It’s My Imagination

Dove Season

September 27, 2008 on 9:17 pm | In My Imagination | 2 Comments

September 1 was the opening of the dove hunting season. Last year was our first year to experience the sounds of dove hunting season and it was quite a surprise. Very early in the morning, just as the sun is coming up, there are noises that sound as though someone is banging a large bucket against the concrete. The reality is, it gun shots.

These noises don’t bother us really, except on the weekends when we’re trying to sleep in. You see, there are mostly fields behind our subdivision, we’re on the edge of town, just before the country appears. That’s prime hunting ground. So, we hear the shots, like an alarm clock in the morning, an unwelcome sound.

I’ve never actually seen any of the hunters, I can only imagine them and hear them. I visualize them in all of their Galco gear from www.511tacticaloutdoors.com, at the crack of dawn, shooting at what has to be, the calmest, most docile bird. I can’t imagine shooting at something that coos, but then again, I can’t imagine shooting anything.

Since I was awakened again early this morning, I’m heading to bed and hope they the hunters take tomorrow off!

Paul Newman Dies at 83

September 27, 2008 on 7:15 pm | In Entertainment | 1 Comment

Paul Newman has passed away at the age of 83 after a battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his family and his very close friends at home in Westport, Connecticut. He appeared in more than 50 movies, one of my personal favorites being The Sting. He also won an Academy Award for Best Actor in his role in The Color of Money in 1986. He was nominated 9 times during the course of his career.

Besides having an acting career spanning decades, he was also a philanthropist and donated millions of dollars through his Newman’s Own Foundation.

Paul Newman is survived by his wife, Joann Woodward, 5 daughters, 2 grandsons and an older brother, Arthur.

Ocean’s 12 – A Question of Security

September 26, 2008 on 9:23 pm | In Entertainment, Some of This Some of That | Comments Off

My husband and I were just watching the movie “Ocean’s 12″ on television. In this particular series of movies, I like how they recap everything at the end and let the viewer know exactly how they manage to pull of the heist and get away. You see, the writer has made the these plot lines very complicated and they need untwisting in order to understand.

This post is not a review of the movie, but a question of the security at the museum in the movie. You see, as an explanation for how the thief managed to get past all of the rotating laser lights in the Grand Hall of the museum, the characters states that he danced through them. Well, the flashback then shows us how he cleverly did some modern dance moves to avoid detection by the lasers which were rotating all over the floor and walls. The one thought I had though when he finally go to the other end safely was, “you mean to tell me that a museum of this stature, with the prized possessions it contained, had no video surveillance cameras? That would be quite a shocker!

The museum security really should have checked out www.itplanet.com to purchase security cameras at a discount! Maybe the screen writer thought that the lasers would be sufficient, but with all that the museum contained, I would rather be safe than sorry and security cameras can deter theft in addition to the laser light show! They have more security items than just cameras. They offer everything from barcode label printers and scanners, to portable data terminals.

It would be worthwhile for any business to check it out. I’m just disappointed that the screenwriter didn’t consult with them on the fictional security system.

Wordless Wednesday

September 24, 2008 on 5:21 am | In Blogging, Family | 8 Comments

Teacher Behavior

September 23, 2008 on 4:32 pm | In Family | 1 Comment

I’m becoming more and more annoyed with my daughter’s reading teacher.  This is an advanced placement class, so I realize the standards are higher.  I have no problem with higher standards.  My problem is with the teacher and her inability to convey to the class what her expectations are.

Two weeks ago, she gave an assignment that after reading a particular story, the students were to hand draw a “book cover” that reflected a scene in the story.  They were then to color their drawing.  After the students turned their assignments in, the teacher went through them and then tossed them into the trash can, all but 2 of them.  She explained that they had not been done correctly.  Some students drew in details that were not mentioned in the story such as drawing a window on the wall when the story didn’t mention a window.  My daughter had drawn the main character in a standing position (because she didn’t know how to draw someone sitting down), but the story doesn’t mention the character standing.   Now, if the teacher had been more specific in her directions and, perhaps even shown an example, the students probably would have completed the assignment to her satisfaction the first time rather than having to watch all of their hard work go into the trash can.

Over the last several days, my daughter has worked hard on the most recent assignment.  She had to create a 6 block cartoon drawing of a fairy tale (Cinderella) that reflected (without any dialogue) the exposition, complication, rising action, climax, falling action,  and denouement. There was a grading rubric that explained, in detail, the requirements and my daughter checked and double checked several times to ensure she was following all of the directions.

Apparently, one student opted to create her cartoon on the computer in a power point presentation.  Now, this sounds excellent except for the fact that the instruction clearly stated that it had to be “drawn”.   As a 12 year old, this would normally indicate “drawn by hand”, particularly since the instructions went on to say that there could be no pencil marks showing on the final product.  The students, all but 1, followed these instructions to the letter.  The one, opted to use a computer and import ready made drawings.  It doesn’t bother me that the student chose to use the computer, but it does bother me that the teacher accepted it, and, raved about it!  If using a computer was an option, that information should have been made available to the entire class.

Don’t get me wrong, my daughter had a 100% on her mid-term report, it just frustrates her, and in turn me, that she continues to have to do the same work more than once, or, isn’t acknowledged in any way for the hard work and effort she is putting in, because the teacher isn’t giving the correct instruction the first time

Fed Bail Out

September 21, 2008 on 10:31 am | In Finance | 3 Comments

It’s interesting, and somewhat of a relief to most, that the federal government is looking at bailing out all these lenders who made extremely bad choices in their lending practices to the tune of $700 BILLION.  Why is this necessary?  Quite simply, because the U.S. economy is floundering.

