Jon

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:07:17 GMT

MY FATHER ASKED ME IF I'M GAY

I SAID DOES IT MATTER?

NO NOT REALLY HE SAID
I SAID YES.
HE SAID GET OUT OF MY LIFE!
...I GUESS IT MATTERED.

MY BOSS ASKED IF I AM GAY
I ASKED DOES IT MATTER?
HE SAID NO NOT REALLY
I TOLD HIM YES.
HE SAID YOU'RE FIRED, FAGGOT!
...I GUESS IT MATTERED.

MY FRIEND ASKED IF I AM GAY
I SAID DOES IT MATTER?
HE SAID NOT REALLY
I TOLD HIM YES.
HE SAID DON'T CALL ME YOUR FRIEND!
...I GUESS IT MATTERED.

MY LOVER ASKED DO YOU LOVE ME?
I ASKED DOES IT MATTER?
HE SAID YES
I TOLD HIM I LOVE YOU
HE SAID LET ME HOLD YOU IN MY ARMS!!!
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE SOMETHING MATTERS!!!

MY GOD ASKED ME DO YOU LOVE YOURSELF?
I SAID DOES IT MATTER?
HE SAID YES.
I SAID HOW CAN I LOVE MYSELF? I AM GAY!
HE SAID THAT IS WHAT I MADE YOU...!
...NOTHING AGAIN WILL EVER MATTER

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:40:39 GMT

I was really shocked when I made the mistake of talking to one of my sister in laws about politics the other day before the election.
She told me she couldn't vote for Obama because he's a Muslim.
I laughed and said, No he's not. People complain that Obama is a Muslim, but then they turn around and complain that he said in a Christian church for 20 years listening to a crazy minister.
She told me that at one point during the campaign he said that he was going to campaign in all 57 states. And you know there are 57 Muslim states.
EXCUSE ME??? According to snopes.com there might be 52 Muslim states, or there might be 60 Muslim states. It all kind of depends on how you count them.
I said, So that's kind of like McCain calling an audience, His fellow prisoners? Come on, can't people make a slip of the tongue.
I asked her, So can any Muslim be president of the US? And her answer is what really floored me....
She said, No, because we are a Christian nation.
I said, No we're not.
She said, Yes we are. We were founded on Christian principles.
I was like, No we weren't. Have you read what some of our founding fathers said about religion?
From there I kind of let the conversation die.

Do people really feel that way?
I know, STUPID QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If that is the case then there are some people in Congress that need to be kicked out. I know there are a few Jewish folks serving in Congress. Heck, McCain's right hand man, Joe Lieberman is Jewish. How about Mormons? Do they qualify as "Christian enough" to serve?

Seriously, I think this is a great example of why we were founded with a seperation of Church and State. Now if we could just follow that rule it would be great.

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 07:56:42 GMT

Finally a reason to say... TGIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First I would like to wish everybody a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope you all have a spooktacular day. :p

Next, I would like to let you all know that I will be away from the old computer from Friday morning until Wednesday night. A nice little extended weekend.
I took Friday night off for Halloween. I also took Tuesday off for the election. I want to stay home and either PARTY, or CRY. Hopefully it will be party. :)
Then I decided I might as well take Monday night off too, and just make it a long weekend. So as of 7:30 am I am done for 5 nights. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I hope you will all have a Super Great Halloween, a wonderful weekend, and......

*~*~*~*~*DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ON TUESDAY*~*~*~*~*

If you haven't already, that is. :)

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:21:45 GMT

I got this from my friend, Joan.......

Hi friends - here is a little info on investments in this time
of unrest.

If you had purchased $1000.00 of shares in Delta Airlines

one year ago you will have $49.00 today.

If you had purchased $1000.00 of shares in AIG one year ago

you will have $33.00 today.

If you had purchased $1000.00 of shares in Lehman Brothers

one year ago you will have $.00 today.

But if you had purchased $1000.00 worth of Beer one year

ago, you drank all the beer then turned in the Aluminum for

recycling refund you will have received $214.00.

Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to

drink heavily and recycle. I call it my 401-Keg plan.

A recent study found the average American walks about 900

miles a year. Another study found Americans drink on

average 22 gallons of alcohol a year, That means on average

Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon.

Makes you proud to be an American.

