The Annointed Fig

“Do you even know how much we dream about that?!”

I do.  I dreamed it, too.  And now, it’s here, devouring its chew toy.

Don't go blindly into the light!

They’re the nicest folks you’d ever meet.  A baronial guy, early thirties, curly Santa Claus beard, but still dark.  A vivacious wife; same benighted coloration, but otherwise a mirror opposite of the pervasive “dumb sexpot blond” stereotype.  For one, not for her is the junior size 0.  And therein lies the crux.

They are nurses.  Hawking top sellers at the church bake-offs, Chris boasts of a particularly vicious urinary tract infection bringing two solitudes together by a grumpy old codger’s bedside.  They even incorporated it into their wedding vows.  Too bad I didn’t get to hear those.  But the old codger did.  The removal of his catheter and the full restoration of bodily functions hasn’t done much as far as the grumpiness quotient.  Failed even the plentiful food.

Presumably plentiful, Chris and Vicky are the self-styled Iron Chiefs.  They don’t often patronize restaurants; all but cross themselves passing fast food joints; never buy manager’s specials; stack up on the celebrity cookbooks.  And their local specialty baker undoubtedly managed to get, at least, one child into private school on their dime.

Why not, the lovebirds heart kids.

Problem there, they seem to heart food more.

In PC terms, the couple is pleasantly plump.  At 6’5″, Chris is 325.  More importantly for this particular purpose, Vicky is 268lbs — at 5’1″.  No less impressive is their cholesterol.  At the last reading, Chris clocked out at 317.  Vicky’s is a bit more modest 299.  They are getting treatment.  They homecook.  They exercise — once a week.  And they crave kids.

But Vicky has PCOS, an insidious condition, amounting to her not releasing her eggs.  It can strike anyone — of the female persuasion.  Recent research points to diabetes as a possible culprit.  At the same time, it can creep up on its own.

Chris and Vicky are medically on-point pair.  They did the rounds, aced all the tests.  Dollars to doughnuts, her infertility is treatable, pronounced a star ObGyn group.  And refused to prescribe her the meds.  She’s too fat.

She needs to lose, at least, 70 pounds.  And the sticking point, her cholesterol ought to go down to 249.  Otherwise, a pregnancy is going to be too draining on both the mother and child.  Medical ethics, capice?

“But what if I get pregnant on my own?,” demanded Vicky.

“Then, we’ll monitor you.  But we aren’t going to be accessory before the fact.”

Medical malpractice insurance infamously hard-line, all the Ob’s of Vicky’s acquaintance announced they are playing it safe.  Vicky buckled down — and proceeded to eat.

“When we’re stressed, we strudel-up.  And, of course, Chris’s sausage.  Chorizo, you know?  Hey, you gotta stop by!”

Needless to say, both the cholesterol and weight didn’t budge.  Well, Chris’s went up a bit, but as far as they are concerned, it is not a big deal.  To reverse her persona non grata status, it’s Vicky’s being gauged like a ticking bomb.

And sure, she could easily snap up the good stuff online, sold off by successful mommies, mass produced in India, Mexico, Columbia — some, on the very same lines, off which the pharmacy-grade pills drop off — for the barely legal Internet outfits.  But having seen her fill of ruptured ovaries, internal bleeding, surgically-relieved abscesses, translucent supertwins (three babies or more) tethered to ventilators to make up for their premature births, so far, she is munching to relieve her worries — and staying away from the medical section of the freegaragesale.net.

So, my question is, should medicine have a say in our procreation? Should government regs? Who is the judge?  Is that to be solely the provenance of every physician, just the like the pharmacists these days fight for the right refuse to trade in Plan B unless they are the sole vendor for miles around?

What if we are pronounced too black?  Too ugly?  What if our IQs aren’t up to par?  What if we simply don’t have the wherewithal to temporarily reverse the state-mandated sterilization administered the moment we emerge from the womb?

