Transliteration

Finally got the transliteration thing taken care of. For a time there, I thought that my computer was going insane, LOL

उस त्रेअसुरी Department

I got another letter today from the Department of the Treasury.Seems that I am getting six hundred dollars. Money that will be spent on my house.My letter went on to say that I should recieve payment around June 6. Today is June 2. My question is: Why did they even bother to send me a letter????? Why couldn't they have just sent the check??? Sometimes our government does things that I don't readily understand..

डेंटल disease

I have to go to the dentist tomorrow and get a cavity filled. I have to go back next week and get 2 filled. I really do not mind going to the dentist at all. The chairs are comfortable and even though I am terrified of needles(and I am a diabetic too, ha) the shots in my mouth do not bother me in the least. Just feel a pinch then the novocaine sets in and I am all good:)

Back

Well, I now have Cox Cable internet services. I even added a few premium channels to my television viewing. Ha! I just watched 'Rosemary's baby' on youtube now, and if it were not for Heidi in my back yard, I probably would not get any sleep. I am going to bed earlier these days. Last night, I went to bed at 9:30 p.m. and woke up at 3:30 am and was wide awake. ! I was not sweating , and no headache when I arose. I will go to bed earlier from now on..

आउट विथ थे ओल्ड एंड इन विथ थे new

The title of this post is 'Out with the old and in with the new'. I am still not sure as to why my headings are not in English. Maybe I hit a wrong button somewhere. Oh well. Well, on May 23, I am ditching my DSL and switching to Cable internet. It is going to be faster than DSL. I have had DSL for maybe 4 or 5 years now, so I guess that it is about time I switched to something faster. When I went from dial up to DSL, I swore that I would never go back to dial up . Perhaps when I go to Cable, I will say the same thing about DSL. Oh hell, I know I will. I despise DSL right now, and I still have it. I can't wait to get rid of it and start the new relationship with Cable internet. Joy!

Ohhhh

And all of my windows in my cute little house are absolutely spotless now. I had a team come out and clean them up. It took them about 4 hours to do it. The windows had not been cleaned in the 12 years that I have been living here. Now they are the best looking windows I have ever seen. I have the best looking front yard and the best windows in my neighborhood!

मोठेर्स डे!

Why do my post headings keep coming up in Arabic?(at least I think it is Arabic, I am not sure) Anyway, I had the weekend off this weekend. Rare for even to take one day off for me! Anyway, my house is coming along swimmingly. It fact I would say that it is down right beautiful and read for some magazine covers!I still have to finish painting the guest bedroom and the bathroom. Both will be done in a beautiful pearl yellow, to brighten things up a bit. The Master bed room and the kitchen and the living room are painted in a pearl green. Pretty!. I am enjoying falling asleep to tv in my bedroom. My computer will be moved into the guest bedroom when that bedroom is finished. I e-mailed Dennis last night and he e-mailed back. He and I are ready for another get togethers, HAHAHA. That guy is HOT, and he is ::ahem:; a big guy(if you catch my drift, LOL) and I am going to be happy to show him my remodeled home.. among other things

Dentist

Went to the dentist today. I don't mind going. In fact, I almost fall asleep in the chair. I find it to be very cozy, even when getting a shot. I do have to go back and get some cavities filled though.

More

Pictures

Here are some great pics from my trip. Did not even get a second to take one in Wisconsin(damn) but I got some great ones of Hannibal, Missouri!

Ok.

No doghouses to be found anywhere at Lowe's that will work for my girl:(. But on a better, brighter note, I am getting a doghouse free from work! yay! and I know that it is perfect for her. Will need help from the guys as to getting it into my back ayrd. Well, enough about dogs and doghouses..Seems that my sister might have a tumor on her pituitary gland. Until a few days ago, I did not even know that tumors could grow on that gland. ! Well she had an MRI just a while ago, and blood tests a few days ago. Have not found out the results yet. I will call her in a few days and find out what is going on. Till then, I just won't worry about it. Does no good to . No sense in driving yourself crazy with worry about something you have no control over.Beddy bye time for me now. Good night world.

Heidi

Off to Lowe's to pick out a dog house for Heidi:)

M Family room

This is my family room. The pic does not show the whole thing, and yes the floor is going to be re-done, b ut it looks 100000000000000000000000000percent better than it did. Now, I still have to finish the bathroom, the guest room, and the kitchen. I am taking estimates on having the windows cleaned. Normally I would do them myself, but i have storm windows and I am told that they are a bitch to clean, so I am having them done. I am having laminate tile put on the kitchen floor plus (I think) in the bathroom. More pics as i get things done. Oh yes, and my yard man is coming to do my lawn( I am having it sodded, landscaped) on Wednesday. YAY!

My New Home(Ok I know it isn't new)

This is my bedroom. Nice hardwood floors, and great new designs (I went with New Orleans French style country)

Happy Sunday

Well, today my cousin Joni headed back to her home in Arkansas. I will be forever grateful to her for her help. Perhaps someday I can help her the way that she helped me. She is honest, funny, intelligent, and works her butt off!

Getting there!

Today, as was yesterday, I was exhausted all day. Work work work, which I love, but when you add my weight, I get tired out easy. My house is getting done. Yay! I am going with an old time New Orleans French country theme, and I am going to even have Laissez le bon roulement de périodes !
stenciled, or placed in my kitchen above my cupboards. The Family room is now painted a pearl green, which is one of my favourite colors. Every thing is dusted, cleaned, replaced , or new( I , thankfully have few new things added) I have a beautiful and very inexpensive couch put in. Tomorrow, I am having a technician come in and look at my windows that I am sad to say have not been cleaned in about twelve years. I am having a cleaning woman come out to my place twice a month to clean. Beyond that, I will keep it clean. It is such a cute home. The master bedroom is going to be painted in a pearl blue. I have new bedsheets, linens, and the guestbedroom is being repainted in a beautiful pearl yellow. Heidi is getting a dog house and she is going to stay out side, unless the weather gets bad. Much moving things and cleaning and work has been done, and most of it has not been done by me. I will forever owe a debt of gratitude to my family for helping me. My mother and my cousin did most of the work. In spite of the pet stains, the hardwood floors are turning out beautiful. To have them sanded down and some boards replaced plus having my kitchen floor laminated(Ok I only have one estimate thus far) will cost me approximately 2 grand. The money does not concern me all that much because I have much saved up, and I still am saving. Oh yes, and I am also installing a toddler gate for my Heidi, so she cannot escape into any of the other rooms(she will be allowed to come into the kitchen and the laundry room)Oh yes, did I say that sometime in the future, I am getting a flat screen television? Happy! Well, the floor comes first! As they say in New Orleans:Laissez le bon roulement de périodes !

Update ..

Today is April 6, 2008. I am feeling and doing much better. My family has really come full circle in helping me get my house in great shape! The bedrooms( I have 2) are in the middle of a wondrous makeover, as is my kitchen and family room. I owe a serious debt of gratitude to my family, especially my cousin Joni. She has been a GODSEND. I mean she has worked the hardest. I have also been working hard, doing some cleaning when I come home from work at night. I will post some pics when all is done. There is still work to be done.Tomorrow, I (ok we) get started on my guest bedroom.I promise here and now to keep my cute little house clean! I promise to post pictures when we are done. May take a while, and I have spent a little money, but it is definitely worth it. My mother and Joni are great decorators, which is great. I am not so hot in the decorating department but I am going to do great with the cleaning.

