Alice & Faith's Rosie Adventure

Yep, that is Rosie, me and Faith together at the AC Moore craft store in Framingham, MA! What a long day we had; long lines, friendly people and finally, a chance to meet and talk with Rosie, who I totally enjoy. It all started at 5:15 am on Saturday 5/31 when I woke up. After showering and letting Hannibal out, I was off. First to the bank as I had about 57 cents on me, then onto Faith's house and then 95 north to 128 into Framingham. We had a nice ride, only running into a couple of stupid drivers, only getting a tiny bit lost (we actually passed the AC Moore store as it was at the rear of Shoppers World) and arriving at the store at about 8:25. We got our red tickets, which meant we would be in the first group of people to meet Ro. We were told to return about 11:00 so off we went to find a place to have some breakfast. After our very filling breakfast we went to Trader Joe's, which I had heard of, but never visited. It's a little like Whole Foods, (which I've never been to either,) but it was fun. We found some cereal called Joe's O's, which Faith bought for her Joe.

Then we went back to AC Moore and the wait for Rosie began. We got in line a few minutes before 11:00 and we waited and waited and waited and then we waited some more. Thank goodness for the other people in line. We all had Rosie in common, so it really was a fun time and nobody got grumpy, including me. And, of course, there was the one crazy Rosie stalker fan! She looked strange to begin with and her actions and words pretty much put us all off and made us very wary of her, enough so that one of the girls in line notified security. Surprisingly, Faith was able to get her in a picture, which I will post soon.

Once Rosie got to the store, all babies, elderly and handicapped went to the front of the line, which was sort of frustrating. While I understand how Rosie feels, she doesn't want them to have to stand in line - but those of us who aren't babies, elderly and/or handicapped stood in line for hours (or sat, as I did) it was a very long wait.
Once we did get to the front of the line, it got pretty exciting. I thought it was strange to hear her voice in person - while it sounds the same, it was different. We watched Rosie interact with the ladies in line ahead of us and, just before us, a small boy named David. He wouldn't approach Rosie as his sisters did. And he wouldn't smile either. So Rosie approached him and gave him a beanie baby type stuffed animal.

I was next and Rosie explained to me that he had a brain injury from a car accident. I can't remember everything we spoke about, but we did cover the color green, which is my and her favorite color - as well as the color of her eyes. She has the most beautiful green and hazel eyes that don't show up when she's on TV or in movies. They are very distinct. She's very pretty also, not just attractive, but pretty and I suspect that she will become beautiful as she gets older.

She signed my Crafty U book, as well as a poster of her art that I brought with me, and we hugged and she gave me a kiss on my cheek. Faith took a few pics and a woman photographer there took the picture of Rosie, me and Faith.

All that waiting in line suddenly vanished from my mind and having met Rosie, my mission was accomplished. It was great to meet Rosie, she was everything and more than I had expected.

But the real gift that day was the time that I spent with Faith, my best friend for almost 35 years, since we met at the beginning of 12th grade in the fall of 1973. I'm so glad to have shared the day with her and completely appreciate the support and help that she gave me, her enthusiasm for our road trip, and the pictures that she took. She is the best!

Prosecution of George W. Bush For Murder

by Vincent Bugliosi (who has never lost a murder trial)

I really like this plan!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH40oSzdvYc&feature=email

Rest In Peace Harvey Korman

Harvey Korman was a part of everyone's life if you grew up in the 70's, as I did. He passed away on Thursday and that makes me sad.

He, along with Tim Conway, Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence made us laugh so loud and so long. And his role as Hedley Lamar in Blazing Saddles is classic.

Click here for one of the best and funniest clips ever on TV:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q9T8i4FkNVo

Why Would Anyone Do This

The other day I saw a few moving type trucks in the driveway of my deceased landlord's house. The trucks were being packed up and at first I thought that Cheryl, his widow, might be moving out. Patrick could hear people moving things out upstairs from his apartment where there is a florida type room. But then I saw a furniture delivery truck making a delivery so I couldn't really figure out what was going on.

Today as I was bringing Patrick home from his dentist appointment I saw Cheryl outside, so I decided to go speak with her and get the low down on just what was going on.

It seems that Gordon's son came to clean out his fathers stuff from the house. Cheryl said that they took everything that wasn't hers. Everything!

