Online Fundraising Raffle

I am holding an online fundraising raffle to help pay for my medical bills and medical issurance.  The first fifty people who give $30 or more will be entered into the raffle.  The prizes are as follows:

1st Prize: $100 (USD) Visa Gift Card

2nd Prize: $75 (USD) Visa Gift Card

3rd Prize $50 (USD) Visa Gift Card

If you are giving from a foreign country and cannot accept a Visa gift card, we will work out another equivalent prize such as an American Express Cheque/Gift Card.  Just let me know what works for you.

Here is the link to the fundraising site:  http://www.giveforward.com/medicalexpensesforwendy 

Pass it on to your friends and family!  Anyone can donate and anyone can win!

Have fun, thank you for your gift, and good luck!

Can you afford to...?

Can you afford to make a $10 to $15 donation to me?  No, you don't know me from Adam - I know that! Yes, the economy is tight!  I know that as well.  No, I can't perform any circus tricks for you either :)  But, i can provide some half-decent blogging for you and write on some topics of interest if you request.  My situation is that I am very sick right now and am unemployed.  I just got approved for unemployment and it is a very scant amount - VERY scant. 

I hate begging for anything, but if you can't stand on a street corner (because it's illegal - believe me, I'm tacky enough to do it..haha) what is a girl to do?

My story is that I was just diagnosed with Lupus. I spent the entire winter running my finances dry running to and fron the doctors and missing tons of work.  It is the 21st of the month. We mght as well call it the 22nd because it is the end of the day.  By the end of the month, I have to come up with another $800 just to cover my monthly bills.  My family is tapped out and I have doctor's appointments coming up.  I don't live a luxurious life - as a matter of fact, I have been forced to move back in with my family because of my financial situation.  I'm on the brink of losing it all.  I do trust in God, but I also believe that we shouldn't just sit on our hands and "let things happen". 

If you and/or your friends could donate $10-15 to me, that would be so helpful!  There is power in numbers!  My Paypal address is: 

wendy.onsted@gmail.com.

If you are a super huge donor and have $535 to come up with for my COBRA bill, I'll send you my address and the address of my previous employer as well as the cobra bill!  But, we won't go that far.  Just showing my legitimacy there!

Please - if you can help - do.  I can't tell you, how many times when I had $20 in my pocket, I just handed it to someone down on their luck.  One time, I literally gave a woman $400 to cover her rent.  Didn't know her from Adam either - but what goes around comes around.  It's not a sob story - just need some help!  Please help if you can!  I will update everyone on the amount of donations that I get! 

Thank you!

My Secret Little Friend

I can't describe the feeling of having a secret friend.  A friend that nobody knows about but me and this other person.   It is not that we are doing anything inappropriate but that if people knew we were friends, they would just, right-off-the-bat, assume we were doing something innappropriate.  This person has picked me up when I was down, dusted me off, given me a lift (literally), and chatted me away until I couldn't help but forget my worries - if only for a few minutes. 

When you are sick with an auto-immune disease, stress is often your worst enemy.  My secret friend is the eternal optimist.  I never have to worry about hearing negativity from this person.  I can dish out whatever I have to say to them and they'll just hit me back with something positive.  On my cell phone, their ring tone is Kenny Rogers' "You Decorated My Life".

My secret friend can't do anything much else for me besides be there because they have a whole other life outside of me.  We met at work and when I left work, our friendship blossomed.  It was kinda like another Kenny Rogers song about when two worlds collide - but it is so great to have this secret little friend who will pick me up when I'm down. 

Do you have somone exclusive like that in your life?  Someone that you share with nobody else on a level that is different than anyone else? 

Divine Mercy Chaplet

I sang the Divine Mercy Chaplet at our Divine Mercy Mass tonight.  It was so awesome.  I decided that we were going to break out of the ordinary recitation and everyone loved it.  Maybe we can make it a regular thing on Thursday night Mass.  <3

Big Crumbs, highlighted retailer cash back program

It's been a few months since I posted a piece on the website - Big Crumbs - the site that pays you back for purchases made online. I am really excited to have 3 new members join through my link!   In this entry, I wanted to highlight some of the big cash-back opportunities that you can earn while shopping online through Big Crumbs.

As a Crumb Earner, you will get the following amounts back:

Zappos Shoes:  13.5%

Wilson's Leather:  4.5% 

Walmart: 3.6%

Vista Print:  Up to 18%

Vision Direct:  7.2%

The Popcorn Factory: 9%

Target.com:  6.3%

Symantec: 13.5%

Peets Coffee: 9%

Snapfish: 7.2%

QVC.com:  4.5%

Petsmart.com:  7.2%

Petco.com:  8.1%

PetCareRX: 10.8% - A PERSONAL FAVORITE!!! - scrap the loyalty points - take the Big Crumbs money, its better!