Disgusted and Depressed

yesterday, I was feeling reaaly bad. I became disgusted with myself. I cried a lot. I was so disgusted with myself for putting on so much weight that I can now hardly walk. I My back hurts all the time and my knees are starting to hurt. I stayed home from work most of the day yesterday. My sister,mother and cousin came over to my house unexpectedly and I was extremely embarrassed because my house is filthy. I have tried to keep it clean, but with all the weight I get tired easily. I did not want them to know what happened to my house. My sister said that she loved me, but could not stand being in the house because it stank. My mother had a very sad look on her face, and that upset me even more. She said that she wasn't mad. They said that they were not mad and understood what it feels like to be depressed.There is much renovation that needs to be done to my house, but they have agreed to help me do it. My cousin even tore out some of my carpeting while I was at work today.I did much cleaning last night, and some tonight.I feel bad for making them sad. They say that they are glad to help, and they gave me lots of hugs and are helping me and getting my house fixed up. I feel so ashamed.

Lap Banding update

Well, this getting the lap banding surgery prep is going slower than I though. Oh well I am in no big hurry to have it doen. I mean, I want it, need it, but there is a ton of prep work to do before surgery is done. I am hoping to have it done sometime later this year. I have taken a great interest in other things, too. For instance, Iam really getting the hang of my camera. I love it! I find that the battery on the camera can run down fairly quickly if I don't charge it up every few days. Other than that it is great. I am still debt free and I am going to stay that way. I am still listening to Glenn Beck and Dave Ramsey(those guys are great). I have not spoken with Dennis is a very long time. I think he has another girlfriend right now. Oh well.Jeff has moved to Kansas City. The last time I chatted with him, he was having some unspecified difficulties, and needs some time by himself. I may try to call him in a few weeks. I am still enjoying my classic tv and even more so since I have a new dvd player.Sex has not been in the picture for a while. I like being alone. I come home after work, and other than the tv and/or the dog, it is QUIET. I love it. This is my life. I don't think I will ever get married.Oh well. I don't dwell too much on it.

Big Baby!

Old bridge torn down, and new bridge going up

This is after the old Topeka avenue bridge was torn down and the new one is being built!

another great song

Great song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbu1EU9f-d4

This is who will be performing my surgery

Welcome to TallgrassTopeka.com

Sooooooooooo cute

Kitten talk

Pictures

I did not take this picture, but I wish that I did! Beautiful!

These are the people

That are doing my front lawn this Spring. It will be beautiful!Stauffer Lawn & Landscape, LLC

Money and debt

Pap smear rap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYaU1xkZ-IA

A blog to ponderhttp://Both Right: Hillary Clinton is a Socialist

Both Right: Hillary Clinton is a Socialist

Puppy!http://All about Your Dog's Sleep on Squidoo

All about Your Dog's Sleep on Squidoo

Laptop

http://HP Laptops, Notebook Computers & Tablet PCs

video

http://Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Surgery

Checking in

Yes I know I promised that I would write on my blog every day. Sometimes I just cannot think of much to say. I am just not very creative sometimes. Things are going well for me. I have made a promise to myself to do my personal income taxes before April comes around. In fact it is a New Years resolution , the only one that I make , and the only one that I have made every year for the past 3 years. One year, I got a pretty sizeable refund, so yes, I changed my exemption status. I simply do not like loaning the government money if i don't have to!I will get my taxes done just as soon as I get some more forms from my bank which I should get any day now. I have my w-2s, and the rest of the information I need other than the 1099s I need from my bank. I keep my filing simple and as concise as possible.I even listen to money talk on the radio and I must be getting REALLY old because I really enjoy it. I do not play the stock market. I tend to be VERY CONSERVATIVE with everything in my life, especially when it comes to my money. I like having some fun every now and then, but I am at that point in my life when I need to start planning for retirement. That is if I ever do retire. LOL

Great site for economics debate

http://http://The Skeptical Optimist: Pie Chart of Who Owns the Debt, and Bar Chart of Who’s

Very interesting economics site.

http://http://The Skeptical Optimist: Pie Chart of Who Owns the Debt, and Bar Chart of Who’s

Hi

Well, it has been obscenely cold these past few days. Last night I took my two sweet Girls home. They simply cannot stay outside in this ccccold Kansas night. Had they day off fo work today so I kept my critters home and inside. Schatzi is by far the laziest one of the bunch. Dogs are generally very lazy. Mine definitely won't do housework or the shopping, LOL. They have just sat around all day today eating my food and looking beautiful while watching tv. What a hard life they lead.

More from Cjonline.com

Renaissance trial to beginFormer CEO faces 148 counts of fraud, money laundering
By Steve Fry
The Capital-Journal
Published Monday, January 14, 2008
Marcy Szarama, a Los Angeles businesswoman, was looking for reliable tax advice in July 2000 when some acquaintances raved about Renaissance, The Tax People, saying the Topeka-based firm gave good tax advice.

Today, the three-week jury trial begins for Michael Craig Cooper, former Renaissance chief executive officer and founder, who is charged with 148 counts alleging he and others "agreed to cheat clients out of money through false or fraudulent representations about their program," generating about $84 million from investors, court records said.


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Michael Cooper has been incarcerated since 2004

COOPER CHARGES

• One count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and to commit mail fraud and wire fraud

• 56 counts of assisting in the preparation of false federal income tax returns

• 36 counts of mail fraud

• 11 counts of wire fraud

• One count of conspiracy to commit money laundering

• 41 counts of engaging in monetary transactions of criminally derived property worth more than $10,000

• Two counts of money laundering

The trial will be conducted by U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia in the Robert J. Dole U.S. Courthouse in Kansas City, Kan.

Szarama said she joined Renaissance, but when she called the company for tax advice, she was put on hold and heard only recordings about how to sell Renaissance products.

At meetings, company officials tried to sell marketing materials and coached members on how to sell more Renaissance products to more people, she said last week.

There was a "lot of fluff" and not much substance, she said.

"They gave me really bad tax advice," said Szarama, who had to pay about $2,000 in back taxes because she underpaid her taxes based on Renaissance advice.

About six months after she joined Renaissance, Szarama said she got out because she found it to be a waste of time and money and she "detected a cult vibe." Overall, she lost about $4,000, she said.

After about five years, Szarama said, she got back about $2,000 in restitution for what she spent on Renaissance but no money for the tax penalties she paid.

Renaissance, The Tax People, billed itself as a multilevel marketing agency aimed at helping its clients avoid taxes. The company sold a "tax-relief system" instructing home-based business owners on how to take tax deductions on their businesses, which usually was selling the Renaissance tax-relief system.

But by May 15, 2001, a Shawnee County District Court judge had shut down Renaissance, pegging the business as an illegal pyramid scheme, and froze the assets of the company and defendants.

