Final Post

Greetings Blog readers. My life has taken some turns the past few weeks and those turns have taken me out of the Floribbean. Fear not, I will continue to document my quirky life at my all new blog:

I'm too sexy for this blog

See you on the other side

Kim Jong IL

As North Korea moves forward with its plan for a missle test I am reminded of the skewing that Kim Jong Il received from Matt Stone and Trey Parker in Team America: World Police.


Kim Jong Il:I was sent from pranet Xiron to conquer the Earf / I had a twiffic pran - I thought it would work / I tried to get the Earfrings all to kill each other, y'see / But it all went wrong and now I must decree / You are worthress Arec Bardwin / You are worthress Arec Bardwin / You have faiwred in every way / and now my stock in you has fawren / Your career is stawrin' / and you're worthress Arec Bardwin / That's why I brew your head off / And your chirdren are all bawrin' / Pranet Xiron is inhabited with Xipods rike me / But arso with Balmacs who are giant bees / The Xipods and the Balmacs are at constant war / So we wanted a new home and that's what Earf was for / But you are worthress Arec Bardwin / You are worthress Arec Bardwin / You fucked up my whole plan / and now Xiron is smeared with Balmac porren / Your garbage needs some hawring / and you're worthress Arec Bardwin / Now I must return home a faiwrure / I'm afraid the pit of Cryrock is cawrin'.

Kim Jong Il: Hans Brix? Oh no! Oh, herro. Great to see you again, Hans!
Hans Blix: Mr. Il, I was supposed to be allowed to inspect your palace today, but your guards won't let me enter certain areas.
Kim Jong Il: Hans, Hans, Hans! We've been frew this a dozen times. I don't have any weapons of mass destwuction, OK Hans?
Hans Blix: Then let me look around, so I can ease the UN's collective mind. I'm sorry, but the UN must be firm with you. Let me in, or else.
Kim Jong Il: Or else what?
Hans Blix: Or else we will be very angry with you... and we will write you a letter, telling you how angry we are.
Kim Jong Il: OK, Hans. I'll show you. Stand to your reft.
Hans Blix: [Moves to the left]
Kim Jong Il: : A rittle more.
Hans Blix: [Moves to the left again]
Kim Jong Il: Good.
[Opens up trap, Hans falls in]

A new bike

One of the things I love about living in the Floribbean is the abundance of Thrift Shops, Consignment Stores and Garage Sales. I attribute this to the large amount of elderly people that move down here and spend their last years in this area. When they are gone their families come and clear out the house, sending much of the possessions to thrift or consignment. This works out great for us. Whenever I need anything I usually have no problem locating a used or second hand item.


As it was another beautiful weekend here I got up and out early to hit some garage sales and see what was out there. I hit the jackpot at the very first garage sale I found.


Chip and I are now the proud owners of 2 cruising bikes. We have been looking for bikes since we arrived and when I saw the price I couldn't say no. Check out what we got for 10 bucks each - yes, that's right, I said 10 dollars each. Both bikes are in perfect condition and are ready to be used. I even rode mine home from the sale.

AFI's 100 YEARS...100 CHEERS

Last night CBS aired AFI's 100 YEARS...100 CHEERS. It's a countdown of America's most inspiring movies over the past 100 years. This is the 10th program that AFI has done celebrating American Cinema. I am pretty sure I have watched most of the other ones but I think last night was my favorite. Every single movie on the list has something about it that makes you want to cheer out loud, or stand up for what you believe in, or go out and try and make a difference. A lot of the movies tell stories of Redemption and Survival despite everything working against the protagonist. That is always inspiring. Many of the movies are films that have always had a special meaning to me.

Here are some of my faves:

1 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE 1946
2 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 1962
4 ROCKY 1976
6 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 1982
9 MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET 1947
12 APOLLO 13 1995
13 HOOSIERS 1986
16 NORMA RAE 1979
19 THE RIGHT STUFF 1983
20 PHILADELPHIA 1993
23 THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION 1994
24 NATIONAL VELVET 1944
26 THE WIZARD OF OZ 1939
37 FORREST GUMP 1994
39 STAR WARS 1977
41 THE SOUND OF MUSIC 1965
42 12 ANGRY MEN 1957
54 RUDY 1993
62 BRAVEHEART 1995
63 RAIN MAN 1988
70 COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER 1980
78 THELMA & LOUISE 1991
79 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 1956
80 BABE 1995
85 WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT 1993
87 WORKING GIRL 1988
93 A BEAUTIFUL MIND 2001


Check out the entire list here: AFI's 100 YEARS...100 CHEERS

Elphie and Fiyero take a Bath

The kittens have hit the 3 month mark and are doing great!! They eat all the time and play all day. We think they have quite the life. One of their newest hobbies is taking baths and showers. They love to sit along the tub when Chip takes a soak and sometimes they try to get in. Fiyero will jump in the shower with me in the morning and get right under the water. We don't think they know they are cats.

A New Blogger

Tara recently started a blog of her own

Check it out: Banana Babble

Here we go again

The 2006 hurricane season is only 12 days old and here we are watching the maps again. A hurricane warning has just been issued for our area of the Gulf Coast. Alberto is expected to go North of us but we will get the fun part of the storm, the Southeast Quadrant that will pack the biggest punch. Some companies (like Chip's) have already bought into the hype and sent people home early TODAY. It's really not that bad. Its a storm with lots of wind and rain. Rain that we really need. Since I have to live through about 4 more months of this, and each one will escalate in severity, there is NO WAY that I can get all worked up about this first storm. I wish the media would not make such a big deal...but I guess gator attacks are down this week.

