NatalieKeilataИ

Chicago 2011 - Day 3

2011-10-28T23:59:00.000-05:00

Skydeck day. Oh how I'd dreaded this day!

The Skydeck is the 103rd floor of the Willis (Sears) Tower in downtown Chicago. There are three plexiglass boxes on this floor that you step onto, look down and see the traffic below.

We took the Metra train downtown from Lombard. It's my first time on a train that wasn't in a zoo and Tomek's first time on a train in years. The ride took about 45 minutes if I remember right, we stopped in many towns before reaching the OTA. Union Station was quite a sight! Restaurants all over, salons... And it was so clean. We left the building and I immediately switched on my Google Maps on the Evo!

Lead us to Willis Tower!!

We arrived and entered the Skydeck and took the 1 minute ride to the 103rd floor.

We walked around the observation deck.

We took photos from all angles.

And then took more photos.

And then came the three Skydecks...

It took Tomek hardly any time at all to get himself into the glass box, but it took me nearly 5 minutes.

But eventually I got there!

This was the only thing we ended up doing downtown, so from here we headed back to Union Station to board the Metra Train back to Lombard.

After we got back, Tomek took a nap and I relaxed on the couch. After he woke up we decided to head up north to Wisconsin. We had no real idea where to go, we just set a point on the GPS and went with it.

We ended up in Kenosha and drove around there for a bit before heading back to Lombard. We stopped just beside Simmons Island to shoot a few photos and were going to stop for dinner at an Italian Restaurant, but the prices were too high and they didn't have what we wanted on the menu, so we left. Eventually we stopped at an Arby's to grab a quick bite.

After we got home, we immediately hit the sack, we were beat.

Chicago 2011 - Day 2

2011-10-27T23:59:00.000-05:00

Today's excursion didn't comprise of much except getting the fuck out of Joliet and into Lombard!! We checked into the Residence Inn - Lombard early (thank you to the GM, Cindy, for letting us check in early! we could hear the sympathy in her voice once we told her we'd been at a Budget Inn in Joliet the night prior).

Once we got moved into the new place and unpacked, we unwound for a while and waited to get ready to go to Ditka's in Oak Brook for "Ditkaween." Tomek was so excited that he was going to get to meet Mike Ditka, but things were not in our favor as there wasn't enough time during commercial breaks. Tomek never got his autograph.

We went back to the room and called it a night. Besides, it's going to be a long day tomorrow. Lots of sight seeing to do!

Chicago 2011 - Day 1

2011-10-26T23:59:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Chicago! I wish it had been that great. The truth is, we were originally going to stay in Davenport for the night (because we hadn't planned on leaving so early in the morning or driving straight through), but since Davenport came up so fast and Joliet was only 2 hours away, we decided to go ahead and keep going.

When we arrived in the suburbs we first stopped at Minooka for some Giordano's Pizza. Wow! There are no words to express the taste of this pizza. The sauce is so sweet and the cheese is so silky and melty... It was unreal. We'll definitely be hitting up another Giordano's before the trip is over (and if I can help it, buying some pizzas to take home with us!). It couldn't have been any less than 3" deep, and this was just a personal pizza! I can't imagine how good a full size pizza is going to be.

Anyway, our next stop was in Joliet. We were scheduled to stay at the Motel 6 for the night because we couldn't get a reservation at the Residence Inn Lombard for the night. Only $40, it would be fine. But! Wait! There's a Budget Inn Express right in front of it for only $37 with Free WiFi and Continental Breakfast! Tomek suggests we go there instead. We walk up to the counter and there's an Indian guy at the front desk (dot Indian, not American Indian). He stares at us. After a few seconds of silence I say, "We'd like a room." Silence. What the hell? After everything is done being written up we checked into our room and immediately regretted it. The hallway reeked of piss and jizz, the room was scary dirty. I didn't even want to touch anything in the room.

So, we escaped for a few hours. We took I-55 to Bicek's Deli and bought some candy. Nothing was in English except for a few packages. Everything Polish. I had to constantly ask Tomek what was in the packaging if it didn't have a picture on it.

So, after spending a small fortune there we made our way down Milwaukee Ave until we reached 94, then headed back to the motel. We forced ourselves to sleep (not hard to do, it was more of a survival instinct than anything) for the night.

Chicago Bound in 1 Week

2011-10-19T23:20:00.001-05:00

In just over 170 hours I will be in The Windy City for the first time in my life. I don't travel much, mostly because before this year I've owned nothing but crap cars and traveling further than 3 hours required a borrowed vehicle from a parent, which has caused me to never be further east than Altoona, Iowa (with the exception of Atlanta and Florida). Well, this year I have a new car that's just asking for some miles! (Plus OnStar Plus Full Coverage = YAY! HAPPY TRIP!)

I'll be meeting an internet friend in Chicago, soon to call her a real life friend after this. Tomek and I have bought our tickets to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the U-505 already on Saturday morning. He's more excited about that than I am, mainly because we're doing the Field Museum for me, where I can see a T-Rex, whales and the Egyptian Exhibit!

I don't know when or how, exactly, but I've agreed to go up to The Skydeck. We watched a short video on YouTube this afternoon about it and I wanted to shoot myself right there in the apartment to prevent having to attend. I read later on Facebook that the Skydeck had to close because of high winds. I would only be so lucky to have this happen while we're there. I'm currently working on locating some Valium for the trip up to the 103rd floor, but all efforts have been fruitless.

I also want to go on one of the architectural boat tours along the river, but we don't know how that's going to work out, yet. It seems a lot of these tours have shut down for the season.

So, that's what we have planned so far. Since I'm not familiar with the city I'm relying heavily upon friends for info. I'll give updates and, of course while I'm there, lengthy blog posts on everything that's been happening!

First Freeze of the Season

2011-10-19T08:28:00.001-05:00

This morning we got a taste of winter as the temperature plunged briefly below freezing for the first time this season. The Freeze Warning started at 4AM and is scheduled to last another 45 minutes through 9AM.

Some parts of Omaha have even reached temperatures in the 20's; a weather station at 90th & Maple reported 29.4° at around 7:30 this morning, which is about 20 blocks from where I reside.

I took my car to get gas this morning so I wouldn't have to worry about it before work tonight and I will say it was definitely chilling outside! When that wind hit me in the face there was a sure bite to it. I was quickly reminded on how much I hate cold wind, but I love snow. I have such a love-hate relationship with winter. There is still that first snow to look forward to, the earliest I remember it snowing was October 27, 2007 when we had a major winter storm that knocked out schools for the entire Omaha area for a week. Somehow we ended up having to go to school in Calhoun, even though we had all the country roads. Actually, I believe we were the only school that was in service in Eastern Nebraska.

The Flood Is Over

2011-10-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

The flood is finally over, the river has receded. Here is a collection of photos of what is left. The entire front line of houses have been swept away and the Missouri River has replaced their real estate.

Wishing Some Facebook Users Would Off Themselves

2011-09-22T00:52:00.000-05:00

You would think the fucking world ended today as Facebook changed how their news feed was displayed for about the third or fourth time this year.

Here are just a few of the statuses that were posted today.

I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like Facebook spam. I do not like the new Facebook change, I do not like my friends rearranged. I do not like them in a row, down below or coming up and appearing slow. I do not like them by family, friend, city or state. I do not like the page to hesitate. I do not like the Facebook change, I do not like my friends rearranged! I do not like this new Facebook crap. Kill it, smash it, make it scrap. I do not like it Sam I am

OMG!! Facebook!! STOP CHANGING SHIT!!

Okay, that one's pretty fucking awesome!

¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ /´¯/) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ (\¯`\
¨¨¨¨¨ ¨/¯¨// ¨¨¨´¯`·, ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ,·´¯` ¨ ¨¨ \\¨¯\
¨¨¨¨¨¨/ ¨ // ¨¨¨¨ '·. ¨•`·. ¨ .·´• ¨.·' ¨¨¨¨ \\ ¨ \
¨ /´¯`/''¨ ''/´¯¯`·¸ ¨`:--·´ ¨ `·--:´¨ ¸·´¯¯`\'' ¨''\´¯`\
./''/ ¨ / ¨ ¨/¨¨/¨¨/¯\¨¨`·.¨ ' ' ¨.·´¨¨ /¯\ ¨ \ ¨\¨¨¨/´¯/)
✰˚HERE'S TOO ANOTHER FACEBOOK CHANGE ✰˚ ✰

facebook replaced myspace...whats gunna replace fb? i am so ready!

THIS IS FANTASTIC !!! HEY FACEBOOK TO BAD YOU DON'T READ SOME OF OUR POSTS ... YOU MIGHT GET AN EDUCATION IF YOU DID AND STOP MESSING US OVER !!!!

You know, this shit just goes on forever. Every time Facebook changes something I have to hear about it from everybody for the next god damned week, like the person who posted it in their status is the only person being affected by the atrocity!

You know what you can go to that never changes? MySpace. That's right! It looks the same now as it did ten years ago. Have at it! At least then I won't have to hear your bitching and whining. Click here to free yourself from Facebook today!

Christina's Sentencing

2011-09-14T23:30:00.000-05:00

NOTICE!!

This blog post contains my account of what occurred at Christina's sentencing on September 14, 2011. I tried desperately to only list the facts of what occurred and keep my opinion out of it.

I wrote this article to preserve the memory and details of what occurred that morning as best I could as it is something that I don't wish to forget. I know there are a few curious people out there who would like to know these details as well so I have decided to share them with you.

Please click on "Read More" to read the entire article.

This morning I woke up at about 6:30AM in my motel room. I got dressed and headed down to Burger King for some breakfast. When I came back to the room I got online and Facebook'd a little. I joked about the cold weather (you'd think by the way I talked it was the end of the world but it was only in the 40's) and a six door Chevy Suburban I saw driving down Russell Street.

All joking was going to be set aside a few hours later.

All packed up, I left the motel around 8:30 knowing it was roughly a 45 minute drive to Parker and I needed to park in a certain area to avoid my non-existent license plates being spotted by a police officer (I mean, I was at a courthouse after all; otherwise I might as well just slap a big old "TOW ME!!" sign on it).

After screwing with my cell phone for a good 5 minutes after arriving trying to text Tomek that I had arrived at court, I finally shut it off and walked inside. Everyone (that meaning Lindsie, Jimmy and Christina) expected the entire town of Parker to show up, but they didn't. The media was there, KDLT and KELO, along with Tammy Sanner's family and some witnesses including two of the nurses who treated Christina at the Emergency Room the night of the hit and run.

The day started off with two nurses from Pioneer Memorial Hospital's Emergency Room giving testimony; both recalling Christina calling Jimmy and asking for a ride home. They both stated that they told Christina not to drive home herself, but Christina later debated those statements.

Next up were two girls who had been playing pool with Tamra at one of the bars on Main Street. They both stated that they walked from one bar to another and when they reached the bottom of the stairs of the second bar (TJ's... I saw this bar on the way out of town, it has a flight of stairs leading to a subterranean business via the exterior of the building) they heard a loud boom, something that the first girl described as, "Sounding like a paint gun... Boomboomboom." She stated that they both ran back up the stairs to see Tamra on the ground in a pool of her own blood. The first girl said that she saw a black SUV about half a block away at this point; moments later it would stop at the railroad tracks to wait for a passing train. The second girl doesn't recall seeing any vehicle.

The last witness for the prosecution was a man with the DIA (I promise I remember hearing DIA, something I'd never heard of before, not DEA, but DIA) who had executed the search warrant the night of Christina's arrest. He described which drugs he had found in the house in addition to the living conditions.

By this time it was now 10:30 and the judge called for a brief recess. We dispersed into the hallway to stretch our legs and talk about what had transpired.

Christina's attorney, Robin Eich, had come to us before we began and asked if we would sit on the stand and be character references and have our testimony heard. Without hesitation I told Robin that I would, but Lindsie didn't know Christina that well and declined. Before we returned to court I asked Robin in a rather disturbed voice if I would have to answer to the prosecuting attorney regarding the living conditions at the house. She said that the PA most likely would ask about them, but Robin would object. I then voiced my concern about being asked about Chris' drug history. Robin asked what I knew about the drugs and I responded that I had only seen her smoke pot and Robin didn't have a problem with me answering those questions at all.

Court came back into session and the Sanner family came forward to the microphone and read letters that they had written to the judge. The entire courtroom was in tears as they described how it was one relative's birthday on the day Tamra was hit, another's birthday on the day she died, and yet another's on the day she was buried. It was hard to listen to for the entire court room, but they were things that needed to be heard. They still grieved for her, and one of the daughters explained how her dad just didn't act the same anymore and no longer enjoyed life without his wife by his side. The letter was quite lengthy, and when done Tamra's sister in law came forward to read a poem that had been written by an organ transplant recipient. Apparently at least three organs of Tamra's had been given to others upon her death and those recipients expressed their gratitude to the family in the form of a poem.

At this time Robin turned around to me and asked me to simply read my character reference letter I'd written Christina instead of testifying; which I happily accepted to do. I expected to sit on the stand while I did so, but, by what I deem as a miracle, the judge allowed me to sit within reach of Christina, and she clearly took advantage, holding onto me throughout the entire reading. I began to read the first line and then had to stop. I didn't speak for what seemed like an eternity, at least 30 seconds, but it felt like 2 minutes. I was too busy catching up with my emotions and trying to control them. I still don't know if I cried for Christina, Tamra, Tamra's family, Chris' kids, humiliation, embarrassment for reading this in front of Tamra's family or some other reason, but eventually I carried on. But it was hard, one of the hardest things I've ever had to do; and I couldn't look at Christina for fear that I wouldn't be able to contain myself, not that I was doing a good job of it anyway.

When I finished I just immediately went and took my seat behind her. It took so long for me to read that simple one page letter, but I managed to finish it.

Next, Lindsie had agreed to read Colton, Chris' 14 year old son's letter to the court. She got through it a lot easier than me, almost flying through it. I listened with intent as Colton poured his heart out to the judge, telling him how his 14th birthday was the worst birthday he'd had because his mother had been taken away from him.

There were two last letters to be read. First, Christina gave her account of what happened. She told the judge how she was in and out of consciousness the entire drive home, that she only remembered leaving the hospital, being jolted when she noticed her passenger side mirror was broken, swearing she'd turned right to come around the block, and saw nothing. She said the next thing she remembered was a cop banging at her door and helping her out the door to be placed in the cruiser. She stated that if she'd known what she did and had intended to run the last place she would have gone was her house.

She also told the judge that the nurses were still to blame, that they had let her leave after she had complained of being dizzy. She stated that she had forgiven them for lying because she knew that their jobs were on the line.

After this lengthy letter, she then turned to the Sanner family, tears in her eyes, and read them another, almost as lengthy, letter apologizing for taking the life of Tamra. She insisted that she'd told the truth and stated multiple times that the least she owed the family was honesty.

Closing arguments came next, those I won't go into because they're what you'd expect; counselor vs. counselor arguing the facts of the testimony and who's story was right.

In the end, Judge Bjorkman simply had to make an example of Christina, something I'd feared being it was a very small town of just over 1,000 people. He sentenced her to 13 years for vehicular manslaughter, 2 years for felony hit and run, ordered her to pay over $140,000 in restitution (court costs) and her time was to be spent in the South Dakota State Penitentiary. She's eligible for parole in 2015 and has had her license revoked for 10 years.

Court dismissed at 12:30PM and the room emptied out. She immediately walked to the jury room and Robin asked the Sheriff if Jimmy and I could visit with her. The Sheriff agreed, but only one at a time. He frisked Jimmy and he entered the room. A while later the transport cruiser driver knocked on the door and told her it was time to go; I knew I wasn't going to get to give her a hug or speak to her again.

She came out of the jury room, tears in her eyes and walked towards me, motioning for me to stand up. I looked at the Sheriff who nodded his head in approval, I put down my keys and cell phone and gave her a kiss and a hug. I told her how the next time we saw each other it would be face to face and not on a video monitor promising that I would be back up soon after she was settled in to her new "home."

She then left and Jimmy and I walked out of the courthouse together discussing what might come next for him and the house. We walked toward our cars and the KELO reporter approached us to which Jimmy told her, "We're not answering questions," and shoo'd her away. He looked at me and said, "I always wanted to say that." We chuckled a bit, then got in our cars and parted ways.