Er…what?  The stuff that Gattaca‘s made of?  Oh sure!   But interestingly, within the constraints of that particular universe, the principle largely worked.

Alternatively, Dr. James Grifo, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the NYU School of Medicine, commented on the birth of California octuplets: “I am not a policeman for reproduction in the United States. My role is to educate patients.”

I guess we’ll see.

And now, I should probably go rescue the toy from my son.  And knock on wood.

• A Hanging Offense There are drug overdoses, medical mistakes, murders. Then, there are suicides, and in comparison they seem...  no, not worse, but rather more...senseless, somehow. [/caption] We are wired to protect our lives.  Our fight or flight response is definitely a part and parcel of our genetic makeup.  If we didn't have......
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• Noticing Habits - Discoveries From My Food Journal Since I've been keeping a food journal I've noticed a couple of things. First, I seem to crave something sweet after I eat, but it can't be just any sweet. If I try to eat what I'm not craving - say a banana when I really want a big, chewy......

The food around here really blows!

Otherwise,  cannibals would be the most humane lifeform on Earth, and we’d all be blowfish.  Well, at least, some of us.  And these 7 here, having enjoyed blowfish testicles prepared by an unlicensed chief, are already feeling largely at sea in the comfort of their hospital rooms.  Rushed to the ER with limb paralysis and difficulty breathing, they undoubtedly could do with some TLC — and perhaps, a transplant of a less epicurean bone.  But that’s between them and their hibachi chefs.

Now, I know cultures in different parts of the world don’t always agree on what’s yummy.  Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern made a career out of sampling wares liable to turn stomachs of those, dependably cringing during the Fear Factor gags.

Chinese enjoy rotten chicken eggs, British love their gull cousins fresh and poached, Amazon delta Native Americans consider raw turtle ones the stuff culinary dreams are made of, Russians dig caviar, Americans chow down barbecue, Koreans cook dogs, and housewives in certain African tribes whip out a mean beer variant chewing up and spitting sorghum to go with their honey-fried locusts.  Which is all well and good.  I would even try turtle eggs, though I might draw a line at a Korean “hot dog”.

That said, can anyone tell me what’s to be gained from kicking your own bucket with a blowfish?  Is a meal that much more enjoyable with 911 on speed dial?  Late and eating on the run, how could I truly do justice to a bonafide brush with the Great Beyond?  And all dressed up for a leisurely supper, I would rather not worry about finishing a day in a lonely hospital bed instead of my own (along with my date all charged up after our spread of oysters, spices, chocolate, and a helping of wine — but not too much, lest it has an opposite effect).

• ...and Hopefully, a Small Step Back No, not touting my own horn.  In fact, not in much of a party mood, am I? [/caption] To plagiarize from myself, "as long as the left hand does not know what the right is up to, groups like Amnesty International and CCR will not be among those laying off......
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“I just returned home and my whole family’s been shot!”

By me, should have added the father.  But then, should’ve, would’ve, might’ve.  Before killing his family and himself, the man should have done a lot of things, but he chose his way out.  One, incidentally, that was suggested by the man’s supervisor in a stunning case of “open mouth-insert foot” disease.

Another kind of "Idiot's Guide"

But I would be lying if I said I had an ounce of sympathy toward anyone but the kids.  And, maybe, even the open-mouth guy.  Something tells me, he is next in line for our lengthening unemployment queues.  Seriously, there were better ways of figuring out a bad situation.  After all, joblessness is 7.5% across the US.  In South Carolina, it is 9.5%.  The consumer confidence index is at all time low; 37 now vs. 87 exactly a year ago speaks for itself.  But we don’t see suicides sweeping the nation ala “The Happening”, the latest M. Night Shaymalan’s flick (no, don’t get me started on that!).  What’s stopping the rest of us from just ceasing to contribute to the world overpopulation?  What’s stopping the Somalia from just erasing itself from the map?

