Just in case I don't post again this year....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! I hope your 2006 is awesome!

WTF????

Look.... there on the right... it's Tropical Storm ZETA!!!!!!

The million dollar homepage....

OK..... Why can't I come up with an idea like this? This guy in the UK decided to come up with a homepage that has a million pixels.... and then sell those pixels for $1 each. (well actually he sells 10 x 10 blocks of pixels for $100 each, but that's getting technical). Anyway... he started his page in August... and it looks like he may hit his 1 million mark before the year ends. That's a million dollars this guy made in 4 months! Just for throwing ads up on a friggin webpage! I'm in the wrong buisness...... Check it out: The Million Dollar Homepage

So now what do I do?????

I don't know what to do now.... I've surfed every page... I'm out of things to do online... I finally reached the end of the internet. Well... I guess I could tell people to check out my new renter... Yeah yeah... that'd be good. Hey everybody.... Look to the right and go see Hillary .... Tell her guppy sent ya!

Cool present....

Who knew? I got this nifty little thing for Christmas... I took a look at it and thought "what the Hell do I need that for"? Well.... A little later in the evening, My mom dumped the contents of her camera onto her PC... I was telling her to e-mail me the pics, and she suggested I grab them with my present... Plugged it in and grabbed her 115 pictues in just a few seconds... Took them home and uploaded them on my PC just as quickly... Well what do you know... This is a handy little thing! I've already transfered a bunch of stuff from my PC to my wife's laptop.... just plug it in and go.... Who knew a key-ring could be such a great thing to have?

Christian Rock?

I love music. I always have... I listen to a pretty good variety of stuff... I could go from Led Zeppelin to Peter Paul & Mary to Exodus to Hank Jr. to Arlo Guthrie to Run DMC and not think twice about it... Lately, I find myself listening to the Christian radio station a lot, but I have run into a problem there... Our local station tries to play music that's "not too soft, but not too hard"... After a while, it starts all sounding the same to me... I get bored... I need the variety. So I have found myself searching for variety in Christian music. And this is where I am running into a problem... It's easy to find the contemporary 'top of the charts' Christian artists... It's not too hard to find the hardcore metal Christian bands... But where are the Christian rockers? Where is the Southern Rock? Where can I find bands like Lynard Skynard, Led Zep, Black Crowes, etc? Where can I find bands who sound anything like what I already listen to? Anybody have any suggestions?

Uhhhh... somebody tell the weatherman.....

... that it is December.... 5-Day Forecast Tuesday [Partly Cloudy] 80 | 53 Wednesday [Partly Cloudy] 72 | 49 Thursday [Partly Cloudy] 75 | 58 Friday [Chance of a Thunderstorm] 74 | 50 Saturday [Partly Cloudy] 67 | 50 It's the day after Christmas... And I am wearing shorts. This is pathetic. I want cold! I want snow! I want to wear a coat and have to keep it on all day instead of sweating in it by 9am. I want it to be winter!!!! Can some of ya'll yankees send some cold down this way? We'd sure appreciate it!

New renter....

Wow! I decided to rent my blog out for only 10 credits as a Christmas gift to somebody.... I got in this morning and had 26 bids! All I can say is WOW! I'm sorry I had to deny 25 people- I hated to do it.... But ... They set it up so you can only choose one. So... if you are reading this, go check out my new renter Passion. How about some Christmas music? Try this song: Ding, Fries Are Done .

A warning, a request, and something to do....

Did you know that my guinea pigs sneak on sometimes and actually update their blog? Today, I found a warning from them over there..... While we're checking things out, have you clicked on my renter's link? If not... Now would be a great time to try it out! And since you are in a clicking mood, Why not click on this for awhile?