I phoned Tomek on the drive home and informed him of the news, then tried to call mom but because I was using my car phone and not my cell phone she didn't answer my calls. Eventually she called back and I told her what happened. She didn't sound the least bit surprised and seemed to have a bit of disgust in her voice, which for the first time made me really question if going up to come to Christina's defense had been a bad decision, after all.

An hour into the drive I stopped near Vermillion at a BP to grab a bite to eat and fill up on gas. I checked in using Facebook which got a response from a high school friend, Kandy, asking what had the outcome been. I replied that I would go into it when I got home. The fact was I was barely holding myself together for the drive and the last thing I needed was to begin writing about it at the gas station, then burst into tears causing myself to be even later getting home. I just wanted to get home and I knew I was instantly going to consume glasses upon glasses of vodka shots until I could barely walk.

I hopped back on the road and listened to the second three hours of Insomnia by Stephen King on audio book; that kept me distracted, but my mind often wandered to Christina. I frequently forgot what had just happened in the book.

Once I got home I set to writing a letter to Chris' Facebook friends on the outcome. I only gave a very brief summary as it was all I could muster up.

For those of you who are unaware, Christina was arrested for vehicular homicide and hit and run regarding the death of Tamra Sanner, a resident of Christina's town, Parker, South Dakota, in October of 2010. She plead guilty to the charges and was sentenced today.

Christina was convicted on both counts today and has been sentenced to 13 years on the count of vehicular homicide and 2 years on the count of hit and run and is ordered to serve the terms consecutively in the South Dakota State Penitentiary. She was also ordered to pay restitution close to the amount of $150,000. Christina will be eligible for parole in 2015 pending rehabilitation.

The only way to describe today is to quote Judge Bjorkman when he stated, "The pain in this room is palpable." Tamra's family was on hand as the sentence was handed down.

After that I took my first shot, a double of vodka. Then another, then another. I lost it from there and frantically wrote my account of the day and my confused feelings to a group of close friends on a private forum. To my surprise they all commended me on my actions and loyalty to Christina, many saying that given the opportunity they wouldn't be able to do the same things themselves.

The Facebook messages then began pouring in from people I hadn't spoken to in years offering up their support. I was amazed at how many people didn't view me as a monster; or at least openly.

I lost count at 10 or 11 shots and then headed to bed to sleep it off.

Here are the news stories from around Sioux Falls.

From KDLT

Christina being led out of court by her attorney, Robin Eich
On Wednesday a judge ordered 30-year-old Christina Clemens to spend 15 years behind bars for an accident that killed 44-year-old Tammy Sanner in Parker.    Clemens initially pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while under the influence and leaving the scene of a crash.

On October 7, 2010, Clemens was discharged from Pioneer Memorial Hospital. She then drove nearly 20 miles to Parker, hitting and killing Sanner, then fleeing the scene.

On Wednesday those actions caught up to Clemens in the form of a lenghty prison sentence. For the Sanner family, the loss still lingers.

Lana Sanner, Tammy Sanner's sister-in-law, says "You dont deal with a death in just one day when a sentence is post. It takes longer than that."

Despite facing 15 years behind bars, Clemens still believes it wasn't entirely her fault. A variety of prescription and non-prescription drugs were found in her system.   She claims when she was discharged from the hospital nurses helped her into her car instead of telling her she shouldn't drive.   Hospital officials tell a different story.

Sanner says "We believe that it's fully her fault. She could have waited at the hospital for a ride and none of this would have happened."

In court nurses said they warned Clemens she shouldn't drive, a warning she didn't listen to.

Sanner says "We don't feel that it was the nurses responsibility.   We feel it was Christina's responsibility and I think the judges sentence reflects that."

While Clemens did read an apology, the Sanner family still questions whether she takes responsibility for her actions.

Sanner says "The family fully thought that Christina would take full responsibility and would be apologetic for what she did. We don't feel she did that."

In addition to her prison sentence, Clemens will also have to pay over $130,000 in restitution to the Sanner family. Clemens will be eligible for parole in 2015.

From KELO

PARKER, SD - A Turner County mother is sentenced to 15 years in prison after hitting and killing a woman while driving under the influence last year in Parker. And while she says she's sorry, the victim's family wishes she'd take more responsibility for the crash.

Christina Clemens, 30, admitted to getting behind the wheel of her 2004 Ford Expedition in the early morning hours of October 7, 2010, and running over 44-year old Tamera Sanner, who was walking on the sidewalk in downtown Parker.

Friends say they found Sanner lying in a pool of her own blood as Clemens continued to drive home. Clemens is sentenced to 13 years for vehicular homicide and two more for the hit and run, but saying she did it isn't enough for the victim's family.

"The family fully thought that Christina would take responsibility and would be apologetic for what she did. We don't feel she did that today," Sanner's sister-in-law, Lana Sanner, said.

Hours before the crime, Clemens was at the Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Viborg being treated for dehydration and nausea. She told nurses she hadn't eaten for nearly three days. At their request, hospital staff overheard her making a call to get a ride home but once outside, she got in her SUV and drove home.

In the courtroom, Clemens says she's sorry for what she did but says it was the hospital nurses fault for letting her leave after taking a mild sedative for her nausea.

"We don't believe her. I believe those nurses. She just shouldn't have gotten in her car and drove home. She should have waited for a ride," Lana Sanner said.

The state's attorney says Clemens had cocaine and marijuana in her system. Clemens' attorney argues the substances were inactive at the time of the toxicology tests.

And while the family says they are satisfied with the sentencing, they say it does not relieve the pain of losing Sanner.

"You don't deal with the death and just one day when a sentenced is imposed," Lana Sanner said. "It takes longer than that but it is a start."

Clemens three young children are separated and are living with their fathers and a family friend in three different states across the country.

She is eligible for parole March 2015.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

2011-09-13T21:35:00.000-05:00

The Exterior Corridor of my Motel 6

Tonight I'm writing from a Motel 6 room in Sioux Falls, South Dakota! Yay!! Not really.

I came up to visit Christina the night before her sentencing for vehicular homicide last October. I've only talked to her on the phone a few times and written letters off and on but not been up to see her.

I got to Sioux Falls and easily found my motel, but stopped at Burger King to get some lunch, first. After eating I went to find the jail because I didn't want to get there at the last minute not knowing where to go. After circling it no less than 5 times I finally took a gamble and walked in one of the doors that seemed the least "non-jaily" (not Treasurer, HHS, etc.) and by some miracle it was the right door.

I came back at about 6:05 to find only 5 parties in line ahead of me; one of them happened to be Jimmy, Christina's boyfriend. I only figured this out after the guard attempted to check me in only to find out that Chris was already on a call. I found the monitor she was on and watched her as she spoke to Jimmy. Of course, I couldn't hear anything they were talking about.

Front of the Motel 6 after sunset.

After a half hour, Jimmy was done and I introduced myself to him. We only spoke briefly since I was almost immediately called in to the monitor.

We talked about her kids and her sentencing, I delivered thoughts of prayers and love from her Facebook friends. We cried, we laughed, we made jokes about the other people she was in jail with.

The rest of what we discussed is kind of a blur, that half hour went by so fast. It all ended so abruptly afterwords it a feeling of, "Oh, wait, we're finished already?"

Inside the Room

So I'll get some sleep tonight at my Motel 6. I've told Tomek for years that I've always wanted to stay in a POS motel with an exterior corridor... That's what I got! I really love the novelty of it! For $45 it's not bad. The inside of the room is a lot nicer than the outside. It's really quite clean, I would definitely stay here again, but I have yet to test the bed.

Tomorrow I'm headed to Parker, South Dakota to the Turner County Courthouse to her sentencing. For now I'm off to bed. It's been a long drive and I've really not had any time to just relax.

A Drastic Change of Seasons

2011-09-13T05:09:00.000-05:00

It was rather windy today and the temperatures reached 93. I wasn't even aware of it. Thankfully it was a dry heat, so it wasn't too bothersome. We left the windows open all day long.

We've had an opossum visiting us nightly so we left some banana slices out for him tonight. I counted four pieces gone, but we haven't seen "Petey." Perhaps it was a raccoon that took the food tonight? Because of the wind my wind chimes have been making plenty of noise. Maybe he's been scared off by the noise.

The temperature is now down to 63° and we have the windows open. I'm considering closing them because it's so cold, but I decided to just close the sheer drapes instead and that seems to have kept the temperature pretty steady inside the apartment. Tomek refuses to sleep with the bedroom window open, though; he doesn't want to get a cold.

I'm going to Sioux Falls, SD tomorrow and the lows are supposed to be in the upper 30's. I'm not ready for this, yet it excites me (an October snow would be excellent!).

I think it's time to take the first warm bath of the season. My feet are pretty cold and it's been a while since I relaxed in the tub. I deserve it after all of the cleaning I've done today, too.

Tomorrow Tomek will be installing a motion detector light switch in our hallway. When I leave at night I have to walk all the way to the door, turn the hallway light on, come back, shut the other lights off, etc. This way the light will come on while I'm leaving so I can see. It'll be neat to see how well it works, Tomek is skeptical of it's usefulness.

2011-09-05T03:23:00.000-05:00

Brr! I can't believe I just went out into this. It's amazing how closely the weather follows the calendar sometimes. August - Hot! September 1st - Chilly. It really feels like spring outside, but inside it's beginning to feel like winter is imminent.

I got out the comforter for the first time since at least May, if not April, washed it and threw it on the bed. I also installed the heated mattress pad for the upcoming season. I hate being cold and what's worse is I hate being cold in my bed. I've used the mattress pad before and it works quite well. I'm looking forward to my feet being toasty under the covers this year.

We closed the windows, however I couldn't stand the smell of Tomek's cigarette so I had to crack one and turn the fan on. His cigarettes used to not bother me so much after I quit smoking, but now it's almost unbearable. I hope he decides to quit sooner than later because once I put plastic on the windows this winter there's not going to be a way to escape it unless I leave.

This month I have to go back for another blood test. The hospital never ruled out cancer, but I'm finding clues leading me to believe I may not be so paranoid. Perhaps when I go back I'll discuss these things with the nurse who comes in to draw blood and see if my suspicions are warranted.

For now I need to head off to the store and pick up some tooth paste and a new shower curtain; possibly a new book case to keep some of my in progress paintwork on as well. They're taking up valuable real estate in my China Hutch, but they may be better off there until the smoke subsides.

A Busy Morning Filled With Missing, Wrecked and Burning Vehicles

2011-08-25T09:17:00.004-05:00

What a morning! I haven't seen this much excitement in a long time. All I know is around 5:30 this morning I could barely keep my eyes open, and by 7:00AM I was wide awake.

First, we have a new security guard at work. He's been there all of three weeks. I notice that I've seen our head night security guard at the front desk all night long, which is unusual. Normally he's out driving around checking the grounds. I think nothing of it.

The guy who replaces me in the morning comes in at about a quarter to 6 and mentions that the new security guard is gone; and so is the company security car. I laugh hysterically at this! This just makes my day. He hasn't swiped his badge anywhere in the past 6 hours, the head guy has been calling, paging, texting, walking around looking for him; nothing.

In the meantime it's about 6:30 and I'm checking Facebook on my phone when I notice Channel 6 has posted that there's a wreck involving two semis on eastbound I-80 and 144th Street.

Great. I have to find a new way home. Sounds like they have traffic blocked off. I begin wondering about my dad, he's a truck driver. I want to make sure he's okay, but the odds of it being him are in the millions. So I let it pass.

At 6:53 I clock out and walk out the door, joking about how long it's going to take me to drive home. I pass the security guard at the front door and ask him if the truck wreck is on the east side of the bridge of the west side. He says it's on I-80. *facepalm* No shit, Sherlock. Is it on this side of the bridge or the other side? The other side he replies. DAMN! Well, I'll be taking 144th home for sure.

I walk out the door and notice immediately to my left (west) a huge plume of black smoke just billowing out from the Interstate. But, the security guard said the truck wreck was on the east side of the bridge? WTH?

I jump in my car and call my replacement, "You're not going to believe this, there's a car on fire just outside the building! You gotta come see this!"

I drove to the west parking lot and threw the car in park, grabbed my camera and got out. There were already at least 50 people from work up against the fence line watching as firefighters arrived on the scene to douse the flames of what looked like a Buick Century shoved deeply underneath a Dodge Ram. The sedan was completely lit all the way to the rear window. The pickup's bed was completely engulfed in flames, as well.

I saw one person on a stretcher next to the ambulance. What really got me was how calm the rescue personnel were, they weren't rushed at all. Later I came to find out that it's because they were waiting on Life Flight to arrive.

Last I heard they had been flown to the hospital in serious condition; a truck driver from the earlier crash had been taken to the hospital in critical condition.

KETV Channel 7 News Story

WOWT Channel 6 News Story
KFAB 1110AM News Story

KMTV Channel 3 and KPTM Fox 42 chose not to cover these stories in the morning hours.

Below is video I shot beginning around 6:55AM just as firefighters happened upon the scene.

It's the End of July

2011-07-31T17:30:00.004-05:00

Because when I think July,
I think kids in their fucking ice skates.

Can you believe this? It's the last day of July. Ever since I was a kid I thought of the first day of August as the first day of autumn; quite possibly because we started school sometime in mid-August. Yes, it wasn't ideal, but we did get out before Memorial Day!

It's still hard to believe that another summer has come and gone and before soon the image to the right will be a reality. Snow, ice, sleet, blizzards!

But I'm currently in Halloween mode. I skip right past Labor Day and am preparing mentally for Halloween. I've found a few cute decor items, but I'm not exactly in the position to spend money. In four weeks these things will definitely be on my radar and in my sights, and I'll probably buy them.

This month is going to be busy. License the car (ouch!), shampoo the carpets, paint the walls, replace the furniture among other things. Oh, let's not forget house and pet sitting for a friend while she and her family vacation in Michigan and then a week later head for Des Moines and visit another friend at the Iowa State Fair.

I don't think I'm quite ready for the summer to be over. I didn't get to visit the zoo as many times as I'd hoped because the weather has been abnormally hot and humid. No, I don't believe in global warming via humans, but I do believe in climate change. That's an entirely new blog post that I'll eventually get to someday. But the flood waters have made it so humid here that I can't even have my windows open for a half hour a day to let in the fresh air. We were in the 90's and 100's for a good 14 days straight, and I can't remember the last time that happened.

Despite it all I'm determined to have all of my plans finished by the time the end of August rolls around, come hell or high water. I may even have to shove Tomek into a hotel room for a couple of days while I shampoo and paint, since he can't stand and constantly complains about the fumes.

Sony Bloggie 3D

2011-07-29T01:56:00.000-05:00

It's not often I get ecstatic over a new item, but this one you gotta see! This is the Sony Bloggie 3D. It's a 3D video and still camera that has the new 3D technology in the LCD screen, or you can upload your videos to YouTube and they will combine the (which is actually two videos) shots to make one video using the blue and red 3D glasses. Of course, Sony didn't include 3D glasses with the camera, so I ran around town yesterday attempting to find some and could only come up with green and red. The correct colors are on order now.

Anyway... This camera really is something else. A lot of folks have been giving it bad reviews because it's not up to par with their expectations. Well, first of all, it's a compact camera. Not a lot can be had from something this small. Second, the new version of 3D is how old? Not very. For someone who has never experienced the non-glasses 3D, it's quite remarkable.

I really should be saving my emotions for the review, but this I just had to share before I do a thorough evaluation. So far it's very, very cool! I'm looking forward to using it.

Storms Damage Omaha

2011-07-29T00:01:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since we had a good poundin' by a thunderstorm, and this morning we finally got one. I went out and shot some video of it before it hit the Omaha metro (I work in Sarpy County, south of Omaha) and you can see how it caused such a stir. Power was out to over 4,000 customers. I love it when the power goes out at my house for a few hours. There's nothing like complete and utter silence; no refrigerator sounds, no electronic devices, no clocks ticking, no hard drive spinning on the DVR or computer... Just quiet.

Unfortunately my place still had power by the time I got home from work.

So, here's some videos!

Morning Thunderstorms

2011-07-28T06:37:00.001-05:00

Wow! We'd been gypped a few times this month, missing out on some kick ass thunderstorms. It was a welcome sight as far I'm concerned. I've got some video that I will be uploading to YouTube sometime this morning.

100 Degrees is HOT!

2011-07-21T03:25:00.000-05:00

This week has been the hottest that I can remember. In the past few years we've struggled to make it into the 90's, but the past five days have more than made up for it.

