idly by. The mechanic, however, had to have three stitches in his forehead.

Beware of Skunks

Here is a pretty funny story I heard on the news a couple of weeks ago. A guy who owns some woods was having trouble every year around Christmas time with people cutting down his pine trees. This year he got smart and sprayed down the trees with a skunk scent. I have no idea how he did that, but I guess the skunk smell is masked by cold weather, so the smell won't come out until the person gets the tree home into their house. That is funny, KARMA!

Good Deeds

Too often in today's society we hear about so many bad things that have happened and how things are just getting worse. Well, I would like to put a good post on here about some good deeds that I have recently seen. The other night I was at Media Play and I was waiting in line (of course, since it was a week before Christmas) and I noticed a younger girl, probably about 14-15 years old. She looked down and found a dollar bill on the ground, she looked around and didn't see the owner, so rather than sticking it in her pocket she went and put it in the Salvation Army jar, I just thought that was pretty cool. Most kids, would have taken it and bought some candy or something with it, and of course I am fascinated with human behavior so I watched closely to see what she would do with it and was very glad to see a young one with a good heart. I notice good things going on a lot, yesterday I went shopping to get a few things for my mom and aunts. My hands were super full and I was waiting to put them into my car and an older guy asked if he could hold them while I got my car door open, I actually was sticking them in the back of the car so I didn't need any help, but just the fact that someone takes a few seconds out of their day to help someone else shows that there are good works that go on. I like to try and find something everyday that I see others doing for the better of someone else. Even a simple smile or someone taking an extra 5 seconds to hold the door open for someone who is lagging behind. The sad thing is, about 2 months ago I held a door open for an older lady, I waited about 30 seconds as she came down the stairs, she thanked me and said "you just don't see that very often these days." Now that's sad, people are too much in a hurry to even realize someone is walking behind them, we've all been on the other end of that one, where the door just about gets your face. Anyways, just remember taking a few seconds out of your day to help someone else really can make all the difference in the world. As, the holidays are fast approaching this is even more on everyone's minds because we think of all those who are in need. I'm saying that we need to have this at the top of our list all day every day, after all what is only 2 minutes to you, could change the way someone thinks about the world today. Just remember, you reap what you sow. Also, KARMA.

I don't care you are, this is FUNNY!

MAN DATES GAL ON INTERNET FOR SIX MONTHS -- AND IT TURNS OUT SHE'S HIS MOTHER!
Friday December 9, 2005
By Grace Green MARSEILLES, France -- Skirt-chasing playboy Daniel Anceneaux spent weeks talking with a sensual woman on the Internet before arranging a romantic rendezvous at a remote beach -- and discovering that his on-line sweetie of six months was his own mother! "I walked out on that dark beach thinking I was going to hook up with the girl of my dreams," the rattled bachelor later admitted. "And there she was, wearing white shorts and a pink tank top, just like she'd said she would. "But when I got close, she turned around -- and we both got the shock of our lives. I mean, I didn't know what to say. All I could think was, 'Oh my God! it's Mama!' " But the worst was yet to come. Just as the mortified mother and son realized the error of their ways, a patrolman passed by and cited them for visiting a restricted beach after dark. "Danny and I were so flustered, we blurted out the whole story to the cop," recalled matronly mom Nicole, 52. "The policeman wrote a report, a local TV station got hold of it -- and the next thing we knew, our picture and our story was all over the 6 o'clock news. "People started pointing and laughing at us on the street -- and they haven't stopped laughing since." The girl-crazy X-ray technician said he began flirting with normally straitlaced Nicole -- who lives six miles away in a Marseilles suburb -- while scouring the Internet for young ladies to put a little pizzazz in his life. "Mom called herself Sweet Juliette and I called myself The Prince of Pleasure, and unfortunately, neither one of us had any idea who the other was," said flabbergasted Daniel. "The conversations even got a little racy a couple of times. "But I really started to fall for her, because there seemed to be a sensitive side that you don't see in many girls. "She sent me poems she had written and told me about her dreams and desires, and it was really very romantic. "The truth is, I got to see a side of my mom I'd never seen before. I'm grateful for that." When starry-eyed Daniel asked Sweet Juliette to send him a picture, Nicole e-mailed him a photo of a curvy, half-clad cutie she'd scanned from a men's magazine. "The girl in the picture was so beautiful, I begged Juliette to meet me on the beach -- and Mom said yes," he recalled. "Mom says she was falling for me, too, and she just wanted to meet me, even though she knew I'd be disappointed when I saw her. "As for me, I figured I was going to find the girl of my dreams. "I guess that's about as wrong as I've ever been." Daniel admits he and his mother could do little but stammer and stutter around each other for days after their cyberspace exploits came to light. And his father Paul -- Nicole's husband of 27 years -- wasn't too happy when the story hit the news and his beer-drinking buddies made him the butt of their jokes. "Dad was ticked for a while and he forbid Mom to talk to anybody on the Internet ever again," said embarrassed Daniel.