They took the living room set and the dining room set. They cleaned out the attic and the basement. They took her bed and her dishes!! Yes, you read that correctly. They took her bed.

Yes, her marriage bed that she shared with the husband that she is still grieving! And it is all going to be auctioned! They don't need the stuff, they just want her to move out so they have made it difficult for her to stay in the house. As she is telling me this, my eyes started to tear up, I felt so completely sad for her and her helplessness. They didn't even offer to leave anything or to even have her buy it from them.

She knows that they want to sell the house(s)!!! That would not bode well for me and Patrick as anyone who buys these houses will either raise our rents or boot us out, either of which makes me want to cry (for me!) It took me years to find the perfect living arrangement for Patrick and me and I can't imagine having to look for rentals, never mind having to move again! If or when the time comes, I don't think I will go quietly! Which, coincidently, is how Cheryl feels about staying at the house. I'm thinking spite might make her sit tight for awhile and I told her that she should stay for as long as she feels is right. (Which I hope is forever!)

Anyway, I cannot believe that anyone would or could be so cold as to do that to a woman whose husband died the week before Christmas. I can only imagine that Gordon would not be happy about this at all.

Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires

For those of us who grew up in the 60's and 70's, Smokey The Bear was often seen on the TV in commercials telling us how to be safe in the forest. He's kept a low profile lately, and now is making up for lost time. Here he is welcoming folks into the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. He sure is cute!



Smokey The Bear has had many advances over the years, it seems. He now can drive and his ride of choice looks to be an ATV quad. I'm sure that a bear with his high standards has a license and insurance for his safety.

But wait!! It looks like Smokey has a truck!! Wow, he rides ATV's and drives a pick-up truck? You know, there's something women like in a pick-up man, uh, bear! However, it looks like there may be a problem. Or maybe Smokey's just doing a little preventative maintenance.

Holy Smokes!! (Pardon the pun.) It looks like he really has gotten around, now he's picked-up a woman (or has she picked him up?) She really is looking quite pleased with herself and she IS giving a thumbs up!

But Wait!! She's taking Smokey The Bear away, just as he has re-emerged from his self imposed hibernation!! Though he looks like he might be trying to get away. Or she probably laid hard on the gas and he's falling off?

Ah, Smokey, we're gonna miss you. But we hope you have a happily ever after with this woman who kidnapped, uh, took you away.

PS. SMOKEY THE BEAR IS MY FRIEND, JOE, WHO WORKS IN THE FOREST EVERY SUMMER AND HAS FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS. GOOD JOB, JOSEPH!!

Cute, Cute And More Cute

I get most (90%) of my news on the internet. This started when the idiot was running for president and as only gotten more prevalent as the years have passed. I also rarely watch TV, other than the shows that I record. So, today I read that the Today show had a Cutest Puppy in America contest. And here are the pictures I found. I could not resist sharing them.

This is my winner. They look like polar bears!
This is their winner, he reminds me of Emilee when she wants something from me! And here's all the rest:

Look at the eyes on these beautiful babies.
This is my 1st runner up, so freakin cute!

I'd love to have a dog whose ears stand up!

Wrinkly cuteness.
Sweetness and snow.

He looks like he'll be trouble when he's older!
Is that Hookey or Hannibal as puppies? Could be either!
This guy looks like a stuffed animal!
My nephew Matthew loves Yorkies!

Gotta love a smiling Golden.
I want them ALL!!!!

Memorial Day

America's most recent war dead lie in a quiet patch of ground at Arlington National Cemetery known as Section 60. In that parcel are 485 men and women who were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Arlington is one of more than 100 national cemeteries in the United States where there are military graves. Some families turn down the opportunity to have a loved one buried at Arlington, opting instead to have the grave closer to home.
"When you walk down these rows, you learn to respect every single person in this row, not just the person you came to see - every one."

There are more than 290,000 bodies buried here.
Particularly touching are the mementos left at some of the graves -- photographs of wives and children, children's drawings, coins, greeting cards, notes, stones and even unopened beer bottles.
Nino Livaudais was killed in Iraq in April 2003. At his grave is a multicolored, handmade card bearing the message: "You are my hero, Daddy. I am 4 years old, and I miss you and love you very much, Grant."

Snake Oil Execs Go To DC

It looks like the oil executives were up to their old tricks today in front of Senators in DC.