July 15, 2011 - 92°F
July 16, 2011 - 95°F
July 17, 2011 - 96°F
July 18, 2011 - 99°F
July 19, 2011 - 99°F
July 20, 2011 - 100°F
July 21, 2011 - ???

We're supposedly going to have a break and thunderstorms today (some storms have begun showing up on radar, but they're northern, closer to Norfolk, Yankton, etc.) with temperatures in the 80's, then right back up into the 90's after that.

I'm having a hard time keeping up with the watering of my plants outside, mainly because we keep the curtains drawn to keep the cool air in and, you know the saying: Out of sight, out of mind.

Road Trip!

2011-07-10T23:59:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow my plates are due and I don't have the $1,800 to pay for them... Not yet.

So Tomek and I took the new Malibu on her first road trip! We decided on Gavins Point to see the dam. I've never been there before, but I knew it would be something to see, especially given that I may never see it again, and if I did it would be another 20 years from now.

"Honoring the Clans" Sculpture Garden

Winnebago, Nebraska

This stop wasn't really planned, it was actually a stopover while Tomek had a cigarette (he's not allowed to smoke in the car!), so I went wandering up the road and came upon a circle of statues, each depicting a different Indian. It was completely unexpected but I loved it and was glad we didn't miss it!

Ponca State Park

Ponca, Nebraska

I used to visit Ponca State Park with my grandpa before he passed around the time of the millennium. I remember him taking me up to the lookout point where you can see Nebraska (obviously, you're standing in it), South Dakota and Iowa.

It did bring back a lot of memories of going horseback riding. I remember when I went I rode a buckskin gelding, and I would purposely get him to fall far behind the ground so that I could lope him to catch up with everybody else. He got yelled at for it, although he probably doesn't know it. Ha!

It was pretty hot up there, I'm so happy that the new car has some strong air conditioning! Anyway, Tomek had never been before, and he ended up thinking it was pretty cool. He loves having his photo taken in places, so of course I had to get shots of him up by the Towers of Time. It's a gorgeous spot with the three towers depicting prehistoric animals (dinosaurs, etc.) with a fountain. Below there's a lake with a lovely waterfall! Flowing out of the lake is a stream that drops quite a few more feet before being recycled to the top.

Gavins Point Dam

Yankton, South Dakota

The sight was amazing! There was so much water coming out of this dam it was unreal. The sound was almost deafening and there were so many tourists there to watch the water flowing, too. Police were actually directing traffic because of the staggering number of people in the vicinity.

New Car

2011-06-17T00:54:00.003-05:00

Well, I think it's safe to say now that it's been almost a week and the bank hasn't called me to tell me, "PSYCH! HAHA! GOTCHA!" and repo the car, but here she is!

I was supposed to get this car on May 17th, it was going to be my birthday present to myself, but I didn't have enough money to put down. This time I came back with a hefty down payment and brought her home the same day.

It's a 2011 Chevy Malibu in Taupe Gray Metallic. The most basic model you can get with the exception of an MP3 Player and Bluetooth in the car.

Of course, I get the standard 6 months of OnStar, 3 months of XM, but the warranty is only a little over 2 years because the car was a demo/loaner car since November.

Here's what the odometer looked like before the car finally started flashing "LOW FUEL" in the data display thingy. Not bad for 14.3 gallons, eh!

And here's my MPG average on that tank. Not bad, not bad at all! I'm excited for my first car payment ever.

There's lots of chrome in the car, too. The grille, the cluster, the radio; it adds a nice touch. I have 6 years to go on this car, but I plan on keeping it for at least 10. Go me! (Now I feel 30!!!)

Missouri River Flooding

2011-05-29T20:51:00.049-05:00

I'd been driving dad's truck around for the past couple of weeks because I'd used it to haul my horses down to Kansas City last week. He needed it back so I had to run up to Fort Calhoun to return it. Before doing so, I decided to drive up the River Road and check out the flooding of the Missouri River. There was a bit of standing water in Dodge Park where the soccer fields are, but nothing I haven't seen before. Heading further north there are little ponds here and there. Not lately, they've become lakes; more like bayous. It's a frog paradise up there, the sound of frogs is almost deafening. Then, as you get a bit further north you come across the flood plains.

The road to Uncle John's cabin flooded again

My uncle and grandpa used to have a cabin just north of the tree line where there's now corn and soybean fields. In 1993 I remember riding with my mom through the mud in dad's pickup to get to the cabin. It was nothing the truck couldn't handle, but it was also after the waters had subsided a bit. I was only 12 and don't remember much, but I remember Uncle John's road. The water had come up to more than waist deep inside the structure and everything had been ruined.

Photo Courtesy of Jessie

Later in the day my dad and his best friend, Danny, went up to retrieve some paperwork from his cabin. Jessie, Danny's daughter, said that it was hilarious watching those two try to row a boat. She said in the beginning each had a paddle (you can imagine how well this worked) and by the end dad was rowing on his own, but still never got the hang of it. I wish I could've been there to see that!

When I awoke that evening after returning home I conned Tomek into going and seeing the flood with me. He wasn't too excited about going, eventually he caved.

We drove past Dodge Park, same thing as in the morning.

Utility truck driver puts it in reverse.

We went past the ROAD CLOSED sign up P51 and to the end of the road. There we saw a utility truck driver who thought he'd try his luck at driving the flooded road. Eventually he put the truck in reverse deciding that it was too much for his rig.

It was nearing sunset as we went out there the second time and I was able to photograph some beautiful shots while there.

Water coming up over the road.


Sunset reflection

Tomek surveying the damage.

Another view of the sunset.

Model Horse Shows

2011-05-20T03:39:00.000-05:00

Alright, fine, I'll come out and admit it once and for all... I'm a nerd! That's right, you heard me. I show model horses. I'm sure the first thing that comes to mind for you is that I pick up the model horse and gallop it through the air making whinny noises. No, that's only at home. In public they just sit there on display and do nothing. I just over 24 hours I will be attending my second model horse show.

I'm excited to go, I'll get to see friends I haven't seen since September and meet new ones. I'm hauling horses for one lady and showing horses for two other people (oh, yeah, there are other nerds out there just like me!). Tomek and I are making a weekend out of it and won't be home until Tuesday afternoon. Poor Tomek, I didn't want to drag him to something for us, nerds, but he insisted on going. I'm going to another model horse show (yes! we do this quite often!) in July in Fargo, and I'm sure he won't want to make the 8 hour trek to The-Middle-of-Fucking-Nowhere, North Dakota. Hell, even I don't really want to go. I've been arguing with myself for months over whether or not I'd like to actually make the trip.

So, Saturday and Sunday (Rapture permitting) I'll be geeking out with all my friends. I'm truly excited and I just cannot wait!!!

I'm 30

2011-05-15T00:48:00.003-05:00

Break out the streamers, I'm 30! Of course the midnight hour came and went without fuss, and everybody tells you you don't feel different, but I do. I keep picturing me checking the 30-39 box instead of the 20-29 box. And just last week I noticed myself making "skanky college girl" comments to myself about 22 year old blonde girls in California.

As part of my New Year's resolution I started eating less Weight Watchers points (HA! I avoided the word healthy!). Tomek and I went to Pepperjax and I ordered a Rice Bowl instead of a Sandwich. I didn't feel stuffed to the brim, but I also wasn't hungry afterwords, either. (Of course, then I came to work tonight in the mood for chocolate and immediately grabbed a Snickers and a bag of M&M's.)

I Weigh How Much?

2011-05-14T03:04:00.002-05:00

Fat chance (pun intended) of you finding out! I know, I know, I keep telling myself, "Self, you can't go on like this," and then I start at a diet and then I end up starving so much that I eat a whole DiGiorno's stuffed crust pizza! (True story.) So, I've hopped back onto Weight Watchers and am vowing to follow it to a T this year. I get to start all over tomorrow (oh, for Christ sake, tomorrow... tomorrow!!). There is absolutely no reason why I can't do this. I keep reminding myself that I am not a fucking child and that I really do have control over my eating.

A few weeks ago I managed to walk down to the vending machine, stand right in front of the one with the candy and say, "NO! I do not want this!" and turn around and leave. I have to train myself to do that every day. I can't tell myself that I can't have it, either, I've got to not want it. Whenever I get the itch for a bag of Doritos, I picture a single chip in my head and magnify it. I begin to look at all the nasty chemically crap all over that one single little chip, just to remind me to stay the hell away from it. It works from time to time, about 50/50, which I guess is better than none. Doritos in particular are like this for me because when Larry from Eye-Fi came to visit he brought up a book (I can't remember the name to save my life) that went into detail about all of the chemicals involved with the manufacturing of these chips.

So, back to the "normal" topic here. I started out 2011 great as far as meal planning was concerned. I managed to hit the grocery store for the first four weeks of the year and buy nothing but what was on my list. It was great! I only spent about $100 a week on groceries, we always had food in the house, etc. Then, as I started taking on keeping my place clean, the food started to get away from me. Now I'm realizing that to succeed at my weight loss I'm going to need to plan healthy (I hate that fucking word - going to start using WW instead) meals instead of just meals. I just have no clue where to start, so I guess we'll start with just one meal this week being WW.

Blogger Fail

2011-05-13T15:53:00.021-05:00

Blogger fail! But that's okay. Isn't it my luck that the days I begin to start posting to Blogger again the site goes down? And of course this was occurring when I was trying to go "Facebook Free" (by my definition).

I did end up deleting 280 people from my Facebook page. Most hobby "friends" (more like people to add just to say I added them), but after I realized how much of them were just cluttering up my front page, it was for the best. Now my Facebook page includes people I actually give a damn about and who aren't as easily offended by my R rated comments (well, except maybe 5 or 6, but they're exceptions to the rule). I also went through all of my "Likes" and tossed a good 500 of them. Some of the things I liked, egads!!!

Another thing I tried today is Snoozester.com. WOW! This is a godsend! After one test call I'm hooked and signed up for a $7/mo plan that includes 65 wake up calls. This will help for those snooze calls that I end up having to do. This is going to be well worth the money, I can already tell!!

Should I Go 'Facebookless?'

2011-05-12T16:21:00.000-05:00

I never realized how Christian Blogger really was. It seems that every time I click on "Next Blog" I get some Churchy-Wurchy Minister or Priest who just can't get enough of talking about their Gaw-duh! (Insert finger deep into mouth; make gagging noises)

I happened to come across one, though, where a man mentioned that he challenged himself to stay off of Facebook for 1 month. Now, I'm not saying I couldn't do it (I went Twitter-free over 17 months ago), but this is the way I talk to my friends. None of my friends were on Twitter, but there are a ton on Facebook. I have nobody's email addresses and I hate talking on the phone, so this is how I communicate. Maybe I could look more into downsizing my account?

On Tuesday I went through my entire apartment and cleaned it like crazy... CRAZY!!! Until I had nothing left to clean. I sat down and watched hours of The Real Housewives of Orange County. I've always hated reality shows, but, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. It's not that bad of a show; nowhere near the drama I anticipated. Here's where I'm going with this...

After I was done cleaning and was watching TV I managed to stay off of Facebook for the duration of the night. Could it really be that the lack of quality TV programming is what has driven me to Facebook? I only play two games (FarmVille is not one of them) and have very few real life friends.

In June I'm going to challenge myself to a week away from Facebook. Other people and do it and have survived. Why not me?

The Countdown to 30

2011-05-12T16:11:00.000-05:00

NO! I'm not fucking happy about it, either! Three more days and I turn the big 3-0. I've asked friends how they took it and they all said it went fine. I'm usually a spoiled brat, but this year I have kept the mentioning of my birthday to a minimum. I may not even celebrate my 30th this year, but instead my 29th for the second time around!

I've started coupon clipping to get all the freebies possible on "my big day," including deserts from Culver's, lunch at Fuddrucker's (still don't have that coupon in my e-mail, yet), a Blizzard at DQ, and (if it ever gets here) a coupon for a free late night breakfast at Denny's (nothing says, "Happy Birthday!" like bad food at Denny's!!!).

I've also decided to not really have a get together of any kind. I'm going to drink myself stupid that night. Just Tomek and I! And whoever else decides they want to come over (I hope nobody, but mom and Sara are more than welcome anytime, of course).

I think what pisses me off most about this birthday is that a year ago I vowed to lose all my weight before I turned 30. HAHAHAHA WTFE.

I guess it could be worse... I could have Leukemia (that's another blog entry) or be Anemic (again, we'll revisit that when the time is right and the diagnosis confirmed).

So, let's raise our glasses! Here's to the worst year of my life!

Storm Season is Upon Us

2011-05-11T23:12:00.000-05:00

View from the Stockyards in Omaha, NE

All that excitement and for what? Not much action. When the Severe Thunderstorm Watch, Warning and Tornado Watch went up this afternoon I was excited. There wasn't much to write home about, though. At least not in town. The temperature dropped significantly and quickly while the winds picked up, there was a downpour that lasted roughly 10 minutes and then everything was pretty quiet.

The best parts included the fact that the storm stopped the temperature from rising above 90° like it has for the past two days and the storms happened early enough (4PM) that I was able to be awake for them, then take a quick nap before heading off to work.

There was enough thunder and lightning to tide me over for the day.

Storms began to repopulate to the south again in the evening and another swath of rain moved through around 11PM. The second time it was more of a rain even than thunder and lightning.

Record Breaking Heat

2011-05-09T23:52:00.000-05:00

It sure was a hot one today! Temperatures had been forecast to reach 88°F. By the time 5PM rolled around it had reached 97°F!

Throughout the morning the humidity was really taking a hold on the day. By 10AM it was so humid that I had to shut the windows and turn the air conditioning on. At that point it was only 75°F. Somewhere after 2:30 the humidity died down and I was able to open the windows again, even with the heat. With the ceiling fan in the kitchen and a box fan in the bedroom window I was able to keep the temperature manageable throughout the day until I left for work around 7:30.

On Tuesday the temperature is supposed to get back up into the 90's again. I don't mind as long as there's no humidity to follow in its footsteps. In the summer the days of having the windows open are limited, so I'm getting all the fresh air through the rooms as I possibly can.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-25T23:27:00.001-06:00

The worst part about Thanksgiving for me is having to come to work twice... And the second time I can barely move because I'm so full. The stuffing, ah the stuffing! We had lots of it (and took lots home).

Usually since Tomek has been reunited with his family we go to their house for the holidays. This time they decided they were going to fly to Florida for Thanksgiving instead. Thankfully a friend of mine, Sara, invited us over (Yay! American Thanksgiving!!) and I jumped all over that! Our mutual friend, Carra, was coming up from Lincoln as well.

She made so much food for us. We had the turkey (and OMG that turkey was so moist!), stuffing (holy hell, the stuffing! mmmmm!), deviled eggs, cottage cheese, croissants, egg nog, mashed potatoes (Tomek fell in love with the potatoes). It was amazing! And nothing "gourmet" and uncomfortable/untraditional, which was the best part of all!

I think the weirdest feeling about today is that it's so dead at work and there's so few people here that it feels like my last day of work for the week. It's quite unfortunate that I've another two days to work, plus today (UGH, 24 hours left until my much needed 3 day weekend). It doesn't look like I'm going to deal with another fiasco like I did last night. Just password resets and lockouts.

Turkeys and Sleigh Bells

2010-11-25T05:20:00.001-06:00

Here it is, 4AM Thanksgiving morning and I'm alone in the office. It isn't normal to be here this late at night. I'd rather be sleeping, getting ready for the big feast at my friend, Sara's, house this afternoon. There isn't too much I need to do before I go over there, but I will be tired when it's time.
At least I'll be getting off work in 2 hours. Usually I get off at 7AM but because I've been working for someone else my schedule has temporarily changed.

Speaking of!!! Wow, I don't even know what day I'm on right now. I started working on November 17th. Can you believe this? It's now the 25th, and my next day off is the 28th. I have 3 more full days left. This is my third or fourth time working 12 days straight, and needless to say I do not want to do it again for at least another 3 months. The last time I did it was right before I left for Colorado, in late September leading into October. I really don't know how I pull off these schedules sometimes.

I've been especially lonely tonight and was looking forward to talking to Tomek after he got home from work. Well, that plan backfired when he called me at 11:45, 15 minutes before his scheduled time off and told me that he'd left early because he was so exhausted at work that he wanted to come straight home, eat a bowl of chicken noodle soup and head straight to bed. So, here I've sat, quietly.