PC Tools:  45%

123 Inkjets! : 25.2% - A PERSONAL FAVORITE!!

4Inkjets! : 25.2%

Blair.com:  8.55%

The opportunity to make cash while you shop is definitely there - you just have to take advantage of the click-through shopping made possible through Big Crumbs.

 The rules are simple:

You are paid one month in arrears through PayPal.

You must click thru Big Crumbs in order to get the cash back.

Being a Crumb Saver makes you more money upfront.  If you want to add referrals, Crumb Earning is for you!

Any discounts given to you by the retailer, like loyalty points or gift cards, may be excluded from Big Crumbs rewards!

I hope that you will think about joining Big Crumbs and coming back to tell me what you have made!  You can check out my stats as well!

Earning a little cash back while you shop

Do you shop online and have a PayPal account?  If you do, and you aren't saving money through a referral site, you are losing money!  I have been a member of BigCrumbs.com for quite some time.  The way it works is that I go to BigCrumbs.com, sign in, and shop through their site.  When I find a store I want to shop from, I click on the store through Big Crumbs and whatever I buy, I make commission on.  Advertisers pay Big Crumbs and Big Crumbs pays me.   If I shop from December 1st - 31st, I will receive a payment on February 15th in my PayPal account.  It's worked out pretty well for me. I've earned $104 so far this year.  Rosemary just joined and has already earned $20 cash back. I'm a CrumbEarner, which means that I earn less on my purchases, but can earn commission on what people buy when they sign up through me.  Rosemary is a Crumb Saver, so she earns more on her purchases!  Either way, its a nice income boost when you have to buy stuff for the holidays (and throughout the year) anyways.  If you'd like to sign up under me, please follow my link and click to sign up/join while you are on that page!

I took the time this morning to type out all of the websites that participate on Big Crumbs.  I'm sure you'll find something of interest there!  Some of the payouts are big too!  If you sign up as a Crumb Saver, because you shop more than you want to refer others, you will make more :)  I know that doesn't help me, but it will help you!

1-800 Contacts

1-800 Flowers.com

123 Inkets

4 Inkjets

6 PM.com

A&E

A1 Books

AccessoryGeeks.com

Adobe

Aeropostale

Aerosoles

Alienware

All-Battery.com

Altrec.com

Animal Den

Aperion Audio

Appetizerstogo.com

Apple Store

Ashford.com

AT&T Wireless

AutoAnything.com

AutoBarn.com

Avenue.com

Avon.com

Babies R Us

BabyCenterStore

Back To Basics Toys

Bagsbuy.com

BallardDesigns.com

Banana Republic

Bare Necessities

Barnes & Nobles

Bass Pro Shop

Beaches

Beauty.com

Bellacor

BestBuy.com

Biblio.com

Big Al's Online

BigDog.com

Birkenstock Central

Blair.com

Blockbuster Total Access

Bloomingdales

BlueFly

Boater's World

BooksAMillion.com

Borders.com

Botanic Choice.com

Bowflex.com

Brooks Brothers.com

Brookstone

Brylane Homes

Buckle.com

Buy.com

BuyCostumes.com

CallowayGolf.com

Calumet Photographic

Cell Phone Shop

Chadwicks

Charlotte Russe

Chefs Catalog

Child Craft

Chocolate Source

Christopher and Banks

CircuitCity.com

Clinique

Coastal Contacts

Coffee For Less

ComfortShoeShop.com

Compact Appliance

CompUSA.com

Computers4Sure

Cooking.com

Costume Craze

CostumeCity.com

Dale and Thomas Popcorn

Danskin

David's Cookies

dELiA's

Dell Home Systems

Designer Shoes.com

Diamond.com

Diapers.com

Dickies.com

Discovery Channel Store

Disney Shopping.com

DogToys.com

dotPhoto

Dr. Leonard's Healthcare

Drive America

Drugstore.com

e.l.f. Cosmetics

Eastbay

eBays

eBay

eCampus.com

EconomyTravel.com

EddieBauer.com

eDiets.com

eDressMe.com

eHarmony

endless.com

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Entertainment (coupon book)

EntirelyPets.com

Etnies.com

eToys.com

Expedia.com

Fandango

Figleaves.com

Fingerhut.com

Finish Line

Florist.com

Folica.com

FootSmart

Fossil

FrangranceNet.com

FrangranceX.com

Frank Bee Costume

Franklin Covey

Fredericks of Hollywood

FreshPair.com

FTD.com

Fujitsu

GameFly.com

Gap.com

Geeks.com

GiftBasket.com

Gift Certificates.com

GiftTree.com

GNC

GoCard USA

GoDaddy.com

GospelDirect.com

Half.com

Hammacher Schlemmer.com

Havaianas Sandals

HearthSong.com

Heals.com

Hickory Farms

Hilton Grand Vacations Co.