Busy weekend

After work on Friday, we had to hurry up and get to the church for dress rehearsal... Ran thru the Christmas program twice- watched all the technical glitches get ironed out... Everybody hurrying up to get ready for the big weekend... Saturday, had to be there at 3... ran thru it a few more times before the real deal at 6pm. It's amazing watching all the little glitches and miscues in practice, and then seeing it all come together perfectly when the real show time gets there.... My little angel was amazing... They all were really... They all got to where they were going... they knew their lines... the did a great job! Sunday, we got there at 7 am and they did one run thru before the three real performances in a row... They made a change to the last number, they cut a song and had the kids do something totally different... Let the kids practice it one time... and they all pulled it off great! Sunday, they went thru the whole thing three times for real... The last two shows on Sunday, we were in charge of a group of angels... We hung out with them upstairs and kept them entertained until it was their time to go on... we got them herded up and to their place for their cue... then ran around backstage and collected them to take them back upstairs to wait for their next performance. Who knew that a bunch of little girls could be so rambunctious! Wow! But even then... I still had a blast! Even though I can't get the little songs out of my head... The three months of prep time were all worth it.... Yesterday afternoon we decided to take lil angel to see Narnia... She loved it! She cried when they killed Aslan... she was thrilled to see him back... she was full of questions about what it all meant... And by the time we got home yesterday, we were all pretty much exhausted.... Work today seems like a time to just relax after a busy busy weekend.... Here's a shot of my little star after it was all over eating cake and ice cream....

Random thoughts on a Friday....

For those who haven't figured out their Christmas theme yet this year, here are some crafty things for you to try And for you party animals... try these out I heard part of this on the radio during a news break earlier.... House moves to tighten immigration law at border Now I have to ask a question... One of the quotes from the story was: Supporters of the amendment say the fence would cut down on crime and drug smuggling. But Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee says it would create, ``the largest gated community in the Western hemisphere.'' What the Hell does that mean? Gated community? You mean... one where the people who live there have put up a fence and actively keep people who shouldn't be there out? What's the problem? Sounds like exactly what we want to do to me. Bring on the "gated community"! I just don't get some people. Anyway... I hope everybody is having a great day. We have a busy weekend ahead... Tonight is dress rehearsal for my daughter's church program, and tomorrow and Sunday she does the thing 4 times. Should be fun.

Templates, colors and renters (oh my!)

It's really funny.... A few days ago, I decided to redo my page here with a more Christmasy feel... I just modified my colors a little and here we are... It's ok I guess, but I'm not thrilled with how it came out. But I guess I can live with it for a few weeks. So last night, my wife asks me to redo her page. I tinkered with it for a little bit and it came out beautiful... (Make sure you go tell her about how great and wonderful her husband is) So... Why is it that I'll go halfway when I'm dealing with my own site- it's ok but I'm not happy... but when it comes to hers, It always comes out just perfect? I wonder if she would notice if I swaped templates with her... ;) Anyway- Have you had the chance to check out my new renter yet? Mike over at Ramblings and Rhetoric writes kinda like i do- he writes about whatever he feels like at the time. Go take a look at what he has to say.... (click the thumbnail at the top right). Tell him guppy sent ya!

Texas weather, Sinuses and toothpaste....

Let me start by telling you a little bit about December weather here in Houston... Last week, we were down around freezing. This week, we are in the 70's... It is pouring down rain right now in advance of another cold front that will push us back into the 30's by the weekend. Most cold days, you start off wearing a coat, with a t-shirt under it... In the afternoon, you'll be without the coat... By evening, you at least need a jacket.... Anyway... We have this nice rollercoaster ride of up and down temperatures and humidity levels... This will really screw up your sinuses.... So... I wake up in the morning stopped up. The steam in my shower will usually get things flowing to the point that I feel like I've blown more snot out my nose than I weigh. OK... I'm stable... Now comes the tough part... I need to brush my teeth. There has to be some secret ingredient in toothpaste that expands when even the smallest trace amount touches mucus... I'll be happily brushing when all of a sudden I feel a tiny bit of toothpaste reach the back of my throat... The rapid expansion kicks in my gag reflex... And I spend the next ten minutes spitting stuff that looks like the unidentified mystery tupperware contents that is in the back of the refrigerator... Maybe I should just skip work today.... And I would, if this wasn't an almost every day occurrence... So... How is it that a person's body can produce so much mucus? Between what I blow out my nose and then cough up in the mornings... I really shouldn't exist anymore... There should be no more moisture to produce this crap... Thank God for Mucinex... Between that and the Tylenol Allergy pills, I can usually make it thru the day without feeling like my head is a water balloon... But no matter what I do today, I know what awaits me tomorrow morning...