TGIF

Friday is here, another work week almost done. here are some facts to help you along with getting the weekend started.
-An estimated 800,000 senior citizens voluntarily give up their driving privileges each year. The average age at which they surrender the wheel is 85.
-82% of Americans made a purchase at Wal-Mart in 2002.
-Five years ago, 60% of all retail purchases were made with cash or check. Now it's 50%. By 2010, 39% of purchases will be made by cash or check.
-35 Billion e-mails are sent each day throughout the world.
-The average child recognizes over 200 company logos by the time he enters first grade.
-There are an average of 18,000,000 items for sale at any time on EBay.
-On EBay, there are an average of $680 worth of transactions each second.
-72% of Americans sign their pets' names on greeting cards they send out.
-We forget 80 percent of what we learn everyday.
-Dolly Parton once lost a Dolly Parton Look-Alike contest.
-Fidgeting can burn about 350 calories a day.
-A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans.

Random

Well, it's a snowy cruddy day out, so here are some random facts for you. Hopefully at least one will make you laugh.

Hewlett Packard's first product was an automatic urinal flusher.
All of David Letterman's suits are custom made; there are no creases in his suit trousers.
Cranberry Jell-O is the only flavor that contains real fruit flavoring.
Fewer than half of the 16,200 major league baseball players have ever hit a home run.
In comic strips, the person on the left always speaks first.
In 1920, Babe Ruth out-homered every American League team.
The ant, when intoxicated, will always fall over to its right side.
Beethoven dipped his head in cold water before he composed.
Ten years ago, only 500 people in China could ski. This year, an estimated 5,000,000 Chinese will visit ski resorts.
In 1920, Babe Ruth broke the single season home run record, with 29. The same year, he became the first major leaguer to hit 30 home runs. The same year, he became the first major leaguer to hit 40 home runs. The same year, he became the first major leaguer to hit 50 home runs.
Sports Illustrated magazine allows subscribers to opt out of receiving the famous swimsuit issue each year. Fewer than 1% choose this option.
McDonald's restaurants will buy 54,000,000 pounds of fresh apples this year. Two years ago, McDonald's purchased 0 pounds of apples. This is attributed to the shift to more healthy menu options (the Apple Pie, which has been at McDonald's for years uses processed Apple Pie Filling).
The biggest dog on record was an Old English Mastiff that weighed 343 pounds. He was 8 feet, 3 inches from nose to tail.
G-rated family films earn far more money than any other rating. Yet only 3% of Hollywood's output is G-rated.
Fast food provider Hardee's has recently introduced the Monster Thickburger. It has 1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat.
There are 2,000,000 millionaires in the United States.
1.5 million Americans are charged with drunk driving each year.
The busiest shopping hour of the holiday season is between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Christmas Eve.
Dolly Parton is planning on having breast reduction surgery soon to relieve the pain on her back.
-----Here is a serious question...are they real? I think that they are. I have heard both ways. Any guesses or input?
Have safe travels wherever you go, and be careful!