Nobody Bakes a Cake as Tasty as a Tastykake

I love Philadelphia Cuisine, and by cuisine I mean Cheesesteaks, Hoagies, Herrs Chips, Swiss Farms or Giant Iced Tea and Tastykakes,
none of which I can really get here in the Floribbean, oh sure there are the Cheesesteak shops which I have written about before, and yes they are pretty good, but we all know those places would not survive up in Philly, but they are a great substitutes down here.

So, you cannot imagine my delight when I got home yesterday and there was a Chocolate Lovers TastyKake Care Package at my front door. Suser sent it down as a thank you for the great time we all had over Memorial Day. While totally unnecessary, it is completely AWESOME.

I was so excited I couldn't wait to rip into it and see what was in there? Tandy Takes? Creme filled Cupcakes? Chocolate covered donuts? What would it be...well, as it turns out it would be a box filled with melted cakes because the UPS guy dropped off the box stamped PERISHABLE all over it at 11:00 am and left it at my front door, which has full Florida sun all day - Blumpf. But do not fret Chip and I will get our sugary chocalte fix a new box is being shipped to my air conditioned office.

So, Thank you Suser and thank you Philip J. Baur and Herbert T. Morris inventors of the Tastykake.

What a Pfznock14le (the 14 is silent)

A simple equation:

5 super fun kids & their wicked senses of humor + crabs that you've only seen on the deadliest catch + 4 million cases of beer + way too much corn + mandatory "badges" - the lost badge*
(sun/beaches) + one gay cat

= Pfznock14le

In order to understand any of this you must come spend a weekend in the Floribbean at Casa Mullarkin.

Thanks to Aimee for her Creative Writing Skills :)

More Visitors

One of the best things about my time at GSI Commerce are the great friends I made there. Two of those friends came to visit us last weekend, Anne Marie and Michelle.

Unfortunately for our latest visitors the good travel karma we have been having lately did not extend to them as they were delayed by more than 5 hours and did not arrive in the Floribbean until the weeee small hours of the morning.

This did not spoil our fun, although it did give it a later start than we had planned.

We spent Friday catching up and catching rays at our beautiful beach. We took the girls back to the beach to watch the sunset. I have seen that sunset MANY times at this point and it never gets old. It is truly breathtaking.

We wrapped up Friday with a cookout and some cold beers.

Saturday our clocks were back on track so we were able to spend a longer day lounging at the beach and working on our tans.

Saturday night we went to the Taste of Pinellas. This is an annual event held in conjunction with a Children's Telethon that is held all weekend. It's free to get into and all monies raised go to the ALL FOR KIDS FOUNDATION. For those not familiar, a "Taste" features many local restaurants serving up delicious and delectable menu items. This Taste also featured free live music. We got to see Pat Benatar. It was AWESOME. As a child of the 80's and also a girl, I LOVED Pat when I was a kid and still do. Her songs are great and she was excellent live. It was only the 2nd night of her tour. If they come through your town definitely check them out.

Sunday morning I took the girls back to Tampa International and sadly sent them on their way.

It's been great having so many familiar faces down here the past few weeks. I hope more of you will take advantage of having someone you know live 1 mile from the Gulf of Mexico :)

Travelogue - Oscar Scherer State Park

Last Friday (May 12) Chip and I headed 80 miles south to Oscar Scherer State Park for a weekend of camping. I mentioned before that I was a bit of a novice at camping, but it went really well.

When Chip told me we were going camping he said we had a waterfront spot. I assumed this meant we were camping on a beach somewhere. I was wrong. We were actually at a spot up along the creek that runs into Lake Osprey. It wasn't what I expected but it was still beautiful and rustic.

Here are shots of our campsite before we got moved in and our view of the creek.


The campsite had an electric and water hook up as well as a fire pit and picnic table. So we definitely we not roughing it. The very clean bathrooms were only about 3 campsites away.

Friday night we got settled, set up the tent and started our charcoal fire. No wood as the park is in a code red as its so dry down here right now. About 4 hours after setting the fire our chicken was done cooking. I guess this is the roughing it part. Waiting 4 hours for chicken :)


We did have a visitor that first night, as massively huge raccoon decided to scale our tree and scare the crap out of me in the meantime. Chip had mentioned that there would be wildlife at the campground. Of course I did not for one second believe him. I thought there was some big fence around the humans. I was wrong.


We packed very well for the weekend and thankfully one of our supplies was a nice bottle of red wine, which helped calm me down and enjoy the wilderness.


Sleeping outside is just awesome. I slept so sound those 2 nights, except for the half hour that Chip battled with the Raccoon.


Saturday we got up early and cooked breakfast on the fire. I was able to have my morning coffee as we packed the coffee pot, I told you we were roughing it :)


We took a hike through the park on Saturday. Now this is where my novice status really is established. We packed about 40 pounds of gear for what turned out to be a 2 mile hike. We could have survived for 6 months on all the supplies we brought, all we really needed was 2 20 oz. bottles of water. We laughed about that alot.


I call this photo 2 morons: We are loaded down with our gear for our long trek in the wild...


Saturday night Chip cooked a pork loin. It sat on the grill for HOURS. We took about a 15 minute walk to watch the sunset and when we came back that little bugger had dug under the HOT grate to steal our food. I was so upset for Chip b/c he had slaved over that fire all day. The raccoons were happy.

All in all I loved camping. I know it wasn't "real" camping but its as close as I am ever going to allow myself to get.

Here are some pics:


Camp all set up - I love playing house out there.


Amazing full moon on night one.

