"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained."
– Marie Curie

Accurate?!?!

A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.
For example: If she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features.
However, if she is menstruating, or menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with duct tape over his mouth and a spear lodged in his chest while he is on fire.
No further studies are planned at this time.

punk doggie

This dear pup showed up at a local shelter. And yes, he is pink with a little mohawk thing going on! They are not sure what the story is.
I have been told that if anyone wants to adopt him, they won't charge extra for the hair-do!

Happy Easter!!

Daniel Webster

"I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe ... Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. -- From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing. Make them intelligent, and they will be vigilant; give them the means of detecting the wrong, and they will apply the remedy."

--U.S. Senator Daniel Webster (1782-1852)

A fly in the toilet??

Where can I get one?!?!?!?

Changes

Zack's been driving the 07 Ion and I've been driving the 93 SL(is this right?!?!?).
The Ion is an automatic while the 93 is a stick. Zack prefers an auto and I the stick. My back also prefers the seat in the 93. And since I get filthy at work, I don't feel so bad getting the old car dirty. Then, just to make sure Zack wouldn't go near the old car, the clutch, synchronizer, and slave/master cylinders went. I first learned to double-clutch. Then I learned to up-shift without the clutch. Eventually I even got the hang of down-shifting sans clutch. Having to turn the car off at all stops to get it into 1st and then getting whiplash upon the restart was what put it out of commission for a couple of weeks.
As long as it had to go in for repairs, I had the middle exhaust pipe and muffler replaced done to quiet it down significantly (they were described as looking like swiss cheese) and had the cooling fan sensor replaced so I won't have to drive with the heat on again this summer! $900 later (which equals the purchase price of the car) and I'm back on the road. I averaged out purchase price and all the repairs over the 32 months we've owned it, and it has only cost $78/month. Can't find any other deals like that!

Zack came home from shopping one of those nights we were sharing cars and said the car had been hit in the parking lot. We called the sheriff and filed a report the next day. The officer who responded thought it looked more like hitting a pole. Who knows, doesn't really matter since we have to take care of it either way.
Finally got Zack to take the car in for an estimate. The bumper is scraped as is the fender but the fender is cracked up near the light. I guess cracks are not as readily fixable so... $1000-$1200 depending on how much blending of paint they have to do. Zack's going to have to decide whether to make a claim on insurance and pay the increased premiums or just bite the bullet and pay the whole thing himself. We have a $500 deductible anyway so I'm thinking he should just pay it. He also got a ticket a couple of months ago so his premiums are probably going to go up as it is.



More changes for Zack:
He had a girlfriend that he met at work. She ended up moving back to her dad's a few hours away. Long distance is tough.
Rumor has it now that he has a new girlfriend but I don't have confirmation or details yet.
He was growing out his hair and it was a bit wild... (especially when he didn't pick it out very well)
>
at least until he took himself over to one of the cosmetology schools and had 5 girls work on his head for 3 hours!

Did you know they use glue to make dreds?!?!? He was afraid he'd wake up stuck to his pillow this morning!

Brian completed wrestling season. He finished 6th at sectionals so he didn't go on to districts. He was disaapointed but he's only a freshman wrestling kids up thru seniors! They may be the same weight but certainly not the same experience level!

Next up is track. He's signed up and I have the schedule around here somewhere. I'm sure practice starts any time.

After just a couple of weeks of practice, Brian heads south with Steve. For the past few years, Steve has gone to Louisiana to help rebuild after the huricanes. This is the last trip down there for the sponsor group. Not sure where they will head next. Zack and I will stay here for school and work and take care of dogs and birds and lizards and...

Nerd? Me?!?!?

SUCCESS HOW TO

"The most important success principle of all was stated by Thomas Huxley many years ago. He said, 'Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.'"


-Kop Kopmeyer

Update on the Tipsy Ditzy

Since I last wrote about Blitz's handicapped adventures, we have made major progress!!
He went from absolutely no use of his hind legs to being able to stumble around like he's drunk.
The 'regular' vets originally suggested that we think about putting him down. They also mentioned starting with a $1000 MRI to attempt a diagnosis (no guarantees there, though!), followed by possible surgery, etc.
Instead, Beth suggested someone who had helped her Shepherd-mix to get back to walking.
We have since made a number of trips down to Alexandria Kentucky to see Dr. Lieck. He is a chiropractic, accupuncturist vet for dogs as well as farm animals.
He did find that some of Ditz's spine was out of alignment, the disc was probably bulging and squeezing the spinal cord, so he adjusted accordingly. That was followed by many accupuncture needles. I had to look away but Ditz made it through. As a supplement to the accupuncture, he also prescribed some Chinese herbs. Every day we saw improvement so we kept taking him back for more.
We haven't spent the $1000 yet but we have spent a majority of it. Ditzy never lost the sparkle in his eye, never looked ready to give up, we couldn't just let him go.
He can now kind of run around the house, can get up on the couch, even jump onto the bed if he gets a good running start! His muscle tone is almost back to what it was and he can scratch behind both ears. We still carry him up and down the stairs but we no longer have to hold him up to go to the bathroom. He also no longer needs the doggie wheelchair we got for him. That will go to the garage for a while to make sure he doesn't need it again. Eventually, we may sell it on Ebay again.
The house is once again complete - PITA is back!