About 125 prosecution witnesses have been called to testify against Cooper, including seven co-defendants who were Renaissance executives or employees and who made plea agreements.

Cooper is the only defendant left in the case.

Cooper has remained incarcerated since Oct. 25, 2004, when he was arrested near Laredo, Texas, while crossing the border from Mexico. Cooper had failed to return to the United States 17 months after a Shawnee County District Court judge allowed him to travel to Mexico to recover $2 million in company assets. When he didn't return as ordered, Cooper forfeited a $1 million bond.

Once Cooper was apprehended, a federal magistrate judge denied him bond, saying Cooper didn't face his problems in state court like an adult when he chose to remain in Mexico.

Cooper's Renaissance began to unwind publically on Oct. 11, 2000, when federal agents wearing raid gear descended on company headquarters in the old Fleming Mansion at S.W. 10th and Gage. While surprised shoppers in the nearby shopping center gaped, officers from the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and other agencies executed search warrants.

In the days following the raid, people loyal to Renaissance sent "pep rally e-mails" assuring one another that Cooper was being persecuted, Szarama said.

The May 15, 2001, order by Shawnee County District Judge Richard Anderson followed a lengthy hearing.

In his ruling, Anderson wrote, "Defendants have seduced consumers into joining their illegal pyramid scheme through the use of specious guarantees of tax deductions and savings, false assurances of legality and misleading promises of unlimited income opportunity."

During the hearing, Cooper took the witness stand, gave his name and a few other details but invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination at least 55 times in 40 minutes of testimony.

Anderson issued a final judgment of more than $29 million against the defendants and on behalf of Kansans, according to court records. That included more than $13 million in civil penalties under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act and more than $13 million in consumer damages.

Federal investigators confiscated $9 million during the probe.

A federal grand jury returned an initial indictment against Cooper on Aug. 13, 2004. A follow-up indictment was filed Dec. 6, 2006.

Steve Fry can be reached

at (785) 295-1206 or steve.fry@cjonline com.

� �
You may delay, but time will not.~Ben Franklin

Hoping to be banded soon!







Reply to Message Mark Message Unread

(Msg Id: 340300:743155)

Wow

Edmund Hillary, First Atop Everest, Dies
By RAY LILLEY,AP
Posted: 2008-01-10 21:49:51
Filed Under: World News
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Jan. 10) - Sir Edmund Hillary, the unassuming beekeeper who conquered Mount Everest to win renown as one of the 20th century's greatest adventurers, has died, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced Friday. He was 88.

The gangling New Zealander devoted much of his life to aiding the mountain people of Nepal and took his fame in stride, preferring to be called "Ed" and considering himself just an ordinary beekeeper.


Photo Gallery
Wayne Drought, AP Climbing Icon
Passes Away1 of 7 New Zealand's Sir Edmund Hillary, the famously humble beekeeper who became an international celebrity for scaling Mount Everest more than fifty years ago, died at 88. He is survived by his wife June and his children Peter and Sarah. Here, the mountaineering legend is seen giving a speech in Antarctica on Jan. 20, 2007.

"Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality, he was a colossus. He was a heroic figure who not only 'knocked off' Everest but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity," Clark said in a statement.

"The legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived," she said.

Hillary's life was marked by grand achievements, high adventure, discovery, excitement — and by his personal humility. Humble to the point that he only admitted being the first man atop Everest long after the death of climbing companion Tenzing Norgay.

He had pride in his feats. Returning to base camp as the man who took the first step onto the top of the world's highest peak, he declared: "We knocked the bastard off."

The accomplishment as part of a British climbing expedition even added luster to the coronation of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II four days later, and she knighted Hillary as one of her first act.

But he was more proud of his decades-long campaign to set up schools and health clinics in Nepal, the homeland of Tenzing Norgay, the mountain guide with whom he stood arm in arm on the summit of Everest on May 29, 1953.

He wrote of the pair's final steps to the top of the world: "Another few weary steps and there was nothing above us but the sky. There was no false cornice, no final pinnacle. We were standing together on the summit. There was enough space for about six people. We had conquered Everest.

"Awe, wonder, humility, pride, exaltation — these surely ought to be the confused emotions of the first men to stand on the highest peak on Earth, after so many others had failed," Hillary noted.

"But my dominant reactions were relief and surprise. Relief because the long grind was over and the unattainable had been attained. And surprise, because it had happened to me, old Ed Hillary, the beekeeper, once the star pupil of the Tuakau District School, but no great shakes at Auckland Grammar (high school) and a no-hoper at university, first to the top of Everest. I just didn't believe it.

He said: "I removed my oxygen mask to take some pictures. It wasn't enough just to get to the top. We had to get back with the evidence. Fifteen minutes later we began the descent."

His philosophy of life was simple: "Adventuring can be for the ordinary person with ordinary qualities, such as I regard myself," he said in a 1975 interview after writing his autobiography, "Nothing Venture, Nothing Win."

Close friends described him as having unbounded enthusiasm for both life and adventure.

"We all have dreams — but Ed has dreams, then he's got this incredible drive, and goes ahead and does it," long-time friend Jim Wilson said in 1993.

Hillary summarized it for schoolchildren in 1998, when he said one didn't have to be a genius to do well in life.

"I think it all comes down to motivation. If you really want to do something, you will work hard for it," he said before planting some endangered Himalayan oaks in the school grounds.

The planting was part of his program to reforest upland areas of Nepal.

Hillary remains the only non-political person outside Britain honored as a member of the Britain's Order of the Garter, bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II on just 24 knights and ladies living worldwide at any time.

He reached the summit of Everest four days before Elizabeth was crowned Queen of Britain and the Empire on June 2, 1953. She immediately knighted the angular, self-deprecating Hillary, who was just 33.

Throughout his 88 years, he was always the atypical "typical New Zealander" who spoke his mind.

In his 1999 book "View from the Summit," Hillary finally broke his long public silence about whether it was he or Norgay who was the first man to step atop Everest.

"We drew closer together as Tenzing brought in the slack on the rope. I continued cutting a line of steps upwards. Next moment I had moved onto a flattish exposed area of snow with nothing by space in every direction," Hillary wrote.

"Tenzing quickly joined me and we looked round in wonder. To our immense satisfaction we realized with had reached the top of the world."

Before Norgay's death in 1986, Hillary consistently refused to confirm he was first, saying he and the Sherpa had climbed as a team to the top. It was a measure of his personal modesty, and of his commitment to his colleagues.

He later recalled his surprise at the huge international interest in their feat. "I was a bit taken aback to tell you the truth. I was absolutely astonished that everyone should be so interested in us just climbing a mountain."

Hillary never forgot the small mountainous country that propelled him to worldwide fame. He revisited Nepal constantly over the next 54 years.

Without fanfare and without compensation, Hillary spend decades pouring energy and resources from his own fund-raising efforts into Nepal through the Himalayan Trust he founded in 1962.

Known as "burra sahib" — "big man," for his 6 feet 2 inches — by the Nepalese, Hillary funded and helped build hospitals, health clinics, airfields and schools.

He raised funds for higher education for Sherpa families, and helped set up reforestation programs in the impoverished country. About $250,000 a year was raised by the charity for projects in Nepal.