Bethlehem

Last night, we took a trip to Bethlehem... we stepped back in time and wandered the streets searching for a special child we had heard was in the city. here are a few of the sites we found while we were there... (all pictures can be seen larger with a simple click) Lil Angel meats George the camel... Shalom! This wise man shared a little of his gold with us... Here... try our goat cheese... Little beggars were everywhere... This one saw my camera and couldn't contain her joy... Try some of my spices... Lil Angel is always willing to lend a hand... Here she is grinding grain into flour And then chopping out a bowl We didn't have enough sheckels to buy one of these chickens, but they sure looked tasty... The basket makers tried there best to ignore the crowds and continue with their work... And again, Lil Angel lends a hand making fine pottery... And making rope Finally, the reason for our trip to Bethlehem... We found the child laying in the manger. Lil Angel decided to give her jeweled ring that a wise man had given her to the child... We had a great time on our journey. lil Angel wanted to go thru again as soon as we walked out the door. I love her fascination with God- I want that... I want to look at it all with such a fascination- with such a devotion- I learned a lot just from watching her. Definately worth the trip- I can't wait to do it again....

In the yard....

Survivor Finale

It's Day 37... and we have our final four... Steph - Last season's Girl next door who for some reason was this season's villian to so many (though I still like Steph, and i like the way she played the game this time) Rafe - The gay Mormon boy who reminds me a little too much of Woddy Allen Lydia - The leprecan fishmonger who somehow made it thru so many vote outs??? and Danni - The skeleton girl They get tree mail and Lydia freaks out like it's the best thing since sliced bread... A group of Mayans came and dumped a lot of food on a fire, including a chicken they killed just for the occasion... what a yummy waste... (or is it?) Immunity challenge: The rules: race through the maze to collect colored puzzle pieces from six stations, then return through the elaborate maze to the puzzle board. When all eight pieces are collected, assemble the puzzle to form one of three images. All four did great in this- I was actually suprised by how well Lydia did... I started to wonder if she was a little stronger than she led them to believe... But everybody's hard work only got them beat by Rafe... So he gets the first immunity of the night. So while Steph tried to tak Rafe into voting out Danni, they came up with the idea of checking out the bar-b-q the mayans left for them. They finally decided that if the mayan gods wanted the chicken, they should have taken it.... but since it was still there, cooked to perfection with a nice honey glaze.... They should eat it. Rafe chose not to participate... You know how those Mormons hate pissing off the Mayan gods.... After their meal, a tropical storm hit the area and freaked them out... They wondered if the gods were pissed at them for eating the chicken... I wondered what kinds of drugs they were on... Enjoy being full folks. Did The production crew eat the chicken? Did Rafe? Did anybody else in Guatemala? They all got the storm too.... At Tribal council, Lydia, the mighty leprecan finally got voted out! It's about time! Next morning, we got treated to the most boring part of any finale... Let's look at pictures of the folks who lost... Where's my remote... it's time to fast forward.... OK cool... Immunity challenge time! holding on to two ropes, balance on a wobbly platform for one hour. After the first hour, release one rope. After thirty more minutes, release the other rope. The last person standing would win a spot in the Final Two. They all made it thru the first hour, and then they had to let go of one of the ropes. At that point, they all lost their balance and ended up leaning on the support poles. After another half hour, they had to let go of their second rope. Right after they got told their hands can't touch the pole, Rafe grabbed his... (figure's Rafe would get eliminated for being a pole grabber)... Steph slowly slid down her pole till she just couldn't stand any more and finally fell on her ass... And with that, Danni makes it to the final two and gets to decide who is going with her. She decided that she had a much better shot at beating Steph than she did at beating Rafe, so rafe was the last person voted out.... The final tribal council bored me to tears... I was hoping for mean and nasty, but got a yawn fest... And then they voted.... And Danni wins! Way to go Danni! And yay! She put some meat back on those bones! I was starting to worry about her out there... First time I have ever seen a real life walking skeleton! So that's it... The reunion show was pretty boring, The season ended ok, but I still don't think it was the "toughest Survivor ever".... So... this is the end:

