Wishing you a Merry Christmas

To all who follow this intermittent blog or “like” me on Facebook or are fellow Twits, Twitterers, or whatever: Have a blessed Merry Christmas and a Bright Shiny New Year!

Lower that grocery bill!

Got a Simon & Schuster email in today with the latest from Crystal Paine called The Money Saving Mom’s Budget. Granted, I’m not the Mom, but I like to take an active step towards cutting the fat from the budget and if I can do that without coupons then so much the better. That’s what this book promises. Cutting the grocery bill without having to clip coupons.
The book doesn’t release until January 10, 2012, but you can get a sneak preview HERE. In addition, you get access to some really cool worksheets that are totally free!
Short of coupons, what’s your biggest bill cutter at the grocery store?
(Photo courtesy of Ambro)

Black Friday! Is it worth it?!?!

Roy A. Barnes over at Yahoo! commented that Black Friday hysteria has gone too far. Well, if you watch the videos of people moshing to get a two dollar waffle iron or hear of pepper-spraying mother of three, then yeah, it's a little crazy. No, it's more than crazy, it's bat-poop nuts! Watching the video was akin to watching parents gone wild at a child's sporting event. Adults taking on adults in a steel cage match that not even the WWE would touch. Wait, a minute. I might have to fact check that one.



In a time when we hear that the economy is down and not likely to recover soon and unemployment is holding steady around nine percent, we have people camping for days to purchase something that will just be cheaper in a few months and you won't have to beat someone over the head with a skillet to get it. Photos of people in tents furnished with couches and big screen TVs with gaming consoles attached. My first question is why aren't you working? Oh, wait. Unemployed. Okay, but if you're unemployed why are you looking at purchasing something so expensive? Yes, even with a hundred dollars knocked off, an HDTV is still expensive.


Why is there so much emphasis on spending? Are we that shallow as a society? Don't get me wrong. I have a lot of cool tech gadgets and I have an addiction called "reading," but you don't see me set up in front of Best Buy a week before the show or even getting up at four a.m. If I want it bad enough, it will eventually go on sale after the first of the year.

Barnes actually lays some of the blame on the stores and rightly so. But, when you are owned by stock holders who want a little something in there Christmas stocking then you know that you better be out there selling the goods. Stores know that they can make a pretty penny because they've got a line a mile long around the building to prove it. If the consumer changes their habits then the stores will, but that will never happen.

Ooh, look! Another gadget that's exactly like the last one, but this one's purple and plays Janis Joplin's 'Mercedes Benz'! Shiny!

Asking for a little help

You probably haven’t heard but over the last few months my wife has been dealing with some medical issues. They had to remove a category 4 brain tumor from her left temporal lobe and the surgery was a success. Chemo was started during surgery and through the work of many doctors and some new wonder drugs, my wife is going through radiation treatment five days a week and daily oral chemo, but is in good spirits and great shape and dealing with it day by day.


While visiting the chemo office, I noticed a sign for Fink’s Fighters. Dr. Fink is the doctor who is supervising my wife’s chemo treatments and she has a team set up for the Dallas-Ft. Worth Brain Tumor Walk on November 6, 2010. I’ve decided to do the walk and am asking everyone I know to help out in any way they can. On my page you can see how much I’ve raised so far and also gives info on how to help out. Anything is appreciated, be it time, money (no matter how little) or just thoughts and prayers.

You never know how much it really means until something bad happens to one you love. Again, all I’m asking is a little help to try and raise awareness for this cause. Even if you can’t donate time or money, at least send this to someone who might be able to do the same.
Thank you.

Lilly visit the Great Grandparents

Arrived home Thursday night at 11pm after a 17 hour trip from the northeast corner of Georgia. It wouldn’t have taken so long if not for the 30 minute feedings every 3 hours or the Texas State Trooper who pulled me over for doing 5 miles over the speed limit. From amongst a small group of cars doing the same. Neither in front of or last in line. Anyway.

I got off work last Saturday at 3pm and came home to load up the car and take off. I like to get on the road as soon as possible and we had already talked about stopping halfway to get a hotel room.  We would have found relatives to stay with, but didn’t know if we would be able to afford the trip in the first place, so I felt it would be rude to impose on family at such a late date. We did stop in Louisiana to see my brother, Jeremy, and his kids and I got my Johnny’s fix while I was there. We got a hotel room in Vicksburg for the night around 11pm. Had all intentions of getting up around 6am and heading out, but “Deathrace” with my boy, Jason Statham, was on and I hadn’t seen it yet. Asleep at 3am so we moved the launch time to 9am.

Once on the road, we made good time. Some work had been done on the road leading to the house up on the mountain and so we had to call Mammaw and get specifics. Every time she picked up the phone the signal would drop so we backed up the road to the top of the ridge and finally got through. Found out that we were headed the right way, just didn’t go far enough. Things look different in the woods after dark.