Holabird Sports

HomeDepot.com

Hotels.com

Hotwire

HP

HSN

Ice.com

Identity Direct

Identity Truth

Ink Smile.com

irvsLuggage.com

iTrain.com

iTunes.com

J and R

Jakes Dog House

James Avery

JC Whitney

Jessica London

Joann.com

Jockey.com

Jos. A Bank

Journeys

Journeys Kidz

Just Because Baskets

KBToys.com

Kmart.com

Kodak.com

Kodak Gallery

Kohls.com

LaneBryant.com

LeapsandBounds.com

Lego

Lenovo

Lens.com

Lensmart

LetsTalk.com

Lids.com

Lifelock

Lillian Vernon

Limited Too

Limoges Jewelry

Linens-n-Things

Little Earth

LogoYes.com

Lonely Planet Travel Guides

MacConnnections

MacMall (Apple Retailer)

Macys.com

Magazines.com

Masseys.com

MaxStudio.com

Metrostyle.com

Mikasa

Motherhood

Music123

Musicians Hut

Mwave.com

MyWeddingFavors.com

Nero Software

New York & Company

NewEgg.com

New Egg Mall

Nickolodeon Shop

Nirvana.com

NothingButSoftware.com

OfficeDepot

Office Max

Old Navy

Omaha Steaks

One Stop Plus

Oneida Flatware

OneShare.com

OneStepAhead.com

Orbitz.com

Oriental Trading Company

Orvis

Overstock.com

Pacsun.com

PajamaGram

Paragon Sprots

Paul Fredrick MenStyle

PC Connections

PC Tools

PC Universe

PC Rush

PeaPod

Peet's Coffee and Tea

Perfect Match.com

PersonalizationMall.com

PetCareRx.com

Petco.com

Petite Sophisticate

Petsmart.com

Pfaltzgraff.com

Piperlime

PlanetShoes.com

Plow & Hearth

PopCap Games

Potpourri Group

Priceline.com

Princeton Watches

ProBoards Shop

QuickBooks

Quicken

Quill

Rail Europe

RazorGator

RedOctane.com

REI

Relax The Back

Restaurant.com

Ritz Camera

Roaman's

Ross-Simons

Roxio

Rugman.com

Safeway.com

Saks Fifth Avenue

Sandals

Sears.com

Second Act

Sephora

SharperImage.com

ShiekhShoes.com

ShindigZ

Shoebuy.com

ShoeMall.com

Shoes.com

Shopbop.com

Shop.com

Shoplet.com

ShopNBC.com

Shutterfly.com

Silhouettes.com

SitterCity.com

Skechers.com

SmartBargains.com

Snapfish.com

SoftSurroundings.com

Sony.com

Southwest Vacations

Spencer's Gifts

Ssense.com

Staples.com

Steve Madden

StubHub.com

StylinOnline.com

Symantec

T-Mobile.com

Target.com

Tech Depot

Teleflora

The Golf Warehouse.com

The Home Marketplace

The House

The Land of Nod

The Popcorn Factory

The Walking Company

ThinkGeek.com

Tick.com

TicketsNow.com

TigerDirect.com

Timberland

TomTom

Toys R Us

TracFone

Travelocity

Ulta.com

UnbeatableSale.com

UncommonGoods.com

Uniform City

Unique Home Store

USOutdoor.com

Verizon.com

VisionDirect.com

VistaPrint.com

VitaminShoppe

VitaPals.com

Vons.com

Walmart.com

Watchzone.com

Web.com

Weight Watchers

Wet Seal

WhiteSmoke.com

Wine Enthusiast.com

Wine.com

Woman Within

Woolrich.com

WuWearShoes.com

YahooGames.com

Yahoo! Merchant Solutions

Yahoo! Personals

Yahoo! Search Marketing

Yahoo! Web Hosting

Yoga Accessories.com

Yoox.com

Zappos.com

zChocolat.com

Zinios Digital Magazines

If you don't want to join Big Crumbs, you can still shop through my link and help me out at the same time :)

Thick as Thieves

Integrity?  Does anyone have any left in their bones?  When I left my job, I left it with good cause (medical reasons) and now my employer is fighting me for unemployment.  Why?  Because at the time, they, the police department, didn't like that I was about to uncover some really nasty stuff - I was breaking the thin blue line of silence.  They are making my life a living hell - or at least, they are trying to do so.  I can't really say much about the case except that it really pisses me off that they are doing this and that they think that they can get away with it.  I'm not an idiot, I save emails.  I saved every shred of documentation that I have and I was smart enough to do it from my personal email to the department email account so that I would have it forever!  But now they are making my life a living hell.  It's not bad enough that I'm sick as a dog - nope - that isn't bad enough.  They are thick as thieves and they are covering their own butts and couldn't care less about me. 