I had a bit of a problem with the computer system doing backups tonight, so I had to call the on call. She's never been snappy with me before but man was she pissed off that I called her. Shit, not my fault that your co-worker decided to run a program that clogs up the system and fucks everything up.

Next topic... You don't wanna hear that rant.

Christmas music... This is what's been keeping me "cheerful," for lack of a better term. I love old Christmas music and can listen to it for hours on end, no matter what time of the year. I've been caught listening to it in July. If it were up to me, we'd skip Thanksgiving altogether (or at least celebrate it in March, or one of those months between New Year's and Memorial Day so we can have a holiday break somewhere in there) and go straight from Halloween to Christmas. Hell, most stores already do, but this would be more of a personal decision than corporate movement.

What Trucks have in common with Newspapers

2010-11-25T03:38:00.003-06:00

I started wondering this a little while back. Why do I blog? I'm not funny when it comes to writing, I write about the most boring shit, it's pretty much just a journal on the interspace.

But then I had another thought...

I work for a trucking company, one of the largest in the country, and I walked past a sign in the hallway that says, "The Drive to 85." You see, the company had it's 75th Anniversary a couple of years back, so it's now doing... Well, it's obvious what The Drive to 85 is. ANYHOO... I was thinking, "Fuck, this company is going to be around for a long time, like another 100 years." But then it his me, trucking might not be around by then.

Consider this... 100 years ago everyone read the newspaper. If you were without the newspaper, you knew nothing. Now, here it is, 2010 and newspaper companies are dying. There's a possibility that we won't have newspapers in 50 years. How does this relate to trucking?

Right now you're thinking that we have to have trucks, right? I mean, how would we transport shit around the country without them. Put yourself in the shoes of Joe Blow back in 1910, "We have to have the newspaper in 100 years, how else would we know the news?" Well, we already know that we use the internet and television as our news sources because they're so up to date, right?

So how would we get by without trucks in 100 years?

TELEPORTATION!!! Sure, it's far fetched, but in 1910 computers like the ones we use today weren't even a thought in anybody's mind, amirite?

So it got me to thinking, in able for my company to survive, it needs to start thinking about these things. We've already received all sorts of technology awards from PC Magazine, Forbes, etc. If we started investing in research for teleporation we could be a frontier company in this realm. It would start with trucks delivering goods to one of our distribution centers, and from there we would teleport the product to a terminal (cutting transporation time by days) and we would even save on gas. The best part is, we would still be able to provide thousands of jobs because we would still need truckers to move product from the terminals to the stores where it can be sold.

Eventually, years after that, I'm sure companies would have their own teleportation devices and then we're out of the running completely, but that's someone else's problem (ha! as if this is my problem right now, hehe).

Just a thought, right?

November 12-13, 2010 Omaha Snow Storm

2010-11-12T19:30:00.001-06:00

I decided to mount my camera to my windshield and record the drive to work. Secretly I was hoping to catch a wreck in progress, but that never happened. People drive stupid in the snow, and what's worse is when someone from California driving a Prius gets in front of you and makes you late for work.

Dicks.

I Think Winter is Here!

2010-10-28T01:47:00.001-05:00

Ever forget what winter felt like? Forget the howling winds? The inability to breathe when that wind hit your right in the face? I did; until tonight.

It's unbelievable outside tonight. Tomek had called me earlier and told me how windy and cold and icky it was outside, but I took it with a grain of salt. I almost didn't even grab my coat, because it hadn't been that cold outside, yet, this year!

Well, I walked outside and that wind hit me at 30mph and 42°! Yup, it feels like winter. I can't help but wonder what this winter has in store for us. Will it be blizzard after blizzard after blizzard like last year? One can hope, but many others would be inclined to stone that person to death.

Right now as I'm typing this the temperature is 38° and the wind chill (yup, we've reached that half of the season) is 29°. Brrrr! I've never been happier to be a non-smoker!!!

Moraine Park

2010-10-13T05:00:00.005-05:00

Here are some photos of our drive through Moraine Park and Bear Lake in Colorado.

2010-09-21T11:12:00.000-05:00

It's been a dreary morning for the first day of autumn. We started out with a pretty good thunderstorm, not much thunder and lightning but the rain was plentiful. There wasn't much to move through, but once the storm got east of us it ended up getting bigger.

On Sunday Sara and TJ came over and Sara brought her Wii. I've worked out on it three days in a row now and my BMI and weight are already improving. Yoga is so damn hard, even though it looks so simple. You don't sweat as much, but there's a lot of pain to go with it when first starting out. I can still barely hold the Tree pose. I think I threw out my arm pitching in Baseball playing Wii Sports with Tomek.

A few more days until my 5 day weekend away from work. I'm excited! It's been a long time since I had so many days off in a row and didn't have to attend a funeral. Colorado isn't very far away, either. We've gone to "too much time until" to "not enough time until" for that vacation. We're getting our money saved, though. Thankfully with Tomek's Marriott discount our room is going to run substantially cheaper than if we were to get one without it. It's going to be about $50 a night in a room with a nice lake view in the mountains. I can't wait!!

Here Come The Storms!

2010-09-17T23:47:00.003-05:00

Yay! It's about damn time something showed up on radar. About 30 minutes ago the National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for us until 6AM! Giggity!

It'll be nice to go out and check out the weather every once in a while. We've got a great view to the west from here, so I can always run up to the second floor of the building to watch the lightning and rain.

I will be sure to post pictures as I have them should the storm really light up for us.

Until then, here's some video that I shot on Wednesday of the bad ass thunderstorm that rolled through town causing all kinds of havoc. Enjoy!

Storms on the Way, Sweatshirt Weather!, Makeup Costs How Much?!?!?!

2010-09-17T20:45:00.001-05:00

Nothin' like wearing a sweatshirt when it's 84° out, right? Well, it's forecast to get down into the mid-50's tonight, so I kinda need it (I really don't feel like changing shirts tonight at work). I've only got two sweatshirts, though; a Nebraska State Patrol shirt and a Halloween shirt. Sadly only half of those shirts can be worn without any real time constraint, so I had to stop by Goodwill tonight and pick up some more. I ended up getting three sweatshirts for myself and one nicer dress shirt for Tomek. We'll see if he ever wears it.

Now, I'm not a makeup wearing person. I used to start wearing makeup at the beginning of every school year and then after 3 days (max, 2 is probably more realistic) I just couldn't take it anymore. The preparation, the amount of time it takes, I just never saw the point. I thought tonight that I should probably start wearing makeup because my skin is kinda red under my eyes (more like pink) and such (blemishes?), high time I covered that shit up. So I head to Walmart. I grab powder foundation, liquid foundation, eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner and lipstick, along with a few other things that I needed, like vitamins, etc. When I reached the checkout, the gal rang all of the non-makeup stuff up, first. "Hey, $19 for all that crap, not bad," I thought to myself. Then she began on the makeup, and the total skyrocketed. I had just taken $100 out of the ATM to get gas and a couple other things. Then she quoted me the total... $83.70. WHAT THE FUCK!? So let's break it down.

Makeup bag - $1.77
Mascara - $6.50
Lipcolor - $7.94
Foundation - $10.94
Nail Buffer - $2.88
Nail Polish - $4.00
Foundation - $12.74
Eye Liner - $6.50
Eye Shadow - $6.50
$59.77 + 7% Tax! = $63.95!!!!!!!!!1!!!

That's in-fucking-sane! I paid the $84, got my $16 in change and started walking out. I stopped, looked over at customer service, thought, "Nah, that's stupid to take it back right now, I'll take it back tomorrow." Started walking again, stopped. "Jesus fucking Christ if I don't do it now I will never get that money back..." Walked over the customer service counter and put everything listed above on the table. The dude was super cool and didn't make me feel like a retard. He just scanned one item, crossed it out on the receipt and moved onto the next one. I'm sure he'd seen me step out of line since the customer service desk was right in front of the lane I was checking out. He handed me back $64 and I was on my way. Ran to Goodwill, got the sweatshirts, drove over to Little King's to get dinner (hadn't had a hoagie in weeks, I was desperate for one), stopped at BP to get a tank of gas (all while talking to Sandra on the phone) and then to work I came, where I sit now.

Boggie Gonna Race?

2010-09-17T16:02:00.002-05:00

I'm waiting to hear if Boogie to Seattle is going to make a debut for us on Wednesday. Entries were due today, so I'm guessing early in the morning tomorrow we should know if the race is going to go? Hell, who knows. After this race she's going to get a layoff and come back for her three year old career, I guess. That's a lot of time to be paying on a horse that isn't making us any money, ya know? But, she is only two years old and we can't run her that hard (even though she's coming back with less than a month off, I don't agree).

I guess we'll find out tomorrow what is going on with her. The meet ends next week so it's now or never (er, 2011)!!

Update 8:26PM - The majority owner, Warlock Stables, has informed me that the race did not fill. She will quite possibly head to California for her next start, but we don't know yet.

Brr!

2010-09-17T08:11:00.001-05:00

What a chilly morning, so far! It is 57° outside and BRRR! Again, I had the heat on in my car on the way home from work. I went out in the morning around 1AM, but, again, it was too cold to be outside without a jacket so I came right back in. I'm so glad I don't smoke anymore, and am sure that by mid January I'll be happier than ever to be an ex-smoker.

Breadman BK2000B Bread Maker

2010-09-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

Check out this bad ass breadmaker I got from Amazon Vine! Tomek, at first, thought this would make a great Christmas present, I told him, "Hell no! It's mine!" You can make either one 2 1/2 pound loaf (O_O) or 2 smaller loaves. There's even an automatic fruit/nut dispenser to automatically add them into the bread! I can't wait to get this thing, it's going to be so awesome to try out. I just hope that it's quieter than our big bread maker that we currently have.

I'm Back!

2010-09-16T20:51:00.002-05:00

You know, I put so much effort into this blog years and years ago, I should probably get back at it. Especially since this is one of those sites that I'm actually allowed to visit at work. LOL

If you haven't seen it, yet, I have another blog that is specifically for my racehorses called Natalie's Racehorses. Yeah, I know, such a unique name for a blog, right? I currently own two horses, Reasonably Royal who is a stakes winning broodmare in foal to Winter Warlock for a 2011 baby (woo hoo!) and my new racehorse, Boogie To Seattle. I used to own a filly named Raebella, but she got claimed and I'm pretty broke up about it, still. I know, lame to have that type of emotion with a horse I've never even seen in real life, right?

There's too much to catch you up on in this one post, so I'll have to work on it on a day to day basis. Expect to hear more from me much more often.

Monika's New House

2008-09-13T11:23:00.004-05:00

Monika closed on her house yesterday, so we went over to check it out. It's a three bedroom two story with a full basement. There is, what is technically an office, on the first floor, but Monika and John are going to use it as the master bedroom. She'll have a guest bedroom upstairs, a yoga studio and John's art room where the three bedrooms are.

To see more pictures of the inside of her house (and a couple pics of my cat, Nina, LOL) you can visit my G2 site, here.

Semi-Wintery Today

2008-09-06T17:09:00.002-05:00

It looks like winter and feels like winter, well, almost. It's only 60 some odd degrees outside, but the sky looks like it's going to snow any minute now. I guess it's that time of the year. I was listening to Coast to Coast AM with George Noory on the iPod last night while he interviewed Robert Felix (my most favorite guest ever) and they were talking about this winter. He's a big "The Ice Age is coming!" type of guy, who doesn't believe in global warming being caused by humans.

Anyhoo, George and Robert got to talking about this winter and the Farmer's Almanac. They said that the 2008 Farmer's Almanac used the word "catastrophic" as a description of this year's weather. So, I checked out FarmersAlmanac.com and, well, yeah. They're not saying catastrophic on the web site, but they're saying we're in for it. Click here.

See, look at that picture. Doesn't it just LOOK cold to you? Brrrrrrrrr.

Kwame Kilpatrick

2008-09-05T09:07:00.003-05:00

So, I know he's the mayor of Detroit, and I know he got a slap on the wrist for cheating on his wife. Past that, I don't know the guy. But, I do possess the same last name of the man who Time Magazine voted "one of the nation's three worst big-city mayors." Wonderful, huh? So how bad is he, really?

Well, I don't live in Detroit, although I hear it looks like a war just ended an hour ago, where buildings sit vacant after a fire, never to be razed. Here's some interesting news articles from KwameKilpatrick.com.

Using the city's finances, Kwame has a 21 team security staff, yet, the public often sees him walking without any bodyguards in sight.

Also using the city of Detroit's finances, within his first three years in office, Kwame ran up a $210,000 credit card bill while dining at fine restaurants and travel. City Councilwoman JoAnn Watson had to "ground" Kwame and take away his credit card, pending a budget crisis.

He spends $1,000 a month for a cleaning service at his mansion.

A $24,995 two year lease of a Lincoln Navigator. Apparently, after $25,000, the spending requires approval from the city council. The truck was only worth $57,000, which makes this quite suspicious. Shortly after the sale, the dealership turned around and gave $10,000 towards Kwame's re-election campaign.

This is the part I've never witnessed, the un-razed buildings. Kwame promised the city, pre-election, that he would raze 5,000 buildings in eight months. A philanthropist pledged $10 million to help out with razing 1,400 of the buildings. Since the city's budget crisis, he hasn't sent in any money.

Kwame did manage to raze at least one building, though. The Statler-Hilton, a hotel protected by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and owned by the city since 1975, was unexpectedly demolished to make way for a parking lot despite plans of private companies purchasing it and refurbishing the old building. The building was also not abated prior to the demolition, so nearby citizens were put at risk for asbestos, lead and PCB's in the air.

I'm sure there is a lot more to list, but it's about time I started reading up on Kwame Kilpatrick. After reading this, Hal Daub doesn't look so bad.

Note: This is a few minutes after posting my blog. I have just read that Kwame Kilpatrick resigned and will no longer be mayor on September 18, 2008. Lets see what kind of crap he pulls within the weeks.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/NEWS01/809050386

Followers

2008-09-03T10:12:00.002-05:00

You know, I'm upset that I can't use the Followers feature on Blogger, yet. I know, I know, it's coming. But, I'm excited to use it. Will make Blogger very "Twitteresque" (yeah, I just made that word up) and I can keep track of blogs that I want to keep track of. Although nobody reads this blog of mine, it would be interesting to see if anybody at least simply subscribes to it.
I think I added way too many Tweeters to my Twitter yesterday (had it up to almost 300), and quickly discovered that seeing a little message pop up near my clock every five minutes with 5 new posts was going to get old really quick. So I took it down to 61. Mostly people from Omaha, a few from Mountain View, otherwise all Kilpatricks and Duszynskis. None of them I know, of course. Maybe someday some of my family members will start becoming Tweeters.

Got Chrome?

2008-09-02T20:26:00.002-05:00

I'll give 'em this much, Chrome is fast, WAY fast, but it was much less than I expected from Google. I actually thought they were going to release a browser that could compete with Firefox. I'm sure they downloaded Chrome as soon as it became available as well, and, well, laughed. With a name like that, it should have been sleek and smooth. It's smooth, but not sleek. I couldn't get the Java app inside PhotoSig.com to load, either.
There's no fullscreen mode. That irks me. I do LOVE the display element option when you right click on a page. Takes you straight to the code for that area instead of having to search through the code to find what you're looking for. I also like how the downloads load at the bottom of the browser, rather than in another window, like FF. I'm still trying to figure out why Chrome has it's own Task Manager. That's a little scary, eh? It does seem as if that will help in the event that Chrome starts memory hogging and you can figure out exactly which tab is causing that, rather than shutting down the entire program.
It looks like Yahoo! just recently dropped its banner at the top of its page giving preference to FF3, and encouraging users to download it instead, but it was still being bitchy loading.
Lots of kinks to work out, but it'll get there.

Google Chrome

2008-09-02T14:03:00.002-05:00

I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait! I can't wait! (Jumping up and down) This download is taking too long! I hate EMS's slow-ass network. Just found out from Jeremiah that they're not making a Mac version, yet, so there!! :P

Night Photography

2008-08-31T23:45:00.004-05:00

So, I've become fascinated with night photography lately. I think the purple hue of the sky on a 3" shot is what really gets me. So, I took the D40 down to downtown Omaha and got some shots. Nothing special, nothing great, but some good shots. Got a shot of the Pinnacle Bank building, which I've been meaning to get a shot of for years now, with the calligraphic "Omaha" written on the side. But, this time it's at dark, so I got a lot more shots.