While we were there, we got to visit with my cousin Chris who was in from Kentucky and my Uncle Mitchell came up several times and talked. Aunt Bernadette popped in shortly and we visited what little we could, but she was working long hours.  Grandaddy seemed to be doing really well while we were there. Only a few times did he seem to not remember somebody or forget something else, and he liked to play with Lilly when she was awake.

It’s been four years since our last visit and I hope that we get to visit sooner than that, now that Lilly is here. I want my grandparents to see her as much as possible, but we may have to resort to technology to help out in that department.

Imelda May

Saw her with Jeff Beck on the Grammys and just had to look her up. Oh boy, look what I found! This girl rocks!

The Known Universe

Thanks to AstroPixie who posted this on her blog. She leads a very exciting life as an astronomer (I envy her) at Nottingham University in the UK.

Things have changed . . . forever

Just a quick blurb for everyone. Most of you knew that Carroll and I were expecting a baby sometime in the near future. How little did we know that the near future was this morning.

Due to certain events, we had planned on delivering a baby by c-section somewhere around January 19th. Baby had other plans. Thursday, Carroll and I did our thing earlier in the day. I took her book shopping and then to lunch and a movie and I think that may have stirred the kid up. We rang in the new year at midnight and were asleep around 1:30, but about an hour later Carroll yells from the bathroom that something is wrong. Without going into details, let’s just say that there was some bleeding that with her placenta previa was bound to eventually occur and in the amounts of blood there wasn’t supposed to be a lot of worry. As it seemed to diminish, we just decided to call in the morning.

As I prepared for work, Carroll was on the phone with the doctor and the doctor asked her to come on in for a look-see. We checked in at 10:30am and after some exams and blood work it was decided that Carroll would probably stay until the 19th. Then as more lab results came in, the doctor found that Carroll had indications of possible preeclampsia which is pregnancy-induced hypertension which can affect both mother and child. Not wanting to push things, the doctor ordered more blood work and said that with bad results the birth would take place that evening or with stable or good results we would do it Sunday.

Again, baby had other plans. Around 5:30 or 6pm Carroll started having contractions. And I mean bad ones. She went through about 4 hours of it before the doctor said that they may just do it a little after midnight. Carroll decided that I should go check on the cat and get something to eat since I hadn’t eaten since about noon. When I got back around midnight, plans had changed again to just let her ride it out on morphine until the morning and see then.

With the morning light, they had decided that the baby would be delivered a little after 10am. Dressed in my finest scrubs (I looked like a big blue sausage), they had me wait in a little room while they prepped Carroll. Earlier, I got to watch them put the epidural in but not up close. Thank goodness for that one. For those that don’t know, I don’t handle needles too well. Into the delivery room and not 20 minutes later, unto Carroll and I was born a screaming baby girl. At a not-too-shabby-for-being-6-weeks-premature 5 lbs and 3.4 oz, Lillian Josephine Pickering let loose. I got to hold her right away and mommy got to giver her a kiss before I escorted her and the nurse to the warmer.

She’s breathing well on her own, has already taken a bottle since Carroll can’t breast feed right away, and again has exercised her voice several times, though she was fast asleep the last time I saw her. Mommy is resting up also, and will probably be in the hospital for about 3 or 4 more days. Baby will probably be there for at least another 2 or 3 weeks, until they deem her to be able to perform as a baby should on her own.

Thank you for your prayers and well-wishes and look for more pictures and stories to come in the years ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

Civility ends at the driveway

Forgetting that school is out and adults are probably still on vacation, my lovely pregnant wife and I ventured out into the snow to get groceries. Yes, my wife should have stayed at home, but she feels that a grocery list is not enough to keep me on the straight and narrow and plus, she’s getting a little cabin fever and I just don’t like sleeping with Jack Nicholson, if you get my drift.

So, we make the drive up to Highland Village where the Wal-mart is never crowded and people are a might bit friendlier.

Boy! Was that a mistake!

I can rant all day about drivers. I’ve often thought of putting a video camera in my truck to document the idiocy of the roadways, but then, everyone has heard them all. But today, it just seemed to be worse.

For starters, we pulled into our favorites little food place and it looked like the Keystone Cops had invaded the parking lot. Almost got run over by two people on cell phones, vying for the same spot. Then, after making my second lap, had to pull into a spot at an odd angle and before I had time to correct, I had an SUV up my behind blaring on the horn because I wasn’t moving fast enough.

Parking lot wasn’t the worst of it. Take those same drivers, put them on their cell phones and let them loose in a giant box store with metal carts. You don’t have the protection of a car frame here! And the added insult is that there are no words uttered. No “excuse me”, “pardon me”, “coming around on your right”, or even “Hey! Get the hell out of the way!” I could’ve handled that last one, at least they acknowledged me.