Survivor

We start off with Cindy bitching about not being priviledged to the Judd vote out info.... Then we move into girl's time... the five remaining girls sit around being dorks.... Reward Challenge... Play a bunch of stuff you already played to win a car... Cindy wins and gets given a choice. She can keep the car she just won, or give it up so the other four get cars. Cindy did what I thought was the only logical choice, she kept the car. She picked Steph to go with her to eat steak and stay the night away from camp. Rafe and Danni sat around camp amazed that Cindy kept the car for herself. At least lydia was thinking... She thought Cindy made the right choice. Back at camp, Steph also said she would have kept the car too. Immunity challenge- Attached to a long rope wrapped around a series of poles and connected with locks, each player must unwind as much rope as possible. The twist: each player's hands and feet were bound in metal shackles. Bondage! Woohoo! Here we go.... that's what we want to see! oops... uhhhhh... forget all that.... Steph got herself unlocked and untied first to win her first individual immunity ever... Danni and Rafe want to get Cindy voted out... Cindy plotted to get Rafe eliminated... Danni slid under the radar again... But unfortunately, Cindy got the boot in the end... They better wise up and get rid of Rafe soon... He can win this thing much easier than the rest... I don't think he's pissed everybody off quite as much as the rest. Sunday is the finale...

What to do with a sick little girl.....

Decorate the tree of course! Here's lil-one during one of the moments when her fever didn't have her laid out over the weekend.... And paying me back for pulling her hat in front of her face....

Random thoughts from Guppyman

Today my brain is all over the place, so I figured I'd share a little of this with you... I am trying to design my next bench. I have looked everywhere for plans for one that uses Nutcrackers as the back, without success. So I am now looking for decent pictures of nutcrackers and I'll just design it myself. I want to build an N-scale Christmas village. Hopefully I can get it done before next Christmas. I want lights, trees, the whole deal.... Who knows if I'll actually build it, but not having any trains set up at all has started driving me crazy. I have become addicted to this stupid little game. I keep going back and forth with the idea of arguing politics. I used to have so much fun doing it, but it got boring. Some days I feel like a good argument, but once I get going, I realize that the other side is so wrong it just amazes me. Maybe I will just argue at the ballot box with my vote.... I am toying with the idea of shutting this blog down. I haven't decided yet, but I may quit on my one year anniversary in January. OK... is it wrong that I laughed uncontrollably when I saw this? Or This? Oh well.... There are a few of the thoughts running thru my head today.... there are about a million others but some things I just need to hang on to.... *Updated with a few other things.... This morning I had to sit in a major traffic jam because Rudolph decided to try to cross a major freeway in Houston. Gee... I hate friggin rubberneckers, but at least they got a show today... animal control put a shot in it's head to put it out of it's misery. My PC is fried. I reloaded less than a week ago, I have barely been on, but it is telling me once again that Windows can not load. Friggin POS!!!! I'm ready to throw it out the window....

New renter - Ask The Soldiers

Hey everybody- go check out the site that I am renting to now... This site is run by a couple of guys stationed in Iraq that are willing to answer your questions. It is not a political site, it is just the views of a couple of guys who are on the ground fighting for this country. One thing I'd like to say here- I have the utmost respect and admiration of people willing to put themselves in harm's way for me and my family. Thanks guys. Now everybody look to the top right and click on the thumbnail and go see them... and tell em guppy sent you!

Our weekend...

Sorry I haven't been on in a few days... How about a weekend report.... Friday, we went to get a tree after work... Found the perfect one and then discovered my daughter in the back seat playing with a few decorative stones... When asked where they came from, she said Wal-Mart. When asked how she got them at Wal-mart, it was discovered that she found them just laying there, so she decided they were hers for the taking. Oops... Time for a learning experience... So my wife called ahead and found which managers were working (it was her store where they came from), and we went up to Wal-Mart and had my daughter explain that she had taken them without paying- The manager we talked to was perfect... she explained that what she had done was stealing, was just forceful enough to get the tears flowing and scared my daughter enough that I don't think she'll ever even consider putting something in her pocket that isn't hers ever again. Then we went over to grandma's house so that she could appologize to her for stealing while she was with Grandma.... My mom mentioned that she was warm but I thought at the time it was just from her crying... Boy, was I wrong... Saturday morning lil-one woke up with a 103.5 fever... Motrin and Tylenol brought it down to normal by bedtime, but Sunday morning she was right back up to almost 103. Down by the evening but right back up yesterday morning. Took her to the doctor yesterday and found out she has a cold AND an ear infection. poor thing... I hate seeing her so miserable. I wish I could be sick for her... I hate it when I know she's miserable and there's really nothing you can do to make her feel better... You can give her the meds, get her stuff to do, bundle her up, give lots of hugs and all that, but you can't take the pain away and it sucks. This morning she went over to her Poopaw and Didi's house to spend the day so I could make it in to work... I hope she starts feeling better soon.... On another note.... I took Stormii to the doctor yesterday also and we got her test results... She has a 25cm mass of cysts in her abdomen that we need to call a surgeon about. She also has a 4.3cm thyroid nodule that we also need to find out about. Thankfully, none of it is cancerous! Praise God! We are actually very thankful for the results we got- We know there is stuff there that needs to be removed, but no cancer and nothing that looks really awful that will cause other problems! Yay! So.... There's the weekend... We did get our tree up and got all Christmasy and stuff too... Hope everybody is having a good week!