You can view all of my photos on my Gallery2 website at www.eyefiqueen.com. Too bad most of my photos were set to ISO-Auto so they came out all sorts of noisy. About halfway through I switched it over to 200.

Hurricane Gustav

2008-08-31T19:54:00.003-05:00

Well, there is less than 24 hours until landfall, and Gustav is going to kick Katrina in the nuts. It almost seems as if Nature is pissed off that New Orleaners didn't learn from the first hurricane, that Katrina was just a warning shot. To the people who don't leave this time, it's hard for me to feel sorry for them. And this time, I know that everyone is leaving. Tomek works for Marriott, and the reservation center has been beyond busy. All of the hotels on the Gulf Coast have been shut down, and the staff evacuated. I guess a gal from Canada called wanting a room in NO because her group was going to help with relief efforts. She got snappy at him because the hotels are closed. Good for J.W. Marriott! Treating his employees like human beings in a situation like this is what we like to hear. He also mentioned how Platinum members were calling and getting pissed off that their Platinum overrides weren't working in the South. Well, guess what, your money is as good as the next guys, and you're going to be on the same level as everyone else this time. Gustav isn't going to descriminate, neither is Marriott.

Meet "Ruby"

2008-08-25T21:26:00.004-05:00

Ruby was born on, well, I don't know what day and month, frankly, I'm not even sure if she was born in 1992 or 1991, but she's a 1992 Black on Red Cutlass Supreme Convertible with 118,000 miles that I just got today for $1,800. If you've known me for a long time, the Cutlass Supreme Coupe is my most favorite car, not only for its looks, but it's excellent snow plowing capabilities. This is my second convertible, my fourth Cutlass Supreme Coupe.

Here's my blog post of my second Cutlass, a 3x Black Convertible. Since it got totalled, I purchased my third Cutlass, a green hardtop, you can view one of my blog stories on it, here.

The only thing I don't like is that it's red, any color but red, but it has an excellent paint job, and the price was right. Runs like a dream, too. Smaller 3.1 V-6, all of my other CS's had 3.8 V-6's, so she's not nearly as fast, but just as charming.

I took her to work after I got her, and Larry snapped this picture of me in front of it. Alicia and Jeremiah rode with me to the Marriott to meet my mom so that she could show her government ID to bring the price of the room down a bit.

Can't wait to drive it again, tomorrow. But I'm tuckered out, I've been busy ALL DAY LONG! Time to rest!

Less Than A Month To Go

2008-08-24T21:16:00.005-05:00

Of course, I didn't get everything done that I wanted to do this summer. I missed Topeka, for only the second time in my life, but, some things come first. I was able to visit the zoo three times this year, which is a new "record," I guess. Although, I don't believe my zoo days are over this year, just yet, I may have one more in me. I never got to go to a horse show this summer, or to Desoto Bend Wildlife Refuge. The botanical gardens were also on my list. Oh, and I wanted to go flying at least once this year, too, but that never happened either.
When the temperatures drop below 70 degrees at night is when I think of the end of summer. No more 90 degree nights with dew points in the 70's. A cool, refreshing breeze finally blows through the window. We're definitely not over with the 90 degree temperatures, as there is still one and a half weeks left in August, then we have to go through September, as well. However, September has always been a tricky month, either really hot or really cold. It's a sign of things to come.
I expect a snow packed end of the year this winter, which is why I am in desperate search of a front wheel drive V-6 that's heavy in the front end. I've found two cars what are exactly what I'm looking for, minus the color, which I will be looking at, and perhaps buying by week's end.
The Olympics are officially over, with a Closing Ceremony that, in my belief, didn't rival it's Opening Ceremony. It's over, and won't be back for four more years, when,we have to suffer political hype once again.
The election draws nearer, and I still haven't made up my mind. I'm a republican who sees more good (I use that term loosely) in Democrats, especially after the past eight years. I guess I was more pro-Bush Sr. and Reagan. Reagan was the first president I remember in office, and he brought Tomek to this country as a political refugee.
Now is probably one of the better times to really start getting a workout routine together, as now I have an entire year to get into shape. We get a really good discount to 24 Hour Fitness through work, $35/mo, and during the winter months I will take that up again, just as I did last winter. Maybe Troy will join with me so we can both go together and push each other.
At work, I think I will start back on my 8 o'clock schedule not this week, but the next. That's fine, though. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep my clan happy and productive.
My uncle Steve will be released from prison on October 30, that's another thing to look forward to. Wow, can't believe he's been in there since, well, frankly I don't know how long he's been in there. But it's been at least since, wow, can't even remember that, either. I have to call my mom to figure this one out. She says it's only been five years, but I think it's been longer.
I was also able to get some lightning shots this year, first time I've been out shooting lightning for years. I got some good results, along with some bad ones. Well, mostly bad ones, anyway. The ones I did get were all at my apartment complex so they are obstructed with light pollution and architecture (if you can call it that in Omaha).
I think I wanted to visit a museum, but I'm not sure. I don't get art. I don't think visiting a museum will help me out in that department, either. But, then again, I'd like to go to Joslyn or the Durham just to say I've been there (finally).
I never got my rent balance down to $0 for a month, either. LOL That's another thing that I meant to do this summer. Can't win 'em all.
Chicago was a bust, too. Planned twice this year to go, didn't make either trip.
Had a kidney stone, that was DEFINITELY not on my to do list.
Never went to a party this summer. Frankly, I can't stand to be the only sober person around lots of drunk people. It's a pretty big drag. I went out with my mom every now and again, but not for very long at a time. The only times I really went out were with Alicia, Troy, Bianca and Larry to the Upstream, then with Alicia, Bianca and Larry to the Mexican food stand on wheels, then later the next week with Alicia and Bianca to see Sex and the City. I haven't really gone out since. At least that will change slightly on Tuesday, when everybody from Eye-Fi, including Bianca who no longer works with us, and Jeremy, our Site Manager, get together for a company dinner. I'll get to meet Jeremiah in person for the first time.
I did get to go swimming this year, too, many times. Mom bought a pool and I was out there almost every weekend. That is winding down, though.
Didn't get to go see Indiana Jones in the theater, didn't get to go see a lot of movies. Personally, I don't think summer is the time for movies, anyway, since you want to be outside during the summer.
September 11 is coming up, too. Can you believe it's been 7 years? I remember that day, so clearly, and I never want to forget it. Too often the American public does, though.
Painting my apartment: there's another thing I didn't get to do. I've been living here almost two years and it still has the same icky white with tobacco yellow paint job it had when I first moved in. There's also a square of silver paint on my opposing wall for where the projector used to shine a 100" screen. Oh, okay, 100" is stretching it. We only got it to 97". A projector is in the works for the end of the year, maybe a Christmas present for each other.
Halloween's on the way, almost two months away. It's my favorite holiday of the year, but I don't have a front yard to decorate.
Renting a house was also semi-on-the-list for this year. Not only do I think I couldn't afford to rent a house, but I don't think that I would get approved for it, either. Not until I get my shit straight with my apartment manager.
My parents' divorce was finalized just last month, as well. I don't know anyone whos parents went through a divorce when they were in their late 20's. I think it was much harder than I would have ever expected, although I knew they were doing the right thing for each other. I almost refused to visit them at their house because it was so hard to listen to their bickering and fighting. I can visit each one now in silence and peace. We have civil conversations with each other, rather than one another interrupting us to scream at each other. Mom finally received the money to buy dad's portion of the house and property from him. She has since changed her will to reflect my name as the sole beneficiary of everything. May sound good, but that includes inheriting the debt, as well.
It's not the beginning of a new year, but the beginning of a new season. I have pacts to make and patterns to break. I need to get my act together and realize that one of these days I'm going to be alone and have to deal with everything by myself. Everyone that I love won't be here forever, and though they've helped me significantly, I have to help myself, now.

Thanks to Eye-Fi!

2008-08-24T17:58:00.004-05:00

Well, I've been just a tad too busy playing with my new toy to write up a blog post on this, but it is needed, and although it occurred Friday, it is already overdue.

Friday, just as I got back from my lunch break, I overheard Alicia talking about leaving something on my keyboard so that I would see it as soon as I walked in. I got up to her desk and said, "What did you leave on my keyboard?" She quickly clutched whatever she was holding and innocently proclaimed, "Nothing! Go to your desk!" I chuckled and walked over to my desk to see a package... From Eye-Fi. I had no idea what it was. So, of course, I ripped it open as fast as I could. So, there's this plastic box wrapped in white plastic inside with a card. The card is signed by quite a few people from Eye-Fi saying thanks for all the hard work over the summer. I tear the white plastic off of the plastic box... I can't believe what I'm seeing! Now, Eye-Fi could've cheaped out on us and bought us Shuffles, or the 4gig model, but, NO! They spent a little more and bought Troy, Alicia and I black 8gig iPod Nanos! And they're engraved on the back with our names, "Thank you Natalie Kilpatrick, The Eye-Fi Team." How cool is this? Never have I worked for a company that treated their employees like this. I've received a couple of $25 gift cards from companies here and there, and my 1 year anniversary present from ADT was a frickin' keychain, this was spectacular!
So, I now have 2.84 gigs left on it, only 223 songs, the rest is all video. A few episodes of South Park, some Animal Planet stuff and Deadliest Catch show, plus some Bears stuff for Tomek to watch if he wants to.
The next day I had to go over to my mom's to work on the Buick, which turns out needs a new harmonic balancer and fixing it is a no-go, but she was playing with the Nano for about 15 minutes before deciding that she wanted one, so we went down to Best Buy and got her the 4gig model. She's happy, with all of her country songs on it now, some Kid Rock and Leona Lewis (we'll teach her yet what is *supposed to* go on an iPod, LOL).
Anyway, Friday night I went and got a case for the Nano, today I bought it a docking station. I originally bought an FM transmitter so that I could listen to it in the car, but after I brought it home and read the reviews of it on Amazon, I took it back and got this nice little stereo for $30. It's not much, but it does what I want for the money I wanted to spend, and has pretty damn good sound.
So, I would like to publicy express my deepest appreciation to Eye-Fi and its employees for believing in us so much, and making our jobs at Technical Support Tier I the best jobs we have ever had. Not only for the iPods (although they help!), but because when they have something to say to us, it is very rarely ever bad. They are not your typical company who meets with you only to talk about your downfalls and how to improve them, but to lift you up and create a better work environment, and find out what we think would make a better work environment and how they can do better. Nothing more, they're already the best company I have ever worked for, hands down.

OPD Officer Upgraded

2008-08-21T01:28:00.003-05:00

Lt. Darci Tierney of the Omaha Police Department confirmed just a few minutes ago that the Omaha Police Officer shot multiple times tonight near 42nd & Camden has been upgraded from "Extremely Critical" to "Critical but Stable."

Apparently, the Officer was conscious while in the ambulance, but he did lose a significant amount of blood.

When this occurred, Wednesday, August 20, it was the 13th Anniversary of the shooting of Jimmy Wilson, Jr., who died immediately, after a fictitious plates stop, in 1995.

Omaha Police Officer in Extremely Critical Condition after Shooting

2008-08-21T00:50:00.004-05:00

Not much information right now, but all we know is a male Omaha Police Officer was shot (what may be as many as 18 times, but some shots may have came from the Officer, KMTV states the Officer was hit only twice) in the abdomen this evening near 42nd & Camden. He is "Extremely Critical Condition" and currently undergoing surgery at Creighton Medical Center.

KETV (ABC Affiliate)
WOWT (NBC Affiliate)
KMTV (CBS Affiliate)

The "Officer Down" call came in at 10:50 PM this evening, shortly thereafter 30 cruisers swarmed the scene with shotguns and assault rifles (they obviously weren't fucking around, good, get that motherfucker!) and quickly arrested a suspect. Also, from what I have heard, he was in the gang unit, and may not have been in a standard cruiser that you are used to seeing around town. The Officer which was shot apparently was not alone, he was accompanied by another Officer.

There will be no more press releases tonight, and it's 1AM, and I'm tired. I'm going to bed. I'll update this as much as I possibly can when time allows.

It's Alive!!

2008-08-17T22:16:00.004-05:00

YES!! My Uncle Mark was out at mom's today and got the Buick started! He thinks now that the loud noise it is producing is the power steering pump, but, he's changed his mind about 5 times so far as to what is making the noise. So, the car is charging right now in mom's garage and Tuesday I'm going to run it over to Danny's (my dad's friend) and he's going to verify what is causing the loud noises under the hood. He used to work for the Omaha Police Department working on police cars, so he's a pretty reliable mechanic. If it's the PSP, I'm not going to have Danny fix it, I will replace that myself, it's no biggie. If it is an alternator, that will be waaaay easier.
I tried talking mom into conning Mark into starting the Lincoln, too, but since she doesn't have any wasp spray, that's not going to happen (they've made a happy home in my door jamb). I think I'll be driving the Buick on Tuesday. WOOHOO!!! The Pontiac is off to the dealership to be returned! The lease is up September 7.
After we get her back up and runnin' 100%, I think I'll spoil the car a little and go get it detailed. It hasn't had an actual detailing since it was first purchased back in 1993. It's got over 200,000 miles on it and still runs like a champ! She deserves it!

Mutillidae, aka "Cow Killer"

2008-08-17T20:37:00.004-05:00

Don't know what a Mutillidae is? You wouldn't be the only one. These things roam my mom's property in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska. While I was out there today I witnessed two. Finally able to snap three pictures of one (this was the only one that the camera could get in focus and snap before it got too much out of focus again because they move REALLY fast), because so many people think I'm crazy when I tell them about a giant fuzzy red ant.
Well, here's the story on 'em. I asked my ex's brother, who works for Terminix, a while back if he had ever heard of one of these things before. He said, "Cow Killers!" I was like, WHAT?! He said, "Yeah, they call 'em 'Cow Killers' because way back when people thought that they killed their cows."
So, I get on Wikipedia and search "Cow Killer" and BAM! There it is! Apparently, it is a wasp, a wingless female wasp. And these things are HUGE. I'm talkin' at least 1"-1.25" long. May not sound big, but when you see how wide they are as well, they don't really fit the profile of a wasp, with the exception of the movement of its abdomen, it pulses like any other wasp's abdomen.
Mom stepped on it, I couldn't understand why, it wasn't hurting anything, they're kinda cool to watch, and the thing wouldn't die! It just kept getting back up after she stepped (and smeared) on it at least 5 times. It finally started writhing around with its little legs twitching. Skeery.
For more info, visit Wikipedia's page on the Mutillidae by clicking here.

The Search for the Perfect Car

2008-08-16T23:12:00.004-05:00

So, mom calls me up this morning, says, "Hey, your Uncle Mark has this Cadillac Eldorado (I've now retyped Eldorado so many times that I've forgotten how to spell it, Firefox keeps telling me it's misspelled, anyhoo...), 1985 for $750." So instantly I think, Dad's car!! Dad's got a sweet Eldorado, so I called him up and asked him what year his is, it's an '89. Sooooo gotta go check this bitch out. I get there in some disappointment. The more I look at it again, I kinda like it, but, in real life, I kinda don't. It's this ugly tan color. Tomek couldn't get the hood open, the sun roof cover thingy inside doesn't shut (talk about super hot inside), I couldn't get the seats to move in any direction but back (you won't see me rollin' like a G in this thing, with it so laid back I can't even see over the steering wheel). There's tiny bits of rust here and there, and I didn't even check the mileage. So, if you're interested in it, sorry, I don't have my uncle's phone number to call. LOL

AFTERTHOUGHT
So I decided to check out the KBB on this. It only goes back to 88 now. So I check eBayMotors.com - They are selling between $800 and $14,000!!!! I'M GETTING THE CAR!

Kidney Stone is OUT!

2008-08-13T15:01:00.002-05:00

Finally! Well, it actually came out on in the morning just a few hours before I had to visit the Urologist. I put the little son of a bitch under a dime and took a picture. Can you believe that something this small causes more pain and agony than giving birth? It was simply 3mm big, I think it was even smaller. LOOK! You have no idea how relieved I am to have it out of me! After talking to Dr. Kroeger, he told me that we did plan on doing surgery on Friday for the thing. I've been through the surgery before, no big deal, but the bills it would have created. Nah, better that it finally passed on its own.
I think that the reason my last one didn't pass on it's own is because I was so dehydrated. For those of you who know me, you know why, but since I was so hydrated this time (after I stopped vomiting every time I took a drink of water), that enabled it to really get moving.
Thursday I will be returning to work at Eye-Fi for the first time since last Tuesday. Can't wait!
BTW, that photo to the left was taken with the new Nikon D40 that Eye-Fi bought for us. Click on the image for a full view, it's amazing (hard to believe I'm actually becoming a Nikon fan, now!!).