And then there is the hurt.  The pain that comes along with knowing that the people you trusted, the people that you thought would do the right thing are just vile, untrustworthy, low pond scum.  The people that smiled in your face every day were plotting behind your back to make sure that they didn't get in any trouble. I have nightmares not about what they will do to me, but about the pain that this betrayal has caused.  They were supposed to be my "family".  I have a degree in criminal justice and I have always been wary of police misconduct - which is why it didn't surprise me when I found myself smack-dab in the middle of a situation where I had to report it.  But, God - is it ever hard to get anyone to look at it!  Going back to the wall that I was beating my head up against before I started this entry!

While unemployed...

I had just read a short question by another author about what to do with unemployed relatives, so I thought I'd give some perspective about being unemployed by someone who has been unemployed more than I would like.  I was unemployed from July 2009 - November 2011 due to a lay off.  Then, due to my illness, I became unemployed again in May 2011. 

1.  Do not lay in bed all day.  Very bad idea!  If you are able to get out of bed - even for a little bit each day - do it!  If you think you cannot get out of bed due to depression (which is completely understandable - go see a doctor and get on a medication for depression.)  Staying in bed will only make you feel powerless and lower your self-esteem.

2.  Do not treat unemployment as a vacation.  Okay, it's alright to relax the first week.  Losing your job can be very traumatic and you need time to unravel what happened in your brain.  But after that, it's not a vacation.  You'll probably find that in the first week of unemployment, you are still waking up at the same time you did for work - stick with that.  Don't start sleeping in all day. 

3.  Do start networking immediately.  You had friends while you were employed.  Let them know that you are currently unemployed.  Reach out to them.  Let them know that you are currently looking for a job.  See if they have any contacts.  Also, sign up for all of the big work sites.  You should be spending at least 2 hours a day doing this. Looking for a job is your new job!

4. Do make a list of your strengths and update your resume'. 

5. Do spend at least 10 hours a day doing something productive.  Maybe that is cleaning the house, maybe that is volunteering (great for networking and getting new contacts and references), maybe that is reading a new book and writing a review on a blog, learning a new language, tutoring a child, babysitting for someone.  The goal here is to not get out of the pattern of being busy all day! 

6. Do give yourself time to relax on the weekend or whatever your "old weekend" was.  If your old days off were in the middle of the week, take them off then.  Whatever job you plan to go into next, just live your life accordingly so that you won't be in shock when you go into your next job.  You aren't in jail- you still get a weekend :)  Just make sure that you are ony taking a weekend.  Spend that time with family and friends.  Do things that don't cost a lot of money - or any money at all. 

7. Do journal your feelings and keep a blog if possible.  Reaching out to others and throwing your ideas and feelings and expressions up against the wall will give you feedback from countless people that you never knew were even out there! 

I hope that these little tidbits from the chronically unemployed will help!

Courage

.... is being scared to death and being the only one who knows it. 

Can YOU lend me a hand?

Hmmm...in the world of blogging..it can go anywhere...but nowhere at all.  In my world, it has gone to hell and back.  In 2009, I finished my Masters degree - most of you who followed me back then knew that.  I was then laid off from my very good job.  Then, I picked up a contracting job.  Then, I was laid off from THAT job.  Then, I was off from work for 15 months.  I then took a job with the police department - Yeah!  Right...not!  I was there for less than a year and then I had a dental surgery.  The dentist was a real screw up and left two roots in my mouth for over two months and I developed serious infections.  I went from being live, vibrant, healthy, and all of that good stuff, to being a dishrag.  The ambulance was being called to my house everyday and when I was strong enough to go back to work, I was on duty one day when the wind was just knocked right out of me.  At the emergency room, I was immediately admitted to the hospital and given all kinds of invasive tests.  They found out that I had full blown candida from all of the infection fighting drugs. 

Fast forward another week, they finally found the roots in my mouth - but the damage was already done.  My system was just done for.  I was no longer a healthy 33 year old.  My system was pissed off.  I had developed an autoimmune disease called Lupus.  I had to resign from my job and go on COBRA.  I am now on the brink of disaster. 