A strong conservationist, he demanded that international mountaineers clean up thousands of tons of discarded oxygen bottles, food containers and other climbing debris that litter the lower slopes of Everest.

His commitment to Nepal took him back more than 120 times. His adventurer son Peter has described his father's humanitarian work there as "his duty" to those who had helped him.

It was on a visit to Nepal that his first wife, Louise, 43, and 16-year-old daughter Belinda died in a light plane crash March 31, 1975.

Hillary remarried in 1990, to June Mulgrew, former wife of adventurer colleague and close friend Peter Mulgrew, who died in a passenger plane crash in the Antarctic. He is survived by his wife and children Peter and Sarah.

His passport described Hillary as an "author-lecturer," and by age 40 his schedule of lecturing and writing meant he had to give up beekeeping "because I was too busy."

By that time he was touring, lecturing and fund-raising for the Himalayan Trust in the United States and Europe for three months at a time, speaking at more than 100 venues during a tour.

He was known as ready to take risks to achieve his goals, but always had control so that nobody ever died on a Hillary-led expedition.

He was at times controversial. He decried what he considered a lack of "honest-to-God morality" in New Zealand politics in the 1960s, and he refused to backtrack when the prime minister demanded he withdraw the comments. Ordinary New Zealanders applauded his integrity.

He got into hot water over what became known as his "dash to the Pole" in the 1957-58 Antarctic summer season aboard modified farm tractors while part of a joint British-New Zealand expedition.

Hillary disregarded instructions from the Briton leading the expedition and guided his tractor team up the then-untraversed Shelton Glacier, pioneering a new route to the polar plateau and the South Pole.

In 2006 he climbed into a row over the death of Everest climber David Sharp, stating it was "horrifying" that climbers could leave a dying man after an expedition left the Briton to die high on the upper slopes.

Hillary said he would have abandoned his own pioneering 1953 climb to save another life.

"It was wrong if there was a man suffering altitude problems and was huddled under a rock, just to lift your hat, say 'good morning' and pass on by," he said. "Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain."

Named New Zealand's ambassador to India in the mid-1980s, Hillary was the celebrity of the New Delhi cocktail circuit. He later said he found the job confining.

He introduced jetboats to many Ganges River dwellers a decade earlier, in 1977, when his "Ocean to the Sky" expedition traveled the Ganges by jetboat to within 130 miles of its source.

The last segment was by foot, and two mountain peaks near Badranath, where the Ganges rises, were also climbed. He sought adventure in places as distant from each other as the Arctic and Antarctic.

Hillary didn't place himself among top mountaineers. "I don't regard myself as a cracking good climber. I'm just strong in the back. I have a lot of enthusiasm and I'm good on ice," he said.

Despite his fame, he spoke of being "really embarrassed" even when introduced at a lecture.

"I really am an ordinary person with a few abilities which I've tried to use in the best way I can," he said.

The first living New Zealander to be featured on a banknote, he helped raise nearly $530,000 for the Himalayan Trust by signing 1,000 of the sparkling new five-dollar bills sold at a charity auction in 1982. They were snapped up by collectors round the world.

Honored by the United Nations as one of its Global 500 conservationists in 1987, he was also awarded numerous honorary doctorates from universities in several parts of the world.

One of his accolades was the Smithsonian Institution's James Smithson Bicentennial Medal for his "monumental explorations and humanitarian achievements," awarded in 1998.

Throughout his life Hillary remembered his first mountain he climbed, the 9,645-foot Mount Tapuaenuku — "Tappy" as he called it — in Marlborough on New Zealand's South Island. He scaled it solo over three days in 1944, while in training camp with the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II. "Tapuaenuku" in Maori means "footsteps of the Rainbow God".

"I'd climbed a decent mountain at last," he said later.

Like all good mountaineers before him, Hillary had no special insight into that quintessential question: Why climb?

"I can't give you any fresh answers to why a man climbs mountains. The majority still go just to climb them."


Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-01-10 18:13:56

Baby brother

UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

My computer has been driving me nuts lately.!!! I hit shift and then a letter to captialize when starting sentences and then the caps lock key has been coming on! And this computer is not even a year old! Blah! I am ready to smash it! Arrgh! Ok, not really. It did a virus scan the other nightand my very excellent anti-virus software blocked a virus that attempted to come my way. It also gives me warnings and lets me know which links are safe to open andwhich ones not to. Some(ok, most) of the errors that happen with my computer are due to operator error(yours truly). I have been doing some serious thinking about my next computer. After this desktop shoots craps, I think I will buy myself a laptop. They look a bit more expensive than desktops, but the prices look to be coming down.

Happy New Year

lets try

THIS!

smiles

LAP-BAND® - Homehttp://LAP-BAND® - Home

link

Belated Merry Christmas to all!

Well, Christmas 2007 is finally gone. Things are going well, the American economy is going well. I got some cash, and a dvd player, and a giant food warmer to go in my back yard this summer. Today, I got the best news of all. The doctors office called me today and made an appoingtment for my consultation for my surgery. I am getting closer, step by step topwards getting approved for lap band surgery! Yayas!

Merry Christmas

I have seen these check cashing stores opening up all over the place in my city, I have seen about 10 or twelve new ones in my fair city so far this year . Ok maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but not by much. This may sound like a dumb question but why do people use these places? I have studied them and they charge exhorbitant fees. They are illegal in some states. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way arguing to get them shut down here, far from it. Don't people who use these places who are already short on cash will be shorter on cash by using them? Why not just use a credit card, a relative, or go to the bank to get a loan? Silly questions I know.

More pics

pic from my computer

Schatzi

Sweet girl

more

Photos Photos and more photos

Another site

Obesityhelp.com

I did it!

I finally learned how to work my camera! I am soooo proud of myself! Now I am going to get some great pictures and post them here! Pictures of myself before and after the weight loss, pictures of my pooches, pictures of everything ! yahas!Tomoww is picture days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to me

I am 39 years old today. Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeee. Today-I felt a feeling that I have not felt in a long time-HUNGER. I was hungry, and I did not cave in to the hunger!I have cut way back on my food intake and my body is feeling it! My blood sugar is 127 about an hour and a half after eating..

Weighing in

Last time I weighed in I was 6 pounds lighter! Weighing ikn this morning, I hope that I am down even more..

Gearing Up

The day before yesterday, I recieved in the mail my tax info regarding Health Coverage Tax credit from the IRS . I receieved copies of my filings for the past 5 years. Got it for free, too. Perhaps maybe this surgery is tax deductible? I am reading the information that the infernal revenue service is sending me this weekend and will have it ready on Monday, November 26(2 days before my 39th birthday! Yay) . I have the appointments set up for the psych evaluation and I am scheduled for the seminar on Dec 8! I need to post some current pics here of myself and I will. I just hate(right now anyway) getting in fron t of the camera!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I don't have to do anything for Thanksgiving Day but show up! Personally I do not understand why some people seem to slave all day in front of ovens and wake up at 4 am to start cooking. The whole point of the holidays are to relax and have fun!

Link that will work

Info

Waiting...