Exercise

Well, as I have moved from doing Social Work (which required at least some walking) to the world of Social Security (requires walking to the printer to get your copies), I have learned that my thighs and butt are starting to mold to form to the structure of my chair. Yeah not having it, so I am getting myself (trying to get myself) motivated again to get back into shape. Jason and I have just joined a new gym that fits me a little better, they have a track, volleyball courts, basketball hoops, classes, and more. Rather than our old gym which basically had only weights and big macho guys who stood around like they owned the place. At any rate, I stole this quote from my mentor's mother but I think it might be one of the funniest things I've heard. Exercising is like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer, it feels so good when you stop! That is funny stuff. But it really is true, working out sucks when you are doing it, but when you are finished physically you feel better and mentally you realize you have accomplished your goal. So, the hardest part is getting started and getting into that routine, once you get into the routine you are good to go. I thought with the new year fast approaching and resolutions not far from the corner, I would put some facts on here about that and hopefully my exercising won't be a resolution because by that time it should have already become a HABIT!
-40-50% of Americans make New Year's Resolutions
----20% keep them
----80% break them
------Odds aren't exactly in your favor huh?
- The vast majority of resolutions fall into three categories: losing weight, quitting smoking, and starting an exercise program.
Four suggestions that this website say will help, take it as you will.
1. Start with realistic goals
2. Supplement your annual "resolution" with near-term goals
3. Create plans for success.
4. Create a plan for slips and setbacks.
The website goes into each of these more specifically if anyone is interested.
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Kraus5.html
So now you know, there is no reason not to follow through, ha-ha. Easier said than done, I speak from experience! Have a great day!

Word to the Wise

Well here is just a little heads up to everyone that uses those handy dandy Toilet wands to clean your toilet. Make sure you DON'T FLUSH THEM on accident. Yeah after $100 lesson I learned that accidents can be costly. I was cleaning the toilet the other day and flushed the toilet to get down to the nitty gritty and get it clean, well unfortunately I bought some cheap ones and the little sucker fell off and down it went. Well 2 days later still having mass problems with the toilet, called the plumber. Man, we need to learn how to do this stuff ourselves. So a very good lesson learned at a very high price for the 10 minutes that these two dudes wreaking of smoke, BO, and probably other people's feces, were at the apartment, easy money for them, hard lesson learned for me. Anyways, here are some toilet facts for you. Stuff other people have flushed down the ole hole.
-Deoderizers that hang from the bowl
-half a dozen toys
-center piece to the toilet paper holder
-I'm sure that there is so much more but duty calls, well I mean I need to get back to work. Break is over. Have a good day and be careful what you flush!

Survivor

Well as most of you know, I am a huge fan of the reality show Survivor (I know sad). Anyways, last night was the season finale of Survivor Guatemala and it was as they always are pretty intense. As I watched the show and I heard competitors lash out at each other for lying and going back on alliances they made with one another, it got me thinking. I wonder if I were ever put in a situation like that if winning a million dollars would cause me to totally put aside any morals and values that I have. I am a very competitive person but it seems like these folks let money fog their views. I still love the show, don't get me wrong, and I will still tune in next season. It just brought up some questions in my mind, that makes me wonder if I would let my guard down if I had the opportunity to win a lot of money. I hope that I have better values instilled in me and that I could use that to my advantage to be strategic but at the same time true to myself and what I stand for, honesty and integrity. I'm not saying that these folks on Survivor are bad people, they all seem pretty nice and for the most part kind-hearted, I just think that they let greed and competition get the best of them. From the outside looking in, I learned a little by watching this show, allows me to continue to keep myself grounded and remember what I stand for in all aspects of my life. No matter what the "prize" I need to stay focused on the important things in life and not let "money/greed/materialism" cloud my vision because I know that I am a better person than that. Don't get me wrong, I like to have nice things just like everyone else, and this is one of my struggles, just ask my husband, I love to shop and too often spend too much money. I like to think that this is okay and try to justify it, but more often than not, the things I purchase I could do without. Anyways, enough rambling. In a nutshell though, I think we all need to examine our hearts and imagine ourselves in a situation such as this where we forget who we are, and think if you would put your integrity on the line to get a little ahead in life. Too often we forget the little things in life that make the biggest difference. I saw a shirt yesterday (yes as I was shopping), that said "Kindness can change the world." I thought that was pretty cool and I try to live my life that way as much as I can, simply holding the door and extra 3 seconds for someone, sometimes can make a small difference. Oh yeah, another thing that just struck me, one of the contestants on Survivor won a brand new vehicle, she had the opportunity to give her car up and 4 other competitors would all get brand new cars. She chose to keep her car. I'm not saying she made the wrong decision, but put me in that situation I would have made 4 people very happy. I believe a lot in Karma and what goes around comes around. So giving 4 people brand new cars, one of which will probably win a million dollars, odds are pretty good that one way or another 5 people would have had new cars in the end, and if not you would feel pretty good with your decision of sacrifice. Here are some Survivor facts.
-In all, there have been 150 different American Survivor players over the 10 seasons, 18 of whom got to play twice.
-The toy company, Mattel, published a board game and a card game based on the television series in the year 2000. The card game was officially called Survivor: The Australian Outback Card Game.
-Rudy Boesch is currently the only Survivor contestant to have an action figure created in his image.
-Traditionally one of the final reward challenges of each series has awarded a car as a prize. No player who has won this challenge has gone on to win the million dollar prize.
-In the 10 completed seasons of Survivor, 5 women have won and 5 men have won.