Survivor, man

After last weeks tribal council, the tribe was back at camp acting like it never happened... So they spent the morning doing cartwheels... So the reward challenge was an auction... Beef Jerkey, Cookies and milk, Mosquito net, Philly cheese steak, A sealed envelope that contained an advantage at the next immunity challenge, and their family members.... Danni got the envelope, Judd won his wife- but then he got to pick two other people to spend time with their family too... he picked Steph and Cindy. The other tribemates had to go spend the night at the old camp. The folks with their families showed em around... they got to spend some time trying to make their family memebers as miserable as they were... Who knew that Cindy's sister looked so good... kinda makes me wonder how Cindy will clean up... Meanwhile- at the other camp... Danni used her opportunity to talk to Rafe... she tried to convince him that it was Judd's time to go. And as much time as this episode spent on Judd... I was convinced she was succeeding! More crap with the families until they finally had to go... blah blah blah... Judd had the classic line about his wife... "I haven't been eating, so she made me full just by looking at her. It's like eating twenty-five White Castle cheeseburgers, man." Way to go Judd... I now have a whole new way of looking at relationships. Lydia approached judd with the idea of shaking things up... Danni hung out and listened... and wondered what kind of trouble she could stir up... Immuntiy Challenge One at a time, players make a move on the giant multi-level playing board. Flip a tile to the red side, and step onto it. Once a tile has been flipped and stepped on, it cannot be used again. In addition, the top level is a spinning platform to be used for strategic repositioning on the board. Danni got told that what she bought was the opportunity to switch places with any player one time during the game... It worked for her after she switched with Steph... Danni won immunity! Danni started talking to Steph about Judd... And then they pulled in Rafe. They also pulled Lydia in and they voted Judd out at TC. Oops... they didn't tell Cindy... Looks like she may be left out in the cold.... Judd called them all Scumbags after they voted him out... He said he hopes they all get bit by a crocodile, man ... What a classy exit, man.

Testing...

My wife needed some testing done- So yesterday we both took off work and went to the hospital to get it taken care of. We walked in and sat around for awhile- They came and gave her a nice cup of barium - yeah... she really enjoyed that... she said it tasted like somebody used frozen pennies as ice cubes in a cup of vanilla soy milk... and then the tech who was going to do the thyroid test noticed that she was scheduled for two incapatable tests. The iodine solution they were going to inject her with for the CT scan would cover up the thyroid scan.... Wonderful! So they gave her some pill from a lead bottle and told us to go eat and come back at 1pm... Oh yeah... they did an ultrasound on her thyroid before they let us go.... so we went and ate and went back at 1... They did that test and told us to come back this morning. So this morning, we went back and they finished up the thyroid test, gave her another cup of barium, and had us sit around forever... Then they pulled her back for her CT scan. Told me it would take 5 minutes or so and we'd be out of there... About 20 minutes later they came and got me... she had an allergic reaction to the iodine solution they injected her with.... Broke out in a few places. I walked back and they had her sitting there hooked up to the BP machine and all that... Poor thing... what a way to find an allergy.... Anyway- the tests are done- We'll find out the results on Monday... Thanks to those who wandered by her site and have had her in your thoughts and prayers... It is appreciated!

New Bench....

Well.... here it is.... this is what I built my mom for her birthday.... I won't tell you which two Santas I painted or which two Presentstorm painted.... I just reloaded my PC- Lost everything and I'm trying to get things back how I like them. I hate doing this.... What a pain in the ass.

Mom....

For the woman who's always been there for me... For the woman who stepped up and was both mom and dad thru so much... For the woman who took me to wrestling matches in the rain... For the woman who did my makeup and made sure my dress fit right... For the woman who took me to my first concert... For the woman who raised me the best she could under extraordinary circumstances... For the woman I am proud to call Mom... Thank you... It may not always seem like it but I do appreciate all the things you have done for me... Happy birthday Mom! Now everybody run over and wish Mitey Mite a happy birthday!