The man, by the way, was a hospital employee.  So was his wife.  Considering healthcare is a single fastest and STILL growing industry in the United States, what exactly was these people’s problem?  Sometimes, I think, it is the desire to achieve glory, the posthumous fame, that is the driving force behind those by-the-number murder-suicides.  After all, what heights could they have scaled on their own, leading their boring lower-middle class lives, raising their kids, watching TV, missing church for various and sundry reasons, putting up their Christmas tree to the sound of trite holiday tunes as ubiquitous as the Black Friday ads?

But now, look, they’re page 1, and everyone is supposed to feel sorry.  Isn’t it our, a failing society’s, fault?

No, it is not!  It is not the fault of the overzealous supervisor.  It is not the fault of media for sensationalizing the preceding grand gestures of the similar ilk.  It is not even the fault of the self-same media-eviscerated W. Bush (nope, not now, nor ever was I a fan).

If anything, it is a fault of mediocrity, of dreaming dreams one doesn’t try to attain.  There are better ways of finding acclaim.  With what he did, there’d have to be!  Or failing that, a comfort — in, maybe, being the best at what we are already privileged to be, a thread in this dirty, hole-ridden, stinking, infinitely precious tapestry that is life.

But hey, if that wasn’t his cup of tea, fine.  He could have donated body organs for dough.  He could have hired himself out for a staring role in a snuff flick.  There is always shortage of terrorists looking like they couldn’t hurt a fly to torch a busy fruit market; from what I understand, they’re nicely paid even if they work you to death.  He and the missus could have scammed their life insurance.  He could have…

Wait, why am I releasing this for free?  Look for the newest Idiot’s Guide in your local book retailer.  And I do mean Idiot’s Guide.

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“Hypothermia shuts the whole system down, slowly,”

Shocking, isn't it?

Said Kanu Virani, a medical examiner for the Oakland County, Michigan. Having completed extensive state-mandated training, he knows what he is talking about. Did other municipal Bay City authorities enjoy even a fraction thereof?

Sure, we could hold the utility company responsible for…what, looking out for its bottom line? Economy the way it is, er…isn’t it a good thing? Any a shareholder would agree — unless and until they are hit with a lawsuit filed by the concerned relations. Given the deceased had those. But if so, just where were they when he was struggling with bills? Clipping cash to them with fingers too frostbitten to quite be up to the task? And if they do come out of the frosty woodwork, should they be given their say in court — or have they lost that chance along with the 93-year-old’s electricity?

Or are we, grimacing inside the comfort of our comfortably heated apartments, houses, pied-de-terres on the Malibu coast, to pass judgment on the social workers? Shouldn’t there have been someone who had paid attention? Shouldn’t there be laws punishing those that have not?

The city is sure it has done nothing wrong. Certainly, the concerned neighbors would never own up to the crime of indifference. After all, it is nothing like involuntary manslaughter. How were THEY to have known anything had been wrong?

There are many who could be blamed, and there would be just as many excuses. So, perhaps, all there’s left to do is just to look to those near us and see that what could have been prevented — is.

• The Old Bait and Switch Facing a possible primary defeat in his home state, Senator Arlen Spector, one of the most senior Republican senators, switches parties -- and voila, filibuster-proof Senate (given a comedian-turned-politician Al Franken wins in Minnesota, and this seems likely as things stand).  A cause for a celebration if you are a......
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You know, life is confusing.

So much good, so much bad, and it seems lately to swing between these extremes with amplitude growing in geometric progression. Are people getting more bizarre? Cruel? Angelically wise? Mind-bogglingly kind?

And we're eating it all up...