They all look like a bunch of schmucks sitting there, except it is we who are the schmucks paying the ridiculously high prices for gasoline for our cars and oil to heat our homes.

They all raised their right hand and swore to tell the truth - hah. Some truth they told, saying it was supply versus demand that was causing the high prices. Senator Patrick Leahy didn't believe it saying "there’s “a disconnect” between normal supply and demand and the skyrocketing price of oil — surpassing $130 a barrel even as the oil leaders testified — that the industry has yet to explain."

If only they could be forced to lower their prices. As a boycotter, I think that is the only way to make an impact - Exxon/Mobil and Shell should be at the top of everyone's boycott list. They are the industry leaders and, by far, the worst of the bunch.

J. Stephen Simon, executive vice president of Exxon Mobil Corp was asked by Senator Leahy what his total compensation was at Exxon, a company that made $40 billion last year. Simon replied it was $12.5 million annually. So, he shouldn't have any problems paying $4.00 a gallon, if he has to pay anything at all for gasoline.

I was glad to see that the Senators didn't believe what these greedy men said. The guy from ConocoPhillips said he didn’t recall his total compensation!! That I found extremely hard to believe. Most people know exactly what they make and when your salary is in the millions, there's the status symbol that goes along with it - he knows exactly what he makes.

Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said Exxon’s annual profits increased from $11.5 billion to $40.6 billion in the past five years and there was no explanation for “why profits have gone up so high when the consumer is suffering so much.”

The five companies earned $36 billion in the first quarter of this year. Think about that. You need over 999 million to make just one billion.

The executives, appearing under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee, said they know high prices are hurting people, but they said the cause is not company profits but global supply and demand.

They sought to use their appearance before Congress to argue against new taxes on their industry.

“I urge you to resist these punitive policies,” said Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil. Wah, wah, wah, even under oath, he couldn't be urged to tell the truth.

Senate Democrats recently announced an energy package that would tax “windfall” profits of the five companies. That might have public appeal, Lowe (ConocoPhillips exec vice president) told the senators, but oil companies should not be viewed as “a scapegoat” for high prices. Sure they should! Who else could it be?

That was not what many senators wanted to hear.

You have “just a litany of complaints that you’re all just hapless victims of a system,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., told the executives. “Yet you rack up record profits ... quarter after quarter after quarter.”

“I’m sorry to sound like a victim. I don’t feel like a victim at all,” replied Robertson of Chevron, saying that he was proud of his company’s investments in future supply.

What a bunch of greedy bastards.They're probably all Republicans, too.

Senator Ted Kennedy

We all heard the news today that Senator Ted Kennedy has a malignant form of brain cancer. It is certainly sad news when anyone gets such a serious diagnosis, but this one hits especially close to home for those of us who live in Rhode Island. We have embraced the Kennedy family since the 1950's. And we have all felt the sadness from the repeated tragedies of their family.

While a Senator, John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier in Newport, Rhode Island. JFK, Jr went to Brown. Patrick Kennedy, Ted's son, is one of two RI Representatives. I actually saw Ted Kennedy on a flight from Rhode Island to DC once. He was very approachable and people enjoyed speaking with him during that trip.

The Kennedy's live just up the road, literally. If we follow Rte 6 east, it leads to Hyannis where they have their family compound. When I lived in Onset, Massachusetts I was lucky to have been able to vote for him! That was 1988 and the ballots were paper, which surprised me. I can remember feeling so honored being able to vote for a Kennedy!

Ted Kennedy's impact as a Senator has an impact on all of us whether we are aware of it or not. He has been a champion of poor people, health care and civil rights.

Let's hope he makes it through this difficult illness.

Whew...What A Day

I left the house today at the unbelievably early time of 8:45 so I could bring my brother Patrick to his dentist appointment. While he was there I sat in my car right on Main Ave and watched a Warwick cop nail people with his radar gun. He'd point that thing and the first car that came along, screech, he was gone after them! Three times he did that in about a half hour. He must be the fastest ticket writer east of the Mississippi!

After the dentist, Patrick and I headed to my doctor's office. Third floor, elevator not working! Seems I got my exercise for today right there in the stairwell.

Then we went to the dreaded DMV. What is it about people at the DMV? They could be the nicest people and as soon as they walk into the DMV they look like low-lifes. I'm sure it happens to me too. I think that they would look like normal people in other locations, but not at the DMV. I wonder if it's just my perception or if others think the way I do. Who knows!?