My computer is hosed!

I got on yesterday... I loaded some pictures onto the PC... I e-mailed a few, I posted a few to my blog... then I went to Blog Explosion.... I joined a battle, hit the blog rocket, and checked my renter... Then I decided to surf around a bit when suddenly my computer froze... I sat hoping it would come back, then I turned it off.... When it came back on I got nothing... it tells me to boot normally, to boot the last known good config, safe mode... anything.... No go. I am dead in the water... shit shit shit... So now everything that's on there is lost... I'm gonna have to reload XP and start over... All my pictures... (at least all since mid September, I burned the rest) all my music... All my nifty little things I had gathered... Gone- just like that.... I hate it when that happens! Anyway... On a brighter note... I am currently renting space on a few blogs... one of them is Wendy Wings... WOW! She is sending me all kinds of traffic! Thanks Wendy! Even though her blog blows I appreciate the visitors! I only wish I could send my renter as many as she has sent me.... If you get a chance, look to the right and go visit 3rd Times A Charm... Oh yeah... one last thing... I took little Gizmo to get his nuts chopped off today... poor puppy... I hate when that happens too. :(

Santa & Jesus....

I finally finished painting the yard decoration.... Here it is placed in the front for all to see: Hmmmm... wonder what's happening in the garage now....

Random thoughts on Nyquil.....

OK... I better make this quick before I get all freaked out and pass out or something.... I took some Nyquil a bit ago and it's starting to kick in.... Anyway.... I hope everybody had a good turkey day... We did... Ate a buch, saw the family, etc... I'm still not smoking.... Crazy, eh? Ummmmm..... I have a new renter... Everybody go visit 3rd times A Charm and tell her guppy sent you by.... ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..... Huh? Wha? oh yeah... I was typing.... I forget what I was typing, but i know it had something to do with something or other.... Wow... The Nyquil hits fast.... it's been long since I bothered with it, I almost forgot.... I hate being sick! If I could lose the cough, I'd be ok.... Anyway.... I think I'll go curl up somewhere and sleep.//.. Take care everybody!

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant Walk right in it's around the back Just a half a mile from the railroad track You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant Ok.... It's Thanksgiving.... Time to get together with the family... Time to eat more turkey than you thought possible... Time to watch the Cowboys... Time to start thinking seriously about Christmas... Time to thank God for all the blessings he has given us... Time to freak out because I have not smoked today...

OK... That's it.....

I have been semi-sick for the last two weeks.... I wake up coughing and have nasty sinus drainage rolling down my throat, and it doesn't get much better as the day goes on... So what is the first thing i do in the morning? I go outside and smoke. What kind of idiot goes and makes himself feel even worse in the morning and all day long while he's sick? What kind of idiot does it take to be hacking up a lung between drags off a cigarette? So this morning, I bought my last pack of cigarettes. Tomorrow morning, I will wake up and not smoke. I quit. I'm sure I will be just a friendly bundle of joy around the family during Thanksgiving dinner, but they'll just have to deal with it. I'm sick of making myself feel like shit. I'm sick of spending the money on such useless crap. I'm sick of my wife not wanting to come near me because I smell like an ashtray. So today I am thanking God for taking away my desire to smoke. I will succeed this time. Today is my last day as a smoker. Ok... I've typed enough.... time for a smoke break.....