Or is this the case of media becoming increasingly frustrated with its revenues and seeking out more and more extremes, in everything, from CNN Heroes to neo-Nazi father wanting a cake for his 3-year old Adolph Hitler to near-daily updates on little Caylee Anthony thrown out like so much refuse by her own mother, one no less, who has stuck a smiley-face on a fragment of duct tape covering her daughter’s mouth? Are we, as a nation, subjected to such extremes — with, undoubtedly, profound cumulative effect on our collective psyche — just to feed the industry-wide gluttony of ratings, and ultimately, material that, yes, makes us think, but, also, shatters, at least, my belief in a universe running along some sort of rails?

As for example – this.

Yes, it’s awful. Yes, the man ought to be eviscerated and thrown out to the carrion birds along with his wife, but did we really need to know just how he begot those unfortunate babies/grandbabies? Did we need anyone else getting ideas ala the Columbine shooting copycats? Would they? Is the artificially heightened interest in certain stories creates the fertile soil for yet more — or are these ideas floating in the air, osmoting into our subconscious?

Because in Russia, say, both the random acts of kindness and a lot more prominent atrocities continue unabated, while there, all media is mandated to allocate, at least, fifty percent of its output to stories with a positive connotation or the outfits are shut down. And do I want that? God, no! To me, press is sacrosanct. It would have to be, I’m blogging. If that is not the triumph of the spirit of the First Amendment, I don’t know what is.

And besides, if we are made to ingest so much horror willy-nilly, at least, sometimes, we are given a glance at (or rather, have it shoved in our face) something unique, uplifting. A dog risking its life to pull its wounded fellow off a busy highway. Two strangers carrying a woman in a wheelchair down 40 stories of steep stairs during a 9/11 evacuation. A country that 100 years ago had to have its new president Taft remind it in his inaugurational speech that “Negroes are our citizens, too”, overwhelmingly relying on it first black president to save it from its biggest national crisis since the Great Depression.

Well, like I said, life’s confusing…

In the spirit of which, can anyone tell me why killing an infant amounts to a second degree murder rather than first? And not just in the article above. I have seen it happen time and again, especially with those young college girls choosing a VERY late term abortion (i.e. post-birth!)

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Mirror, mirror, on the side...

I rode a bus today. Why not? I can still do my darndest for the polar bears even when the gas pumps aren’t eating me out of the house and home. I guess Al Gore did something right, at least, in regard to this reforming polluter.

Next to me, plopped an old guy. Spry old geezer. Bet you my Gramps would have looked the same — if he hadn’t smoked, fought in a war, and insisted he knew better than any old doctor.
Himself a doctor, for all he had revolutionized the STD and leprosy management in his home country, had he been in charge of his own health in an official capacity here in US, it would have been a guaranteed malpractice. Maybe, because he had traveled so much, so, that particular “I am a lone alpha wolf, hear me roar” mindset never quite had a chance to evolve.

As it is, my grandmother is a widow longer than I have been alive, my mother is left hovering over my father, and I am wondering what the hell is so fundamentally wrong that we recycle not beer cans but old pickup lines, remember we ought to have practiced safe sex often when there’s only time for plan B, and lacking a spouse, on average, croak 3 years faster than the poor ball-and-chain sots? Statistically significant data, I’m sorry to say, all the more ominous for the sorts of ailments waiting to do us in. Single, we’re a lot more likely to die obese, fighting cholesterol and atherosclerosis, wheezing from untreated lung cancer.

Does it mean there’s no hope — other than matrimonial bliss? Certainly, no. But it does mean prevention-crazy HMOs have something of a working concept. Annual doctor visits might be a pain, but if it’s going to save me from oodles more down the road, I, for one, am whipping out my IPhone.

*Non-affiliated with American Board of Physicians or any advertising agency thereof.