Weekend Wrap Up

Things sure were busy in the Floribbean this past weekend.

Friday night started with a Pinot Noir wine tasting at The Wine Shop here in Largo. I have not been to too many wine tastings and each one I have attended was different from the previous events so I really didn't know what to expect. Chip graciously agreed to be my designated driver for the night, so I was able to sample all the goods and then be poured into the car at the end of the night.

The tasting offered 15 different Pinots. The pricing scale started at $11.99 and went up to $39.99 per bottle. One of the things that I love about Pinot Noir is that price is rarely a factor. Of course the more expensive bottles are going to be great, but that doesn't mean the more reasonable priced ones are not good. More so than with Cabs and Merlots I find Pinots are usually always pretty good across the board.

Here are my pics from the tasting:

The best inexpensive bottle was the 2004 Robert Mondavi Carneros for $16.99 - This is a pretty well known winery and they make a lot of wine. One thing we learned is that Pinots do better once they sit for a while. A gentleman we were talking to told us how he had the same exact wine a few weeks earlier and it was terrible, but as the wine served at the tasting had been able to sit and calm down for a few weeks it was much better.

The second wine I liked was the 2003 Silvan Ridge - Willamette Valley for $17.99 a bottle. This wine is delicious. Very bold and fruity. I loved it. I had this wine 4th in the night and until the last few nothing even came close to it.

My final pick is by far the very best Pinot Noir I have ever had in my life, and for $37.99 a bottle, it better be :) Stewart 2003 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley, Holy Moly is this delicious. I REALLY wanted to buy a bottle, and after drinking Pinot for 2 hours I almost did, but thankfully my better judgment took over.

While its fun to do the tastings and learn what's out there, for me personally I like the cheaper stuff that I can pick up at the Albertson's.

Saturday morning we got up early and took Elphie and Fiyero to their first Vet appointment. I was pretty anxious about it as I knew they would be getting shots. I can only imagine what it must be like for a first time parent when they take their newborn for the first time and the mean doctor pokes them with a huge needle and makes them cry.

Our new Vet is Dr. Mark Stenzel. He is a nice guy who was great with the kittens. They had to be dewormed and also get a Feline FVRC shot, whatever that is. They were such angels, no squealing or hissing, just took it all in stride.

After we took care of the cats we picked up my car which had just had its THIRD AC charge in 13 months and headed down to Derby Lane in St. Pete to place our Kentucky Derby bets.

Derby Lane is a Greyhound Track. It's pretty cool. You can tell that at one time the place was hopping. It was not busy at all considering Saturday was one of the biggest days on the Horse Racing calendar, and also the fact that everyone down here is so damn old there should be plenty of people who still like to play the ponies.

At any rate, after we placed our losing Derby bets we stayed for one Greyhound Race. I had never seen a dog race before so I was excited not only to have a new experience but also to be able to learn about the greyhounds and their care. It turns out, at Derby Lane anyway, these animals are very well cared for and loved. I was happy and relieved to hear that. Oh and I won my bet "COME WITH THAT 2 BABY!!!"

After Derby Lane we returned to the casa and got ready for the fastest 2 minutes in sports, of course the 3 hours of waiting for the race to start enables one to drink many beers and our day ended not too many hours after Barbaro crossed the finish line.

Sunday I got to sleep in, which I LOVE to do. I just love it when I roll over and see that the clock says 10:13. I did some cleaning and laundry and spent THREE hours at the Super Wal-mart getting supplies for our camping trip next weekend.

We are camping for 2 nights at Oscar Scherer State Park. I am sure most of you who know me don't see me as much of a camper, and you would be correct. The only time I have ever really camped was a few years ago when I went with friends to Limestone, Maine for 3 nights of Phish shows, and I have to say, I think I did pretty well. I will need my fellow IT attendees to back me up on that one :)

We have a Lake front campsite and have planned very well. I think it will be fun and an adventure and we will have great stories when we return.

Evolution of Dance Video

My Aunt Kathy sent me this link. It's 6 minutes but very fun.

Dancin'

What a difference a century makes.

In 1906:

The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.

There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.

With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.

The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical
engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.

Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had no college education.

Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.??

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death in the U.S.? were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30 !!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write.

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.
Back then pharmacist said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." (Shocking!)

Eighteen percent of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.

mmmm Coffee

One of the girls I work with brought me a large cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee this morning...its going to be a great day!! When I lived in Conshy Tara and I would take turns on weekends going to the local DD for our fix. We could talk about the perfect combo of DD coffee for hours on end. Too much sugar, not enough half and half. Yes, we know that it isn't good for us, that is why we only did it on the weekends.

Today's cup is completely perfect. Just sweet enought, just creamy enough and the coffee is not burnt or old tasing at all.



Defintely not something to do everyday but if you need a pick me up or a treat I suggest a stop at your local Dunkin Donuts.

Beware of the Tanning Bed

'Her Body Was Swollen'


A faulty sunbed shocked a woman unconscious and left her with 65% burns, a court has heard.

Melanie Wraith, 35, suffered an electric shock when the canopy of a machine she was using collapsed.

She lost consciousness but woke up more than two-and-a-half hours later and raised the alarm.

Ms Wraith, from Leek, Staffordshire, stopped breathing and had to be revived in the ambulance, as she was taken to hospital.

She was later transferred to a specialist burns unit in Birmingham, where she remained for two days.

Staffordshire trading standard spokesman said Ms Wraith had hired the sunbed from Terrence Howells' firm Supertan.

Howells, 51, pleaded guilty to charges under safety and consumer protection acts, at Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates' Court.