In a few days, I start my new lifestyle change. I am sharply reducing my caloric intake. This means very little breads, more light yogurt, more bottled water with tons of ice. I have not attended the seminar yet, and the seminar is not until December 8 of this year. I am having some tax information sent to me via USPS, and it will be here within the next one or two weeks. Apparnetly sometimes certain medical procedures can be tax deductible if they are to save someone's life. I have also ordered a form that I have to fill out and send back to the IRS. Forget what it is called, but on it you tell what kind of surgery you have and possibly send some reciepts? Anyhoo, I am impatient. Especially with myself. I am tired of having diabetes and being so overweight. I am tired of being out of breath when I go from my office out to the dog pen. Apparently there are many tests that have to be taken to be approved by a surgeon before having the surgery done. Many blood tests, and even psychiatric( or psychological) examinations to take. I cant see why I would not pass them though.I know that I have a long ways to go, but I can do it. I will do it. I promise that I will post before/after pics here, too:)

In a few days..

In a few days, I start my lifestyle change.. I am getting so psyched up for the surgery.. and I have not been approved by a surgeon. I go to seminar on Dec 8. I don't see any reason as to why I would be turned down. I have done much research on it and from what I have read I am qualified.

Sorry it has been a while

Been awhile since my last blog post I know. Didn't mean to be away for so long. A lot has happened since I last posted here, the main thing that is going on is that it looks like I am going to have the bariatric surgery after all. I have contacted a clinic here in Topeka that will do the surgery and I have a choice between two kinds. One kind of surgery is called the Gastric Bypass. This surgery involves cutting the stomach, and from there I cannot describe it because there are so many details and such. The cost is somewhere around 20 thousand or 30 thousand. The other choice is called the Lap band which is what I would choose( if given a choice LOL) because the recuperation time is shorter, does not leave as much scarring, less costly(around 14 grand) and I think would be less stress on me. I am going in for a free consultation on December 8th of this year. God, I am scared of this surgery, but I am more scared of what will happen if I don't have this surgery.I have never done anything like this before and I don't have a very high tolerance for pain. Except for having a tiny one in my finger, I have never even had an IV inserted in my life. That alone scares me. Well it helps me if I talk about it, talk to others who have had the surgery, and everyone that I have talked to has been successful with it and have had great results.

I am very much addicted to the net

***You Are 63% Addicted to the Internet***


In your opinion, life without the internet is hardly worth living.
Could be, but you probably need a bit more fresh air and sunshine to think clearly.


Are You Addicted to the Internet?
http://www.blogthings.com/areyouaddictedtotheinternetquiz/

One of the best

songs ever: 4 Non Blondes: What's Up

Hello

Happy Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn I wish that I had an F Buddy !!!

News

Well here is the latest news regarding the phone call I made this morning to the Bariatric doc. I am not going to have the surgery. Seems that my insurance won't cover it. Oh well, I am terrified of surgery anyways. I checked it out on line and it is no minor deal. If I had it done, then I would have to miss out on work and then I guess that the recovery time is I don't know how long. Looks like I will have to go back to plan B. Diet and exercise. It isn't so bad anyway.I would have been extremely terrified anyway.

Tomorrow I speak to a Bariatric doctor

Tomorro I am going to call a bariatric surgeon to set up an appointment to come and see him for some advice. Should i go for this ? I mean, I am morbidly obese. I am also deathly afraid of surgery and I have type 2 diabetes. I am a big chicken. I see others going through this surgery, yes, and I think they are so barve and I am the biggest chicken. I have never been through that kind of surgery in my life! Even IVs scare me. I want to be fully informed.I have tried the diet exercise route( ok I could have done much better on the exercise route) and I gained back the weight I lost. What do you think? I am scared. I don't want to die young.I have seen the lap band and gastric by pass and they look to be pretty invasive. I see them on the internet. Then I get even more scared. Then I see the positive results that others have had and I think 'I want that'! Wierd. I get horny sometimes,(ok all the time) and then I get sad because I don't have a boyfriend or husband and that no guy want sto go out with me. Except for Jeff, and he is kinda insane anyway. I think that a dramatic weight loss would help me feel more confident and better about myself. Oh well, enough with this self pity kick! I will log off and get some sleep right now. Sleep is very important too. Will post here and let you know how the call went tomorrow.

Baby Bond Bust

Hillary Clinton proposes $5,000 'baby bonds'


Hillary Clinton wants the government to give each child born in the United States a $5,000 "baby bond."

Sen. Hillary Clinton said today the government should give every child born in the United States a $5,000 "baby bond" to help pay for college.

"I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time, so that when that young person turns 18 if they have finished high school they will be able to access it to go to college or maybe they will be able to make that downpayment on their first home," the Democratic presidential hopeful told a Washington forum hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus.

Clinton did not say how much her proposal would cost or how it would be paid for.

About 4 million children are born each year in the United States.

The New York senator said these "baby bonds" would help Americans struggling to save enough money to cover rising education and housing costs.

Wealthy people "get all kinds of tax incentives to save, but most people can't afford to do that," she said.ORK writes:I have a lot of questions about this. How much money would have to be paid for the initial bond to grow to 5 thousand dollars? How would it be possible to find out who to send the bonds to? Is there some sort of register that parents would have to fill out ? How could one be sure that the bond actually went to the children's account and not some other person's account for nefarious reasons? Is it tax exempt? Is it retroactive? I mean, will I get a bond , simply for being born in 1968?Who will pay for the initial cost of the bonds? Will they be counted as income? Will illegals be able to have access to these bonds. I mean, if an illegal pregnant woman comes over to this country and gives birth, will the kid that is born be given a bond?Will American citizens born overseas have access to these bonds?Do you have to be over a certain income to obtain a bond? Under a certain income?Why does Hilary Clinton seem to think that it is the governments responsibilty to do what the parents should be doing?

Never Pick up hitchhikers

When I was a kid, I heard all these stories about people hitchhiking and getting raped and murdered or assaulted in some way. My parents taught me not to pick up hitchhikers and never ever go hitchiking. My mother, however did break her rule just one time. My ssister and I were were on our way home from a roller skating rink once, my mother was driving, it was late at night , and I think it was starting to rain. This was back in the day before cell phones. Well we drove past this woman walking home alone late at night, and we knew that it was not safe for her to be out there alone. We picked her up, gave her a ride home.She was a tad leery of us, but not totally scared because we were an adult woman with two little girls, so I guess that we looked harmless to her. She was very grateful and thanked us a ton when we got her to her destination safely.

What I do and how i do it: Hahahha Hope you can see this

What I do and how i do it: Hahahha Hope you can see this

Hahahha Hope you can see this

DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEBTTTTTTTTT FREEEEEEEEEEE

I am DEBT FREE! Except of course, daily living expenses! My house was paid off long ago and the last thing I paid off on Monday was my Toyota Rav 4.I have a bit of good news! On Tuesday, I just mailed my final car payment:). Now my house and my car are paid off! I owe nothing except for daily living expenses! I am gonna hunker down and start saving more for retirement!