• When the Pigs Fly [/caption] If you are a long-suffering wife married to a gruff household tyrant making up for certain physical deficiencies by demanding unfailing obeisance, chucking beer cans at a family cat, cheating right on his executive desk, or lubing up his muscle truck, I guarantee you have, at least, once......
• The Pit Ball Goes to the Dogs as Vicktory Emerges Victorious [/caption] I wrote about The Great Pit Ball before -- when it was just a glimmer in its host's eye. A very defined kind of glimmer, true, but when we talked, everything for the grand event was only just coming together. Today, I spoke to Mr. Bond again, with The......
• A Giant Leap for Mankind February 13th, 2009. Circuit City is gone, heretofore invincible Starbucks is floundering in the stock markets, President Obama has just scored his first major victory in Congress -- and I have a blog. Who knew? Life does change, don't it? [/caption] But let's rewind back less than 2 years ago.......
• Does that lady come with crabs? No, seriously? Can I get a side of crab sticks, small Coke, and this here blond, that one, with a mole over her upper lip? Oh, all right, I am sort of kidding - but only because I am nowhere near the Berlin's "Pussy Club", a venerable German establishment employing......
• Veg Recollections The very first vegan I ran into was my high school English teacher, and back then, I have to admit I just didn't understand the lifestyle.  Nor did I ever go to the trouble of trying.  A lot of it, certainly, had to do with my unwavering belief in everything......

• Nothing You Do Is So Small As To Not Make A Difference. "None of this small stuff that I am doing is making a difference, so why bother doing it at all?" Heard that before? I hear it all the time, so it never surprises me when I hear it again. Seems that there are many people who only see positive events......
• Music from a Painted Cave [VHS] User Reviews Send this to a friend Music from a Painted Cave [VHS] Manufacturer: Red Feather Customer Rating: List Price: $14.97 Sale Price: $59.95 Availibility: View Product Availability Buy Now Product Description Fusing traditional Southwestern Native American tribal music and modern beats, Robert Mirabal: Music from a Painted Cave......
• Sense the World I had a dog who got very sick, and I had to put him to sleep. He always slept in one particular spot on the bed, and my other two dogs will not sleep in his spot to this very day.  It's been over two years. They do sense his......
• Review of Ty's Tricks by Ty Pennington Since tomorrow is July 4th, I've decided to take it off. There will be no blog post tomorrow which is why the book review is today instead of Friday. Have a great weekend everyone! If you're into do it yourself television, you've undoubtedly heard of Ty Pennington. He's been on......
• Tonys GuestHouse Tony from Tonys GuestHouse just emailed us about the newest upgrades done to make visitors even more comfortable in his guesthouse hotel.   Read what we think about this good and cheap guest house in our previous post about Tony’s guest house.   As the pictures show, the rooms......

Rather, I had — and it’s been realized! And what do you know, reality is so much better.

Welcome to the Inauguration, a hellishly cold day of stalled motorcade bikes, 1 per 500 port-a-potties (the rate determined through strenuous scientific modeling, no less), and copious frostbite, warmed by heartfelt patriotic sentiment, over-the-top journalistic rhetoric, and the outpouring of intrinsic American value that is capitalism. Really, to pay for their big event, a newly engaged couple is out hocking handwarmers to some two million shivering between Pennsylvania Avenue and Potomac. Warmed my hackles!

Just as uplifting proved the new President’s speech. I mean, gosh, he even thanked the outgoing guy for the dedicated service to the country. Thanked him for his generosity and hospitality during the transition, too. Forgive and forget that dreck with not being allowed prematurely into an empty Blair House. Magnanimosity, chivalry, they are a victor’s provenance, and they are out in force.

Playing it by ear...

The man arrived, and his daughter Sasha is already setting the trend among the elementary school contingent. A little Ugly Doll, an admittedly welcome change from the ubiquitous Barbie wares, with which she was seen entering new school 5 days ago, is now a commodity more deficit than the Jonas brothers.

And we, those who voted for it and those cursing the Democratic donkey to within an inch of its life, we can only hope that new administration will be known for breaking the Washington mold as much inside its hallowed playgrounds as without.