Doggie Math

For Christmas, I was given 2 dog DNA kits. We had not been able to determine what Ditz was but thought we had Abbee at least mostly figured out. Turns out Abbee is more the 'mystery mutt.'


20-36% Beagle +
20-36% Cocker Spaniel +
10-19% Borzoi (Russian Wolfhound)+
less than 10% Collie +
less than 10% Great Pyrenees +
less than 10% Labrador Retriever +
less than 10% Miniature Pinscher +
less than 10% Pembroke Welsh Corgi



Equals....

100% Abbee!


and for Knucklehead (Also known as Stupid, Mystery Mutt, Ditz, PITA, etc.):

20-36% Boston Terrier +
10-19% English Setter +
10-19% Great Dane +
10-19% Papillon +
10-19% Schnauzer +
less than 10% Afghan Hound



EQUALS....



A Ditz!

Maxine...

What kind of sweater?

You Are an Argyle Sweater

You are contemplative, brainy, and serious. You don't take much lightly - life is too important for that. You are a very determined person. You don't let anything stand in your way. You think out your actions and act deliberately. You don't waste time, money, or resources.

What Kind of Sweater Are You?

Missing Michigan

Why I Love Michigan at Christmas Time....
When it's Christmas time in Michigan , And the gentle breezes blow,
About fifty miles an hour, And it's twenty-two below.

You can tell you're in Michigan 'cause the snow's up to your butt,
And you take a breath of Christmas air, And your nose holes both freeze shut.

The weather here is wonderful, So I guess I'll hang around,

I could NEVER leave Michigan , My feet are frozen to the ground.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Lost Doctor Seuss Poem

thought provokers

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it."
--Raymond Chandler (1888-1959), American writer

"Democracy is the worst form of government, except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
--Winston Churchill

"Catch a passion for helping others and a richer life will come back to you!"
--William H. Danforth (1870-1956)
--Businessman and philanthropist

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."
–-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

How is your day?

This is about where I feel I've been lately.

A month or so ago, I suddenly got a toothache like I've never had before. I was walking around with ice on my face.
The dentist sent me for a root canal. Extra anesthetic had to be used but I made it through. The endodontist took me off the antibiotic the dentist had prescribed and gave me Vicadin and prednisone.
Within a couple of days, it started hurting again. I called the endodontist who told me it wasn't supposed to be doing that! Duh! He said we'd watch it for a couple more days and go from there. Something told me to go back to the antibiotic, so I did. And that did the trick.
During this, I apparently got a case of salmonella. It hit Friday afternoon at work. I managed to get home somehow. Everytime I ate or drank, I ended up doubled over in pain. The next morning, driving Zack to his SAT was difficult. I probably should not have been on the road. I could not concentrate on what I was doing. I did not get back to work until Wednesday. Don't ever want to try that again!

A couple of faucets in the house were clogged with deposits and not flowing well (1 almost barely at all), so I got some CLR and cleaned them up.
Then we started having trouble with our hot water supply and water pressure?!?!? Was this related to cleaning the faucets? It didn't make sense but what else had changed?
In April, we had a tankless water heater installed. We shouldn't be running out of hot water!! The shower head seemed to be the main issue so I took it off again. Inside was a plastic strainer-type thing. It looked to have been dislodged so I got it back into place. Maybe it was restricting the flow too much and keeping the water heater from turning on?? Got some hot water for a couple of days before we lost hot water all together. What now? Turning on only the hot water in the laundry room sink (within a few feet of the water heater), I could see that the power light was turning on. The heater was trying to do something. At best, I could get bits of lukewarm water.
Turned out that a cut-off switch inside the unit itself had tripped. We had checked the circuit breakers but did not realize that it also had these internals switches. For some unknown reason(s), one of the internal tanks overheated so the switch tripped. Once we rest it, we had hot water again.
I also had to take it apart another time through all this to clean crud out of it. We are having major construction on the road, watermains, etc right behind us. They are probably stirring up everything that has settled in the system over the years. Regular cleanings will probably be a part of life for a while.
Then, that Friday afternoon at work, I got an email that we had a watermain break right across the street from us. What would that do to our water supply and heater?!?!? They worked till almost 11pm trying to figure out why we had water and everyone else in the neighborhood did not. It almost sounded like the system was running backwards from what they thought it did. It's repaired now, just have to get a coupke of areas in the complex re-landscaped.