From the Inner Nets

You might be from Kansas if:

1. You no longer associate bridges or rivers with water.

2. You have never met any celebrities. (Bob Dole isn't a celebrity; he's your neighbor.)

3. You know the meaning of Rock Chalk Jayhawk.

4. Your closest neighbor is more than a mile away, and you can still see him from your front porch.

5. You can properly pronounce Salina, Basehor, Schoenchen, Kechi, Osawatomie and Olathe.

6. Going on vacation means going to Hutch to the fair, Abilene to Ike's museum or Boot Hill to see Miss Kitty.

7. You know exactly what calf fries are, and eat them anyway.

8. A traffic jam involves two cars staring each other down at a four-way stop, each determined to be the most polite and let the other go first.

9. A Mercedes Benz is not a status symbol. A Ford F150 4x4 is. (Except in Johnson County)

10. You discover that in July, it takes only 2 fingers to drive your car.

11. The terms Sooners and Huskers cause the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up straight and your blood pressure to rise.

12. You have owned at least one belt buckle bigger than your fist.

13. You think that people who complain about the wind in their states are sissies.

14. You are not surprised to find movie rentals, ammunition and bait all in the same store.

15. You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door but by the availability of shade.

16. You have been asked, "Where is Toto" more than once.

17. You prefer the Little Apple to the Big Apple as a place to live.

18. You had at least one summer job that was bucking bales or custom cutting.

19. You understand the difference between 3.2 and 6 point and more than once you've made a beer run to another state.

20. You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned how to multiply.

21. Your school classes have been canceled because of the cold.

22. You know in your heart that K-State can beat Oklahoma in football.

23. Traffic congestion is ten cars waiting to pass a combine on the highway.

24. You have had to switch from heat to A/C in the same day.

25. You know everything goes better with Ranch.

26. You call that smell coming from the feed yards...Money.

27. Your school classes have been canceled because of the heat.

28. You complain that you cannot see Scott City...

29. You know that Mt. Oread is really only just a hill.

30. You have seen people wear bib overalls to funerals and weddings.

31. You have ridden the school bus for more than an hour each way.

32. Over 50% of your wardrobe is purple.

33. In August you break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7a.m.

34. You instantly know someone is from Johnson County when they call everything west of Topeka...Western Kansas.

35. A tornado-warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel.

36. You know the real way to pronounce the name of Clintons state and the river... arKANSAS.

37. You think the opening day of pheasant season is a national holiday.

38. You NEVER liked Norm Stewart.

39. "Vacation" means going to Kansas City or Wichita for the weekend.

40. You measure distance in hours.

41. You know several people who have hit more than one deer.

42. You use a down comforter in the summer (because you run the A/C at 55 degrees).

43. Your grandparents drive at 65 mph through 13 feet of snow, during a raging blizzard, without flinching.

44. You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events.

45. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

46. You think of the major food groups as beer, beef, and beans.

47. You carry jumper cables in your car and make sure your better half knows how to use them.

48. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

49. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

50. You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and flannel pajamas.

51. You know the 4 seasons as: summer, road construction, still summer, winter.

52. It takes you 3 hours to go to the store for one item, even when you're in a rush, because you have to stop and talk to everyone in town.

53. You actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your friends from Kansas.

54. You lock the doors to your truck but leave the windows rolled down.

55. Finally, you are 100% Kansan if you have ever had this conversation:

~You wanna Coke?

~Yeah.

~What kind?

~Dr. Pepper.

BACK

The Dating scene

I have decided to get back into the dating scene again. I have not been out on a date in a looong time, and it is time that I returned. Dating is fun, but at first I get a little nervous, meeting the guy for the first time. Frankly, I don't see anything wrong with internet dating services, but being the tightwad that I am, I am going to try the free real world now. I am going back to church. I am thinking of getting back into life, possibly joining in some sort of extra curricular atcivies. There has to be more to life than work! Maybe looking into some classes of some sort. The free things are best

subprime stupidity

People who bought subprime mortgage loans: No bailouts. You deserve your fate. Companies who lent money to these subprimers: No bailouts.You also deserve your fate. You both deserve each other. You lose your house buy making the above listed mistakes, LIVE WITH IT. You did not do good research before and did not take care of your credit or you got too greedy and lent money to some one who was a poor risk:Too bad. You have to eat it and get no sympathy from me.You get nada from me.

My Girl

My girl is doing much better eating and more active. I love her so much. She has been my pal for twelve years. That time has gone by so fast. Her back end is giving out slowly.

My Heidi

My Heidi girl, my twelve year old baby , is not feeling well. I am taking her to the vet tomorrow. She sleeps a lot. She hardly eats anything. She tells me in her eyes that she is not feeling well. I fear the worst tomorrow.I love you my girl.

Thoughts

How do you propose that we as a country should handle Iraq? Pulling all of our troops out too soon would be a HUGE mistake, mainly because the insurgency would see this as sign of weakness and increase their attacks. Regardless of WHY we went there,the reason as to why we went to Iraq in the first place really does not matter anymore. We are there.We can argue about why we went there in the first place until we are blue in the face and it would not help our situation any.

Random thoughts

I have never been to New York City, nor have I even been to New York state, so I have never seen ground zero up close and personal. However I have been to another ground zero-Pearl Harbor in Hawaii( affectionately known as Pearl) and it was breathtaking. Made me feel sad and then proud and it was very surreall all at the same time. It is hard for me to think that there are still people buried on that SS Arizona Memorial to this day. Gave me the chills, big time.I get that feeling just a tiny bit when I see pictures of Pearl and movies made in New York City before 9-11 that show the towers still standing.

My take on Global warming

I believe that the world goes through cooling and warming cycles, and that human beings have little to do with it. Beyond that, the subject of Global warming absolutely bores the shit outta me.

wow

Vets react to man who fraudulently obtained Purple Heart tags

The Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. — Sentencing has been scheduled for next month for a 27-year-old Topeka man who pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining a Purple Heart license tag for his car.

Timothy Allen DeBusk, who wasn't wounded while serving as a Marine in Iraq, entered the guilty plea Friday in Shawnee County Court while 20 veterans watched.

When the veterans, some wearing overseas caps and uniforms of the veterans' groups they represented, saw DeBusk approaching the courthouse Friday, they formed a line, became silent and eyed him as he entered.

The Purple Heart is awarded to those in the military who are wounded or killed in battle. A veteran can get the Purple Heart license tag by showing proof of his or her wounding, including discharge records, a newspaper clipping or a certificate issued by the Department of Defense.

DeBusk originally was to appear at a preliminary hearing in the case. District Judge Nancy Parrish and assistant district attorney Kim Knoll were surprised when defense attorney Don Hoffman said his client intended to plead.

DeBusk pleaded guilty to dealing in false identification documents and making false information. The felony convictions each have a potential sentence of seven to nine months in prison. Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 12.

After the hearing, DeBusk expressed remorse.

"I want to make things right by my community, my family and my God," he said. "I want my conscience clear."

Knoll said DeBusk used a certificate showing he had received the Purple Heart and showed his discharge papers to officials at the Shawnee County Treasurer's Office to get the Purple Heart tag in October 2005.

The certificate was forged, Knoll said. DeBusk surrendered the tag on Feb. 1, 2007, after he learned he was being investigated by the military, Knoll said.