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:21:40 GMT

Pictures from my Las Vegas trip can be seen over on my LJ journal.
http://thespian15.livejournal.com/

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:00:10 GMT

Are you registered to vote?????
Here are the dates by which time you need to be for your state. Although you may want to double check for your state, because unless things have changed here in Minnesota, you use to be able to register at the polls, but this list doesn't say that.

Different States have different deadlines to register to vote to be eligible to vote on Election Day (November 4, 2008). Here are the deadlines by state. Don’t wait until the last day to register. The earlier you register to vote, the better!

Alabama
Fri, Oct. 24

Alaska
Sun, Oct. 5 (last day to postmark is Sat, Oct. 4)

Arizona
Mon, Oct. 6

Arkansas
Mon, Oct. 6

California
Mon, Oct. 20

Colorado
Mon, Oct. 6

Connecticut
Tues, Oct. 21

Delaware
Sat, Oct. 11

DC
Mon, Oct. 6

Florida
Mon, Oct. 6

Georgia
Mon, Oct. 6

Hawaii
Mon, Oct. 6

Idaho
Register at Polls

Illinois
Tues, Oct. 7

Indiana
Mon, Oct. 6

Iowa
Fri, Oct. 24

Kansas
Mon, Oct. 20

Kentucky
Mon, Oct. 6

Louisiana
Mon, Oct. 6

Maine
Tue, Oct. 21

Maryland
Tue, Oct. 14

Massachusetts
Wed, Oct. 15

Michigan
Mon, Oct. 6

Minnesota
Tue, Oct. 14

Mississippi
Mon, Oct. 6

Missouri
Wed, Oct. 8

Montana
Mon, Oct. 6 (or same day at county elections office)

Nebraska
Fri, Oct. 24 (mail by Fri, Oct. 17)

Nevada
Tue, Oct. 14

New Hampshire
Same Day

New Jersey
Tues, Oct. 14

New Mexico
Tues, Oct. 7

New York
Fri, Oct. 10

North Carolina
Fri, Oct. 10

North Dakota
N/A

Ohio
Mon, Oct. 6

Oklahoma
Fri, Oct. 10

Oregon
Tue, Oct. 14

Pennsylvania
Mon, Oct. 6

Rhode Island
Sat, Oct. 4

South Carolina
Sat, Oct. 4

South Dakota
Mon, Oct. 20

Tennessee
Mon, Oct. 6

Texas
Mon, Oct. 6

Utah
Mon, Oct. 6 or in person Tue, Oct. 28

Vermont
Wed, Oct. 29

Virginia
Mon, Oct. 6

Washington
Mon, Oct. 4 (or Mon, Oct. 20 in person)

West Virginia
Wed, Oct. 15

Wisconsin
Wed, Oct. 15 (or Mon, Nov. 3 at office)

Wyoming
Can register at poll

Vacation Time 5

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:34:18 GMT

Day 5 September 12th...