• ...and Hopefully, a Small Step Back No, not touting my own horn.  In fact, not in much of a party mood, am I? [/caption] To plagiarize from myself, "as long as the left hand does not know what the right is up to, groups like Amnesty International and CCR will not be among those laying off......
• Everyone's a Comedian! I am not a fan of physically punishing someone -- lest they killed, raped a dog, tore up something as culturally significant as the Mona Lisa. [/caption] But there are exceptions proving the rule, and one of mine just became one Mr. James Cousins II.  This sorry excuse for a......
• Please, NO get out jail free card! What exactly makes a "mother"?  It this someone who ovulates?  Gives birth?  Trails an "it's a boy" balloon while wheeled out onto the hospital loading dock with her bundle of joy across her knees? [/caption] Or is it someone who doesn't let her baby scald himself in the middle of......
• A Hanging Offense There are drug overdoses, medical mistakes, murders. Then, there are suicides, and in comparison they seem...  no, not worse, but rather more...senseless, somehow. [/caption] We are wired to protect our lives.  Our fight or flight response is definitely a part and parcel of our genetic makeup.  If we didn't have......
• Wall Street Bull Ousted. Can We Bear it? This is bull! The Wall Street Bull, and, yes, that's me, taking it by the horns -- and hoping it doesn't turn into a bear mid-bonding. [/caption] How many times have we heard of it, saw it, fondled its rump? And how many of those times have we been......

• Top-secret America: A hidden world, growing beyond control [/caption] top-secret america: part 1 of a 3-part series from the Washington Post By Dana Priest and William Arkin The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how......
• The Legacy of Jaco Pastorius - Joe Sinaguglia For over twenty years now, the planet has been without the presence of Jaco Pastorius, the revolutionary electric bass player of the 70s. He was a member of the group Weather Report and later led his own bands. Sadly, the lifestyle caught up to him in 1987. Despite his death,......
• What is Scientism? Scientism: The precept that science is the foundation of all knowledge and that all truth can be arrived at by empirical method. Does this seem presumptuous, even crazy? The scientific method is a relatively new fangled thing. To think it can have all the answers seems crazy? Well lets embrace......
• How to Change Car Oil [/caption] Changing car oil is one of the many things taken for granted by car owners all across America. Car companies suggest that you change your car oil every 7,500 miles or at least once a year for gasoline engines, and 7,000 miles or at least every six months for......
• George Bush On Global Warming - The Awkward Truth George Bush On Global Warming - The Awkward Truth I used to joke that the government issues so much information every day, it can't help but let the truth slip out every once in a while. The Bush Administration's recent report on global warming is a classic example. Though......

So, should I be?  Humble, that is.

Nope, not at all means I have achieved so much, I am forever tempted to hide my shining greatness behind a screen name and a pair of reflective sunglasses. The question is, do I just post — or do I start explaining what it is a gem like me is looking to bring to the blogosphere?

Monkeying around with the holy word?!

So, you know what, I am just going to do a mixture of both and let you, gentle reader, to wade through the morass. Hey, I had to — if only of my own conflicted emotions. I mean, Charlton Heston, guys? He might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he is a favored drink of just enough millions out there that I am going to go out on the limb and designate him an American icon.
So, what do you think I see on one sleepless night not too long ago, but the poor ghoul, starring in an infomercial. Why ghoul, you would ask? What has he ever done to me? Fair, I’ll answer. He’s begotten a son.

No, folks, I haven’t gone “ape”. I mean, just what would you call this?

As you were just privileged to witness, for one who has been in the market for a Bible geared toward our zombie minority populace, like manna from above, it came, heralded by a voice equally befitting a burning bush and a Geico insurance commercial.

Newsflash, for those outside The Passion of Christ focus groups, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s back in 2002, I repeat, Charlton Heston has long passed away, and yet, lives on — a curious double life: presumably, in Heaven of his beloved Book, and certainly in Hell that is his son’s grotesque attempt to capitalize on the passing of a man who has done so much to raise the standing of our cinematography in the eyes of the world.