Teen Poverty in America

***Note- I just noticed that my guinea pigs have been online a few times this month.... They must be sneaking out while I'm at work...*** I received this in an e-mail earlier and it is highly disturbing.... I guess after awhile you don't notice the plight others are in..... We just spent several hours observing teenagers hanging out at our local mall. We came to the conclusion many teenagers in America today are living in poverty. Most young men We observed didn't even own a belt; there was not one among the whole group. But that wasn't the sad part. Many were wearing their daddy's jeans. Some jeans were so big and baggy they hung low on their hips, exposing their underwear. I know some must have been ashamed their daddy was short, because his jeans hardly went below their knees. They weren't even their daddies' good jeans, for most had holes ripped in the knees and a dirty look to them. It grieved us, in a modern, affluent society like America, there are those who can't afford a decent pair of jeans. I was thinking about asking my church to start a jeans drive for "poor kids at the mall." Then on Christmas Eve, we could go Christmas caroling and distribute jeans to these poor teenagers. But here is the saddest part...it was the girls they were hanging out with that disturbed us most. Never, in all of our lives, have we seen such poverty-stricken girls. These girls had the opposite problem of the guys. They all had to wear their little sister's clothes. Their jeans were about 5 sizes too small! I don't know how they could get them on, let alone button them up. Their jeans barely went over their hipbones. Most also had on their little sister's top; it hardly covered their midsections. Oh, they were trying to hold their heads up with pride, but it was a sad sight to see these almost grown women wearing children's clothes. However, it was their underwear that bothered us most. They, like the boys, because of the improper fitting of their clothes, they had their underwear exposed. We had never seen anything like it. It looked like their underwear was only held together by a single piece of string. We know it saddens your heart to receive this report on condition of our American teenagers. While we go to bed every night with a closets full of clothes nearby, there are millions of "mall girls" who barely have enough material to keep it together. We think their "poorness" is why these 2 groups gather at the mall; boys with their short daddies' ripped jeans, and girls wearing their younger sisters' clothes. The mall is one place where they can find acceptance. So, next time you are at the mall, doing your shopping , and you pass by some of these poor teenagers, would you say a prayer for them? And one more thing . Will you pray the guys' pants won't fall down, and the girls' strings won't break? We thank you all,

Link day....

How about a few links today? Here are just a few things I ran across that I felt the need to share with you... enjoy! I know longer feel like I am obssessed with the computer.... This is real obsession! Ok.... The cat, I understand... Everybody at some point finds it fascinating.... But the person who filmed it... I really wonder about! I want to set up my Christmas lights like this guy did! OK... What is sadder, the fact that people post stuff like this of themselves, or that I'll sit and watch the whole thing hoping that something happens to make it better?

Oh wow... It's almost Christmas!!!!

I turned on the radio this morning and they are playing Christmas carols already!!! WOW!! Wasn't it just July? Time is flying.... Anyway... since it's getting close to that time... let's try to figure out what Christmas Carols these are talking about.... 1. Quadruped with crimson proboscis 2. 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. without noise 3. Miniscule hamlet in the far east 4. Ancient benevolent despot 5. Adorn the vestibule 6. Exuberance directed to the planet 7. Listen, aerial spirits harmonizing 8. Monarchial trio 9. Yonder in the haystack 10. Assemble, everyone who believes 11. Hallowed post meridian 12. Fantasies of a colorless December 25th 13. Tin tintinnabulums 14. A dozen 24-hour Yule periods 15. Befell during the transparent bewitching hour 16. Homo sapien of crystallized vapor 17. I merely desire a pair of incisors 18. I spied my maternal parent osculating a fat man in red 19. Perambulating through a December solstice fantasy 20. Aloft on the acme of the abode

A simple tale....

Hmmmm.... I wonder what this tastes like....? Mmmmm... yum yum... errrrr... Hey guys! What's up man? Oh guys... I want to come over and run and chase and sniff and all the great things that ya'll are doing over there! If only I could figure this gate out.....

Survivor....