Today is the last few hours of our trip to Las Vegas. So many things have been left undone or missed.
We finished packing up our belongings. I was a little worried about the old suitcase, but it all made it in there. I even squished my little stuffed lion in there.
As one of our last things to do in Vegas we decided to take advantage of a free trip up to the top of the Stratosphere Tower that hotel guests get. It was like trying to get through security at the airport. I am sure that blowing up the Stratosphere Tower is really high on the terrorists' list of things to do. Ugh... You really get a spectacular view from almost 1000 feet in the air. I couldn't quite convince myself to walk up to the outdoor observation deck to see the rides. That whole pesky fear of heights thing, you know. :p We went back down, grabbed our bags out of our room and got checked out. We threw our bags in the car and decided to run over to the IHOP and get something to eat. Wouldn't you know, every other time we walked pass that place it was nearly deserted, today, it was packed with a line out to the door. I had noticed there was a 50s style cafe in the hotel, so we went back to eat there. It was really nice. It even had singing waitress in it. They serenaded a couple that was getting married that day for their last dance as singles. They were quite good. The food wasn't bad either. Hmm, onion ring breath to take to the airport. lol...
It was kind of early but I wasn't really sure if we dared try to do anything before getting to the airport. Joe's plane left before mine. I wans't due to leave until 6 pm. So we/I decided to head out to the airport. With some sign watching we found our way back to the car rental place, hopped the bus and headed for the airport. We got there about 1pm. We went to our seperate ticket counters. I waited in line and when I finally got up to the counter I was told they didn't have any information in the computer yet for my flight and I would have to come back at 3pm. The lady beside her was like, oh we'll have that by 2pm. The lady waiting on me said to come back between 2:20 and 3. The other lady said, no we'll have it by 2. So I found Joe who was checked in on his flight and found some chairs to sit and wait. At 2 I went back and got in line. Before I could get to the counter this time, they hollered out that they still didn't have any information for the Sun Country flight, come back in an hour. I stood at the back of their line and Joe was nice enough to keep me company. I was not really pleased with the airline. They shared their counter space with Delta and if they were lucky they had one person maning the counter at any given time. I realize they aren't one of the bigger carriers, but give me a break. Finally around 2:50 they shouted out that they now had information for the Sun Country flight. Gee thanks. NOT... Last year when I flew Sun Country to Orlando, for my flight back, they didn't open their counter until less than an hour before boarding time. Thank goodness security ran smoothly. Anyway, we each had our tickets and headed up for security. Of course we were on different concourses. So we said our goodbyes and headed our seperate ways.
My flight back was originally a direct flight to Minneapolis scheduled to arrive at 11:30 pm. Shortly before I left for Vegas, I found out they added a stop. You will never guess where. San Diego. Yes, the total opposite direction I wanted to go. So now we were scheduled to get back shortly after 1 am. There were some people getting on in Vegas that were just then finding out that we didn't have a direct flight any more.
Well, technically, I can say I have been to California now. lol........
We must have had some good tail winds. We arrived in Minneapolis shorty before 1 am. My friends picked me up. We headed for the hotel they were staying at, stopping at McDonalds on the way there. They didn't know the area that well, so it was quite a funny ride back to the hotel. :p We sat up until about 3 am talking about Las Vegas and watching the hurricane Ike stuff on TV.
The next morning was a lovely rainy day. We were planning to go to the Rennisance Festival. We headed off any way. Again, they really weren't sure where they were going so more laughs. By the time we got there the rain had let up, so all was good. It has been YEARS since I had go to the Fair so it was fun. We started to ge the munchies and got in line to get something and it started to sprinkle. By the time we got our food, it was raining again. We found a dry place to stand and waited. Eventually it let up again and we headed out to see what we could see. We came upon the stage were Puck and Snot were to perform shortly so we waited. The actor that had played Snot had died unexpectedly earlier this year, but the replacement that was found was really good. Their show was nearly over and yes thats right, it started to rain again. That was enough for my friends I guess, so we headed for the van, and headed for home.
So ends my journey. It's so sad when vacations are over. :(:(:(
I must start saving my pennies now to hopefully go somewhere next year. Florida again, maybe? Or maybe I will drag my Florida friends kicking and screaming up to see me, or maybe out to Las Vegas. lol.............

Vacation Time 3

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:24:54 GMT

Day 3 September 10th...

