Congrats!

Congratulations to friend and co-worker Nick Otto on the publication of his first solo story in the Tribune. Good job!

Only in Arkansas?

My boss forward this news brief from an Arkansas newspaper this moring:

EMERSON ‹ One Waller took the men's title Saturday in the World Championship
Rotary Tiller Race, while another Waller ‹ married to a cousin of the men¹s
winner ‹ took the women's title.
Wayne Waller of the Three Creeks community set a record in the
super-modified tiller division, racing down the 200-foot dirt course in 6.12
seconds ‹ an average speed of over 22 mph. That eclipsed the record set last
year of 6.34 seconds, set by Donny Cole, also of Three Creeks, who was
piloting a machine owned by Waller.
It was the first time for Waller, 39, to compete in the race, though he has
built winning tillers for other competitors.
Lauri Waller of Parkers Chapel, married to Wayne Waller¹s second cousin,
defended the women¹s title she won last year by finishing the 200-foot
course in 7.11 seconds ‹ an average speed of over 19 mph and also a record.
The tiller races are an annual feature of Emerson¹s Purple Hull Pea
Festival.

My boss is from Arkansas and this came from her best friend who is still living out there. It came with a subject line of "Doesn't this make you want to come home?" Personally, I'm a little frightened.

Yawwnn!

Morn'in folks. Isn't it amazing how fast weekends go? You're leaving work on a Friday afternoon feeling high on all the possibilities the weekend may bring and the next thing you know you its Sunday night at 11 and you can't believe that it's all over?

Thanks Dad!

Well, since this photo of me showed up, it looks like my Dad found a way around Bloggers filters. Photos on the way

Harry Potter

Well, I finished the latest Harry Potter book. I enjoyed it. But it has wet my thirst for the next one...J.K. Rowling MUST write faster! For a humorous but intelligent look at the Harry Potter phenomenon look at these comic strips.

She's on her way..

Younger and crazier sister Laura is on her way for a visit as I type. We are very excited. She is even planning to cook us dinner. (For those of you who don't know she is professional chefy at a 5-diamond resort in Jacksonville). I have a great photo of her I am hoping to add to Sarah says soon.. :-)

Trying, Trying and Trying... :-)

Well, I can't get this photo to pop up on the page...so here's a link with a photo of me..it's from the day of my wedding shower 2 years ago...kinda cool. Can't believe my hair was THAT long.

Suprised? I think not.

According to a little new item I saw in today's paper, a record number of wealthy people paid no income tax in 2000 and even more found a way to almost pay no taxes. The IRS says that 2,328 wealthy people (those making more than $200,000) didn't pay, a 45% jump from the year before.
So...the people who are the most privaleged in this society paid nothing back to it to help those who need it.
All I have to say is Pbbbthhh!! A big raspberry!

Anyone Want to Adopt a Chicken?

Story on the AP wire I saw this afternoon:
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) … A chicken that was strapped to 100 helium balloons and sent skyward last weekend in a stunt is resting these days at the city's animal shelter as people vie to adopt it.
The chicken, nicknamed Amelia, was rescued Saturday after getting tangled in power lines. A police marksman shot the
balloons with a pellet gun to bring Amelia down to safety.
Authorities said they have yet to identify the prankster, who was apparently imitating an ad that recently aired on a
local TV station. The ad has since been pulled. ""This is a great chicken, a friendly chicken, a chicken
that is ready for a relationship,'' said Kat Brown, deputy director of the shelter.

I just can't make this stuff up as funny as it really happens!

Proud to be an American...

Congratulations to my Mom-in-Law Katalin who became an American citizen today. I'm very proud of her and wish I could have made the ceremony but it's in Clearwater and the ceremony takes 3 hours. Belated congrats to my Dad-in-Law Laszlo who also recently became a citizen.

Thought for the Day

"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."
- Oscar Wilde

I think I am finally getting to an age where I understand what this means.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

My Mom (she's the one teaching the class in the photo) just e-mailed me to tell me Sarah Says is getting better and better. I want to thank her for that. She also admitted to reading the Daily Dave and being amused. So I now must be careful, now my Mom might find out how much work we really do around here. :-)
While I am thanking people I want to thank my Dad (scroll down, he's the last photo) for helping me get my HTML right in this thing. I'm not too good at it so I am very greatful for everyone who helps me out. He's promised to show me about graphics and photos soon. I am psyched about that!
My plan to take over the blog world is going exactly as planned...whahahaha!!!

Owie!

My calves are killing me. Hubby and I started working out together this week and muscles I forgot I had are screaming out in agony, or in joy for being used I guess.
Advil has become a really good friend of mine.

Can't Get It Out of My Head!

You know when you have a song stuck in your head? Because I read a snippit from the Daily Dave about boss related songs and "Everybody's Workin' For the Weekend" by Loverboy was listed. Not only is that going 'round and 'round in my head, I also have a visual.
Remember that Saturday Night skit with Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley when they were both trying out to be Chippendales? Well, I keep seeing Chris Farley dancing to that song.
Does this mean I need some intensive therapy?

SARS Could Be Sitting Next to Me

Co-worker Andrew Meadows just got back from Toronto (SARS Central). He was attending his brothers nuptials. I told him that the first cough or sneeze from him and he's outta here. Wonder if I bought him one of those medical masks he would wear it?
Hey, I only have 2 sick days left, I have to be cautious.

Noo! The Horror!

German Beer Shortage?

Why Do They Keep Calling Me?