Patrick got his state ID card, something I've been wanting to do for about 6 or 7 years, but since he works every day and back then I was working, so we just couldn't get it done. This is week two of his vacation, so we finally got it done. I also got my license renewed. It was due to be renewed in June - on my birthday, of course. I always thought that you had to go within the actual month, but I found out today that it's up to 90 days before the expiration. Of course, I didn't take a number and there were lots of people waiting, but the lady was nice enough to renew my license while she processed Patrick's info. I kept the old picture, it is probably the best license picture I've ever had taken and I've had many license pictures taken over the years, believe me.

Then we did other errands; pharmacy, lunch, mail, library, and we finally went to get our recycling bins! I've been using paper bags and an extra wastebasket for the past 6 months for my recyclables, but now we are official!

I used as much gas today in my car as I usually do in a month! We finally got home about 2:30. No nap today, trying to stay up and go to bed when others do, but I sure am tired.

I got my first "friend" invitation on YouTube last night. Somebody with the name godlesspatriot! Sounds like a good match for me. He or she has added one of the funniest response to the Bill O'RALly video that's been making the TV rounds as well as a great George Carlin video that I've added to my favorites - it's about religion. Very insightful and I so agree with him.

You Tube

Okay, so I finally uploaded some videos to You Tube!
They're of Emi, JaeMae and Hannibal.
To see them, go to YouTube.com
In the subject line, type in: lovesdawgs OR you can click here: http://www.youtube.com/lovesdawgs
And there are my videos. Here's a sampling of what you'll find:

Phenomenon

This is truly an amazing photo.

Barack Obama drew over 65,000 to a rally in Oregon. Reports say that another 15,000 couldn't get close.

As much as I wanted John Edwards and then Hillary to win, it really is something to see the phenomenon that is Obama.

Mother Nature Can Be So Cruel

China has has a one child only policy since the 1970's. Now, after the devastating earthquake that killed so many children, many parents are now without any children.

My heart breaks for them.

The people of Myanmar have had a really tough time also. Almost 100,000 killed and their government not accepting all the aid that is offered.

Here in the northeast of the United States we have to be very grateful for the weather we have. In my lifetime (almost 52 years) we've had our share of hurricanes and an occasional minor earthquake or tornado, but we haven't had any natural disasters similar to the ones that have crippled other parts of our country and the world. We've been very lucky.

I've often thought of moving to a warmer climate. I think, however, that I will stay put as long as possible (which means we must elect a Democrat this year, or I'll be heading out.)

May Is Motorcycle Safety Month

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a motorcyclist may be 35 times more likely than a passenger in a car to die in a traffic crash. And often, it’s because a driver did not see the motorcycle.

May is Motorcycle Safety Month, and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) wants to remind you always make sure you stay in plain view of other drivers. Taking a few simple precautions could help make sure you stay on top of your bike:

Always keep your headlights on.

Always signal your intent to turn or change lanes.

Always wear the proper clothing and safety gear.

The MSF has created the SEE system—an easy to remember checklist to keep in mind every time you get on your bike. SEARCH, EVALUATE, EXECUTE.

For more information on how you can stay safe on your motorcycle, check out the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s website. Also, check out the NHTSA’s site for even more motorcycle safety tips.

Saudi Arabia Rebuffs Bush On Oil Production

Only our president can look like an idiot sitting next to a guy who wears sheets for clothing!

It seems the Saudi's aren't willing to increase their output of oil. They say they are meeting the world's demand. When President Idiot first met with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah in mid-January, the president asked Saudi Arabia to raise oil production to ease high prices at the pump. But he got a chilly response to that plea. The kingdom said it would increase production only when the market justified it, and that production levels appeared normal.

So this tells us a few things:

That even guys who wear sheets as clothing recognize what a bozo our president is and won't do anything for him (seems possible, even though the Saudi's and the Bush family have a long history together.)

That their output is meeting demands and the greedy oil people are the ones who are causing such high prices for gasoline and oil (this is entirely plausible seeing as the oil companies have had record earnings in the past year.)

That the Saudi's are lying and causing the problems and they are making record profits (again, entirely plausible.)

No matter which one of these (or all of the above) theories are true, American's are being laughed at around the world for the past almost 8 years.

All we can hope is that the next president, be it Obama or Clinton, will make repairing our image around the world a priority. That alone might straighten out many of the problems that we face.