So, in brief, I am coming back to all of the blogging communities that i know asking for support in any way possible.  I have plenty of time to blog now (when Im not a the doctors - which is often) to ask for any support that I can get.  I am asking for financial support and for people to pass on my information to their friends and family.  I have a paypal account set up at:

wendy.onsted@gmail.com

My test results can be sent to anyone who thinks that I am scamming them and I'll be happy to scan them, photo them, copy them, fax them, whatever.  I don't play games - I need help desperatately and as the month comes to a close and the COBRA bill and other bills come due, I need the help more than ever.  If you can help out, I'd really appreciate it!

Love,

Wendy

He held my heart in his hands

Ah!  Nothing ever works as planned - but sometimes that is a very good thing!

Over the weekend, we had family in town.  My nephew, Anthony, was in my car on Sunday and his fleece-lined hooded coat was left in the backseat.  It was pretty chilly on Monday and Tuesday but he made due with his other jacket.  Today, it was very cold and the sleet and snow came down for a few hours.

At 11 AM, I stopped by daycare to swap out the coats.  The kids were jut sitting down to lunch.  Anthony shared his hot-dog, mac & cheese, and I fed his applesauce and pudding to him.  I really needed to get on with my day but he didn't want me to leave.  Anthony is already attached to me at the hip - but pulling him out of an entire day of paid daycare is not on my agenda any day of the week. 

Try as I may, everytime I tried to leave, he got upset and started to cry.  I promised him a Diego shaped cookie, promised to take him for a toy, tried everything - nothing worked.  Then, in that brilliant moment of aunt-hood, an idea hit me.  In my tote-sized purse, I have a 3M Sticky Note pad that has note pages shaped like hearts.  I pulled one out and asked him to hold it for me until I got back.  He seemed to like that, so I piled 3 more on for him.  He was thrilled!  I blew him a few kisses, he caught them, and I left. 

When I showed up at 3 PM, the kids were just waking up for their naps.  I quietly tip-toed into the still darkened room and there was my Anthony sitting up on his mat - looking right at me.  In his reached out hand were all 4 heart shaped sticky-notes.  He told me that they had gone to bed with him.

The classroom teacher told me that Anthony had cried himself to sleep after I had left him.  Yet, despite all of that, Anthony did not lose one little sticky note.  That means more to me than anyone will ever know.

100% of the time, Anthony has me wrapped around his finger.  But today he held my heart in his hands. 

My kinda pet-sitting!

When my sister called last month to ask a favor of me, I gladly agreed to help her out.  Since times are tough, she needed someone to watch the dog, Biscuit and the cat, Danny Boy while she and her hubby took my nephew to see his grandparents in South Carolina for Christmas. 

I was glad to do it because she's my sister and I do love her.  I also don't want her spending a fortune on a kennel right now.  That was - until I found out that she was diagnosed with Pink Eye 24 hours before leaving on her trip.  The doc gave her medicine and she was determined to go - so I was still on for the petsitting venture! 

On Christmas Eve, I hit the door at her house running. My mom had stopped by the house beforehand and sprayed the mud-room door (entry to the house) and the other common doors.  Armed in thick dish-washing gloves and Lysol Wipes, I wiped everything a human being would touch.  Then, with the gloves still on, I systematically began to wash everything in the house that wasn't in a closet or dresser drawer.  In between the clothes washing, I wiped down all of the hard surfaces that I missed before, saturated the air with Lysol spray and cleaned the bathroom.     

Amidst all of this hustle and bustle, I had to take care of the dog and cat.  So, I decided, "House rules be damned - they are doing whatever they want as long as they live!".  In allowing that, Both animals decided to jump up on the beds that they are not allowed up on and relax for a bit.  Danny Boy who is hardly ever in the house slept on the master bedroom bed for almost the entire 3 days.  Danny even got to pee on the kitchen floor (the reason he isn't allowed in the main house in the first place) without being yelled at.  Biscuit got a double-cheeseburger on Christmas Eve, Salisbury steak on Christmas morning (I was too lazy to make a real breakfast), and meatloaf on Christmas night!   Quite frankly, when my family comes back from South Carolina, I'm not sure who will have had a better vacation - them or their pets! 

Entertaining Angels Unaware

Living in the Washington D.C. area, I am ever-reminded of how dangerous the world can be.  Every contact that I have with another human being has a pretty good chance of ending up negatively.  I am constantly torn between doing good for others and walking away because of the fear of the unknown.