Dumb people, why do they keep calling me? Is my work number in the phone book under, Did You Do Something Dumb? Call Sarah!
A women from rural Pasco County calls me to tell me her husband lost his grayhound ticket and they won't automatically refund the ticket. She wants everyone to know about their policies because they are hiding them from the public. I went on the Grayhound website and when you press purchase tickets, in RED, it tells you to read these policies BEFORE buying a ticket. Among them is that policy. IN RED She says, who reads that stuff anyways? You just ASSUME everything is going to be OK. But they are hiding that stuff from the public!
Ok, rant over. Just had to release some steam. Now back to regular programming...work.

Harry Potter!

Sitting on a shelf under my desk is the famed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Fellow Potter fan Skippy Simanoff partied it up on Friday evening at a local bookstore and scored a copy. Somehow he managed to read the whole thing this weekend. I don't want to hear a thing about the plot...it's just hard to work when all I want to do is crack the tome.

A Joke For Ya...

Three men: an editor, a photographer, and a journalist are covering a political convention in Miami. They decide to walk up and down the beach during their lunch hour. Halfway up the beach, they stumbled upon a lamp. As they rub the lamp a genie appears and says "Normally I would grant you three wishes, but since there are three of you, I will grant you each one wish."

The photographer went first. "I would like to spend the rest of my life living in a huge house in St. Thomas with no money worries." The genie granted him his wish and sent him on off to St. Thomas.

The journalist went next. "I would like to spend the rest of my life living on a huge yacht cruising the Mediterranean with no money worries." The genie granted him his wish and sent him off to the Mediterranean.

Last, but not least, it was the editor's turn. "And what would your wish be?" asked the genie.

"I want them both back after lunch" replied the editor, "the deadline for tomorrow's newspaper is in about ten hours.

- WorkJoke.com
I thought this was very appropriate, and true!

Still hurts...

Last September my older brother Paul died unexpectedly. It has been very painful for my family. I was driving by the cemetary after work yesterday and I decided to stop. I wasn't planning to get out of the car because it was drizzling. Since the burial there has been a small temporary grave marker. Yesterday the permanet marker was in place. I wasn't expecting it to be there yet so it took me by suprise. Looking down at the plack that reads my brother name and the dates of his birth and death really shook me. The permanance of it reminded me again of the permanence of death.
I really miss him.

There's Something For Everyone

In case you need to keep up with the latest in the occult and paranormal news this is the place for you. The index includes Crop Circle News, Sasquatch Watch, Spirit Daily.com and the X-Project Paranormal Magazine.

Just When You Thought You'd Heard it All.

From Rueters: 9-Year-Old Girl Marries Dog in India.
My favorite line: She doesn't even need to divorce the dog.

Thought for the day...

"Our ignorance of history causes us to slander our own times."- Gustave Flaubert, French author (1821-1880).

I think I remember my Grandmother saying something along these lines everytime I told about something I thought was something new and then she'd say, "I know, don't you think we did stuff like that when I was young?"

Lies, lies and more lies!

According to a survey by Orbitz 1 in 5 workers lie to their employers saying they are sick so they can extend their weekend. Also that young whipper snappers, like me, ages 18-34 were more likely to do so.
Being I only have a total of 5 sick days for the year and no personal ones I have to be VERY careful as to how I use sick days. It really sticks when you have the flu and you have to go to work because you wasted your sick days earlier in the year. I can understand doing it though. Some times you just need a break from work, and if it means a three day weekend, even better. And if you plan well, it can be less painful for your co-workers. Not that I have ever done that. :-)

Harry Potter!

There's a great column in the Ft. Wayne News-Sentinal (which happens to published in the town I was born in and my mother's family still calls home) about how it is OK to be a nerd and enjoy the release of the newest Potter book. While I will wait to buy the book till it comes in soft cover I hope to snag someone elses copy to read it as soon as possible. I am proud to say that I have enjoyed the series and am the proud owner of all the previous books and the 2 movies.

.TK

Skipford Van Beaverhausen (Skippy for short or Dave Simanoff of The Daily Dave fame) has informed me that the .tk at the ending of the Knupke web site stands for the Tokelau territory of New Zealand. So there is some Knupke out in the Pacific Ocean writing about classic military vehicles in German.
Whew! I got tired just typing that in.
I must e-mail this person..anyone write German?

The Trophy Stops Here...

Just overheard that the Vince Lombardi Trophy (non-sports fans it's the trophy the winner of the Super Bowl gets) will be stopping by the NewsCenter in August. I MUST bring the digital camera to catch this one because who knows when the next time the Bucs will bring that thing back to Tampa. Wonder if they'll let me acutally touch it?

www.Knupke.tk?

Typed in my maiden name into Google today. The usual stuff came up until I saw this description "Everything you want to know about classic military vehicles you find it here, written or linked, but it will be here" I don't read German, but I feel I need to find out how to e-mail the person who keeps up this site. Why would he be using my maiden name to talk about military vehicles?? I'll keep you posted.

Just Another Manic Monday..

Man is it hard to get out of bed when the sky is as overcast as it is here in the Tampa Bay area today. Especially when you've spent the last 2 days doing nothing but hanging out, relaxing and drinking Sangria (YUM!). Now back to my regularly scheduled programing...work.

Little Sis Comin Home

Very excited today. Youngest sis Karen is making a visit home for Father's Day. Since she graduated from college in May and got a job (go Karen!) it's harder to get away. I'm sure there will be much fun, frollicking, drinking and other good stuff. Maybe there'll be some photos to share. Well, once I figure out how to do that. :-)

Howdy!

Well, since it seems everyone is doing it, I thought it was time that I did too, have my own blog! While I am trying to figure this whole thing out it might not be that pretty or interesting, but wait, it'll happen. Oh yeah! So sit back and enjoy and if you have suggestions get your own blog!