The Idiot's Administration Does Something Right...

...and they still get it wrong!

Today, quite unexpectedly, the Idiot's Interior Secretary declared the polar bear a threatened species, saying it must be protected because of the decline in Arctic sea ice from global warming.

This was long overdue, the sea ice has already caused the beautiful polar bear to already feel the effects of a warmer climate.

The problem is that this declaration is short on protection for the bears and long on the continuing of offshore oil development in waters where bears and oil drilling are expected to coexist. There has been concern within the business community that protecting these gorgeous bears could have far-reaching impact and could be used to regulate carbon dioxide. Well, duh, carbon dioxide emissions need to be reduced anyway, because some of these businesses will be under water if reduction doesn't start right away.

The department's scientists state that sea ice loss will likely result in two-thirds of the polar bears disappearing by mid-century. The bear population across the Arctic from Alaska to Greenland doubled from about 12,000 to 25,000 since 1960, but he noted that scientists now predict a significant population decline.

Hold Tight by Harlan Coben

Photo from Harlan Coben's camera phone at a recent book signing.

I finished Hold Tight, the new Harlan Coben novel a little after 1:00 this morning and it was really good! Mr. Coben never fails me!!

I do enjoy how his plots all entwine and you're never quite sure what's coming or how it's all gonna end.

His character development is great. I find that if I don't like or understand a character, the book just doesn't do it for me. Harlan Coben's characters are so well developed that it makes reading his books such a pleasure.

His Myron Bolitar series is second only to Robert B. Parker's Spenser, which, again, has great character development and a certain wittiness.

I highly recommend both of these authors, you will not be disappointed.

A Good Read

I got back from the library a couple of hours ago and I'm excited to say that I have the newest Harlan Coben novel Hold Tight!

I was going to start it earlier, but first I had to call Faith to see if she wanted it after I was done. Dontcha know, she already read it! When we finally got off the phone about 7:15 I was ready to start, but then I realized that I hadn't eaten since my waffles this morning. So I heated up some taco meat and made a delicious taco salad. Then, of course, I had to finish the leftover piece of chocolate cake that Veronica brought home a couple of days ago. She didn't want it so I've been taking a bite or two each day.

Hannibal wanted to go out, so after I brought him back in the house, I had to turn the TV on to see how the West Virginia primary went. NBC projects that Clinton will win by a 2 to 1 margin! That's great news for those of us who are continuing to support Hillary. I think it's right that she sees this through right to the end.

So, now at 8:15, I think I'm ready to put on my pj's and jump into bed to start (and probably finish) this book that I've been waiting months for. Faith liked it a lot and said she thought I would too.

Can't wait another minute.....

What's Your Baby's Carbon Footprint?

EXHIBIT: 8lbs, 21 inches, and 3,800 diapers worth of planet-pummeling joy

72% of American adults have children.

60% of American children say they're more afraid of global warming than of terrorism, car crashes or cancer.

Between 2000 and 2050, the US will add 114 million kids to it's population. Africa will add 1.2 billion - but their respective CO2 emissions will be the same.

One American child generates as much CO2 as 106 Haitian kids.

Zahara Jolie-Pitt will produce 45,000 lbs of CO2 yearly, compared with 221 lbs if she still lived in Ethiopia.

A typical baby goes through 3,800 disposable diapers in her first 2.5 years.

96% of American babies were disposable diapers. In China, only 6%. In India, 2%.

China claims it's one-child policy has prevented 400 million births - saving 1.5 billion tons of CO2 in 2004 alone.

For $20, British parents can have 7 trees planted to offset the 1,430 lbs of greenhouse gases generated by their child's first 2.5 years of nappies.

Civil conflict is twice as likely to occur in countries where young adults make up more than 40% of the population.

In 2007, a Hungarian couple had 300 trees planted to offset their newborn's lifetime carbon footprint.

Twin births in the US have risen 70% since 1980. In 2004, 3.2% of newborns were twins.

Uganda (50% children) has been at war for most of the last 30 years. Monaco (13%) has not been at war since 1815.

Citizens of the Russian city of Ulyanovsk get September 12 off to "conceive a patriot."

Due to it's low birthrate, Singapore runs a dating program called LoveByte that promotes "the importance of marriage and family, and the need to start early."

Members of the "Quiverfull" movement believe that very large families populate "God's army."