I have to constantly tell myself, “They are not bad people. They are just not paying attention.” It’s become a mantra with me. It’s also a real shame that I even have to do that. The more society expands and the closer we live with each other the more we ignore the other person. No consideration, no “thank you”, and no acknowledgement when I extend courtesies to them. At the retail job where I work, I find it rude to greet someone and only get a grunt in return. How hard is your life that you can’t afford me a simple hello?

So, there’s my rant! I feel better. Thanks for letting me share. How do you cope? Or, are you one of THOSE people, and if so, why?

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas and moving toward a most Happy New Year!

Long time no post

Yes, I’ve been busy.  In fact, the last post came about two days before I started my current job working at Borders Books.  I love it! Plus, we have a baby on the way!  The wife is going thru some complications but nothing that has really jeopardized anything, just made it a little tense here and there.  I am going to attempt to post more often on this as well as keep up the work that I do on “A Galaxy Called Dallas”.

Here are some photos from the last sonogram and as soon as I can get it converted, I’ll upload video.

Thomas Payne – We The People

Bob Basso is the gentleman here dressed as Thomas Payne. In the first video, he gives an impassioned speech about taking back our government and the second American Revolution. Not everything he says is totally accurate but he puts up a great argument. Now, the controversy around this video is not the video itself, but a hoax that was started (not by him). Supposedly, President Obama invited Mr. Basso to the White House to discuss the troubling rhetoric but was forbidden to speak to anyone about this meeting. The second video is Mr. Basso, again as Payne, refuting the rumor but giving another fiery speech as to what he would tell President Obama. Mr. Basso is a motivational speaker and very good at what he does, but again I do urge you to research the points that he makes in the first video so as to have the full picture. Over all, a very good rally cry!

Bubbles in Times Square

Not necessarily a flash mob, but a great video of a bubble mob. Astro Pixie posted this on her site. She always has really cool videos and photos. Did I ever mention that she’s a real professional astronomer?

The Spending Habits of the Average American

 

J.D. over at “Get Rich Slowly” found this visual piece of information that details where the average American spends his/her money. I always find it interesting to see how we compare to the average and how we do not. As J.D. points out, this counts the average family as 2.5 people with 1.9 vehicles and only 1.3 wage earners. My wife and I almost fit this. We have a baby on the way, though we really haven’t started spending for it, we have 2 cars, though one has been paid off for 3 years now, and my wife is the only wage earner, though I pick up the odd job here and there. J.D. also points out that in the picture, the average person spends $118 on books and over $1100 on clothes and yet his are reversed. So are ours. We spend close to $600 or 700 on books and $500 to 600 on clothes (60% to 75% of that being my wife’s). How do you fit the picture? Where are you average and where are you unique?

Things you can do with your Google

Lifehacker - Top 10 Obscure Google Search Tricks - Feature

Where have you been all my movie-going life?

When I first saw this website, I couldn't believe my eyes. The site is RunPee.com and it is
a helpful tool for movie-goers. Find a movie that you will be seeing and the site will tell you
the most opportune times to visit the loo and about you have before something interesting
starts happening again. If your so inclined, The section that tells you how long you have
also holds a synopsis of what's happening during that time that you're away.  Don't worry,
that section is scrambled so that you won't see any spoilers if you don't want. Just click
the unscramble button and all will be revealed. I remember reading somewhere that they
will also tell you if there is anything after the credits worth watching, but I have found anything
to support that mention yet. There is even an iPhone app so that if you forget to check the
movie beforehand, you won't be stranded.

Don't know how many of you fly out there, but if I was a flyer, I would think that
this would come in real handy. Print it out and take it with you and never wonder
how much your credit card was going to get hit for.

Lifehacker - State of the Airline Industry Chart Compares Airline Service Fees - Money

Even dogs get the blues

Larry Winget speaks the truth

We as a society have gotten very lazy especially when it comes to personal responsibility and
especially thinking. I mean the real authentic act of "thinking." Thinking of others, thinking ahead
of what the consequences might be for your actions, thinking of where I need to be in traffic and
going ahead and getting there now, instead of waiting til the last minute and crossing four lanes
and three automobiles and . . . . .sorry, got carried away. Anyway. Read Larry's article. Please.

It’s Easier To Be Stupid | Larry Winget -- Money - Personal Development - Business

Free Downloads for your Mac

I posted this mainly for my friend, Skye, because she has a Mac. I've never
owned one, thought about it a few times, but I've just always had a PC. I've
never had all the problems with Windows that most others complain about
so, I've never seen a reason to swap. Here you go, Skye. Enjoy!

Lifehacker Pack 2009: Our List of Essential Free Mac Downloads

Online Banking offers higher interest rates

I am often appalled at the rates that traditional brick and mortar banks offer their customers. Many online bloggers tout the usefulness of online accounts and just such a person has done that. This link will take you to "Get Rich Slowly" and where the research has already been done for you.

Online Banking: 13 Choices for Higher Interest Rates and Increased Security * Get Rich Slowly