Funny Movie Quotes we've all heard

Fat Bastard: Get over here! I'm gonna eat ya! I'm bigger than you. I'm higher on the food chain. Get in my belly!
Mike Brady: Put on your Sunday best, kids, we're going to Sears!
Lloyd: What's the soup du jour?Waiter: It's the soup of the day.Lloyd: Mmm, that does sound good.
Bill Lumbergh: Oh, and remember, next Friday is Hawaiian shirt day. So, you know, if you want to, go ahead and wear a Hawaiian shirt and jeans.
Bob Porter: Looks like you've been missing a lot of work lately. Peter: I wouldn't say I've been missing it, Bob.
Tommy: Fat guy in a little coat...
Grandma: Could I trouble you for a glass of warm milk? It helps me get to sleep.Nursing Home Attendant: You could trouble me for a warm glass of shut the hell up!
Cousin Eddie: Mornin'! Shitter's full!
Alfalfa: Dear Darla: I hate your stinking guts, you make me vomit, you are the scum between my toes....Love Alfalfa
Jake: What the hell is this chic food. Melanie: Light beer less calories

Christmas is just around the corner

We are having a holiday lunch here at work today so it's got me in to Christmas spirit, so I thought I would post some facts about Christmas.
-56 percent of Americans sing holiday carols to their pets.
-53 percent of Americans plan to "re-gift" this year.
-1 in 3 men will wait until Christmas Eve to finish their shopping.
-1 in 6 men would like to get rid of all the "gift-giving nonsense."
-A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard.
-Kris Kringel, a man in his 40s, lives in North Pole, Alaska, and delivers pizzas for a living. He drives a 1984 Ford Tempo. Based on a 1999 estimated population count of North America and Europe, on Christmas Eve of that year Santa Claus had to visit 42,466,666 homes in a 12-hour period -- that's 983 homes per second.
-There are 1.76 billion candy canes produced every year.

Why?

Some of these are more funny than others because we can relate, yet others make you stop and wonder hmm... I never thought about it like that. Got this forward from a good friend.

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting weak?Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?
Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?
Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
Just a little mid-week humor to get you one day closer to Friday. Have a good day!

Congrats

Just wanted to say congratulations to Mr Nick Page who is now happily engaged!

Good News

Well the good news is Jason and I are getting our money back from Mark West, the dude who hosed us on our OSU vs michigan tickets. PayPal is coming through in the end and stepping up refunding the money to everyone involved. That is really cool considering even in the user agreement it states the complaint must be made within 45 days of the purchase, of course that didn't happen in our case since we weren't supposed to be receiving our tickets until 2 weeks before the game, we bought our tickets clear back in August. So the moral of the story is, read all user agreements (like that will happen), or don't spend $400 on football tickets on ebay. I must admit we have since ordered from ebay and have had no trouble and not that PayPal is giving us a refund we will continue to purchase from ebay, but I have no doubt that we won't ever spend that much money on the site again, but hey lesson learned and the Buckeyes won and so everyone is happy. Oh yeah except for those Michigan fans, but who cares about them anyways :) I thought that on this topic I would post some facts and figures about other scams going around, and one of the biggest these days is identity theft, so beware.

This is just in one state:(OHIO)
Over 4,000 in the United States over 161,000
Top Cities: Of course where we all live
1. Cleveland
2. Columbus
3. Cincinnati
4. Dayton
5. Toledo

It is easy to get sucked into these scams and they can come any which way, phone, in person, and via email. Word of caution, don't carry your social security card with you and have it taken off of your license.
Hope everyone is doing well!

The birthday boy and his lovely wife ;) 

Katie and Greg, they are a super cute couple and we hope it works out for them. 