In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI called for tax incentives for large families. Last fall he vowed to "recreate a strong alliance between man and Earth."

In March, a Vatican bishop announced seven new mortal sins, including causing pollution and being obscenely wealthy. According to news reports, the bishop said the new evils were linked to "the unstoppable process of globalization."

In 1900, 1% of Catholics lived in Africa. By 2050, 26% will.

In 1950, the typical American woman had 3.1 children over her lifetime. In 2005, she had 2.1.

In 1950, the typical new American house was 983 sq. feet. In 2005, it was 2,434 sq. feet.

In 1969, 5% of households had 3 or more vehicles. In 2001, 23% did.

Only 45% of SUV owners in the US have two kids or more.

School buses - 95% of which run on diesel - release 3,700 tons of soot and 11 million tons of greenhouse gases a year. School bus exhaust is linked to higher rates of asthma and lung cancer.

Letting a school bus idle for 10 minutes creates 3 times more particulate emissions than turning the motor off.

It would take up to 223 trees to offset the CO2 produced by a child watching 3 hours of TV every day for 18 years.

19% of US children under the age of 1 have TVs in their rooms.

Asked how many times they begged their parents for a product they'd seen advertised 11% of tweens answered "more than 50."

American children make up 4% of the world's population, but they consume more than 40% of the world's toys.

In 2006, volunteers picked up 68,720 lbs of toys and 33,469 lbs of diapers during worldwide beach cleanups.

In order to do as much laundry as Walt Disney World does in a single day, you'd have to do a load a day for 44 years.

By the time she is 18, an American child in a middle-income family will have eaten her way through $33,330 of food.

The average student trashes up to 90 lbs of lunchbox leftovers and packaging each year.

In 2007, Julia Roberts told Vanity Fair that the "highest high" would be "growing our food that I then make, and then composting and growing more."

In 2004, she paid Hollywood Cedars-Sinai Hospital $1,700 a night for a deluxe maternity suite with valets, a chef, security staff and salon service.

The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (VHEMT - pronounced "vehement") advocates non-procreation instead of suicide because "there's no way we could convince enough people to kill themselves."

Over his/her lifetime, each American born in the 1990s will produce an average of:

3.1 million pounds of CO2 (same as 413 plane trips from New York to Tokyo)

22,828,508 pounds of water waste (the equivalent of 48,060 ten-minute showers)

16,372 pounds of yard waste (enough to fill 442 large garbage cans)

7,249 pounds of food waste (as much as 16 households produce in a year)

She will eat 1,654 chickens, 74 turkeys, 25 pigs, 11 cows, 2 sheep, and 18,675 eggs.

And she will use 1,870 barrels of petroleum (enough to fuel a Subaru Outback for 822,800 miles).

BABY PICS AMOUNT PAID COMMENTS
Nicole Richie $1 million/People Enough to sponsor 2,976 Save the Children kids for a year
Jamie-Lynn Spears $1 million/OK! Enough to buy 2 million condoms
Christina Aguilera $2 million/People Enough to buy laptops for 10,000 students in the developing world
J-Lo/Marc Anthony $6 million/People $3 million for each twin; enough to send 1,697 kids to day care
Brad /Angelina $7.6 million/People, Hello! Gave some of it to charity, but won't say how much
Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes $0/Vanity Fair Fawning profile and Annie Leibovitz shoot? Priceless!

By Kiera Butler and Dave Gilson
Mother Jones - Smart, Fearless Journalism http://www.motherjones.com/
April 28, 2008

I Did It Today

I finally got gas for the car. $62.26 for 16.80 gallons!

I probably shouldn't complain, since it's been almost 2 months since I've had to purchase gas.

Still, it's a lot of money. Those damn greedy oil executives.

I Just Couldn't Do It

Okay, so I went out today and saw that gas is now $3.65 per gallon and I just couldn't do it. I couldn't put gas in the car when it is so expensive. I know I will have to do it before long, but first I need to have the shock wear off. Who knows how high it will be the next time I venture out of my little oasis.

Last week when I went out it was $3.54 and that was bad enough, but now it's just crazy.

My car's gas gauge has been at 1/4 tank for the last few trips out and today it was still there, so I think maybe my car is protesting the price increase also.