Prosecutor Nicolas Cole described the trauma she had suffered after setting the time for 12 minutes and climbing on to the bed.

"Ms Wraith was in shock, she was given morphine for her pain and had to have a catheter inserted in her bladder," he said.

"Her body was swollen and she had a loss of feeling in her right hand caused by the electric shock."

Magistrate Cynthia Leech adjourned the case for reports but told Howells, from Stoke-on-Trent, he may be sent to prison.

Some thoughts on the $100 tax rebate

I am taking this post right from Gerber's Blog...thanks for the insight Rebecca.

"It could be one of the dumbest ideas of the year," said Jerry Taylor, a senior fellow at the conservative Cato Institute. "I haven't looked at all of the ideas yet, but it's got to be right up there."

Taylor pointed out that as proposed, the rebate would go only to people who paid federal income tax last year, meaning it would be no help at all to the millions of low-income Americans who pay no income taxes but arguably suffer the most in times of rising fuel prices. About 100 million taxpayers would qualify for the rebate, which would be limited to filers with incomes under $150,000 for couples or about $100,000 for singles. It would cost our budget deficit more than $10 billion.

Not only that, but the same tax rebate would go to the Wall Street trader who takes the subway to work every day and to the rural Wisconsin farmer who uses thousands of gallons of fuel in his business, Taylor noted.

"It's not really a compensation for higher gas prices," Taylor said. "It's simply a please-vote-for-me-in-November payment."

John Berthoud, president of the National Taxpayers Union, which like Cato generally supports lower taxes and a more limited government, described the GOP proposal as "almost 100 percent political pandering."

Also, the Senate $100 rebate plan is tied to (1) certain tax incentives that benefit oil companies (2) authorization of more research into alternative energy; and (3) the opening of part of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

**Did you know that ANWR only has about 4 billion gallons of oil...and because our country goes through 1 billion gallons of oil every 2 months, oil drilling in Alaska would only give us an additional EIGHT-MONTHS SUPPLY!! Rather than spend 10 years building very expensive infrastructure in Alaska, ruining pristine coastline and habitat, and harming wildlife just to give us an additional 8 MONTHS SUPPLY, let's come up with some real energy alternatives.

Below are some pictures so that you can see what will be traded off for that $100 bucks.

They look like real cats

The kittens are 7 weeks old now and progressing very well. Both are eating on their own now and they are on the verge of transitioning to straight kitten food. They are very frisky too. The play alot, especially rough housing with each other. We love to watch them run up and down the hallways and rip around the house.

As cute as these pics are. I seriously do not think they do these two justice. She is freakin adorable. I can stare at her sweet little face forever. Now I will admit he is not there yet...still looking a little scraggly but he is so soft and super snuggly.

Pickler OUT

THANK YOU AMERICA

Kellie Pickler Gets 'Idol' Adios

Near Sushi Disaster

A very cool trend exists down here in the Floribbean - $1.00 Sushi. Lots of Sushi bars around here have nights where they offer a limited menu of fish for $1.00 per piece. The menu includes all the good stuff: tuna, yellowtail, eel, salmon, mackerel, snapper etc. My plan of action usually is to order 2 pieces each of Tuna, Yellowtail and Eel and then a roll on the side. I can get a great meal for about $15.00 bucks.

So last night I went to Hook's Sushi in St. Pete with my friend Gaby. They had more rolls to choose from than I had ever seen before, but all I wanted was a Spicy, Crunchy Tuna/Yellowtail Roll. It wasn't on the menu but the waitress told me I could write it in.

About 10 minutes later my roll arrived. There was Tuna and Yellowtail inside but when I said crunchy it was taken to mean tempura the whole roll and flash fry it. My bad totally for assuming Crunchy Spicy meant the same thing in Philly as it does here.

So I have a tempura Tuna/Yellowtail roll. I must have looked very confused because the waitress immediately offered to take it back, but as I had not received my sushi yet and was in fear of sneezers I decided to stick with what I had.

That was not the best idea. I took one bite and almost lost my lunch and every other meal I have ever eaten in my life. I now know that when you flash fry the raw fish it gets to this in between raw and warmed stage that is just wrong. It brought out all the fishy qualities of the fish. I am having to take some deep breaths just recalling this incident.

At that point I decided that I would not be eating that roll. I felt really bad because the sushi chef made what I ordered, but I also knew if I ate anymore of that roll bad things were going to happen.

Thankfully I had a big fat glass of wine in front of me. I finished that up in time to cleanse my palate for when my sushi plate arrived. The sushi itself was delicious and I was able to put that bad experience behind me. I honestly thought for a minute I would never be able to eat raw fish again. Whew, I am glad that passed.

Products I Love

I love product, all of them. When I was a kid I loved to go to Drug Emporium, they had aisles upon aisles of product. Shampoo, Conditioner, Gel, Mouse, Balm, Serum, Lotion, Moisturizer, Scrub, Peel, Mask...there are millions of em. I am who these massive companies market to. When I see new and improved I must try it.

Here are a few of my latest discoveries all come from Dove.

First up is Dove Advanced Care Therapy. It helps repair dryness and brittleness using a patented Silicone Technology that targets and repairs the roughness and dryness of damaged hair, where treatment is needed most. It leaves severely damaged hair noticeably softer and smoother while reducing severe frizz and fly-aways. New Dove Advanced Care Therapy Shampoo delivers daily therapy to hair with symptoms of severe dryness or damage with intense moisturizers that go deep inside the hair. It cleans effectively without stripping hair of essential moisture so you can use it every day.

