Intruder in the House

I wanted to pass this along to everyone. It is deeply moving and heartfelt.

{insert screeching sound}
Ok, not-so-much deeply moving and heartfelt, but these past few days have been nothing short of awesome, in light of political and personal events. I wanted to send this story, only because I laugh everytime I think about it. Hey-if you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?

Yesterday was pretty normal. It was pretty hot outside and pretty comfortable inside and the conditions were pretty perfect for cleaning up the house. How one cleans UP, I'm really not sure, but this is what I set out to do yesterday.

I've got the music turned up, the dogs aren't in my way and I am oh-so ready for a day of doing nothing but cleaning. Exciting times call for exciting measures! About a quarter of the way into the cleaning adventures, I had an unexpected intruder in my house. I opened the door and it all happened so fast that I didn't even know what was happening. I screamed and slammed the door, but all I saw was the blue that was on him. I had no idea what to do! So I did the only logical thing I could think of at the time: Dressed in only shorts and a t-shirt , I armed my feet with tennis shoes and my hands with gardening gloves and then I went after him with bug spray and towels. I thought if I could get him cornered that I'd be able to detain him until I figured what to do with him. A couple of hours into the standoff, the spray began to wear off and he got loose. Shortly thereafter I was able to call my neighbors to the scene to get the intruder out in due time before anyone was hurt. Luckily, we were all safe and unharmed except for the intruder. He lost his tail. But don't worry, he'll grow another one.

Wikipedia: Five-lined skink


Give me a bear over a skink any day of the week! :)

"Parade" Article 2

I'm having difficulties posting the pic to the blog and I wasn't able to find it on the website. I'll just type it out!

"Why is Congress Doing So Little?"
-Sharon Male
(Parade, Aug 3 2008)

The current Congress has enacted less legislation than any within the last decade, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS). The 110th Congress has passed just 260 laws-and 74 of those were renaming post offices. But they have passed hundreds of resolutions, including one to recognize soil as an "essential resource" and another to congratulate the UC-Irvine volleyball team.

Rep. John Shimkus (R., IL) introduced a resolution to recognize June 30 as National Corvette Day. "It's probably not the best use of our time, " he says, "but we have to do something. These resolutions make it look like we're working." Shimkus blames the Democrats for failing to introduce more substantive legislation. Democrats, in turn, blame Republicans for blocking key votes, contending that Senate Republicans have attempted a record number of filibusters this session.

"If there's anything Americans are tired of, it's partisanship," says Steve Ellis of TCS. "If they're not passing substantive laws, Congress should be conducting oversight, making sure our tax dollars are spent wisely. Frivolous bills and resolutions distract attention from what voters sent them to Washington to do."

"Parade" Article

Every Sunday morning, we walk to our mailbox and are pleased to find a Sunday paper placed neatly in our paper slot. Chris peruses the classifieds and I scavenger the sale ads and coupons. Occasionally I'll find something interesting in the Parade publication. This week's issue is jam-packed, with a main focus on the Olympics. Also included is the explanation on why so many celebrities (and un-celebrities alike) are having twins, an interview with Alexis Bledel of Gilmore Girls, and a game that has seemingly knocked Sudoku off the board: Numbrix.

The article that really caught my eye was a short one. I'll post a picture of it and you can read it for yourself! Hope you have a great week!

Fantastic Freebies

Check out these sites! I just found out about these....I think you can check daily on this for "freebies":



http://www.walletpop.com/category/fantastic-freebies/?sssdmh=dm25.179106



Below is a link to a freebie...To promote it's miniseries "Generation Kill", HBO is sending one free item to the troops for each email address that signs up on this site......calling cards, first aid kits, beef jerky, etc. (You can read the description).



http://www.hbo.com/generationkill/?ntrack_para1=insidehbo8_image



How neat!