Tonight, after working a long day, I discovered that I had no canned cat food in the house.  That meant only one thing - a quick trip to Walmart.  As I walked out the front door, there was a black Monte Carlo sitting across the street with some pretty well known drug dealers inside.  Walking to my car in the dark makes me nervous enough - doing it with drug dealers less than 20 feet away really makes me nervous.  They had been there since I got home from work at 6 PM.  I took my time at Walmart hoping that they would just leave and be gone by the time I got home. 

As I stepped out the door of Walmart, a middle aged heavy set woman approached me and asked me if I would be passing the hospital on my way home.  I asked her if she needed to go to the hospital and she said that she worked there and needed a ride.  I told her that it wasn't on my way home, but that I would be glad to take her to work.  I introduced myself to her and she told me her name was Valerie. 

Valerie said she catches rides to and from work every day. The bus on weekdays when it runs, and friends and strangers on the weekends when the bus isn't running.  It must be just as scary for her to ask for a ride from a stranger as it is for a stranger to give her a ride.

As I let this perfect stranger, Valerie, into my car, the thought crossed my mind, "Please God, don't let me die trying to help someone".  This thought has crossed my mind a few times as I have taken people where they need to go.  Valerie, by far, has been one of the safer bets of people that I have given a ride, but she was no less of a risk than any other passenger.  As we rode along, she told me that she had been standing outside of Walmart for almost an hour asking people for a ride and everyone said they weren't going that way.  The hospital is only 5 minutes from me and our local Walmart is the only Walmart within 12 miles in one direction and 17 miles in the other direction. Of course somebody was going that way, they just didn't want to and weren't going to take the chance with Valerie.

I can't say that I blame anyone for not wanting to take Valerie to work.  The world is a very scary place and even middle-aged heavy set women can be predators.  I try to practice caution and have quite a bit of street-smart, but in the end, it is all absolutely 100% in God's hands.  My great-grandmother Emma used to say, "You won't hang if you weren't meant to drown", and I guess I believe that.  God allows me to have a job, a place to live, money, and a car if I don't believe that I would be put into a bad situation unless that is what He wanted to happen to me.  If God wanted me to hang tonight (or get shot, stabbed, mugged, carjacked..etc...), it was going to happen whether I tried to help Valerie or not. 

Five minutes after dropping Valerie off, I pulled up infront of my house and looked ot my left.  The occupied black Monte Carlo that had been there since 6 PM (over 4 hours at this point) was gone.  Maybe Valerie was my angel and I was "entertaining her" for a sum total of 10 extra minutes in order to give our neighborhood drug dealers time to leave.

This story leaves me with some many lessons - take from it what you will :)

What we can learn from O.J.

O.J. got sentenced to up to 33 years in jail and Kato Kaelin calls the Las Vegas incident a "Karma Trial".  Judge Jackie Glass, in her sentencing, made it clear that O.J. and his co-defendent C.J. Stewart were only being sentenced based on the incidents that occured at the Palace Station Hotel in 2007.  Perhaps O.J. was only being sentenced for his role in the armed robbery and kidnapping that took place in the Palace Station Hotel, but Karma was sentencing O.J. for so much more!

Karma started sentencing O.J. right after he was acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.  Karma tried to reckon with O.J. through the civil trial in which a judgement of $42,000,000 was levied against him.  O.J. didn't pay through a criminal trial and he evaded his responsibilities in the civil trial.  Karma tried to catch with O.J. in calls to police for home disturbances and domestic cases and also in a road rage incident.  Through all of this, O.J. stayed one step ahead of Karma. 

At no point was O.J. willing to accept the fact that he can't always run away from responsibility and that at some point, everyone has to pay the piper.   Had O.J. "manned-up" back when the civil judgement was levied against him, he would have been far too humble to attempt the Palace Station Hotel robbery.  Had he humbled himself during the road rage case, again, he would have been too humble to attempt the roberry.  Karma has been chasing O.J. for 13 years, trying to catch up with him and bring him back down to the planet Earth with the rest of us.  Unfortunately, O.J. never paid attention to Karma.  Even after his initial arrest in Las Vegas, he slammed Karma's head up against the pavement by offering shady bail documents. 

In the end, O.J. found himself railing against reality for the last time and Judge Jackie Glass wasn't trying to hear any of it.

The moral of the lesson is this:  When you know Karma has it in for you, just face-up, fess-up, get it out of the way and move on with life.

Anthony's Aunt's Great Recommendation!

For the parents of young children out there - I'd like to recommend Crayola BathTime Color Dotz.  These little tablets turn the bath water brilliant colors!  My nephew just loves them!  All of the colors come out so vivid (2 works better than 1) and children get fascinated by them! P.S. You can mix colors to make other colors.  We mix blue and red to make purple. 