You also need to condition so...Dove Advanced Care Therapy helps repair dryness and brittleness using a patented Silicone Technology that targets and repairs the roughness and dryness of damaged hair, where treatment is needed most. It leaves hair noticeably softer and smoother while reducing severe frizz and fly-aways. Used daily after shampooing, New Dove Advanced Care Therapy Conditioner replenishes severely dry or damaged hair with intense moisturizers that go deep inside the hair.


The final product is Dove Body Nourishers Intensive Nourishing Lotion - Contains essential nutrients that penetrate deep to nourish skin from within, so even dry, parched skin becomes touchably smooth and naturally radiant.

Yes, I took these descriptions right off the Dove site...and yes I do troll the internet to read more about the products I love..but hey I am a well educated consumer.

So, try these out, let me know what you think.

Enjoy.

Only in the Floribbean

or any other beach community.

Last night I left my office at 4:50 pm and stopped and got a bottle of chilled champagne at the grocery store. I met Chip at the beach and by 5:15 I had my toes in the sand.

We sat there for hours sipping champagne and watching the surf, occasionally walking down to the warm Gulf waters.

It was just a perfect night. So calm and relaxed. I could have sat there forever watching the fishing boats go by and the birds diving in the surf for the schools of fish. As the sun set the sky turned colors that you have to see in real life to know they exist.

It was an amazing night. One that fortunately for me, I get to have quite often. I never want to take this for granted. I hope I never do.

Cheapest Gas in Your Neighborhood

Just enter your zip code in the site below, and it tells you which gas stations have the cheapest prices (and the highest) on gas in your zip code area. It's up dated every evening.

Cheap Gas

Picture of the year...decade...century..........

Help Say No to High Gas Prices

PLEASE NOTE - I have removed all references to $1.50 gas as I have learned that is not reality. But reasonably priced gas is. The message is still an important one. I do not want it to get lost in some bad math. (skl 4/26/06)

Experts predict that gas prices could hit $4.00 per gallon by 2007!
Can you afford those prices???

Fact: Exxon-Mobile reported Q3 profits in 2005 of 9.92 Billion Dollars

Fact: As gas prices skyrocketed in 2005, Exxon-Mobile profits increased by 75% from 2004

Fact: Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon-Mobile, received a raise to $13 Million Dollars in 2005 as gas prices soared and consumers stuggled to make ends meet.            

What Can We Do About This Travesty of Justice??
The Answer is Surprisingly Simple!

Step One: Make a personal pledge to not buy gas at Exxon-Mobile stations.  Think about how easy this is - directly across the street from every Exxon-Mobile is a competitor!

Step Two: Simply email the link to this site to everyone you know.  I hate long-winded SPAM as much as anyone, but simply send www.saynotoexxon.com to your family and friends.  

Step Three: Sit back and watch as Exxon-Mobile profits fall and they scramble to lower gas prices to acceptable levels.  As the undisputed leader in their industry, competitors will scramble to follow their lead and lower their prices as well.

Step Four: Don't go back to Exxon-Mobile until gas prices get to a reasonable price per gallon (or less!) and STAY THERE.

What I am proposing is NOT a quick-fix or an overnight solution, but by simply pledging to not shop at Exxon-Mobile, we will send a stong message that we will not sit by and watch gas prices soar to $4, $5 and $6 per gallon!

Think about the power in a viral effort to boycott Exxon-Mobile.  If I can convince 20 friends to simply go to another gas station, and they can each convince 20 friends.........and on and on -- soon, millions and millions of Americans will buy their gas elsewhere!  Exxon-Mobile cannot afford to let this continue.  They will be forced to adapt to market conditions and lower prices to an acceptable level.  We must be patient and wait until prices get to a fair level and stay there before we give them our business again.  Reasonable prices are the goal -- and are very achievable if we keep the pledge.

I pledge to not buy gas at Exxon-Mobile stations.

So simple, so easy -- so let's teach greedy corporate America that consumers dictate price, not sellers.  We have the luxury of choice - let's excercise it!

Feel free to post this banner on your website so we can win this war together!!

             

Baby Pictures (no cats, I promise)

All the new parents finally got around to sending me some pictures of their bundles of joy.


This is Zeke Fleming. His parents are Sue (Kline) and Mike Fleming. Zeke is the oldest of this bunch, he celebrated his one month birthday on April 18th.


Next up is Caroline Elizabeth Mason - Mom and Dad are Sam and Mis.



Last up is Mollie Lynn Thierbach - Her parents are Michael and Ramsey, she also has a big Sis, Devon (above in the bassinet). Love those curls.

Now you must understand, Mis, Sam, Michael and I were quite the foursome back in college. BOY did we have fun. Some of the best times of my whole life were with the 3 of them. For them to have babies less than 24 hours apart from each other totally blows my mind. What's great for me as Aunt Stephanie is that I get to tell them all the fun stories about when their parents were "kids", that and I will always have gum.

Congrats to everyone. I hope you are sleeping.

Reality TV Predictions

In these crazy times we live in I think its important that I focus on some very pressing issues - predicting who I think will win a few of the reality shows. So here goes:

American Idol

First off, there is a GREAT publication for all you Idolphiles out there its called appropriately enough, American Idol, The Magazine. This magazine has great articles about all contestants past and present. Definitely some good reading. Also, take note of the credits page, a very special name is on that page ;)

With six people remaining I think the front runner is Katherine McPhee, she is so talented and also very beautiful and we all know that never hurt a reality show contestant. Chris Daugherty was going real strong for a while there, but I think he has fizzled a bit. I feel like each song is a little to Scott Staph from Creed for me, and I never liked that band. I know I will be crucified for saying this but I can't stand Kellie Pickler, maybe its because she doesn't know what calamari is or that there is a difference between mink and minx or her "I'm Sorry" that she whines each week, but I am over this chick, the other night when she didn't even sing with the music I thought she was a goner for sure, but somehow she ends up in the top 3. C'mon America, I know she is cute as a button and the stylists make her look better than any of the other contestants each week...but is she really the best up there? I don't think so.