We had a good night out for Jason's 26th bday. We went out to eat with his parents, then met up with another couple and went bowling then to one of our hot spots. Surprisingly, Jason even went up on stage while they sang happy birthday to him and everyone celebrating a bday. He did refuse the free shot of wiskey (good man) as did Katie and I when we were offered one, YUCK! 

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree. My mother-in-law felt bad that we don't have much room for any decorations so she got us this cute tree that we can plant when we get a place. Very nice of her! 

Bad Movies

Well again here is what Yahoo says, take it as you will.
I have seen 7 of these and I can sadly say that I own 2 of these titles.
1. Gigli
2. Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2
3. Halloween 3: Season of the Witch
4. Battlefield Earth
5. The House of the Dead
6. Alone in the Dark
7. Feardotcom
8. From Justin to Kelly
9. The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D
10. Son of the Mask
11. Darkness
12. Glitter
13. Marci X
14. Undiscovered
15. Thunderbirds
16. Clifford's Really Big Movie
17. King's
18. Wes Craven Presents: They
19. Spice World
20. Supercross: The Movie
21. Dr. T and The
22. Pokemon: The First Movie
23. Salaam Namaste
24. The Honeymooners
25. Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
26. Monkeybone
27. The Adventures of Pluto Nash
28. Showgirls
29. Jason X
30. Rollerball
31. The Master of Disguise
32. In the Cut
33. Freddy Got Fingered
34. Caddyshack II
35. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
36. Speed 2: Cruise Control
37. Open Water
38. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
39. G
40. Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat
41. A Sound of Thunder
42. The Crocodile Hunter: Collision
43. Pokemon The Movie 2000
44. Envy
45. The Cave
46. Yu-Gi-Oh!
47. Crossroads
48. Home Alone 3
49. Birth
50. Twisted

Movies

Well this is what Yahoo says...Best 50 movies of all time. I have seen only 8 and I own only 5 of these. Monday I will do the 50 worst movies of all time and I hope I don't own any more of 5 of those.

1. The Shawshank Redemption
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
3. The Godfather
4. The Godfather Part II
5. Star Wars
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark
7. Schindler's List
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
9. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
11. The Empire Strikes Back
12. Return of the Jedi
13. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
14. The Incredibles
15. The Usual Suspects
16. Casablanca
17. Saving Private Ryan
18. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
19. Finding Nemo
20. Batman Begins
21. Walk the Line
22. Hotel Rwanda
23. Goodfellas
24. Forrest Gump
25. Rear Window
26. It's a Wonderful Life
27. Amelie
28. To Kill a Mockingbird
29. American History X
30. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
31. The Silence of the Lambs
32. The Matrix
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
34. Pride and Prejudice
35. BraveheartSeen It? Rate It!
36. Life is Beautiful
37. Spider-Man 2
38. The Green Mile
39. The Notebook
40. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
41. Finding Neverland
42. Seven Samurai
43. Shrek
44. King Kong
45. The Lion King
46. Crash
47. Memento
48. The Wizard of Oz
49. City of God
50. Ray
A few of my own personal favorites: Sweet Home Alabama, Drop Dead Fred, Just Married, Mean Girls, Little Black Book, How to Lost a Guy in 10 Days...that's all I can think of off the top of my head for the moment

Smoking

I was driving home from work yesterday and I noticed in the car next to me a mother lighting up a cigarette with her small child in a carseat in the back. If that wasn't bad enough she didn't even crack the window to let some of the smoke out. That to me is just not right. I know a lot of people who smoke and hey that is their perogative, but most of the people I know respect people enough to step outside and smoke or not smoke in someone else's vehicle. A small child has no chance and doesn't no any better that it is really putting them in harms way. I'm not going to go into depth on the hazards of smoking and what harm it can do to your body, most people are aware of this. My concern is for those too small to do anything about it and have no choice in the matter. Here are some facts that really make you wonder why a parent would put a child in this situation.
-Among infants to 18 months of age, secondhand smoke is associated with as many as 300,000 cases of bronchitis and pneumonia each year.
-Secondhand smoke from a parent's cigarette increases a child's chances for middle ear problems, causes coughing and wheezing, and worsens asthma conditions.
-If both parents smoke, a teenager is more than twice as likely to smoke than a young person whose parents are both non-smokers. In households where only one parent smokes, young people are also more likely to start smoking.
-Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to deliver babies whose weights are too low for the babies' good health. If all women quit smoking during pregnancy, about 4,000 new babies would not die each year.