Let's start with a fun little story about the rental car we had. It was a Hyundai with the gear shift on the floor. My lemon of a Cadillac has the gear shift up on the steering column. So every time I went to start the car I would reach up to put the car in gear up on the column. Well, there actually was a lever up there. It just happen to be the wiper/washer control. So my friend, Joe, was having a great laugh every time I hit that and clean the windshield. :p I think I managed to start the car and put it into gear once without activating the wipers. :p
Anyway, back to the trip...
We headed out that morning and had a wee bit of trouble finding our way out of Las Vegas. Finally we gave up and stopped at a gas station for directions. I sent Joe in to get them. lol... With a different map and directions in hand we were off. It's so much easier when you know where you're going. :p
So we were off again, and soon we can to this little dam. I think it was called Hoover Dam? :p Wow, talk about impressive. We didn't stop because we had a long drive ahead of us, and now I am kind of sorry we didn't. Oh well. Next trip. We continued down the road and it was kind of desolate. I am so glad I had Joe along or it would have been a LONG ride. As we drove along these big old black storm clouds were building up in the distance. I was going to be really pissed if we got to the canyon in the middle of a thunderstorm. I love thunderstorms, but not when I am sightseeing. We finally made it to the canyon and found a place to park. We walked through a little bit of wooded area and came out on the pathway along the canyon. All I can say is WOW... You really do feel kind of insignificant next to such a natural wonder. We walked along that path for awhile. I snapped quite a few photos. I will hopefully share them soon. We saw some people that had climbed out on to some areas that were definitely not on the official pathway. With the wind the way it was, you would never catch me out there. Well, that I my fear of heights. :p From there we drove down to another observation area that was part of a lodge area. As we left there we got to see some of the burros that are used to go down into the canyon. They looked bigger than I expected for some reason. lol...
I would really love to have 2 or 3 days to explore the canyon more. We waved goodbye to the canyon and headed back for the highway. We decided to stop in the little town of Williams to get some gas. A section of the old Route 66 highway runs through there and so I can officially say I have driven on Route 66. :p
Another rental car story... You really should sit and study a rental car before driving off with it so you know what you're doing. As we entered Grand Canyon park there were signs telling you to use your lights. I flicked the switch and noticed the light on the dash board so I assumed they were on. Silly me. As we were driving down the highway and it was slowly getting darker I was like, are the headlights on? I couldn't really tell. And when we passed semis all I could notice was the signal lights on the back of the truck, not the headlights. I was like as soon as we turn off to the other highway, we are pulling over and checking the headlights to see if they are working. I was picturing us sitting out in the middle of nowhere calling the rental company and telling them we have no headlights. As we drove along I kept fiddling with the control and as we were approaching the turn off suddenly we had headlights. I think it must have just gotten dark enough that I could finally tell they were on. Talk about feeling stupid. lol...
On the way back we came upon that really big dam again, and I decided to stop for a look see. Well, it was pretty dark so we didn't really see a lot. I tried to get a couple of pictures, but I still didn't know how to run my camera either, so about all you can see is a couple of bright spots that were some of the lights. LOL... So off we were on our way to Las Vegas. WOW that city really lights up at night, and it's not just the Strip. We took the car back to the hotel and then ran over to Denny's for a late supper. After eating, Joe went back to the room and I headed down to Caesars Palace to do a little shopping at the Cher souvenier store. Yes, I didn't get enough the first night. :p On the way back to the hotel, I stopped to watch to watch the Siren show at Treasure Island and try to take some pictures with my camera that I still hadn't figured out yet. So needless to say, the pictures weren't so good. The show was really fun though. Of course the lady pirates/sirens win the battle. :p After the show I headed back to the hotel for a wee bit of sleep to get ready for our last full day in town. :(

Vacation Time 2

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:33:15 GMT

Day 2, September 9...