Miner's Frolic

2008-08-12T14:53:00.003-05:00

Isn't he beautiful? He's a 1998 Bay Gelding, unknown breed. I watched him in Dressage and he was absolutely magnificent.
Obviously he did compete in cross country, as the photo shows, but while I was watching the Olympics on the Oxygen channel, I never actually saw him race. After going back through it on the DVR, it turns out, they never showed him. He ended up in 10th position including Dressage (where he was 13th I think).
In Individual Jumping he did well enough to take the Bronze Medal in 3 Day Eventing for Individuals.

An Early Morning Visit to the ER

2008-08-12T07:32:00.004-05:00

Yep, I made another visit to the Emergency Room this morning. Tomek woke me up at about 3AM to take my new pain pill. Since I had run out of Toradol and Percocet, I called my doctor Monday morning at about 11AM and told the nurse I needed refills. The doctor didn't call me back until about 6:30PM, told me that he can't call in either, but that he would call in the strongest that pain killer that he could. So, I went and picked that up and took one. Somehow I skipped the one at midnight, because I'm supposed to take one every 3 hours regardless of pain level. Tomek woke me up at 3AM, I took the pill and went back to sleep. Then, about an hour later, I started feeling some pain, so I got out the heating pad. It got progressively worse quickly. I walked in circles around the apartment for about 45 minutes or so, then Tomek started the bathtub for me. Lying in warm water always seems to help. That didn't last too long, though. Maybe about 7 minutes, 10 max in the tub. I had him read over the prescription information because I wanted to see if I could take a second pill. It said not to, but I said screw it and took another one anyway. Shortly after I looked at the name of the drug: Hydrocodone. REALLY! This is not a good thing. HC does absolutely NOTHING for my pain. Never has, never will. The most ineffective prescription drug that I can take.
Tomek helped me out of the tub and asked if I wanted to go to the ER, I told him that I did. I guess we got there at 4:15AM. It seemed a lot sooner than that. Anyway, they got me checked in, blah blah blah. I was in an incredible amount of pain at this time. I think it's the worst, yet.
They checked me into Room 3 (I kinda missed my old room, Room 11, that's where I was Tuesday and Friday) and the nurse started an IV. This kinda pissed me off because my veins are so small that they often burst. I have some nice bruises on both arms to show. She did it on the inside of my right elbow and nailed it on the first try (good for her!!!). They gave me four drugs, the first one to calm down my nausea. That really helped a lot almost immediately. (Hydrocodone makes me nauseated to begin with, no matter how much food I eat with it) They then gave me Toradol and two other pain killers, I don't remember their names. One started with an N the other with an L. The one with the L always gets me super loopy. It's kinda fun, actually. Then, after about 10 minutes or so they wheeled me into the X-Ray room. I even told them they wouldn't be able to see the stone because Dr. Kroeger couldn't see it. So, they took two X-Rays anyways, and sure enough, they didn't see the stone.
I hung out in Room 3 for about another 30 minutes, by this time it was about 5, and the doc came back in. I told him about the scripts, etc. and how I needed a doctor's note which he was more than happy to issue. He wrote me out two scripts for pain. Toradol, of course, or Ketorolac is the official name I think, for 20 10mg tablets to take for pain as needed. This I don't have to take unless my other pill isn't working, it's more of a backup. The other pill is Percocet. They give me Oxycodone/Apap as its generic. There's 20 5mg/325mg tablets to take 1 or 2 every 4-6 hours. I've been getting by with 1 tablet every 6 hours. The nurse came back in and gave me some more Toradol in the IV. For some reason, it didn't make a dent in the pain this time. She sent me home anyway, plus I knew that as soon as I got the pills I could take them.
We went to Walgreen's on 90th & Blondo since their pharmacy is open 24 hours. It was 5:55 AM when they released me from the hospital, and so we dropped off the prescription and walked around Walgreen's for about 10 minutes. There is so much usless crap there to begin with, but when you're on as many painkillers as I was, everything becomes that much cooler! Tomek wouldn't let me buy the tennis ball and these little paddles with the sticky stuff on 'em. They were only $2.50 for a pair! I was gonna play with them at work, should I not OD from all the painkillers first. There was this really cool wireless water fountain with a zen garden for like $6 or $9 or somethin'. But, nooooo, Tomek had to have his laser pointer to play with the cats. I just realized that and yelled at him for it. Told him the next time I was up to it I was going to run up to Walgreens and buy two packs.
Anyway, I've been writing this for like an hour now, having to stop every now and again because I hurt or rest my eyes because the Percocet makes me super sleepy. I'm going to go to bed.

Bernie Mac 1958-2008

2008-08-09T11:44:00.007-05:00

"Bernard Jeffrey McCullough, "Bernie Mac" passed away near his hometown, in a Chicago-area hospital this morning after complications with pneumonia at the age of 50. He had been suffering from sarcoidosis since 1983, but the inflammatory lung disease had gone into remission in 2005, and did not play a part in the young actor/comedian's death.
Two movies, Old Dogs (Robin Williams, John Travolta) and Soul Men (Samuel L. Jackson) were in the works at the time of death.

This is just really hard for me to believe. He's so young.
Just last month at a fundraiser for Obama, he caught some flack from Obama supporters for using lude language. C'mon! Get a life. That's his stand up; that's his comedy. I loved watching Bernie Mac!

Day 3, Back to the ER

2008-08-07T20:29:00.003-05:00

So I was feeling pretty good all day. Pain every once in a while, but not overwhelming, until about 5pm or so. Then it really kicked in. I finally called my doctor's office at 6, why I waited so long I don't know. Maybe I was in hopes that the pain was going to go away, but it didn't. Of course, nobody there. I left a message with the answering service, then called the Methodist ER and asked them if I could come in for a shot of Toradol. The nurse was like, "Well, yeah, if they determine that you need it." I was like, "Well, yeah, they will." So, Tomek took me down there. I talked to Dr. Chad Shuff, my doctor from Tuesday. He have me 3 shots, 1 was of Toradol, the other two I can't remember. The pain still hasn't gone completely away. I told him how my HR chick was bugging me about getting a doctor's note for today and tomorrow, he was quick to write one up for me. What I didn't know, that he kinda yelled at me about, is that I still have to take my pills even if I feel no pain. I told him that I was afraid of running out of the pills, which is why I was taking them as needed. So, I can't complain that he wants me taking the pills all the time. Except the Toradol, because you're not supposed to take that for more than 5 days, and Saturday will be day 5.
Speaking of Saturday, I was supposed to take my mom's Buick over to my dad's friend, Danny's, to get it fixed. Now that's most likely not going to happen. *sigh* I still have to drive the Pontiac at 25¢ per mile. Yeesh. I'm about 1300 miles over, so that's, what, $325? WTFE. I got bigger things to worry about.

1 Hour to Go

2008-08-06T13:41:00.004-05:00

Well, in one hour I will find out whether or not I am going to be admitted to the hospital with my kidney stone. I was hurting so bad this morning at 8:30 that I called the doctor's office and asked to come in early. They said I could come in and get a shot of Toradol, and then have an X-Ray done at the same time to see if the stone is moving. I still have to go back at 2:30 to talk to Dr. Kroeger. I've been managing to keep water down, and some yogurt (first thing to stay down). I'm gonna try eating some dry cereal again and see how that goes.

Gotta Love Kidney Stones

2008-08-05T23:56:00.003-05:00

Well, here I am, again, two and a half years later. In fact, you can check out my April 2006 category and see what I'm talking about. Another kidney stone. This is my third kidney stone, and I am only 27. But wait! This is the new, improved kidney stone, if you can say that. This one is resilient to Toradol! Yes! Toradol does SHIT for this kidney stone. Also, it's making me vomit like none other. I'm lucky if I can go 30 minutes without throwing up. Now, that could be a combination of the pain killers that I'm taking, but I was throwing up long before I had any real pain killers in me. Before I went to the hospital, I was only taking Midol. They also gave me Percacet, my first time with this drug. It does seem to be working better than the Toradol, which I can't take more than 5 days, otherwise I might die. Reassuring, huh? I knew this the last time, which is why when my doctor at the time prescribed me 5, I only took 2, they scare the shit out of me. Not this time! I might as well be taking hydrocodone, it has become so weak. So, I missed almost half a day of work today, I will miss all of tomorrow, and I don't care what the doctor says, I will miss every day after until this thing is gone, because I'm not pulling that same bullshit routine as I did at Apac where I'd show up for a half hour and then cry because I was in so much pain and leave. Nope. I'm staying HOME. Sure, we have no STD at work so I will not get paid at all, but this is a super kidney stone. Well, this is probably the most comfortable I have felt since I got home, so I'm going to go and try to go to sleep. Wish me luck!

How Do You Know When You've Seen Sex and the City Too Many Times?

2008-07-23T23:39:00.003-05:00

When you recognize "Bunny McDougall's" voice on The Simpsons! So I was watching the episode, "The Frying Game," and recognized her voice immediately. As the episode went on, it sounded less and less like her. I decided to check out her real name. Yep, it's her voice alright. Frances Sternhagen, played Bunny McDougall on Sex and the City from 2000-2002 and played Mrs. Bellamy on The Simpsons in 2002 for just one episode.

Funny, she played Cliff Clavin's wife on Cheers. I thought we never saw Cliff's wife, ever, but it turns out she's in 7 episodes. She has a new movie coming out this year, Among the Shadows. It's a thriller, I'll bet she plays an excellent role in the film!

FAIL!

2008-07-19T00:02:00.001-05:00

FBI: Soccer team members help subdue man on flight

By RICHARD GREEN, Associated Press Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY - An American Airlines flight from Boston to Los Angeles was diverted to Oklahoma City on Friday after a passenger stripped nude and later tried to open an emergency exit door before being subdued by members of a professional soccer team and others, the FBI said.

Members of the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer were among those who grabbed the passenger near an exit door, FBI spokesman Gary Johnson said. Tie wraps were placed on the man, whose name was not immediately released. He was taken into custody in Oklahoma City and placed under psychiatric evaluation, Johnson said.

American Flight 725, a Boeing 757, arrived in Oklahoma City at 1:35 p.m. CDT and was back in the air an hour later, said American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith. It landed without further incident at Los Angeles International Airport at 3:13 p.m. PDT.

Craig Tornberg, the soccer team's general manager, said he confronted the man as soon as he saw him emerge naked from one of the plane's restrooms.

"I said he should get back into the bathroom and put on his clothes," Tornberg said after the plane landed in Los Angeles. "He said something strange to me. He said, 'I don't hear you. I don't see you.'"

Tornberg said the man complied and got dressed but a few minutes later "made a beeline for the emergency door."

Tornberg said he, assistant coach Gwynne Williams and Michael Burns, the team's vice president for player personnel, grabbed the man and forced him into a seat while a flight attendant tied him up.

"It was strange, but when he put his hands on the exit door — that brought it to another level," Burns said. "Clearly, he wasn't thinking straight."

The pilot diverted the flight to Will Rogers World Airport where the man was removed.

"He was taken into custody by the Oklahoma City Police Department and taken to a crisis center for a mental evaluation," Johnson said.

Shortly before the incident, Tornberg said he saw the man, described as clean-cut and in his early 20s, crying and "talking a lot of gibberish."

The soccer team was on its way to Southern California for a game on Sunday against Chivas USA at California State University, Fullerton. Its members were among 151 passengers and seven crew members on the flight.

As passengers left the plane in Los Angeles, several indicated they had taken the incident in stride.

Gillian Callaghan, who was traveling with her 12-year-old son, said she never panicked because the flight crew seemed to keep things well under control. She said she felt sorry for the man.

"He was just having some troubles, confused, not a scary guy," she said.

The Tale of the Missing Eye-Fi Card

2008-07-18T23:50:00.004-05:00

It all started when I ordered an Eye-Fi Explore Card from Eye-Fi, which was mailed out on Friday, expected to be here by Monday. Thursday came, and I began to get really worried that the card hadn't arrived yet. Larry from Eye-Fi sent me the confirmation number and I looked it up. It *had been* delivered on Monday. I about shit my pants because it had gone missing. I called the station manager at the Northwest Omaha station and discussed the problem. A sub had delivered the mail on Monday to my route and wasn't there that day, but would be on Friday, so he would call me back.

Friday came, no call from the station manager yet, so I called him. He said that the carrier did deliver the package on Monday and it was out in the parcels box outside next to the cluster box, so there had been a key left in our mailbox. I told this to Jeremy, although he didn't quite get the concept that if there's a package in the top or the bottom parcel box that the carrier will leave a key that goes to its respective parcel box in the recipient's mailbox. After I explained it to him and he figured out what I was saying, he asked Diane, the temp receptionist, what she had done with the key and if she had ever found one in the mailbox. She had, and didn't know what it was for and gave it to the maintenence guy. So, Jeremy had to track down the maintenence guy, but it was quite possible that he had disgarded the key. I made the station manager aware of this, and he said either we find the key or they have to come out on Monday and replace the lock, drilling a new hole for it. Then, when I was out on a smoke break, Diane and Jeremy came outside with a key! They had found it. They opened the bottom parcel box and lo and behold, there was a package. It was addressed to Designer Imports, the company next door. FUCK! So, I called the station manager back, said that we found the key and that it was for the bottom box, but the package inside wasn't ours, it was the next door neighbor's, and I asked him if there was still a possibility that the package was in the top parcel box. He said that the carrier told him that he had placed it in the top box, so he'd send someone out there immediately. About 45 minutes went by and Jeremy came past my desk with the package from Eye-Fi. Turns out that the carrier never delivered the key for the top box to anybody at all, and had been sitting there this whole week, so it was nobody's fault but the carrier.
Fin.

Here Come The Straight Line Winds Again

2008-07-15T20:28:00.004-05:00

Remember June 27? I do. Well, it's coming again. 60mph winds so far out to the west of Omaha, so I'll just be sittin' here waiting for the power to go out. The thunder and lightning have really begun to pick up in the last half hour, but still no rain. Wunderground's web site is down (it's a travesty) so I'm trying to find another web site that can give half way decent radar without advertisements all over the damn place. The NWS radar keeps going down, WTF? Accuweather just sucks ass since it doesn't auto-update, you have to manually refresh the page. The news is afraid of pissing people off. And now I'm recording two channels at the same time on the DVR, so I can't watch weather out here. FCK. At least the temperature has dropped to 81 degrees, 30 minutes ago it was 93. Looks like the strongest winds are between Omaha and Lincoln on I-80. So, we'll wait and see.

6 Hours At The Zoo!

2008-07-14T14:30:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe I spent 2 1/2 hours on Saturday and another 4 hours on Sunday at the zoo. OMG, my calves are screaming! So, we almost got attacked by a tiger. Well, not really. He just jumped at us and freaked us out. I wore out my Eye-Fi Card shooting over 400 pictures in those two days, plus video. I actually filled up the memory on the poor card! You can see all of my images on my G2 site.

July 12, 2008
July 13, 2008

Zen Gardens

2008-07-09T22:22:00.006-05:00

Alicia's cute little Zen Garden got me hooked. I guess I really didn't know what they were about until I saw an episode of the Simpsons (corny, I know), when Lisa decided to become a Buddhist. I learned on that episode that it's supposed to help you relax. I asked Alicia about hers and where she got it from, she told me it was from New Realities. It's a, well, non-normal book store. I've been in the one in the Old Market and it was probably one of the best book stores I've ever been to. She then told me that there's a store in the Westroads. So, tonight I went shopping at Goodwill because I was bored out of my mind and didn't want to fall asleep as early at 7 o'clock, no matter how tired I was. After I had about 5 new shirts picked out, I remembered her mentioning the store at the Westroads and put everything back, got in my car and took off. When I got to the store (took me walking all over to find it because I had misread one of the directories) it took me a bit to find the Zen Gardens. I did eventually find them, how could I have missed them? There was an entire display of nothing but. The most expensive one was $35, and it had a really cool book with it, but it was too much for me. The least expensive was the tiny one that Alicia has for $12.50. Too small, especially compared to the huge one for $20 that had just a small book with some exercises in it. So, that's the one I grabbed. I saw a box of crystals up against one of the walls and thought about getting some, but my feet hurt from walking through the mall and I had to bend down to look at them, nah. Maybe later.