There is also Taylor, who I think is great, and could be in the top 2 with Katherine, but I think ultimately is not what America has in mind when it thinks of the American Idol. Elliot is also good, but again, he does not cut it. Finally, there is Paris, who I think is talented and sweet, but she just doesn't do it for me. I would have much rather seen her go last week and Mandisa stay, because that would have been a great competition between her and Katherine. But hey that's just me.

The next Reality show I watch is America's Next Top Model. I love this show. Each season I try to stay away and each season I come back and don't miss a minute. I love Ms. Jay and the other Jay. I love when Tyra goes crazy on those girls, I love the ridiculous photo shoots "this week we are teaching you about strength, be a telephone!" Yeah, it makes no sense and at the end of the day, its pretty girls getting their pictures taken, but boy is it fun.

My top 2 for this show are Jade and Joanie. After lasts nights episode where Tyra had Joanie's snaggletooth fixed, I think she may be a lock. Both those girls photograph really well, take direction well and get what the competition is all about. I would be shocked if any of the other girls make it to the end. I think Joanie is more classic looking and overall has had a MUCH better attitude than Jade and has been easier to work with. My prediction for ANTM - Joanie.

My next Reality Show is Top Chef. At this point any Reality show that Bravo puts out I am going to watch. I was so sad when Project Runway ended but Bravo did me right and started Top Chef the same night. I really like shows where there is some sort of competition. It really brings out the best and worst in people.

Top Chef has some serious personalities. My favorite to win right now is Harold. I think its because he reminds me of Jonathan Crossland, the chef-owner of the South Street Grille, where I worked in college. Jonathan was a serious chef. He loved food and everything about it. I have a love and appreciation of food and fine dining from those years that I will have for the rest of my life.

Back to Harold. I think he is a pure chef who loves food and making people happy. I never was into chefs that served a really pretty plate but when you left you had to stop off for a McChicken Sandwich. Which is exactly the kind of Chef that Stephen is. His massive ego does not help me like him anymore either.

I believe the two best chefs are Harold and Tiffani. Her attitude towards customers and the judges has not been so great and I think ultimately that will be her downfall. Her food is always creative and very well done which will get her to the finals.

But Harold has all the qualities that make him a great chef. Innovative cuisine, beautiful presentation, great people skills and he loves what he does, it truly shows.

Finally, Survivor. This show is so good. I just love it. This is like the 78th season and its still great. I could never ever do this show as I would die on the first challenge, I really admire the people that make it. My prediction here is for Terry, the naval pilot. This guy is unstoppable. Of course I know he can't possibly win every immunity challenge until the end and the former Casaia Tribe is sticking together and will vote his ass off the island the first chance they get. I don't really care for any of the other contestants that are left so if its not Terry, I predict that someone I don't like will win.

All of these shows wrap up in the next month. Not sure how on point I am with my predictions but I may be close :)

P.S. - The GREATEST reality show EVER - Big Brother - returns for its 7th season in July. It has just been announced that this year is going to be an all-star edition, bringing back former winners as well as former outstanding contestants. My favorite reality contestant of all time, Dr. Will Kirby, should be back as he won Season 2. He is the best contestant ever. I am already on Team Kirby for the summer. Can't wait to see how this unfolds.

Spring has Sprung...

For you Northerners anyway, its been spring down here since last fall :)

I was fortunate enough to make a quick trip home this past weekend. I got a chance to spend a night with some of my girls and also a couple days with my family. It was really nice to be home and spend a holiday with the people I love and care about so much.

Besides my recent travels and the baby boom not much else has been going on. My job continues to rock and the weather is steadily warming up down here. I think in the next few weeks we will hit constant 90 degree days. But hey, I live 1.5 miles from the beach - what else could I want :)

There are lots of things coming up on the horizon so the blog should have some good reading again in the next few weeks.

I am attaching some new pictures of the kittens. Elphie is progressing nicely. She is eating on her own and also "pooping in the box" like a big girl. Her little brother Fiyero has not advanced quite as well. Like all men he has mastered the bathroom but can't manage to figure out how to eat on his own and still wants to be bottle fed. Interesting how similar boys are no matter what species we talk about ;) I hope he catches on soon as Elphie is really growing at leaps and bounds now that she is eating on her own.

News Story about Forensic Science

The Consortium for Forensic Science Organizations Third Annual Tech Fair that was held in Washington, DC this week. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness to the Congressmen and Senators of the serious need for more federal funding for forensic science.

ABC did a story on this for Good Morning America.

Real-Life Gumshoe Gadgets

Barry Fisher, one of the experts interviewed for this story, sits on the Board of Directors for my company, NFSTC.

New Kitten Pics

Yes I am becoming THAT parent :)


fiyero 28 days old


elphaba (elphie) 28 days old


fiyero close up

Getting Political - Libby Says Bush Authorized Leaks

I know, I know - George Bush can do ANYTHING he wants because Bill Clinton got a BJ in the Oval Office. As that is always the response I get whenever I say anything negative about the current administration, I thought I would just put it out there, because THIS story is a doozy.