We decided to start the day with a little investigation of the Strip.
We stopped into Circus Circus. I was expecting the Circus Circus of James Bond, Diamonds Are Forever. Yeah, it's not quite the same any more. No elepants roaming around or anything like that. On a second floor about the casino there is an arcade area with typical circus games and a small stage where they have they jugglers and acrobatic acts, and a McDonalds. lol... We watched a couple of acts. They were really good. The juggler we saw was like a world champion of some kind. We wondered back to their Adventure Dome or something like that. It's like an indoor amusement park. We walked through it, but didn't participate. :p From there we wondered down the Strip. Popping in and out of different hotel/casinos.
The highlight of day two, for me at least, was that evening. I was going to go see the Cher concert at Caesars Palace and while I did that Joe was going to go see Phantom over at the Venetian. So we headed back to the hotel to change for the evening. We rode the bus back down the strip and split up.
I went into one of the many entrances to Caesars Palace and just inside was a moving walkway that takes you over the entrance to the parking area. Only one little hitch, the walkway wasn't working. So I had to physically walk that "whole" way. :p Then you entered the another area with some more moving sidewalk. Thank goodness this one was working. lol... This than took you to an esculator that goes down into the casino area. I wondered around the corner and there was a crowd gathering and sure enough it was the entrance to the Colosseum theater. To waste some time I went over to look through the Cher/Bette Midler store that they had. They even had a Cher doll dressed up in the outfit from her If I Could Turn Back Time video. You know the one that covered up the eccentials. :p I was tempted to get it, but between lack of suitcase space and the price of $55, I passed on it. Although they do ship, so I was tempted to have that done. lol... I went back out to wait for the doors to open and you could get your picture taken with a couple of showgirls and a topless hunk. I was kind of thinking, shouldn't he be dressed up in Roman gear? I was tempted, but I passed. lol... So I got in line and made my way through the metal detector. I bought a couple of t-shirts but passed on the booze. I can't imagine what they were asking for a drink in a place like that. :o Besides I have always thought it was odd to go to a show and drink. Call me strange. :p
I found my seat and it was a good one. 11 rows back from the stage. :):):) It was slowly filling up when this group of two guys and a girl sat in the row behind me. I am guessing they were in their 20s. The one guy was wearing a decorated sailor's hat which a lot of people like to throw up on stage when she is getting ready to sing If I Could Turn Back Time. Anyway, I think the usher must have told him he would probably have to take it off during the show, or maybe not to throw it up on stage, but he went off on her and that was the beginning of what I thought was going to be a bad night. He kept talking at the top of his lungs, telling everybody that this was the 36th time he has seen Cher and he knows what he can do, and on and on and on. And tomorrow night he was going to be in the front row, and this was the farthest back he has ever sat. Every once in awhile he would burst into song, and believe me, Cher has nothing to worry about from him. I so wanted to turn around and tell him, I paid $250 to see and hear Cher, not him. People all around him were grumbling to themselves and making comments to their neighbors. I leaned over and told the guy sitting next to me, I think we could circle him and beat him up. My neighbor laughed. :p A little while before the show started these two people that looked like head ushers or something came walking up the aisle beside us and I could here the one say, There he is. The next thing I know, she is asking Mr. Loudmouth to step over to the aisle so she could talk to him. They talked for a few seconds and the next thing I know she is taking him up the aisle, and WE NEVER SAW HIM AGAIN..... We were all crushed and missed him greatly. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shortly after that the show started. Think her "Final Tour" show only more. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She opens riding a little cage type thing down from the upper right wall of the theater, down over the audience and down to the stage. It passed just over and in front of me, so I could look up and see her face as she passed over.
There was some really cute dancers, and a couple of really hot guys that did acrobatic stuff like the Crique du Solei(sp?) people. She would sing a number or two and then leave stage to change costumes and the dancers would come out and do their thing, quite well by the way. Her band was on platforms that would slide in and out from the sides of the stage depending on what was going on. During a lot of the costume changes they would play clips from her old shows and movies and also some old home movie stuff with her and Sonny. That was really well received. She covered all the old stuff and newer songs. She even sang a song or two along with a video so it was like she was singing with Sonny. That was really nice.
The show lasted a good hour and a half I believe. When the lights came up at the end, I would guess that it had been a sold out show. It looked packed. Other than our little guy that was taken out.
I so wanted to go back the next night to see if he actually got to the front row, or if he had been tagged as a non welcomed guest. lol.............
Outside the theater there were a couple of cases displaying some of her old costumes and several more just inside. I was able to come back with my camera and get shots of the ones outside the theater.

After the show I met up with my friend, Joe. We headed back to the hotel to get our cameras so we could come back down the Strip and try to get some night time shots of the hotel lights. Now I have only had my camera since Chirstmas, so I don't know all the ins and outs of it yet. So needless to say I didn't realize my camera has a setting for night time shots. So needless to say, again, my pictures weren't turning out so well. :( We road clear down to the South end of the Strip and worked out way back up it. I got really good about shaking my head no and walking past all the people trying to hand out "hooker" cards. :p I am really surprised Las Vegas hasn't put and end to that yet. Although it was pretty funny watching them try to pawn them off on older couples walking down the Strip. lol..........
Then it was back to the hotel for a night's sleep. It's off to the Grand Canyon tomorrow. :)

Vacation Time........

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 06:41:31 GMT

Entry No. 1: Prologue and Day 1........

Prologue:
Saturday September 6, I almost called my vacation buddy Joe to tell him I was going to have to cancel on him. For the past week or so my mom has been dealing with bad bloody noses. Today she had to go into the ER twice for it. I am holding off hoping that things will be okay and I can go on my vacation. Pisses myself off for worrying about my vacation when my mom is sick. What a jerk I can be. :(
Sunday September 7, things seem to be staying stable with my mom, so I continue with vacation plans.