So, my Zen Garden is now in the back of my car, Tomek took it to work, and I will play with it at work tomorrow. I'll have to admit that I copied her, but these things really interest me, now.

I also found this online Zen Garden to play with.

Who Is Nicanor?

2008-07-03T22:47:00.002-05:00

What I almost can't stand is that this two-year-old is really nothing special. So he's the full brother of Barbaro, but that doesn't mean he should be put up on a pedistal!

I'm sure if you ask these same people who are following this poor baby so closely if they know who She Won't Tell or Silent Fox are, they wouldn't know. How about Elusive Moment? Nobody?

Not surprising. These horses did nothing. They weren't superstars, they were normal racehorses who won minimally, if at all.

The truth is, that in 1978, when Affirmed's breeders discovered what a great horse he was, they bred his dam, Won't Tell You, back to Exclusive Native. Not once, but twice. After he won the Triple Crown, she was bred back again. She Won't Tell and Silent Fox were nowhere near Affirmed. Silent Fox came closest, being a SpW of $205K. She Won't Tell won 3 of 9 lifetime starts winning (a whopping) $42K. Compare that to Affirmed's Horse of the Year honors and 22 wins in 29 starts winning over $2M.

Elusive Moment never won a single race. She earned just over $5K, and looks just like her big brother, Smarty Jones.

Now, there are two sides to every story. The latest freak, is Better Than Honour. She was an awesome filly who went semi-unnoticed until 2007, but it was 2006 that started her legacy when Jazil (2003 Colt) won the Belmont Stakes. That was no "big" feat, so Jazil won the Belmont. Big deal. In 2007, Better Than Honour did two things that no other broodmare had ever done before simultaneously. She produced Rags To Riches (2004 filly) who, not only won the Belmont Stakes, but became the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes in 102 years. Better Than Honour produced two Belmont Stakes winners back to back, one being a filly. Then, there was 2008. Big Brown was going to have to face Casino Drive (2005 colt) in the Belmont Stakes, another Better Than Honour foal, third in a row to enter the Belmont. But, fate was to take over that day, shattering her chances at producing three Belmont Stakes winners in a row when Casino Drive bruised his foot the day before the race.

The difference between all of these, though? While She Won't Tell and Silent Fox were full siblings to Affirmed, and Elusive Moment to Smarty Jones, Jazil, Rags To Riches and Casino Drive all had different sires.

Just because a horse is a full brother to a great one, doesn't mean that the latest horse is going to be a great one, either. Thankfully, the trainers and owners of Nicanor are not expecting him to be a great racehorse, but instead, just a racehorse. So kudos to them for keeping their heads.

As for the Bloodhorse staff and they're stalking Nicanor, I have a feeling this will all blow up in their face.

No Smoking in Iowa

2008-06-30T23:30:00.001-05:00

Back when Nebraska was constantly raising cigarette taxes, Iowa was the shit. I remember every week going over to Council Bluffs to fill up on gas (which was easily 20¢ per gallon cheaper) and grabbing a carton of Winstons (which were easily $5 per carton cheaper). Now, the tables have turned, in part. In Iowa, no more smoking except in Casinos as of midnight tonight. Not that I go over there anymore, anyways, but now their cigarettes cost more than Nebraska, and gas is about the same.

I didn’t know if this included hotel rooms (Nebraska’s ban doesn’t) so I called the Country Inn & Suites over by the Horseshoe and talked to my bud, Catherene, from Carlson. She said they hadn’t heard anything about the ban (imagine that) so they still have smoking rooms. I only bring that up because Nebraska’s statewide smoking ban that goes into effect next year exempts hotels and tobacco stores. Iowa’s ban didn’t specify anything but casinos.

Straight Line Winds

2008-06-28T11:27:00.001-05:00

It amazes me how people think that winds can do no damage, or how they are in disbelief when winds do major damage. Really, people, what do you think a tornado is?

The straight line winds of June 27, 2008 were unreal.

You can view photos at http://www.ntkilpatrick.com/gallery/ keyword STORM

So, it all started at about, oh, 4:40 or so. Alicia was just leaving work, and I had *finally* got my meeting with the guys from California. Not more than 2 minutes into my meeting and Alicia had left, the sirens started going off. Actually, no, Alicia was still there, because we were both watching radar and listening to the WX radio on http://www.wunderground.com. I got off of the call with the guys and shortly after, the sirens stopped. Alicia then left, and I went out side to check out the sky (see photo above).

While I was outside smoking a cigarette, I saw how neat it looked outside and ran back in to grab my Canon. I started shooting pictures and got a little video as the sirens started going off again. After about 2 minutes of recording video, I went back inside and Phyllis is freaking out. I ran back to my desk and grabbed my bag, phone, anything else that I couldn’t stand to sacrifice.

We all filed into Jeremy’s office (there was only about 12 of us there at the time). About 2 to 3 minutes into the storm, we could hear the wind. Then, the power went off leaving it so quiet, without the hum of the servers. The generator failed to kick in immediately, and everything was dark. Suddenly, we could hear the wind and the hail pounding the roof, probably along with some trees. There was only the light of cell phones (the MDA surely gave off the most power to see) for 30 seconds.

To me, it was truly nerve wracking. I had no idea these were straight line winds, and really believed a tornado was hitting our building. I just waited for the roof to leave. Then, the generator kicked on, and everyone believed it was normal power, so they started filing out, just as the storm picked up more steam.

We all stayed cramped in that room for another 5 minutes or so until someone started shouting, “There’s a tree in the parking lot!” So, we all ran out to see. By this time, it was still raining and there was still plenty of wind. I ran to the back door to check on my car to see that there wasn’t a tree on top of it. Phew!

Two people died in this storm, a couple of teenagers in Council Bluffs, IA (just on the other side of the Missouri River from Omaha, NE). A third teenager was rescued by a backhoe operator who pried the car open. She’s in the hospital right now, but I heard she’s going to be okay.

The Qwest Center Omaha was also hit hard, ripping off the side of the building. But, the good new is that the pools for the Olympic Trials weren’t damaged at all, and no rain got into them, so the trials are still on.

It was a long day. Power was out to 126,000 OPPD customers starting at around 5pm. My power wasn’t restored until 6am this morning. I never want to go through that again.

Hight to Make His Pass without Kalitta

2008-06-22T11:07:00.004-05:00

Last night KalittaRacing.com was blank, as was DougKalitta.com, ConnieKalitta.com, and of course, ScottKalitta.com. In fact, the only web site that was still functioning was Connie's KalittaAir.com. This morning as I visited the site, the complicated web design was gone, with a lone white page "Scott Kalitta 1962-2008 Our champion. Our hero. Our friend."

This afternoon, Robert Hight would make his first round pass alone. As would Cory McClenathan (would have faced Doug Kalitta), Bob Vandergriff (Hillary Will) and Larry Dixon (David Grubnic).

Scott Kalitta's crew, along with Doug Kalitta's, Will's and Grubnic's all assembled in the left lane for the first pass of Funny Car Eliminations as Robert Hight did his burn out. He then staged and idled down the track in honor of Scott Kalitta.

Currently, racing is on hold due to a weather delay. The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 starting at 8PM for 3 hours.

Scott Kalitta - 1962-2008

2008-06-21T22:55:00.009-05:00

Above: Doug Herbert (Mac Tools) vs. Scott Kalitta (Kalitta Air) taken Friday, May 28, 2004 at Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, KS. This is the only photo I have of Scott. He qualified 4th, winning the first and second round, only to lose to his cousin, Doug, in the semi-finals, who in turn lost to Brandon Bernstein in the final round.

I can't believe what I'm hearing on ESPN right now. The Kalittas are the Earnhardts of the NHRA. Connie, the father; Scott, the son; Doug the cousin.

It's sobering to see his name on the ladder at number 13. He was to face Robert Hight tomorrow at the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals.

The hardest part of this is watching his fellow drag racers, Gary Scelzi in particular, break down on ESPN even trying to talk about him. He's got two kids, 14 and 8. I can't imagine losing a father at the age of eight. I can't imagine losing my father at 27, to be honest with you.

So, for some reason I decided to do a search on YouTube for "Scott Kalitta" and the Englishtown crash was the first result. This was a recording from ESPN's broadcast. I will not provide the link, search for it yourself, I will never watch this again. He hit the wall so hard my heart stopped when I watched this video. I had to take a very deep breath to regain myself. And it wasn't the side barrier, it was the wall at the end of the race track past the sand pit. The chutes appeared burned up, I don't really recall, I just remember seeing the chutes not functioning correctly, so he was doing at least 250 mph when he hit. His run was 300.73 mph in the quarter mile, and it didn't appear he decelerated whatsoever on his way to the sand. It was a ball of flames when it hit, and was an even bigger ball of flames when the car completely disintegrated.

I will never watch this again.

From NHRA.com regarding Round 4 of Qualifying Saturday afternoon.

Funny Car

Results for Qualifying Round 4

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - ENGLISHTOWN - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Funny Car at the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, 39th annual Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals listing lane, driver name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:


 Left Lane: Tony Bartone     Runs 6.062/34.55, Now #19
                             Best prior run: 9.197/91.63, Was #19
Right Lane: Scott Kalitta    Runs 4.974/300.73, Now #13
                             Best prior run: 11.891/68.14, Was #20

4:21 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 89 degrees, relative humidity 30 percent, barometer 29.92 inches, adjusted altitude 2,524 feet, track temperature 129 degrees.

Bartone "blowed it up" earlier today and was down to one chance to qualify. Kalitta towed the chute last round, same situation. Mike Ashley is on the bump spot at 5.459.

This started off badly for Bartone and finished violently for Kalitta.

Bartone started losing traction, then dropped cylinders and shut it off.

Kalitta was on a good pass until there was a huge engine explosion as he neared the finish line. The explosion shredded the rear of the body, sending pieces high in the air. The car continued through the shutdown area at high speed, into the sand and through the net, still at high speed. We could not see what happened after that, but there was a big ball of flame well past the sand pit, near the trees at the far end of the property. Then came the long wait for information from the accident scene, bad or good.

5:04 p.m. Still no word on Kalitta's condition. Race officials announced that it will take at least another hour to repair the damage at the top end of the track and the remaining cars have headed back to the pits. We'll let you know when or if we get official word on Kalitta's condition or if racing action is ready to resume.

The Eye-Fi Girls Night Out - Sex and the City - The Movie - SPOILER ALERT

2008-06-15T00:06:00.005-05:00

!!SPOILER ALERT!!

Alicia, Bianca and I all went out to see Sex and the City The Movie on Friday night. I started out at Mickey Finn's, where all three of us were to meet up. I walked in and BAM! $5 cover. Screw that. I left and went next door to work to talk to Bianca, since she was just getting off work. Alicia was still downtown so we decided to meet her out at Village Pointe. We went to the Apple Store (ick) and I felt like I was going to burst into flames. I had to stop myself when I became intrigued by the iPod Nano with the TV screen for $149. I couldn't believe the size of some of these monitors, though. I mean, a 24" screen? You could see one of these things from across the room! Alright, I'm starting to get a little carried away with Macs. Eek.

After we left the Apple Store we made a quick trip over to Yankee Candle. I lasted about 5 minutes before I either, A) started getting a headache and/or B) was afraid of spending money! So I waited for Bianca outside.

We smoked a cigarette (damn, if I ever felt like white trash it was smoking a cigarette at Village Pointe!) on our way to the theater. We stopped by this outdoor fireplace and I called Alicia (I got my MDA hooked up with AT&T Wireless, yay!), she was just walking up to the theater, also. We got in, Bianca bought me a Coke (big thanks, Bianca!) and the movie commenced. I told Alicia that if I cried I didn't want to catch any shit for it at work on Monday.

I made it through the movie crying only a couple of times, (SPOILER ALERT) when Steve cheated on Miranda and when Big jilted Carrie. The movie just kept going on and on and on and I kept thinking, "They can't end the show like that!" I get it now how the show went off the air. Because, when the last episode aired on HBO, it really did leave a lot of room for more. I think I started crying when Carrie started reading all of the e-mails that Big sent her that she hadn't known about. I know that the story started in August-ish, because the wedding was supposed to be Saturday, September 20 (funny, the next September 20 is 2008, so that means that the movie rolls over into 2009. God I hate how I'm so observant of details!), Charlotte was quite a few months pregnant when New Year's arrived, and she had the baby when the trees were green, so, May? It was a 2 hour, 25 minute movie, covering almost or at a year's worth of events. It's was easily 5-6 episodes rolled into one.

I couldn't believe how old Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Candice Bergen looked in this movie. Candice Bergen just looked like hell, but SJP and Cynthia's age were showing around their lips where they have wrinkled a bit. Has it been that long? But, they were all in character for the entire movie, not once did anyone seem off.

The questions that I had were small ones.

"Where was Marcus?" He and Standford were so in love, there's nothing in the Movie to say what happened with them.

Also, I was like, "What?" when Anthony saw Stanford at the New Year's Eve ball and said, "Oh, thank God you're here," and then they kissed. WTF? They HATE each other!

I half-assed expected to see Aiden somewhere, but he never showed up except in the beginning when the Movie was having flashbacks from the show.

And, you never see Smith in any of the previews, so I didn't expect him to be in the Movie, but he was. That was the relationship that hit home for me. Only very few people know why, so I won't disclose.

When Carrie walked into her and Big's apartment and saw Big, I didn't expect what happened to happen. That moved too quick, as if the writers had realized by this time that they had drug the Movie on for so long that they had to wrap it up. They got sloppy in the end, I think.

Other than that it was great. I hadn't expected anything, but, by mistake back in March or so I decided to do a search on YouTube for Sex and the City to see if there were any other trailers that I had missed, and I inadvertently clicked on a video that someone shot while they were shooting the movie of Carrie hitting Big with her bouquet. So, I knew she was going to get jilted. I had hoped that it was one of the fake shots, but I also hoped that it wasn't, you know, for the drama. I felt so bad for Big, but I knew that he was going to do it to her because he'd done it to her time and time again before.

OMG, I can't write about this Movie anymore! So much. You just have to see it for yourself.

The Omaha Tornado of 2008

2008-06-08T12:49:00.005-05:00

It was small and very short lived, but it did it's damage. The National Weather Service confirmed this (late) morning that an F-2 tornado did, in fact, touch down as an F-1 at 2:29AM near 156th & Giles and ended (officially) as an F-2 near 137th & Z. It was a quarter of a mile wide.

Now, unofficially, a funnel was spotted at 120th & Pacific, if you were to follow that line, it passed about 10 blocks west of where I live. I also heard on WOWT, our NBC affiliate, that a funnel was also spotted in the Ponca Hills area, which is the extreme northeast part of Omaha near the Nebraska/Iowa border.

There was video from WOWT showing a house which had completely lost it's roof, and one side of it was gone, but I have yet to find images of this house. I may go out into the area today, but I highly doubt it. I would much rather stay out of the way of emergency personnel and residents who are cleaning up the mess.

There was an amateur video of a girl who interviewed a woman and her family who were staying in their RV in the Wal-Mart parking lot at approximately 130th & L who was visibly shaken, stating that the tornado and/or wind had picked up the passenger side of her RV and nearly overturned it with them inside. Her son's car was right next to the RV, but it was never threatened.

Tornado Hits Omaha

2008-06-08T03:09:00.005-05:00

Preliminary reports state the the Wal-Mart at 132nd & L was hit by a tornado, as well as many homes damaged, power is out, tree limbs are down.

I was going to the back door to get a better look at what was going on and a couple of girls from upstairs, each with a child, came running down the stairs so I had them come into my apartment for about 30 minutes since I live on the bottom floor. Not basement, but garden level, so there was some coverage.

There's a lot of power lines down, emergency personnel have closed down the area.

That thing came right over me at 90th & Dodge, the path was very distinct on radar.

151st & F - Cars were thrown into trees

132 & Q - Trees

156 & Harrison - Homes Damaged

144 & Harrison - Trees and Homes Damaged

168 & Giles - Windows Shattered

180 & Q - Trees Down

The Culprit Catching Eye-Fi Card!

2008-06-08T01:06:00.004-05:00

Alright, so I get this e-mail from one of my colleagues today titled, "Lost Cameras Phone Home To Catch Thieves," or something along those lines. I go on to read the story on Reuters.com.

Alicia I guess hadn't seen this yet and had no idea of the story. After I mentioned it, Alicia was like, "What?!"