Libby Says Bush Authorized Leaks

By Murray Waas, National Journal
© National Journal Group Inc.
Thursday, April 6, 2006

Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff has testified that President Bush authorized him to disclose the contents of a highly classified intelligence assessment to the media to defend the Bush administration's decision to go to war with Iraq, according to papers filed in federal court [PDF] on Wednesday by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor in the CIA leak case.

Libby testified to a federal grand jury that he had received "approval from the President through the Vice President" to divulge portions of a National Intelligence Estimate.

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby testified to a federal grand jury that he had received "approval from the President through the Vice President" to divulge portions of a National Intelligence Estimate regarding Saddam Hussein's purported efforts to develop nuclear weapons, according to the court papers. Libby was said to have testified that such presidential authorization to disclose classified information was "unique in his recollection," the court papers further said.

Libby also testified that an administration lawyer told him that Bush, by authorizing the disclosure of classified information, had in effect declassified the information. Legal experts disagree on whether the president has the authority to declassify information on his own.

The White House had no immediate reaction to the court filing.

Although not reflected in the court papers, two senior government officials said in interviews with National Journal in recent days that Libby has also asserted that Cheney authorized him to leak classified information to a number of journalists during the run-up to war with Iraq. In some instances, the information leaked was directly discussed with the Vice President, while in other instances Libby believed he had broad authority to release information that would make the case to go to war.

In yet another instance, Libby had claimed that President Bush authorized Libby to speak to and provide classified information to Washington Post assistant managing editor Bob Woodward for "Plan of Attack," a book written by Woodward about the run-up to the Iraqi war.

Bush and Cheney authorized the release of the information regarding the NIE in the summer of 2003, according to court documents, as part of a damage-control effort undertaken only days after former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV alleged in an op-ed in The New York Times that claims by Bush that Saddam Hussein had attempted to procure uranium from the African nation of Niger were most likely a hoax.

According to the court papers, "At some point after the publication of the July 6 Op Ed by Mr. Wilson, Vice President Cheney, [Libby's] immediate supervisor, expressed concerns to [Libby] regarding whether Mr. Wilson's trip was legitimate or whether it was in effect a junket set up by Mr. Wilson's wife."

Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, was a covert CIA officer at the time, and Cheney, Libby, and other Bush administration officials believed that Wilson's allegations could be discredited if it could be shown that Plame had suggested that her husband be sent on the CIA-sponsored mission to Niger.

Two days after Wilson's op-ed, Libby met with then-New York Times reporter Judith Miller and not only disclosed portions of the NIE, but also Plame's CIA employment and potential role in her husband's trip.

Regarding that meeting, Libby "testified that he was specifically authorized in advance... to disclose the key judgments of the classified NIE to Miller" because Vice President Cheney believed it to be "very important" to do so, the court papers filed Wednesday said. The New York Sun reported the court filing on its Web site early Thursday.

Libby "further testified that he at first advised the Vice President that he could not have this conversation with reporter Miller because of the classified nature of the NIE," the court papers said. Libby "testified that the Vice President had advised [Libby] that the President had authorized [Libby] to disclose relevant portions of the NIE."

Additionally, Libby "testified that he also spoke to David Addington, then counsel to the Vice President, whom [Libby] considered to be an expert in national security law, and Mr. Addington opined that Presidential authorization to publicly disclose a document amounted to a declassification of the document."

Addington succeeded Libby as Cheney's chief of staff after Libby was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 28, 2005 on five counts of making false statements, perjury, and obstruction of justice in attempting to conceal his role in outing Plame as an undercover CIA operative.

Four days after the meeting with Miller, on July 12, 2003, Libby spoke again to Miller, and also for the first time with Time magazine correspondent Matthew Cooper, during which Libby spoke to both journalists about Plame's CIA employment and her possible role in sending her husband to Niger.

Regarding those conversations, Libby understood that the Vice President specifically selected him to "speak to the press in place of Cathie Martin (then the communications person for the Vice President) regarding the NIE and Wilson," the court papers said. Libby also testified, Fitzgerald asserted in the court papers, that "at the time of his conversations with Miller and Cooper, he understood that only three people -- the President, the Vice President and [Libby] -- knew that the key judgments of the NIE had been declassified.

"[Libby] testified in the grand jury that he understood that even in the days following his conversation with Ms. Miller, other key officials-including Cabinet level officials-were not made aware of the earlier declassification even as those officials were pressed to carry out a declassification of the NIE, the report about Wilson's trip and another classified document dated January 24, 2003." It is unclear from the court papers what the January 24, 2003 document might be.

During those very same conversations with the press that day Libby "discussed Ms. Wilson's CIA employment with both Matthew Cooper (for the first time) and Judith Miller (for the third time)," the court papers further said.

Although the special prosecutor's grand jury investigation has not uncovered any evidence that the Vice President encouraged Libby to release information about Plame's covert CIA status, the court papers said that Cheney had "expressed concerns to [Libby] regarding whether Mr. Wilson's trip was legitimate or whether it was in effect a junket set up by Mr. Wilson's wife."

Cheney told investigators that he had learned of Plame's employment by the CIA and her potential role in her husband being sent to Niger by then-CIA director George Tenet, according to people familiar with Cheney's interviews with the special prosecutor.

Tenet has told investigators that he had no specific recollection of discussing Plame or her role in her husband's trip with Cheney, according to people with familiar with his statement to investigators.

Two senior government officials said that Tenet did recall, however, that he made inquiries regarding the veracity of the Niger intelligence information as a result of inquires from both Cheney and Libby. As a result of those inquiries, Tenet then had the CIA conduct a new review of its Niger intelligence, and concluded that there was no evidence that Saddam Hussein had in fact attempted to purchase uranium from Niger or other African nations. Tenet and other CIA officials then informed Cheney, other administration officials, and the congressional intelligence committees of the new findings, the sources said.