Day 1 September 8th
I got checked in at the Minneapolis airport. I was given an aisle seat. Darn... Although in one of the emergency exit aisles so at least there was a little more leg room. As we took off the pilot told us the weather in Vegas was 101 F. Yippy... The flight was fairly boring. As we started to approach Las Vegas, the pilot came on and said there as a storm over Vegas and they wanted us to circle for an hour. If that was the case the pilot said we didn't have enough fuel and we would have to land some place before landing in Las Vegas. After a few minutes he came back on and said we go the go ahead to land in Vegas. The temperature was now 81 F. Must have been quite the storm that went through. We landed and I found my friend Joe. We headed off to the car rental joint. Boy, did they see a sucker coming. I rented through Orbitz and it was $88. After being an idiot and getting talked into extras, gas and insurance, the bill was more like $220. UGH... Sorry about that joe. We were going to split cost of car and room. Instead, I paid for the car and Joe covered the room. So we headed over to the strip and drove up to our hotel, the Stratosphere. As far as Vegas is concerned not terribly fancy, but it was a nice place. :)
We decided to head out and walk down the strip. We ended up going about 1/2 way down it to Caesar's Palace. That is where I am seeing Cher tomorrow night and Joe is seeing Phantom across the street at the Venetian. We made our way back up the Strip and we found a little Denny's tucked into one block, so we stopped in for a late supper. Then it was back to the hotel for a night's sleep.

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 05:39:34 GMT

visited 22 states (44%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or determine the next president

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:20:17 GMT

Well, I am back from vacation and with any luck I will start catching up with all of you soon. Between trying to get through all my emails(500+ new ones) and work, it's been a little nuts.
So please if anything new or special has been happening in your life please let me know. There is no way I will be able to go back and catch up with all the entries I have missed. Not to mention all I feel like doing is going to sleep. You really screw up your system when you switch around your schedule of when you sleep. :(
I will try to write up some entries about the trip some time soon, but if you like you can check out my friend's entries, owlstorm, on Blurty. I will try to post some pictures on my LJ journal too. :)

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:48:23 GMT

Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am now on vacation. I am off work for about a week and a half.

My plans this year are to go out to Las Vegas. I am meeting a friend out there. We will be there Monday through Friday. Tuesday night I am going to see Cher in concert at Caesar's Palace and while I see her my friend Mr. Owl is going to see the Phantom of the Opera show. I can't remember where his show is at.
Wednesday we are thinking maybe a LONG day trip over to see the Grand Canyon. That would still give us a day plus to relax/recover and do some more sightseeing in Vegas.
Ms. Raven was suppose to join us, but unfortunately her plans have changed. :( She didn't lose out though, she has a boyfriend. :)

If I happen to strike it rich, I ain't coming back. Well, not back to work that is.
So I am going to be away from the old computer for awhile. I shall miss you all. Seriously, I will. :) I will have a couple of days when I get back before going to work, so I might see if I can get on my brother's, or is it my nephew's, computer and at least thin out my emails. I am not looking forward to that. I am getting tons of political junk mail. BLAH....... We will see, if I have time to get aboard the journal train. When I do get back, I hope everybody will fill me in on everything I have missed.

Please take care everybody and stay safe. Especially my friends down in the Florida and Gulf region. All those storms seem to be heading your way.

HUGS...................................................

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:36:00 GMT

This one just made me chuckle, so I had to share.
Don't you just love when people talk thinking they can't be heard???

Since John McCain named Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, hers has been the most talked about name among political pundits both on and off the camera.

Today Wall Street Journal columnist and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan and former John McCain adviser and MSNBC contributor Mike Murphy were unwittingly caught on tape expressing their true feelings about Gov. Sarah Palin and they were anything but positive.

Noonan called McCain’s choice of Palin “political bullshit,” while Murphy diminished the republican nominee’s choices by calling them "cynical" and "gimmicky." Meanwhile according to a transcript of the tape up on the Huffington Post, host and political commentator Chuck Todd concurred with Murphy’s assessment.

Chuck Todd: Mike Murphy, lots of free advice, we'll see if Steve Schmidt and the boys were watching. We'll find out on your blackberry. Tonight voters will get their chance to hear from Sarah Palin and she will get the chance to show voters she's the right woman for the job Up next, one man who's already convinced and he'll us why Gov. Jon Huntsman. (cut away)

Peggy Noonan: Yeah.

Mike Murphy: You know, because I come out of the blue swing state governor world: Engler, Whitman, Tommy Thompson, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush. I mean, these guys—this is how you win a Texas race, just run it up. And it's not gonna work. And...

PN: It's over.

MM: Still McCain can give a version of the Lieberman speech to do himself some good.