As they waited for DeBusk to arrive, several veterans talked about the case.

"We are here in support of all veterans who earned the Purple Heart honestly, especially who gave their lives earning it," said Topekan Harvey Harris, state commandant for the Marine Corps League.

The Marine Corps League is seeking to flush out the "phonies" and "wannabes," Harris said. Jefferson Lawson, of Topeka, said the three core values of the Marine Corps are courage, honor and commitment.

"He stained all three," Lawson said.

———

Information from: The Topeka Capital-Journal,

http://www.cjonline.com

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Visa blew me off

Well, I for one got pissed at my credit card company and switched to another one. The first credit card company-I will say it here- VISA. Ok, waaay back in the mid of July of this year, I sent a letter disputing a charge on my card. I got a standard'we are researching this' response letter in return. Well, a month goes by, I get my new bill and the disputed charges are still on there, so I send another letter. I get the same standard blow off letter in return saying that they will neeed to investigate. Ok another 2 weeks goes by. I call the card comapny and they have the nerve to tell me that no one is working on my case and that I need to call the company that I bought the item from( the company that I bought the item from) when I told them in the first letter that I could not contact the company that I bought the item from! Apparently they have chosen to blow me off, so that is what I am doing to them. I had my balance transferred to Discover.

Dating

I am thinking of dating again. Some days I wish that I were married, other days I don't. I also feel a bit guilty. I think that my mother wishes that she were a grandmother. My brother is the only one of us three sibs that is married, and he does not want to have children. My sister is not married, and neither my sister and I are not in the best position to have kids, though we want to some day. She is 36 and I am 38.My mother's friends are all becomeing grandparents and she is so jealous. She does not harp or obsess about it though. And honestly, I do not know how to take care of a kid anyway...

Bad news

I found out today that my city will be opening some payday advance loan places here in Topeka. Seven, to be exact. I never have and never will use these places. A customer of mine and I were discussing it(he is going to work for the payday loan place) and he told me that , for example, if someone wanted to borrow five hundred dollars for two weeks until payday then they would charge seventy dollars. It saddens me to hear of people using those places . They usually have a very high interest rate.

Am I poor?

I live in middle America. I own my own home. I own my car. I bring in a steady income. That income is less than thirty five thousand a year. I live alone. I have a small house, with an attached garage, a kitchen nook, with two bedrooms, and one bath. Am I poor? I have a clothes washer and a clothes dryer. I have central air. I have a good working refridgerator and a furnace. I have a dog. I have a color television set. I have cable tv. I have a dishwasher in great working order. Am I poor? I have a great little property with nice great big trees on it. I have a microwave oven as well as a conventional oven. I have a computer with internet access. I have clothes I wear and decent pair of shoes. I have a little bit of money in savings. Am I poor?

Kansans are wise!

lawmakers willing to push for pay raise
The Associated Press
Published Monday, August 20, 2007
Even though Kansas lawmakers are among the lowest paid in the country, there is no outcry at the Statehouse for a pay raise to remedy that.

When Rep. Ty Masterson, R-Andover, sponsored a bill last year to increase legislative pay, few of his colleagues climbed on board and the measure fell flat. Afterward, Masterson vowed to never again bring up what he said was the equivalent of political suicide.

Last week, a legislative committee took up the issue and concluded that it was probably time to increase pay for lawmakers. But nobody on the panel came forward to propose such a raise.

“Whatever we do needs to be a rational approach,” said Rep. Lee Tafanelli, R-Ozawkie. “Whatever we do is going to be scrutinized by the public.

Kansas legislators make about $17,000 a year, about half of that in pay and half for expenses such as lodging and meals in Topeka. Legislative leaders and lawmakers who serve on certain special committees receive more.

The state ranks 43rd nationally in legislative pay, according to data from across the country.

Subprime lenders and subprime borrowers really piss me off

Why would you need to worry if you have a fixed rate fifteen or thirty year 5 percent(for example) mortgage loan?Yes, I know some things happen that are unforseeable, but, IMHO, the main reason that we are having so many troubles with the subprimes is because people who have bad credit, no savings, etc took out loans that they could not afford to pay back and some lenders were stupid enough to lend money to the subprimers.If you are stupid enough to lend someone money and you know that they have a poor credit history, then if you lose your ass, then it is your own fault. If you are stupid enough to borrow money at a rediculous interest rate and then you cannot pay it back, and you lose your ass, then it is also your fault. I have NO sympathy whatsoever for either of you. You both wallow in your own stupidity and you both deserve each other.

Two, too many things to do

Payroll was a breeze. Ah, it always is. I love it. I love doing bookwork. Something I love doing, absolutely. I have the baby with me. Zornfaust. He is a darling. Noisy, too. I had to take him to work with me, then I get home about 6 pm, and I have to leave him ::sniff sniff cry cry cry:: alone inside in luxury in the ac while I go out shopping for a new purse( because he chewed up that last one) and I have to buy some groceries. I hate shopping. I mean I REALLY really hate it. It is a chore to me. And when it comes to food items, I am the worlds worst at it. I dont make lists. I have a mental list. And I dont clip coupons. I tend to just throw things in the cart. I shop when I am hungry. I HAD to go shopping tonight because I put it off last night and I am down to one can of beef soup and 3 cans of sardines. LOL. I guess that I was waiting until I completely ran out of food. Well, the new purse, one that I found for a bargain at Target cost me twelve dollars. Not bad. The total for my groceries was one hundred seven dollars and some change. my personal record for the month is one hundred twenty five dollars for a month. Parting with that money really hurts. I mean, I am not poor, I am just a tightwad. Parting with a Dime hurts. Anyway, I broke down and bought some vanilla ice cream and some diet ice cream and some diet Coke. That make sense??? Nope. LOL.Then comes the final dreaded act: Unloading the groceries at home. Nobody else to help, except for the four footed greeter at the door who really isn't much help after all, I labor to unload. But all is well. I relax when it is all done:)

Thinking about real estate

I always wondered something. My house is just under one thousand square feet, it sits on property that is maybe a quarter of an acre, two bedrooms, one bath, attached one car garage, and the neighborhood is good. The estimate worth of my house is 69 thousand dollars. What would a house like mine be worth if it were located along the coast, like say maybe New York or California?Yes, these are the things I think about every day!

Finance

I have taken a break from posting on the AOL abortion debate boards. I am still posting on other boards. AOL's message boards are the best! That is why i keep my free account with them. I post on other messageb boards besides abortion debate, and those are turning out to be fun. Oh, I saw the Simpon's movie on Sunday. Hilarious! I highly recommend it! Jeff went with me. Dutch treat.