In my opinion, if this bailout will truly help the economy, and, if the financial papers can be resold by the government at a later date to recoup money, then it’s a good thing.  However, I do believe that regulations need to be put in place to keep this situation from occuring again in the future.  I am bothered by the fact that the poor lending practices of sub-prime lending and reverse mortgages for example, are still continuing.

I would also like to see some sort of penalty against those companies who put these lending practices into place and caused the bail out to be necessary in the first place.  While these companies did not break any laws, due to de-regulation, they have certainly played a huge part in this failing economy and dropping real estate market and, just because the government may be willing to bail them out, if no penalty is incurred, what’s to say it won’t happen again?

How have you been affected by the lending market recently?

Opening Day for Softball

September 20, 2008 on 8:59 pm | In Family | 2 Comments

Today was opening day for my daughter’s 12U softball team.  They played a scrimmage game against another team in their division and it was the worst game I’ve seen in a very long time.  Our team slaughtered the other team 16-0.  Most of the girls on the other team had never even picked up a softball before today and had NO idea what they were doing.  It was really sad to see.

There are only 3 teams total in this division and it’s going to be a very boring season if something isn’t done quickly.  Our coach is trying very hard to get the league to move our girls up to 14U, which I believe our coach should have done in the first place.  The competition wasn’t much better in the spring, so she should’ve known to move up.

The first official game is Monday night, I hope it’s better than what we saw today, but I don’t think it will be.

Loving the Memory Foam Mattress

September 18, 2008 on 12:37 pm | In Family Health | 2 Comments

My daughter used to sleep on our old queen size mattress until, for her birthday, she asked for the newest memory foam mattress! We had stayed at a hotel that had the memory foam mattress in their rooms and she loved it. Believe it or not, she was only 10 at the time, but she really wanted that new mattress. So, I saved up the money and went down to the store and bought her a new mattress.That was when we were still living in the Chicago area and it happened to be January when I had the mattress delivered. Let me tell you, the mattress was hard as a rock when it arrived and it was several days before it softened up (thawed out) enough for her to sleep on it. She really did start sleeping better though, immediately.We then moved to Texas where we definitely have warmer temperatures. Did you realize that the memory foam mattresses react to temperature? I didn’t realize how much they react. We really liked the mattress where we were, but here, in the warmer temperatures, it’s like a dream mattress! It’s even more comfortable and I didn’t think that was even possible.

If you don’t have your own memory foam mattress yet, you might want to seriously consider getting one. You can even order one directly from Overnight Mattress and they will usually have it delivered the very next day. They manufacture their own mattress and ship direct to the customer which means they can sell for lower prices. They also have a great return policy so they’re worth checking out at Overnightmattress.com

I can honestly tell you though, we love my daughter’s mattress and I wish I could get one for our own bed!

Technology and Customer Service

September 18, 2008 on 11:18 am | In technology | Comments Off

I have spent the better part of my morning just trying to get everything set up and ready to go for my new work-at-home job.  The job requires that I have a computer hooked up to the internet, not by wireless, and a land line telephone service.  I have the computer, but it’s not in the right room, and I currently don’t have a land line phone of any kind.

We do have Verizon FIOS internet and I called them to see what it would take to get our home office hooked up.  Well, after being disconnected twice and being routed through the automated phone service 4 times, I was sick and tired of trying to reach someone who could help me and gave up.  Basically, what I did learn was that I will need to have a data jack installed in our home office so that I can move our router in there.  The router is currently at my desk which is not in an enclosed area.  For now, I may just have to leave it where it is so that I don’t have to pay install fees.

I did finally get through to Verizon to have the phone installed.  Actually, they just need to turn it on, but, for whatever reason, they have to come inside the house to do that.  So, they will be here next Friday.  I am shocked at the monthly cost though to have a basic, no frills service for local calling only.  The montly cost will be $27.85 plus tax!  GEEZ!  No wonder we haven’t had a land line since moving into this house.  If I decide to quit the new job, the phone service will be the first thing to go!  I will basically have to work 4 hours a month just to pay for the phone.  It ticks me off too, because the Verizon website shows a cost for basic, flat rate service of $7.10-$18.35 plus tax.  I also have to pay a $50 install fee, so my first paycheck will be going to cover that expense.

It’s difficult to swallow because I’m going back to work to help with our expenses, not add to them!  I sure do hope all of this works out.

Stock Market and Financial Planning

September 18, 2008 on 11:16 am | In Some of This Some of That | Comments Off

I was attending the orientation yesterday for my new job and I met a woman who was very worried about the news of the stock market and the news of the Federal government bailing out one of the biggest financial companies in our country. She has her money invested there and so, is legitimately concerned. My husband and I discussed it last night and decided we’re just going to have to ride it out and hope for the best in the long term

Bill Schmick, an International Mutual Fund wizard, predicted on August 22nd that there would be aa 10-11% decline in the stock market despite the rebound with lower oil prices, and lower commodity prices and he was correct in his prediction. In this volatile stock market and economy, it’s important to us to be able to know that we can still invest in a profitable retirement fund. I will be following the postings at Bill Schmick’s financial advice blog A Few Dollars More in an effort to keep our portfolio as strong as it can be in these economic times.