CT: I also think the Palin pick is insulting to Kay Bailey Hutchinson, too.

PN: Saw Kay this morning.

CT: Yeah, she's never looked comfortable about this...

MM: They're all bummed out.

CT: Yeah, I mean is she really the most qualified woman they could have turned to?

PN: The most qualified? No! I think they went for this—excuse me—political bullshit about narratives...

CT: Yeah they went to a narrative.

MM: I totally agree.

PN: Every time the Republicans do that, because that's not where they live and it's not what they're good at, they blow it.

MM: You know what's really the worst thing about it? The greatness of McCain is no cynicism, and this is cynical.

CT: This is cynical, and as you called it, gimmicky.

MM: Yeah.

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:18:14 GMT

I hope you will all forgive me for getting all political on you, but tis the season and a lot is at stake.....

Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer
Wed Sep 3, 11:48 PM ET

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.

Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.

Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.

THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."

THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:42:12 GMT

I am off this morning for a three day weekend. I had taken a couple of Fridays off hoping to do a local community theater production of Beauty and the Beast, but then I realized I was going to be out of town this Saturday night and that took care of that thought. However, I decided I would keep the extra days off. Who doesn't like a nice three day weekend once in awhile.
So my plans for the weekend include:
Friday night I think I am going to try and go to our local production of Beauty and the Beast.
Saturday night I am going up to St. Paul to see Melissa Etheridge in concert.
Sunday I am relaxing. :)

I went back to see the cardiologist yesterday and sure enough he put me on a blood pressure medication, Metoprolol. He didn't think my blood pressure was terribly bad, but we have to do something about it. :p He was nice and gave me the option of coming back to see him for the first couple of weeks of taking the med, or I could go back to me regular doctor. I told him, nothing personal, but I would go back to my regular doctor because those visits are covered totally by my insurance. He was nice and understood. He wanted me to go see him next week. So of course the next open time to see him is two weeks away. So I think I will start calling Monday and see if he has any cancellations. :)

I hope you all have a safe and happy weekend. I will hopefully see you all back here Monday night. :)

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 06:49:11 GMT

Hi Everybody,
I have been off work for just over a week now dealing with some health issues.
My blood pressure has been giving me troubles and the Clinic has been running me through a BUNCH of tests. Definitely not looking forward to those bills showing up. It better not mess up my vacation plans. Especially when the cardiologist says he expects some of them that he ordered to come back negative. Well, that's great, but is he going to pay for them then too? I have been feeling quite light headed since last Wednesday night. I have had blood work, urine tests, BP monitor test, chest xray, ECG, ECHO of my heart, ultrasound of my kidneys, and a cardiology consult. I haven't heard about the results from a couple of the tests yet, but so far everything is coming back negative. I was suppose to see the cardiology again on Tuesday, but his schedule has been changed and I don't go back until Thursday. I am hoping that they will get me on some BP meds and that will start to make me feel better.
Last year, you may or may not remember, I was having trouble and feeling like my balance was not right. That is when we learned my BP was a little high. Well, now take that feeling and add light headedness to it and that is how I am feeling.
I was finally able to get a decent days sleep Friday, so I thought I would try to come to work and see how it goes. So far it's mostly a dizzy feeling night. Not fun.

I hope that everyone else is doing okay? PLEASE let me know if I have missed anything special happening to you. I will be off now for the weekend, but I "should" be back to work Monday night.

Selfishly, I hope you will keep good thoughts for me to start feeling better. This sucks. :(

PS: I know I told some people that I would try to start sharing more about myself. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind though. :p

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:52:03 GMT

YAY it's finally Friday morning...
That means I have a four day weekend to enjoy.
Although there are plenty of things to keep me busy.
Saturday July 12th is my parent's 50th Wedding Anniversary. You don't see a lot of those any more. Congratulations mom and dad.
In sort of a tribute to my parents, my niece is having her wedding on July 12th. That is kind of sweet of her. They have planned several surprises for my parents too. One of which, although not entirely their work, was my brother and his family that live in Georgia came up for the wedding and anniversary. They are also having a special cake for my parents to cut after the bride and groom cut theirs. My mom is going to be so pissed in a happy way. lol...