So here's the story. Back in February, Alicia, maybe Bianca, too, took a call from this lady who lost her camera in Florida with her Eye-Fi Card in it. I guess she was hoping that the photos would've still uploaded, which they hadn't. This woman had a Linksys router with the default SSID of, you guessed it, "Linksys." Well, how great is this?! When the thieves started taking pictures with the camera and got in the vicinity of a default Linksys router with the SSID of "Linksys," BAM! Photos start uploading! When she got home, all of this gal's photos were uploaded to her computer as well as pictures of the guys who stole it!

Talk about great publicity for my company!

What Happened to Big Brown?

2008-06-08T00:35:00.005-05:00

I know I didn't just see this race happen, I know Big Brown didn't get pulled up, I know it's not over yet!!

Mom invited me down to Route 66, a pub at 72nd & Q. "Let's go to Horsemen's Park and watch the Belmont!" Alright. So we went down there, watched a few races and headed over to the track. We got there just as Lava Man was finishing third at Hollywood Park. DAMNIT!! I would've bet on him to show, too! Ah well. Race 10 at Belmont was about 5 minutes away, so I threw a bet down for Shake The Bank, Proudinsky and Better Talk Now. I can still hear the call when Better Talk Now was winning the Breeders' Cup Turf, so, hey, he might win. That' was a lame-ass bet. I don't know what the hell happened to him. He finished fifth, Shake the Bank finished seventh and Proudinsky finished eleventh. I guess I've lost my touch.

Okay, now time to make the bets for the Belmont. I chose a $2 win ticket on Big Brown (simply as a keepsake, there's no way I would cash it in if he won, it would probably have only paid $2.14 anyway), $2 Trifecta on Big Brown, Tale of Ekati and Denis of Cork, and another $2 Trifecta on Big Brown, Denis of Cork and Tale of Ekati. Well, Denis of Cork came in second.

I couldn't believe what I was watching! I couldn't believe that the 12th Triple Crown Winner had just lost the Belmont. I couldn't believe that he wasn't second, not third, didn't see him in fourth, someone else finished fifth... I was beginning to wonder where he was. That bright white bridle was nowhere to be found. Quite a bit later, he passed under the wire. The first thing I thought was that his hoof had split wide open. That wasn't it. Now Dutrow is thinking he was bleeding. Hell, the horse is on Lasix, it's a possibility, but Lasix is supposed to stop that from happening, right?

The whole bar was silent. I'd never heard a bar so silent before. After the race was over, mom and I left, I barely remember even thinking after the race was over I was in such disbelief. I got home, watched the replay on the DVR. Yup, he lost. Watched the replay on BloodHorse.com, yup, he lost. WTF? It's six hours later, still, nobody has any answers. Dutrow has no idea what happened to the horse, Desormeaux has no idea, Bramlage even had no idea.

This was on package Big Brown couldn't deliver.

Casino Drive Out?

2008-06-06T11:37:00.007-05:00

Well, it hasn't been announced quiet yet that Casino Drive will be scratched from the Belmont, but I'm thinking it's imminent. His manager, Nobutaka Tada, said that he won't be scratched, that he will run in the Belmont, I just hope it doesn't turn out to be a bad (tragic) decision. We all saw what happened to Eight Belles when she was perfectly fit.

I don't know what to think about the Casino Drive vs. Big Brown Belmont. Back in March/April, whenever, when I first heard about Casino Drive coming over from Japan to live his mother's legacy, I was excited. I said to myself, "We won't have a Triple Crown winner this year, because if history says anything, Casino Drive wins the Belmont." Now, I'm in agony trying to figure out who's going to beat who tomorrow. I have never seen a Triple Crown feat in my life, and get more and more speculative every year that it will even happen. Then, on the flip side, I would be in awe to see Better Than Honour's offspring accomplish this race, AGAIN! It would be a shame for Casino Drive to "let his mother down," but it would be an even bigger shame for Big Brown to lose the Triple Crown.

If Casino Drive scratches, Big Brown wins. If he runs... I see a battle to the wire, and maybe Big Brown getting nosed out.

Car Fire at EMS Today

2008-06-03T10:34:00.002-05:00

DSCN6760.JPG
Originally uploaded by Natalie Kilpatrick

Damn! This poor guy's car caught on fire. The cops got here about 5 minutes after it happened, after he got it under control with the fire extinguisher the FD showed up. Good thing, too, because the fire wasn't out. They ended up having to jack the hood open and put it out, but we didn't get to see it. Bossman Jay said to get back to our desks and take phone calls (ha! Eye-Fi is such a great product that we don't have phone calls!). Still feel bad for this guy, though. I guess he'd had to get a ride to work forever and just drove to work for the first time (maybe?). At least it's not his car, but how do you tell the owner something like this?

Long Week for Eye-Fi

2008-05-31T20:58:00.007-05:00

OMG, I had such a fun week. Tuesday was my first day on Eye-Fi 100%. One of the Tier II guys, Larry, came to town Tuesday, also. Not a lot was done on Tuesday, just work stuff. Wednesday we (Larry, Alicia, Bianca, Troy and I) went out to The Upstream Brewery for dinner. We ended up standing outside from about 10 to midnight. Then, Thursday while I was sitting at home I was bored as hell, so I went to work to hang out with Bianca and Larry. I walked over to Mickey Finn's since Larry told me that Alicia was over there. We hung out there until about 8, I ran home, gave Tomek some money for gas and came back out. At about 11 we left and went down to South O for some *real* tacos, that was an experience. It was my first real taco. Larry was fascinated with the lightning all night long on the way back to the bar to get our cars. Friday morning and afternoon we were all at work again, got some of our last photos in with Larry and he took off for San Jose at about 2:30. It was unbelievably quiet after he left. I guess we all miss him already. Those two nights were probably some of the best nights I've had in years, though. It's nice to know I finally have a couple of friends I can hang out with at the bar in Alicia and Bianca.

Shooting at the Courtyard

2008-05-07T17:59:00.005-05:00

While I was watching Oprah I saw an advertisement for our local news about a shooting at a hotel here in Omaha. They didn't say the name during the blurb, but I saw the little balconies and knew instantly that it was the Courtyard. So, I jumped on the web and found out from http://www.kmtv.com that is was, in fact, our (still used to working there) hotel in downtown.

Apparently at some church in West O this guy (Galle I think) broke into a car and stole some credit cards and a Marriott Rewards card and used those to check into the hotel. (I'm assuming that they were Gold or Platinum or they had a Marriott Visa Rewards Credit Card because they called to cancel something) When they were told that "they" were booked into a hotel already, they called the police. Then, when the police arrived, they went to the 4th floor (anybody who's been to this hotel knows that the 4th floor is on the 2nd story) and saw Galle and Dana (a chick) leaving the room to go to another room, a gun fell from Galle's pants and an office shot him twice. Last I saw he's in critical condition at Creighton. The cop got hit over the head with a vase and he's okay. They found numerous fraudulent ID's in the room, credit cards and a copier, along with some meth (imagine that!).

Man, Marriott's been in the news a couple of times in the past month. On March 30, a man at the Baltimore Inner Harbor (a full service Marriott) drowned his three kids in the bathtub. He was just indicted for these charges on April 29.

The End of an Era

2008-05-06T22:09:00.003-05:00

You know, I've been following the loss of Rosenblatt Stadium loosely, because it's not a huge concern of mine. I'm both opposed and for the building of a new stadium and the loss of Rosenblatt.

The opposed: It's a landmark, c'mon! It's one of the very few things that Omaha is known for. The desert dome is probably the only other thing. Oh, and corn, but who gives a fuck about corn?

The for: The zoo is getting the property, and I've always been disgusted with the cat house at the zoo, where the lions and tigers have hardly any room to move around. They need a bigger building, and this will provide. Also, Omaha's finally moving up. We just built the convention center, which brought some higher profile hotels to the area and some great concerts that I've attended (been to two concerts there now), and it may provide for a professional team (not minor, but major).

When I watched the news tonight is when it hit me. Rosenblatt's closing. It's hard for me to believe. Sure, I only go every other year or so to a CWS game, haven't been to a Royals game in God knows how long, but, damn it! It's really gonna happen. I know we can't keep both, but, it's just hard to believe that in 2011, it will follow the same fate as Ak-Sar-Ben. Another National Landmark demolished. I wonder how these kids (who are adults now) who played for Miami, Rice, A&M, USC and so forth will feel about this, knowing that they hit the winning home run in that stadium, and now it's gone. It just feels weird, and the feeling isn't going to get any better after it's gone.

First Sign of Spring

2008-03-10T11:57:00.004-05:00

Well, I saw the first sign of spring today, two black squirrels over in Lake Manawa. Tomek and I stayed a free night at the Country Inn & Suites by the Horseshoe. After I forgot my purse in the room, we went back over and decided to drive around the lake. Lots of geese over there, too.

Fidel Castro Resigns

2008-02-19T03:55:00.002-06:00

Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said Tuesday that he will not return to lead the country as president, retiring as head of state 49 years after he seized power in an armed revolution.
Castro, 81, said in a statement to the country that he would not seek a new presidential term when the National Assembly meets on Feb. 24.
"To my dear compatriots, who gave me the immense honor in recent days of electing me a member of parliament ... I communicate to you that I will not aspire to or accept -- I repeat not aspire to or accept -- the positions of President of Council of State and Commander in Chief," Castro said in the statement published on the Web site of the Communist Party's Granma newspaper.
The National Assembly or legislature is expected to nominate his brother and designated successor Raul Castro as president in place of Castro, who has not appeared in public for almost 19 months after being stricken by an undisclosed illness.
His retirement drew the curtain on a political career that spanned the Cold War and survived U.S. enmity, CIA assassination attempts and the demise of Soviet Communism.
A charismatic leader famous for his long speeches delivered in his green military fatigues, Castro is admired in the Third World for standing up to the United States but considered by his opponents a tyrant who suppressed freedom.

Winning Colors Euthanized

2008-02-18T23:26:00.004-06:00

Champion Winning Colors, winner of the 1988 Kentucky Derby (gr. I), was euthanized Feb. 17 following complications from colic at Hagyard Davidson McGee vet clinic near Lexington. The 23-year-old Caro mare was buried at Greentree Farm, a division of Gainesway Farm near Lexington.
"Winning Colors was always a champion," said Gainesway president Antony Beck. "She had great physical prowess and athleticism. She was one of my fathers' (Graham Beck) favorite horses, and everyone at Gainesway is saddened by her passing."
Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Winning Colors, who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2000, was owned by the late Eugene Klein. She was bred in Kentucky by Echo Valley Horse Farm.
Lukas purchased Winning Colors as a yearling for $575,000 at the 1986 Keeneland July sale. She would finish her career with earnings of $1,526,837 and a record of 8-3-1 from 19 starts.
Besides being the last and one of only three fillies to win the Derby, Winning Colors' other grade I victories include the Santa Anita Derby and Santa Anita Oaks. She also finished third in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) and was second to undefeated champion and Hall of Fame member Personal Ensign in the highly memorable 1988 Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I).
Winning Colors hailed from a strong female family. She is out of the stakes-winning and grade I-placed Bold Hour mare All Rainbows, who produced two other stakes-placed runners and is the granddam of Japanese group I winner Tap Dance City.
All Rainbows' dam, the stakes-winning T. V. Lark mare Miss Carmie, also produced champion filly Chris Evert, who in turn is the granddam of champion Chief's Crown and grade I winner Classic Crown.
Other grade/group I winners found in Winning Colors' pedigree include Sightseek, Tatescreek, Etoile Montante, Confessional, Excellent Art, Missed the Storm, Faaz, Lambent Light, and Zaitoon.
Klein sold Winning Colors for $4.1 million to Gainesway Bloodstock Services at the 1989 Keeneland November mixed sale. Alone or in partnership, Gainesway Farm bred all 10 of her foals.
Like many champion racemares, Winning Colors was never able to reproduce herself. Her best offspring to date is Golden Colors, a filly by Mr. Prospector who was group III-placed in Japan. Golden Colors went on to produce Cheerful Smile, a group III winner by Sunday Silence.
Her last foal is a yearling filly by Mr. Greeley. Her juvenile Orientate filly is now in training with Ron Stevens in Aiken, S.C.

Phantom of the Opera

2008-02-18T23:09:00.003-06:00

I guess we're on! Thursday night at 7:30 we're going to the Phantom of the Opera. We, meaning, my mom, Tomek's sister, Monika, Tomek's mom, Teresa, and Teresa's friend, Margaret, and myself, of course. The tickets are $45 (eek), but it's a small price to pay to stay on their good side. I have no idea what this play or whatever is about, even though it's like I'm supposed to know, no matter what. I guess in a few days I'll find out what it's all about.

Being Sick Sucks

2008-02-17T00:56:00.003-06:00

Well, Wednesday it started out as a little bronchitis, which miraculously went away when I went to the doctor, the PA who saw me refused to give me any bronchitis medicine. I had a fever of 99.9 and she didn't think I was sick. So, then, it's been a cold for Thursday, Friday and Saturday; now it's Sunday morning and I can't figure out which one it is. I've used up 2 1/2 boxes of Kleenex, but now it's pretty much just my eyes watering. I've sneezed once since I woke up, so, I dunno. I'm confused. At least my nose is pretty dry now, but that creates other problems. My sinuses are so clogged, I tried using the Neti-Pot yesterday and almost drown, nothing would go through. Thank God I don't have to work Sunday or Monday, ***maybe*** I'll make it back on Tuesday, but if the bronchitis kicks in, it's a no-go.

eBay Addictions

2008-02-11T03:59:00.001-06:00

It started out with a few DVD's... The Simpsons Season 1, The Simpsons Season 2, The Simpsons Christmas Special, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror... I got the Odd Couple (I and II) for Tomek; then I saw some movies I wouldn't mind having, myself. Such as Bewitched, 10 Items or Less (not that stupid "comedy" on TV, the one with Morgan Freeman). Then, I remembered that I needed a new phone. The ones at Wal-Mart are too damn expensive, so I got one, where else, on eBay. My old silver talking AT&T with a mailbox. Tomek loves this phone, though. He just can't stand the fact of two handsets ringing, the base unit ringing and telling us the phone number that's calling, so I shut the ringers off so it only tells us who's calling now. I'm also into losing weight, so, I got a 3 month weight watchers journal. And I love horse racing, so here's the books that I got... "Thoroughbred Legends: Affirmed and Alydar" (I've always been a sucker for Alydar, and the Calumet incident has always ranked as my number one horse racing intrigue since it happened), "The Blood Horse: Silver Anniversary Edition" (reproduction of the original), "Wild Ride: The Story of the Calumet Dynasty" (again with the Alydar incident), and "Dynasties: Great Thoroughbred Stallions" (need I say it again, Alydar). Then, another couple of DVD's, The Simpsons Movie and a documentary (not the Hollywood version) on Seabiscuit, Mr. Woodcock, and a model horse, and a book on reducing clutter at the same time as loosing weight ("Does this Clutter Make my Butt Look Fat?") which was featured on Oprah the other day. My clutter is nowhere near as bad, but it's bad, which is now probably why I won't be eBaying anymore. He says to get rid of the clutter, then promotes his book. DUH! Is this not more clutter?! So, I ended up spending $204.25 on eBay in the past four weeks. Amazing how quick the money can add up, but at least I got a lot of stuff for it. But, I'm done for quite a while now, with the exceptions of things here and there, not 10 things in one week.

Super Bowl XLII Commercials - Bridgestone "Richard Simmons"

2008-02-05T19:15:00.000-06:00

Super Bowl XLII Commercials - Bridgestone "Ahhhhhhhh!"

2008-02-05T19:14:00.000-06:00

Super Bowl XLII Commercials - Bud Light "Ability to Fly"

2008-02-05T19:11:00.000-06:00

Super Bowl XLII Commercials - Pixar "Wall E"

2008-02-05T19:09:00.000-06:00

Super Bowl XLII Commercials - Life Water "Thriller"

2008-02-05T19:08:00.000-06:00

Super Bowl XLII Commercials - Coca-Cola "Parade Baloons"

2008-02-05T19:02:00.000-06:00

Super Bowl XLII Commercials - Pepsi Max "Night at the Roxbury"

2008-02-05T19:00:00.000-06:00

Super Bowl XLII Commercials - Budweiser "Hank"

2008-02-05T18:57:00.000-06:00

Monte Carlo Casino in Flames

2008-01-25T13:38:00.000-06:00