But first, look to your right and see that I have a new renter... Everybody go visit Angie at Ficken Chingers and tell her that guppy sent you! Now... on to the show! When the tribe got back from Tribal Council, Jamie decided to try to stir up trouble... First with Cindy about Gary's vote for her, then with Gary... Even Judd was telling Jamie to just shut up- Amazing from 'Mr. Doesn't know when to stop' himself... The reward challenge had two teams- Gary, Judd, Steph & Danni vs. Jamie, Rafe, Cindy & Lydia... They had a mud pit with obstacles to either go over or under while tied together... the object was to get clay pots filled with corn to bring back and fill a larger pot. The camera man really enjoyed getting shots of Danni's ass during this, but unfortunately- not one of them made it to CBS's picture gallery of this show... Damn you CBS! Though I did find a nice shot of Cindy's ass: Ok... Back to the write-up... Steph, Danni, Gary & Judd ended up winning thanks to Lydia moving at a snail's pace... Once they won, a helicopter landed and took the mud people to some rich guys house so they could get clean and eat... If I owned that helicopter, there is no way i would have let those nasty stinking people in it... I guess CBS pays well... Anyway- nice shots of the jungle from the helicopter, then they land and get taken to a shower by the pool... The girls are 'treated' to judd taking it all off before his shower and swim... I went blind for a few minutes... When I recovered my sight, the folks were eating.. Danni had the quote of the night: "I love to eat, but Steph eats even more than I do." Really Danni? You actually eat? I am amazed! She is skinnier than my keyboard.... Anyway- they got clean, got to sleep in a bed, blah blah blah... In the morning, they woke up to coffee made by some brand that I can't remember now... I think they only worked the brand name in about 100 times in the episode... Unless they come pay me, I won't do so here... While they were gone, Jamie cornered Rafe and asked him about his plans, over and over and over... to the point that Rafe was freakin out... he thinks Jamie is losing it. Oh yeah... The folks who won got home videos... I almost forgot about that... cheesy like always, but I guess they enjoyed it... I was hoping Gary's kids would say something like "Hey dad... i bet this is more fun than when you played for the Cowboys!" but it didn't happen.... So they went back to camp, brought em coffee, said nobody discussed strategy, blah blah blah.... Immunity challenge Hooked to a rope, each tribe member must travel through an obstacle course to the finish line. Gary was going strong, but screwed it up at the end of the first round... Cindy looked like she might get it, but Rafe finally won immunity again... Cindy had some nice bleeding going on afterward though... Jamie continued to act paranoid at camp and that caused his tribe to turn on him... They voted him out! Nobody bothered to tell Judd and he looked just as blindsided as Jamie was... Classic moment that will surely lead to some good tension on the next episode.....

Name That Tune....

Here's a little idea I sort of stole from Scooter McGavin.... I have given the first line of a song... You post the title and artist in the comments, and I will unbold it and give you credit for guessing it... See how many of these you can get without turning to google... Most of all though, have fun! *UPDATE* - I've decided this went long enough, so I'm answering the last three.... WTG folks! Ya'll did a great job! Too bad I didn't have any great prizes for doing this...... Thanks to everyone who made guesses... It was fun! I'll do a new one soon.... 1. If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you. Thank You...Led Zeppelin - My sister (anonymous) 2. There is unrest in the forest, There is trouble with the trees Rush - Trees Texas Ivy 3. It was December 24th on Hollis Ave in the dark Christmas In Hollis - Run-DMC ( Scooter McGavin) 4. Close the city and tell the people that somethings coming to call Black Sabbath, The Mob Rules Phoenix 5. Baby, baby why can't you sit still? Black Crows' Remedy - ( Scooter McGavin) 6. What do you mean, "I don't believe in God"? I talk to him every day. Peace Sells but Who's Buying" by Megadeth. Glyn (Zaphod) Evans 7. We all see black and white When it comes to someone elses fightAnthrax - Indians (Guppyman) 8. I was cutting a rug down at a place called the jug With a girl named Linda Lou Lynard Skynard Gimme Three Steps (Beanhead Babbles) 9. Since I know how low to go I wont let it show Days of The New - Touch, Peel and Stand (Guppyman 10. I am just a cowboy lonesome on the trail Thin Lizzy - Cowboy Song (Guppyman 11. Heart-breaker Soul-shaker I've been told about you Hair of the Dog by Nazareth Beckeye 12. Who's the one that makes you happy? Or maybe, who's the one always on your mind? What You Give - Tesla Beckeye 13. Goin' to the city, got you on my mind Country sure is pretty, I leave it all behind Fool for the City, Foghat - My sister (anonymous) 14. Out on the road for forty days Last night in Little Rock, put me in a haze Grand Funk Railroad - We're an American Band Texas Ivy 15. I can feel no sense of measure No illusions as we take Yes - Leave it Ally 16. Cool woman, cool eyes, you got me hypnotized So head down, get a rhythm, stop your stalling and your bitching Def Leppard - Let it go Texas Ivy 17. I'm waiting in my cold cell when the bell begins to chime Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name Phoenix 18. All the things I see in you All the things I know that are true Jackyl - Down on me Texas Ivy 19. She said I don't know if I've ever been good enough Matchbox 20 - Push Texas Ivy 20. I'm a gambler And I'm a runner Desperado by Alice Cooper Mjet

Playing with mom's camera....

I borrowed my mom's camera, so I decided to play a little with it... Here are a few shots I liked...

New Bedroom

I know a few of you were wanting to see how we painted the bedroom.... here are a couple of shots. We still need to paint all the trim and the doors, but that will have to wait for awhile.