So between the wedding, anniversary, and my brother coming up from Georgia, I thought it might be nice to have a couple more days off to enjoy it all. I will be back to work Tuesday night. I am not sure I will catch up with everybody's journals, so I hope if I miss anything special you will point it out to me when I come back.
I also hope to catch up on some sleep. I haven't been getting much lately. I have gotten into a cycle of sleeping a couple hours and waking up. Thankfully, getting a little nap then before coming in to work. Today I woke up to the sound of the weather sirens going off. I was half awake, otherwise I usually sleep right through them. LOL... I got my little nap in, BUT I woke up about 30 minutes before I was suppose to be at work. Talk about moving fast. LoL... Threw my uniform on, grabbed my razor and toothpaste and flew out the door. I got to work about 1 minute before 11. Phew.....

So anyway, I hope you will all have a safe, happy weekend, and I look forward to "seeing" you all next week.

HUGS.....................

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:22:07 GMT

It's time for a little good news, bad news.

The bad news...
My station at work is closing today/Friday and I am guessing it will probably be closed for at least 2 weeks. With that said, I don't know how much time I will have to be on the computer, so if I go missing for a few days at a time you will know that I am just lost some where in Mother Mayo's system. *help*

The good news...
While I would prefer to be on my own station, this will get me away from my lovely coworkers for awhile.

Bad news Pt. 2...
I am sure this means at least two weeks of babysitting confused patients. The part of this job I hate the worst.

Sounds like a good time to come down with a nasty Summertime cold. hehehe........

Diet Week # 25..............

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:50:03 GMT

I knew a weight gain was coming.
I have gotten mixed up in the middle of a messy situation at work and I have been stress eating over it.
UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today's Weight: 248.3 lbs

Total Gained: 7.4 lbs

Gaining weight is never good, but it's not as bad as I expected.
Now to get rid of the stress or at least conquer it.

Diet Week # 24.....................

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:32:12 GMT

It's Miracle Time again........
After not walking over the weekend due to the blister, and eating shall we say, too much, I actually lost some weight.
Makes me wonder how much better it could have been if I had been able to walk more. That, or the scale is playing mind games with me. LoL.........

Today's Weight: 247.5 lbs

Total Gained: 6.6 lbs

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 06:43:07 GMT

Crap, Crap, Crap...............

Friday morning after work I went for my daily walk. I was out for about an hour and heading for the home stretch when the bottom of my right foot started to get sore. By the time I had gotten home I worked up a really nice blister on the bottom of my foot. Needless to say, I don't think I will be doing much walking for awhile. Now I really wish I had invested in a bike earlier, aka when I had some extra cash laying around. I will really have to try to watch my intake for the time being.
Anybody have and extra pool lying around that I could do a little resistance work in? :p
I am going to stop at the store, or several in the morning and see what kind of things there are out there to cushion blisters.

I hope all are well and safe.
We finally had a full day of sun shine and no rain. We haven't had the worst of the rain and flooding in my area, but we have had more than enough.
Take care all, and have a great weekend. See you back here Monday night I hope. :)

We Have Lost Another...............

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:32:45 GMT

Sad Fate Sealed for Caribbean Monk Seal

Last Friday the U.S. government declared that the Caribbean monk seal is endangered no more -- it's extinct. It was last sighted in 1952 and was put on the endangered species list in 1967 in the vain hope it would be rediscovered. Its extinction was driven by hunters of food, blubber, and skins as far back as 1494, when Columbus noted it was easy prey.

The Caribbean monk seal takes the title as the first seal species to go extinct solely due to human causes. Unfortunately, the endangered Hawaiian and Mediterranean monk seals could be the next to go. Both species are dwindling fast due to global warming, sea-level rise, and other factors. The monk seal's 4-percent annual decline has put it on a fast extinction trajectory unless something is done soon.

Read more in the Los Angeles Times.

Diet Week # 23.............

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:18:14 GMT

Depressed...
I have upped my walking to at least 1 1/2 hours a day. I have watched my eating with just a little excess over the weekend and I didn't lose a thing. I actually gained 2 tenths of a pound.
This is an extremely depressing way to jump start a diet. :(

Today's Weight: 249.7 lbs

Total Gained: 8.8 lbs

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:04:59 GMT

http://www.zap2it.com/celebrities/news/zap-edmcmahonforeclosure,0,4243206.story

I dearly love Ed McMahon, but what did he do with all of his money that his house is now in threat of foreclosure???