I have to ask, did the great thesp employ such spectacularly atrocious money management team that all that was left is a legacy of tortured expressions by a tired old man denied a deserved rest for the sumptuous deserts of the Middle East by a moderately talented filming crew and an immoderately avaricious offspring? “My late father” belabors the fruit of these rather celebrated loins, yet seems unable let them rest and sell on its own merits the work so sweeping with a subject so universally reknown, it shouldn’t have a need of such celebrity-focused treatment.

Bible preaches charity and I am willing to do my part. But does denying Junior a portion of what would be ill-gotten gains count against my karma?

Which I need. To borrow from the “about me” page, I am a mom, a wife, a daughter, a granddaughter, a slave of a persnickety cat, a writer, a beginner blogger, a politics freak who had just seen her two-year dream realized on national TV, a…OK, you get the gist. So, hey, maybe, I should buy the Recording. Fraser Heston might just send some my way, what do you think?

• Back to the Future My cat is 2.5 years old.  In cat years...let's round it to 20. Masha is a purebred.  Top of the line Traditional Siamese.  Seven generations of her ancestors have documented pedigrees.  Her mom's a breed standard, check the Wiki.  And no, this isn't a cat personals post -- though considering......
• When Dollhouse's Joss Whedon Doles Out, I am there! Friday’s premiere of Dollhouse’s pivotal episode “Man on the Street” has come and gone, and here I am, posting. But as far as I am concerned, no, I am not late to the game. I am early. Amy Acker’s character, for example, is getting quite an arc toward the later......
• Soylent Green is Pets! (for now) Unlike Agur, son of Yakeh, whom King Solomon supposedly credited with not understanding only 4 basic truths (dealing with the vectors of a bird's flight, snake's slither, ship's glide, and a man's path to the heart of a woman), I know if there were a WQ (Wisdom Quotient) test, I......
• When You're Feeling Boxed In... "Man's body cut to fit coffin."  Funny, in a gruesome sort of way.  Straight out of Adams Family gruesome. [/caption] But, no.  Welcome to Allendale, NC -- where it did, in fact, happen. Not to beat...erm, a dead horse, the late Mr. James Hines, a preacher and funk musician, was......
• ...and Hopefully, a Small Step Back No, not touting my own horn.  In fact, not in much of a party mood, am I? [/caption] To plagiarize from myself, "as long as the left hand does not know what the right is up to, groups like Amnesty International and CCR will not be among those laying off......

• The Crow: Buildings burn, people die. But an amazing movie is forever. -" Buildings burn, people die but real love is forever..." Above is the real quote that inspired the title from. It is from the 1994 movie The Crow. If you haven't seen it, please do yourselves a favor and do. Not the lame sequels but the real thing. The one......
• Quick Green Reads For The Weekend Volume Eleven. My, my, my, how time flies. We are already in May and headed toward summer. This weekend it is supposed to be beautiful outside, so I hope to take advantage by going to the beach. That is, if I can get the remodeling of my office done as well! While......
• Five Signs of Being Prepared for Retirement Am I financially prepared for retirement? This is a question that I will be asking myself regularly until I eventually decide to stop working to make a living. I have to believe that other baby boomers are asking the same question. The engineer in me looks for quantitative signs and......
• I Don't Want A Gift, But Thank You. Today is my 37th birthday, and I hope I don't get anything. Well, cash is alright, as are gift cards to stores I normally go to, but other than that? I don't need nor want for anything else. No plastic doodads, no new mugs, no wall hangings. I am all......
• cute myspace happy birthday comments [affmage source="chitika" results="0"][/affmage] [mage lang="" source="flickr"]cute myspace happy birthday comments[/mage] The Manic Scott The Manic Scott By Scott Bennett It all begins with a lucid dream I had…I was walking up to my high school’s football field as all of the school stood in the bleachers waiting for me but......