Six days after Libby's conversation with Cooper and Miller regarding Plame, on July 18, 2003, the Bush administration formally declassified portions of the NIE on Iraqi weapons programs in an effort to further blunt the damage of Wilson's allegations that the Bush administration misused the faulty Niger intelligence information to make the case to go to war. It is unclear whether the information that Bush and Cheney were said to authorize Libby to disclose was the same information that was formally declassified.

One former senior government official said that both the president and Cheney, in directing Libby to disclose classified information to defend the administration's case to go to war with Iraq and in formally declassifying portions of the NIE later, were misusing the classification process for political reasons.

The official said that while the administration declassified portions of the NIE that would appear exculpatory to the White House, it insisted that a one-page summary of the NIE which would have suggested that the President mischaracterized other intelligence information to go to war remain classified.

As National Journal recently disclosed, the one-page summary of the NIE told Bush that although "most agencies judge" that an Iraqi procurement of aluminum tubes was "related to a uranium enrichment effort", the State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research and the Energy Department's branch "believe that the tubes more likely are intended for conventional weapons."

Despite receiving that assessment, the president stated without qualification in his January 28, 2003, State of the Union address: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production."

The former senior official said in an interview that he believed that the attempt to conceal the contents of the one-page summary were intertwined with the efforts to declassify portions of the NIE and to leak information to the media regarding Plame: "It was part and parcel of the same effort, but people don't see it in that context yet."

Although the court papers filed Wednesday revealed that Libby had testified that Bush and Cheney had authorized him to disclose details of the NIE, two other senior government officials said in interviews that Libby had asserted that Cheney had more broadly authorized him to leak classified information to a number of journalists during the run-up to war with Iraq as part of an administration effort to make the case to go to war.

In another instance, Libby had claimed that Bush authorized Libby to speak to and provide classified information to Washington Post assistant managing editor Bob Woodward for "Plan of Attack."

Other former senior government officials said that Bush directed people to assist Woodward in the book's preparation: "There were people on the Seventh Floor [of the CIA] who were told by Tenet to cooperate because the President wanted it done. There were calls to people to by [White House communication director] Dan Bartlett that the President wanted it done, if you were not co-operating. And sometimes the President himself told people that they should co-operate," said one former government official.

It is unclear whether Libby will argue during his upcoming trial that these other authorizations by both the President and Vice President show that he did not engage in misconduct by disclosing Plame's CIA status to reporters, or that he considered these other authorizations giving him broad authority to make other disclosures.

Fitzgerald has apparently avoided questioning Libby, other government officials, and journalists about other potential leaks of classified information to the media, according to attorneys who have represented witnesses to the special prosecutor's probe. Outside legal experts said this might be due to the fact that other authorized leaks might aid Libby's defense, and because Fitzgerald did not want to question reporters about other contacts with Libby because of First Amendment concerns.

In a Feb. 17, 2006 letter to John D. Negroponte, the Director of National Intelligence, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., wrote that he believed that disclosures in Woodward's book damaged national security. "According to [Woodward's} account, he was provided information related to sources and methods, extremely sensitive covert actions, and foreign intelligence liaison services."

Woodward's book contains, for example, a detailed account of a January 25, 2003 briefing that Libby provided to senior White House staff to make the case that Saddam Hussein had aggressive programs underway to develop chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.

Two former government officials said in interviews that the account provided sensitive intelligence information that had not been cleared for release. The book referred to intercepts by the National Security Agency of Iraqi officials that purportedly showed that Iraq was engaging in weapons of mass destruction program.

Much of the information presented by Libby at the senior White House staff meeting was later discarded by then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and then-CIA Director George Tenet as unreliable, and would not have either otherwise been made public.

One former senior official said: "They [the leakers] might have tipped people to our eavesdropping capacities, and other serious sources and methods issues. But to what end? The information was never presented to the public because it was bunk in the first place."

In the letter to Negroponte, Sen. Rockefeller complained: "I [previously] wrote both former Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) George Tenet and Acting DCI John McLaughlin seeking to determine what steps were being taken to address the appalling disclosures in [Woodward's book]. The only response that I received was to indicate that the leaks had been authorized by the Administration."

Do you know anything about Student Loan Consolidation?

Attending Purdue is not cheap. I acquired quite a bit of debt for my education. I also acquired a very bad interest rate: 7.25%. I have called American Education Services and asked for them to re-consolidate my loan so that I can get a lower interest rate. Unfortunately when I consolidated my loans after school I was locked into this high rate and can not re-consolidate again. Poor choice on my part I know, but I had no idea what I was doing and made a very uneducated decision.

I am looking for some advice on how to lower this interest rate. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

The Kittens Have Names

After much discussion and no decisions Chip and I scratched all of our name ideas and started over. We wanted something different and also something with some meaning to us.

We sat for hours last night on the computer looking up everything from Greek and Norse Mythology to Hannah-Barbera characters to Ancient Royalty. Nothing was popping out at us.

Then it hit us - Elphaba and Fiyero.

These are two characters from the book Wicked by Gregory Maguire. There is also a Broadway Musical based on this book. For those that have never heard of Wicked, its the story of what happened in Oz before Dorothy got there. The book is really interesting and the show is AMAZING. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Thanks to everyone who voted and submitted name suggestions.

So here are our little sweethearts:


Fiyero


Fiyero & Elphie


Elphaba