From Aol

Double Billed

Ever been double billed? I have been. I just got a bill from my podiatrist for some work that I already paid for early last month. Just got this very same bill a few days ago with a note attached saying that I am late paying this bill. I have never been later paying them, ever. What I am going to have to do(Ok well, I don't know that I HAVE to) but I am responding to their bill with a copy of their bill and a not that says I have already paid it and a copy of my cancelled check. I realize that folks do make mistakes. Still, it is a little bit aggravating , though. Ever had this happen to you? How did you handle it? Thanks for letting me vent a lil bit:)

New Computer

Well, yesterday morning before I head off to work, I give my computer a virus scan. That takes a while to do, and I usually leave my computer on all of the time anyway. When I get home from work, I find that I cannot log on to the internet, and my monitor is completely black. So I call tech support. Then I find out that I have to pay for tech support over the phone. Joy. I call them up and the customer service rep, after going through so much testing and testing, tells me that I need a new video card. Joy again. I am told that Best Buy carries them in stock. Now I simply cannot be without my internet for even one night before I start to go insane, so I call Best Buy and confirm that they have video cards. They do, and I hurry my butt down to their store with my tower in tow. I get there and find out that my whole system is basically burnt out and that the video card was not the problem. So what do I do? I do buy a new computer. This one. A Hewlett Packard. I get home and now begins the assembly part. Not too altogether difficult. Just had one minor issue with the monitor, so I go back to the store to get a new one. I did put the new computer on my credit card(yuck) but I know that I will have the card paid off in about a month give or take a few days. Then I had to install a new antivirus program, which was the biggest pain, but I finally worked it through.The people at Best Buy, God Bless em, they were very patient with me. They earned their paycheck last night. And thus far, Hewlett packard has been the Best computer that I have had. And I have had some good ones. My first one was a Gateway and my second was an Emachines. But there is more cool stuff on this new one. Plus the flat screen is sexy.

Anchor babies

Yes, I agree we should build a good strong secure fence. My question is this: Suppose a pregnant woman gets across the border. Lets say that she is from Mexico. She is 9 months pregnant. She gives birth across the border in Texas. Her baby is a legal person of the United States. She is not. Do we deport her? If so, then what will happen to the baby?

My fave sites

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Surfing the web

When I get home from work, I like to relax by surfing the web(since sex is not always readily available HA) and I found this cool website. I will post some links as soon I get it figured out. I simply could not live with out sex, internet or cable tv.

Scary as Hell

By KATHERINE SHRADER and MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writers
1 hour, 53 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded al-Qaida has rebuilt its operating capability to a level not seen since just before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, The Associated Press has learned.

ADVERTISEMENT

The conclusion suggests that the network that launched the most devastating terror attack on the United States has been able to regroup along the Afghan-Pakistani border despite nearly six years of bombings, war and other tactics aimed at crippling it.

Still, numerous government officials say they know of no specific, credible threat of a new attack on U.S. soil.

A counterterrorism official familiar with a five-page summary of the new government threat assessment called it a stark appraisal to be discussed at the White House on Thursday as part of a broader meeting on an upcoming National Intelligence Estimate.

The official and others spoke on condition of anonymity because the secret report remains classified.

Counterterrorism analysts produced the document, titled "Al-Qaida better positioned to strike the West." The document focuses on the terror group's safe haven in Pakistan and makes a range of observations about the threat posed to the United States and its allies, officials said.

Al-Qaida is "considerably operationally stronger than a year ago" and has "regrouped to an extent not seen since 2001," the official said, paraphrasing the report's conclusions. "They are showing greater and greater ability to plan attacks in Europe and the United States."

The group also has created "the most robust training program since 2001, with an interest in using European operatives," the official quoted the report as saying.

At the same time, this official said, the report speaks of "significant gaps in intelligence" so U.S. authorities may be ignorant of potential or planned attacks.

John Kringen, who heads the CIA's analysis directorate, echoed the concerns about al-Qaida's resurgence during testimony and conversations with reporters at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday.

"They seem to be fairly well settled into the safe haven and the ungoverned spaces of Pakistan," Kringen testified. "We see more training. We see more money. We see more communications. We see that activity rising."

The threat assessment comes as the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies prepare a National Intelligence Estimate focusing on threats to the United States. A senior intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity while the high-level analysis was being finalized, said the document has been in the works for roughly two years.

Kringen and aides to National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell would not comment on the details of that analysis. "Preparation of the estimate is not a response to any specific threat," McConnell's spokesman Ross Feinstein said, adding that it would probably be ready for distribution this summer.

Counterterrorism officials have been increasingly concerned about al-Qaida's recent operations. This week, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he had a "gut feeling" that the United States faced a heightened risk of attack this summer.

Kringen said he wouldn't attach a summer time frame to the concern. In studying the threat, he said he begins with the premise that al-Qaida would consider attacking the U.S. a "home run hit" and that the easiest way to get into the United States would be through Europe.

The new threat assessment puts particular focus on Pakistan, as did Kringen.

"Sooner or later you have to quit permitting them to have a safe haven" along the Afghan-Pakistani border, he told the House committee. "At the end of the day, when we have had success, it is when you've been able to get them worried about who was informing on them, get them worried about who was coming after them."

Several European countries — among them Britain, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands — are also highlighted in the threat assessment partly because they have arrangements with the Pakistani government that allow their citizens easier access to Pakistan than others, according to the counterterrorism official.

This is more troubling because all four are part of the U.S. visa waiver program, and their citizens can enter the United States without additional security scrutiny, the official said.

The report also notes that al-Qaida has increased its public statements, although analysts stressed that those video and audio messages aren't reliable indicators of the actions the group may take.

The Bush administration has repeatedly cited al-Qaida as a key justification for continuing the fight in Iraq.

"The No. 1 enemy in Iraq is al-Qaida," White House press secretary Tony Snow said Wednesday. "Al-Qaida continues to be the chief organizer of mayhem within Iraq, the chief organization for killing innocent Iraqis."

The findings could bolster the president's hand at a moment when support on Capitol Hill for the war is eroding and the administration is struggling to defend its decision for a military buildup in Iraq. A progress report that the White House is releasing to Congress this week is expected to indicate scant progress on the political and military benchmarks set for Iraq.

The threat assessment says that al-Qaida stepped up efforts to "improve its core operational capability" in late 2004 but did not succeed until December of 2006 after the Pakistani government signed a peace agreement with tribal leaders that effectively removed government military presence from the northwest frontier with Afghanistan.

The agreement allows Taliban and al-Qaida operatives to move across the border with impunity and establish and run training centers, the report says, according to the official.

It also says that al-Qaida is particularly interested in building up the numbers in its middle ranks, or operational positions, so there is not as great a lag in attacks when such people are killed.

"Being No. 3 in al-Qaida is a bad job. We regularly get to the No. 3 person," Tom Fingar, the top U.S. intelligence analyst, told the House panel.

The counterterror official said the report does not focus on al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, his whereabouts or his role in the terrorist network. Officials say al-Qaida has become more like a "family-oriented" mob organization with leadership roles in cells and other groups being handed from father to son, or cousin to uncle.

Yet bin Laden's whereabouts are still of great interest to intelligence agencies. Although he has not been heard from for some time, Kringen said officials believe he is still alive and living under the protection of tribal leaders in the border area.

Armed Services Committee members expressed frustration that more was not being done to get bin Laden and tamp down activity in the tribal areas. The senior intelligence analysts tried to portray the difficulty of operating in the area despite a $25 million bounty on the head of bin Laden and his top deputy.

"They are in an environment that is more hostile to us than it is to al-Qaida," Fingar said.

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Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report.

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