Reality TV

Okay, there is very little I watch with Reality TV. I think the majority of it is inane and a serious waste of money. With that said, I do watch American Idol. Mainly because I cannot believe that people who obviously are tone deaf continue to go in front of a camera and then get upset when they are told that they really need to give it up.

Now the show is down to the final 24. I still feel a few of them NEVER should have made it in. Some, however, are very talented. I'm kind of rooting for Ayla, because she is the closest to a hometown hero that I'll get. Though I don't think she'll win, but who knows!

Anyway, as we watched last night, I began to question Randy and Paula's judgment. They ridicule Simon, and I realize that's where the money lies with reality TV, but most of the time Simon was right on track. Some of the guys picked HORRIBLE songs. That version of Queen's Crazy Little Thing Called Love was ridiculous. He couldn't have tried harder and that's what was wrong - you could tell how hard he forced it to turn it into a stage production over just getting out there and wowing me with a song.

As much as I don't want to route for the Doughtry guy, he reminds me of someone I'm not fond of, he's the best of the bunch. Ace has it for looks though.

Colds...

I've had a chest cold for the past four days. Now I hate being sick, so I'm drowing myself in juice, tea and soup.

I have had people offer plenty of suggestions on how to get over something the fastest, so I've been testing them all out. Herbs, lemon, onions... Nothing has helped. So tonight I'm going to test out the remedy that usually works best that I've been putting off because I was out of honey... Hot Toddies here I come!

The site will be updated as soon as I'm feeling better.

Tracy

Beware...

I am officially hooked up to wireless internet now, so I have the luxury of working from either my living room or my office corner. But while I was getting hooked up, the point was brought up that one of my neighbors has a wireless connection and they don't safeguard it. So for all these months, I could have been tapping into their connection without them noticing. In fact, if I go into wireless networks, they are on the list and I can click to connect to their connection, but I'm a decent person.

I have a feeling I know exactly which neighbor it is - one gets plagued with more viruses and spyware than normal and they aren't very computer aware... smart... whatever you want to call it.

Anyway, if you are on wireless, you probably should have a clue as to what you are doing or have a professional come in. Isn't your computer/personal safety worth it?

Valentine's Day

I got a present. My husband spent a little chunk of change and bought me a laptop. :-) Hopefully, with a computer downstairs now that I can use in the morning I can keep the blog updated a little more regularly!

So around here - weather, computers and beer. Those tend to be my topics of choice.

The weather is odd to say the least.

Computers - well, I love them, can't live without them, but man does it tick me off when they don't do what I want.

Beer - WHY is Amstel Light so expensive? I ended up doing some homebrewing so that I could have a supply for a smaller amount of cash!

People will buy anything

http://cgi.ebay.com/Jesus-PanCake_W0QQitemZ6251847554QQcategoryZ1447QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

You know, I just don't get it. I look at these pictures and this guy obviously used a cookie mold of some form to create that image. Which leads me to wonder WHY people with too much money on their hands can't put it to good use????? $500 for a pancake is absurd - why not head on down to a pediatric ICU or something and donate the money to a much better cause!!

So maybe I need Jesus molds and I'll start making a line of Jesus everything. Half the money can go to me and I'll happily donate the other half to some of my favorite charities.

It's weird you know?

I just learned that a former classmate of mine had a heart attack and died. We're talking former jock, but the jock that wouldn't shun the others. He was friendly, talkative, and didn't follow class divides. To hear he died at the age of 35 is kind of shocking... a widow, two young kids... Somehow, it just doesn't seem right.

At the same time, I'm watching the news and discussions of a convicted child molester whose been released from prison, booted out of the state because no neighborhood wanted him living among children, and then he flees his current halfway house to return to the area that has booted him... It makes me really wonder why scum can walk the earth and decent people move on...

I know this is one of those theoretical issues - but I still don't see it making sense. I graduated - Class of '88 from a Vermont high school. Of my classmates, one died in a boating accident, another was murdered, another committed suicide, two had heart attacks, one sits in jail for molesting female prisoners (that one still creeps me out, cause I was friends with him). We have the wife beaters, I'm sure there are some abusive females among them... one walked out on her child and never returned... I know of noted drug users and dealers now living the life of the local rich and famous, we have the lazy jerks who took the basic/easy courses to guarantee themselves straight A's. Thank God the principal called him on that and revoked his right to be valedictorian! Somedays it just really seems surreal. I hear local teenagers saying how easy we had it back then... I'm not sure I agree. It is different now, sure, but easy... I'll never agree to that.

Rain & Basements & Flooding, Oh My!

Anyone want some water? I'd LOVE to put in a pipeline from my basement to those in drought striken areas!

Thankfully the water has slowed way down. We are pumping out about 10 gallons an hour now. This is half what it was. It's still annoying though!

Top it off with glitchy Adelphia service, and you have the makings for little to no computer/internet time this week. Thankfully, it seems to be up and running fine now. I'm hoping since the truck left the neighborhood that that means they found the problem and have solved it.

I'm not fond of glitches! I'm even less fond of customer service dingbats who state there are no problems in Vermont when there is a truck sitting three houses behind me.

Politics

So apparently Americans are gas guzzlers...

Here is my response. I want to know what the thermostat at The White House reads? Does George Bush truly do everything in his own power to keep fuel costs at a minimum? I have our house set at 62. It's Vermont, in the winter a house at 62 feels cold. So I'll put on an extra sweater and I usually have slippers on my feet. I want to hear that the White House is doing the same. I want to see President Bush using public transportation! Here it is not an option - we are out of public transportation's range - so people car pool. Can the President say the same? How about that air conditioning? Is President Bush doing without? How about car pooling and stop flying with the Private Jet. Stay home - take a bus. I'd fell a WHOLE lot better about his comments if I knew he was practicing what he preached!!

Another issue - he suggested more Americans should put money into medical savings accounts. Yeah. I knew someone with one of those. She had $5000 saved up and the policy was that the money had to be used up after two years or she'd lose it. So much for saving for when she REALLY needed it. I also know people who are going to be paying $10 more a week this year and their deductible has increased from $500 to $5000. That's absurd.

I have a better idea! NO more frivolous lawsuits. No more suing for any little thing. If doctors were not so worried over malpractice suits, their premiums wouldn't be so absurd that they are charging more. The girl who sued McD's because their food made her fat - NO KIDDING. Don't eat there and stop using up taxpayers money on lawsuits that fit under the "Here's Your Sign" (Thanks Bill Engvel) category.

What kind of lesson are we teaching our kids? I'm sad to say I don't like where the U.S. is heading. We live in a "me, me, me" society - I listen to my husband who comes home after training new employees and having them walk out after two days because "It's hard work and they thought they'd be sitting around. When they found out otherwise, they said they'd be better off in the fast food industry." This is absurd. Yes, work can be hard. Get over yourself!