Anyway, I put a few more bumper stickers on after I got home. I really love the look and the statement that I make just driving down the road. If anybody told me 5 years ago that I would have even one bumper sticker on my car, I wouldn't have believed them. But since the car is now 14 years old (and I love it still) I think, what the heck, let's be one of those cars where there's plenty to read when you are at a red light and I'm in front of you.

To Fill Or Not To Fill, That Is The Question

I have to go out today or tomorrow and do something that I haven't done in several weeks - fill my car up with gas.

I looked in my online bank records and the last time I bought gas was posted March 17th (so the actual purchase would have been the 15th or 16th) and the cost was $50.44 to fill the tank at $3.01 per gallon. That's about 16.75 gallons.

I don't know how many miles I have gone since the odometer hasn't worked for almost 3 years. In July of 2005 Veronica and I were on Cape Cod where I had a customer who wanted quotes on two houses that were under construction. While driving from one location to another I needed to go 12.6 miles so I hit the reset button for the trip meter and it hasn't moved since. It's been stuck at 207,408 and no matter what I do, or how hard I bang it, it's stuck!

So my dilemma is, should I fill the tank or just put in a few gallons? I probably should go back and check my balance to see if I can actually afford to fill it. Good thing I'm saving money on my meds, huh?

Meds On The Cheap

I have effected a minor miracle with the cost of my medication and boy am I happy about it! It's taken a few months, but it was certainly worth it.

I had been getting my prescriptions from CVS. Without medical coverage the cost of my prescriptions each month was between $385 and $440. This is for just 4 scripts!

The first thing I did was switch everything over to Walgreens. They have a prescription club which you can get some scripts for just $12.99 for 90 pills. Only 2 of my scripts were covered by that program.

So the next thing I did was get in touch with the manufacturer of one, in this case, Lilly. They have a website Lillycares.com which is a patient assistance program for people with no or little health care. I printed the paperwork, sent it to my doctors office for verification and Lilly sent a 4 month supply of pills.

I also went to PPARX and filled out their paperwork. I was able to get a 3 month supply of that pill for just $20.

So now my monthly costs at Walgreens is just $25.98!

Quite a savings overall, don'tcha think?

Record Profits Continue

Exxon Mobil Corp., the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, said Thursday record crude prices helped its first-quarter profit climb 17 percent to $10.9 billion — the second biggest U.S. quarterly corporate profit ever.

But even at $10.9 billion, the profit ranks as the second biggest for a U.S. company — the only bigger result in a three-month period was the $11.7 billion Exxon Mobil posted in the final three months of 2007.

Meanwhile, gasoline prices also are reaching new highs — and creating financial stress for many Americans. The national average price of a gallon of regular gas rose past $3.60 Wednesday.

Already, record crude prices have produced bountiful first-quarter profits for several of the other major oil companies, despite higher costs and lower results from refining.

BP PLC and Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Europe’s two biggest oil producers, posted combined profits of $17 billion earlier this week — $9.08 billion for Shell, $7.6 billion for BP.

BP’s earnings surged 63 percent from a year ago; Shell’s rose 25 percent.

Last week, ConocoPhillips reported a 16 percent rise in net income to $4.14 billion. Like BP and Shell, the third biggest U.S. oil outfit far outpaced industry expectations.

Coming off four straight years of record earnings, Chevron Corp. cashed in on soaring oil prices to begin 2008 with the most profitable first quarter in its history. The San Ramon-based company said Friday that it earned $5.17 billion.

I'm A You Tuber

I have to admit something. I am totally addicted to You Tube!

Until recently, I would visit You Tube now and then. I thought some of the videos were pretty funny; babies laughing, people who can't drive very well, you know, things like that.

Then I discovered that if you type in The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Queen, etc. you get tons of videos of performances. Unbelieveable to see George Harrison at Concert For Bangladesh from 1971, John Lennon playing Imagine, and on and on.

The best thing is that you can save your favorite videos, so that it's easy to find them without having to go through the threads.

Here's a little sample of what's out there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbDchb26h0Y&feature=related

There are clips from movies, TV shows, and people's private lives (which I don't really enjoy). You wanna see Tiny Tim on The Tonight Show? It's there. Lucy and Ethel on the chocolate candy assembly line? That's also on You Tube.

I haven't posted any videos yet, but I'm sure I will before long.

Anyway, check it out. Type your favorite music group, TV or movie personality or just about any word at all and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. You too might become addicted.