I get them at Walmart, but you can buy them directly off of Crayola for about $.90 more (plus shipping).

Good Books

For those of you who love reading and have not read "Escape" by Carolyn Jessop, I'd recommend it as an A++ read!

Carolyn was born into a polygamist family and at the age of 18, was married off to Merrill Jessop, a man who already had 3 wives.  She was absolutely miserable in the marriage and she and her children were subject to abuse by Merrill and the other wives.  For many years, Carolyn survived only on her ability to keep her husband happy in bed and have his children.  She ended up with 8 children!  Her last two children, Harrison and Bryson were special challenges.  Harrison developed a brain tumor and was very difficult to deal with on a day-to-day basis and was left permanently disabled after surgery to remove the tumor.  While she was dealing with all of Harrison's problems (with no help from her sister-wives), Bryson was born prematurely. 

Despite all of her struggles, Carolyn still did everything that she could to maintain her individuality.  She received a teaching degree, ran a hotel, and reared her children and those of her sister-wives.

Carolyn is an inspiration to me because she shows that no matter what happens in your life, whether you choose for it to happen or not, you can rise above it.  Carolyn had nothing and nobody on her side and she still managed to rise above the difficulties that would throw the rest of us into a state of permanent shock. 

************************************************

Another good read is Anderson Coopers "Dispatches from the Edge".  Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, the son of Gloria Vanderbuilt, he really didn't have to go out and maintain a living for himself.  Anderson wilfully places himself in harm's way to bring the news to us in raw, unedited format.  This book will make you cry and still want to turn the next page.

Remembering 9/11

I wasn't here when they landed on the moon, I wasn't here when JFK or Martin Luther King, Jr were assassinated, but I was here for 9/11. 

On that Tuesday morning, I was passing a television at work when I heard that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. I thought that it was a little Cesna hitting the top of the towers - a complete accident or freak event.  I didn't think much about it, but said to my co-workers as I went back into a meeting, "A plane just hit the World Trade Center". 

It was only a few minutes later when the news came out that we were under attack.  I remember parents running to their cars at break-neck speed to go pick up their children.  The entire office was empty and quiet.  Out of the few people left at work, I was one of the only ones who had cell signal.  I let my co-workers call home to see if their family members were okay.  I left my phone with them, went into the bathroom, threw up, and tried to pull myself together. 

Everyone's priorities had changed.  Nobody cared about what was going on at work.  We had been forever changed by the events of that day.

My heart goes out to the victims of 9/11.  They share a pain in history unlike any that those in my generation will ever know.

Political Blogging

Political Blogging for 2008.

Rosemary's Blog

Visit my friend Rosemary's blog.  She's a great writer and a wonderful finance professor to boot! 

I hope he gets mauled!

I don't know where to put the anger this morning.

On my way to my car this morning, I saw a dog running behind his owner.  He wasn't running away from him, just playfully running behind him.  The dog ran up to the owner and instead of the owner jut putting the leather leash on him, he started beating him with it, all around his head and his face.  The dog was cowering beside a fence, not fighting the guy to put the leash on or anything.  I shouted "HEY!" and the guy sneared at me, "Don't worry about it". 

I may have stopped the beating this time, but I don't know where the guy lives and I don't live in a neighborhood where a white face looking for a dog belonging to a black guy wouldn't go unnoticed.  I am so angry right now that I don't know what to do.  My sister called me to talk to my nephew, Anthony, and the anger was still raging so badly inside of me that I couldn't even enjoy Anthony.

I hope one of the following things happens:

1.  The dog runs away and gets picked up by someone who will care for it.

2.  The dog mauls the owner to death and then runs away.

3.  Someone who knows where this jack-off lives reports him, has him arrested, and gets the dog taken away from him.

Most of all, I wish the dog would maul him to shreds.  I would be more than happy to record it and show it on YouTube!

Do I feel better after writing this?  YES YES and YES!

My Kiva Page

Please visit my Kiva Page to see the wonderful entreprenuers around the world who are working hard to secure a future for many generations to come!

Please donate liberally to Kiva or to me for my college loan pay offs...I believe in a giving circle and try to practice it myself!

Never forget that...

Even the guy who wins the rat race is still a rat. 

20% off One Item at Bed, Bath & Beyond

Click here to sign up for your coupon!

Universal Cell Phone Adapters

Ever opened up that one drawer in your house where you keep all of the old cell phones and cell phone charges and just had the chargers get spewed out at you?  Well - that is about to come to an end!  In 2012, most major cell phone manufacturers will use a universal USB based cell phone charger! 