The odometer in the car I drive is now on the fritz. It usually works but sometimes stops. It is usually 12+ miles to work. One day it only recorded 5.5 miles! Expensive to fix so I'll just have to track approximate mileage via gas consumption. I've always tracked gas mileage so this should not be difficult. i have the entire history since we've owned the car so i can use that as a foundation.

Zack had a run-in at school with someone he's had trouble with before so we had a meeting with the assistant principal. Since Zack is now 18, he got to sign the 'behavior agreement' and will have to deal with any consequences of his actions.

Somewhere in this, Ditz, our 'Stupidog' started acting a little funny. Couldn't quite put our finger on it but he wasn't quite as 'prancy' as usual. Then he started having trouble getting up onto our bed and then onto the couch also. One vet visit and we were told he had hurt his back. He was prescribed some anti-inflamatory medication.
Within two days, he was having major trouble walking.
A second vet also said back injury but it would probably take hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to figure it out. Even an X-ray probably wouldn't tell anything since animals aren't good at sitting still enough to get good pictures. Maybe a broken spine, maybe a slipped disc, maybe a tumor, maybe who-knows??? And what would we be able to do about most of those problems anyway? And the anti-inflamatory was stomach irritating so he wasn't eating or drinking much. He was switched to pain meds and steroids. There was already signs of nerve damage. Steve was basically told we would have to decide by about Monday whether to put him down.
Ditz has now lost almost all use of his rear legs. He has minimal movement and no strength so he drags himself with his front legs. His tail still wags and he appears to have most bladder control but has not pottied since. We carry him in and out, up and down, wherever he needs to go.
One night, Steve woke up to thumping sounds. Ditz had gotten himself down 18 steps toward the basement and outside. Only 7 more steps to go but Steve took care of them for him and carried him outside. We are looking into doggie wheelchairs and other assorted assistive devices.

Thursay morning, I headed out to the old car to go to work and found that stuff had been stolen overnight. The cell phone charger was gone (of course!), as was my fleece with Brian's football picture button, my sunglasses, my calculator for figuring gas mileage, the gas mileage book (remember the odometer issue?), most of the goodies from the glovebox, even my insurance cards! They separated out the registration and left it on the console, cleaned out the glove box and left it open. The 2 newer cars were not touched. Neither were the neighbors' from what I could tell.

Friday, my temporary crown came off while I was at work. (I think I need to give up working on Fridays! Something always seems to go wrong.) Tuesday I go for the permanent one so I'll make due till then.

And then when I came home, I wanted to get online to do some more looking at doggie wheelchairs. I turned on my laptop and logged in. Then it went completely dead. Like someone had flipped a switch. No power, no sounds, no nothing. I tried a different, universal cord that Steve had for his work computer. Still nothing. Today, I stopped at Computer Rennaissance and the intial guess was the power plug/port had broken away from the mother board. It's fixable... to the tune of $250! I could bring it in and they could look at it to figure out for sure. When I came back home, I looked and the port did seem to wiggle. Argh!
I brought it in and it actually did turn out to be the power cord itself, not the port! $50 for a different universal cord and I was back in business. If I have to have trouble, I guess $50 beats $250!!

When do I cry 'Uncle'?!?!?!?

drawing of Jesus

Look closely and then look closer yet and then keep looking...It took me a bit to see everything so be sure to continue to look at the picture for a while.

Look at the lines the artist used to draw this picture of Christ. There are scenes from Christ's life.

The "longer" you look at this picture, the "more" you see.

Some things to think about...

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."
--John Wooden, college basketball coach, winner of 10 NCAA championships


"The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances. We carry the seeds of the one or the other in our minds wherever we go."
- Martha Washington



"Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be."
- Abraham Lincoln


"Laughter is an instant vacation."
--Milton Berle


"The secret to getting ahead is getting started."
-Mark Twain


"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential...these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence."
- Eddie Robinson, 1919-2007, Grambling State University football coach.


The nearest way to glory -- a shortcut, as it were -- is to strive to be what you wish to be thought to be.
-- Socrates (469-399 BC) Greek Philosopher


Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are we doing for others?'
--Martin Luther King, Jr.


"Every worthwhile accomplishment has a price tag attached to it. The question is always whether you are willing to pay the price to attain it - in hard work, sacrifice, patience, faith, and endurance."
--John C. Maxwell