I for one am very excited about this.  Despite the fact that I have gained popularity by being the girl who had "just that right" charger for your phone, I am looking forward to this change!   I can't wait to minimize my cell phone accessory pile!

In addition to the added benefits for the consumer, it will also make getting parts to manufacture the chargers much easier as many companies can pull from one supplier!

Hurray for technology and hurray for the universal cell phone adapter!

A kibble in the box is worth two in the bowl...

What's your favorite pet nuance?

Mine is when Storm watches me fill the cat food container.  He loves to watch the food come out of the bag and into the container.  For some reason, food directly from the bag is way cooler than the same food in the bowl.  Whenever I fill the container, I leave it open for him for a few minutes so that he can eat the food directly from the container. 

What's your fav. pet nuance?

My Presents from Rosemary!

I want to take a quick moment to say thanks to my dear friend  and surrogate mother - Rosemary!  I stopped by the house on Christmas and found a beautiful package from PajamaGram waiting for me.  She also sent me an iTunes gift card.  Neither of these gifts will go to waste on this girl and the cats love the PajamaGram box!

Thank you so much, Rosemary!!!!

Pet me not oh gentle human?

I have been considering taking my cat, Tornado to nursing home facilities to become a Therapy Cat.  What this entails is going to nursing homes and visiting with the residents and allowing them to touch the cat.  Most people see dogs as Therapy Pets, but our Humane Society's newsletter was begging for cats - so I thought I'd try! 

I brought Tornado in for her "evalution" today at the shelter.  On the way to the shelter, she got scared and pooped in her Sherpa carrier.  That was not a pleasant surprise to my nostrils, but I understood her fear, cleaned everything up, and kept going.  When I got her to the shelter, they were extremely busy and we had to wait about 30 minutes.  I didn't mind the wait, but Tornado didn't seem to like this.  Tornado was adopted from this shelter and although its been 3 years, she may have remembered the sights, smells, and sounds of the place where she was cooped up for a very long time.

When they called us back to the staff room for the evaluation, Tornado was all about exploring.  She sniffed every inch of that room and when she encountered the "Resident Cats" in their cages, she didn't growl or hiss, but calmly backed away.  She did so in the same way that you or I would back away from a Cobra or how we are supposed to act when sinking in quicksand.  Needless to say, she was in her element.  When the evaluators came in, they loved her - their only complaint was that she isn't a lap cat.  They did note, that even when they held her, she did not hiss, growl, or attempt to use her claws to get away from them.  She was not aggressive at all.  They simply kept coming back to the "She's not a lapcat" argument.  The evaluator told me that I could try the program anyways and see how I felt about it.

When I got in the car, I called the program director who did not agree with the evaluation.  She told me that the nursing home residents don't really want to hold cats, simply want to pet cats as they are being held by their owners.  Now, that, I think is a semi-easy thing for Tornado to do.  Tornado is very friendly and has never stopped anyone from trying to pet her or retreated from a new environment.  The director still wants me to bring Tornado in for a "Real-Time" Interaction session with the residents.  I again explained to her that Tornado is very friendly - but high energy.  The director seemed desperate to at least try one more time.

I respect the results of the evaluation, but also agree with the director.  I want to be comfortable, Tornado to be comfortable, and the residents to be comfortable.  I believe that can be easily facilitated.  I want to do good for the residents, but at the same time, I can't expect my poor, overspoiled, and domesticated cat to just start marching to the beat of a different drum.

On the way home, Tornado fell fast asleep in her carrier.  She was sleeping so soundly that I had to check to make sure she was alive.  She is now sitting beside me on a step-stool and she must be thinking, "I can't believe what we did today" or "I am so proud of me, look at me!" or "I'm glad that we had a chance to bond, mom".  For a cat that rarely sits right beside me, something makes me feel like it is the second and third choice.

If Tornado doesn't end up being a good match for the Pet Therapy program, it won't make me feel any different about her.   Good dogs for this program are hard to find and cats are harder to weed out than the dogs.  We'll just have to take it one day at a time!

Where have I "bean"?

Haven't heard a heck of a lot from me lately?  That's because I am half-way through my semester and it is KILLING ME!  I just turned in my midterms and now things are going really fast!  So, just hang in there, I'll have little bits here and there :)

A timely quote

Be very very careful what you put into that head, because you will never ever get it out.

Thomas Cardinal Wolsey (1471-1530)

Despite the fact that Wolsey made this statement almost 5 centuries ago, it still remains the same today.  Look at how we argue back and forth about politics.  Each little thing we say was planted as a seed by someone else and we logically processed it until it can never leave our minds and most likely will never be dismissed.