Happy Halloween!

This morning on the way to work, I encountered a traffic jam on the interstate. As I pulled up to a stop behind the car in front of me, I was ever so gently bumped from behind by an SUV. Imagining the worst (my rear bumper half hanging off), I signaled and moved over three lanes to the right, to the shoulder, so I could inspect the damage. The lady driving the SUV pulled up behind me and sat there, like she was waiting for something. I called my boss to tell him what happened and that I would be a little late for work.

I carefully got out of my car, trying not to get hit by zooming cars and trucks exiting off to another interstate. The lady joined me behind my car, to look at the expected damage. To my shock and surprise and glee, my car didn't have a scratch, it didn't have a dent, it didn't have anything. I looked at this lady that had tried and failed to hurt my car, and decided showing some kindness was in order. We exchanged information, and each went on our way.

Perhaps the U.S. should pull out of Chicago?

Body count: In the last six months 292 killed (murdered) in Chicago; 221 killed in Iraq.

Senators Barack Obama & Dick Durbin
U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr.
Governor Rod Blogojevich
State House Leader Mike Madigan
Attorney General Lisa Madigan (daughter of Mike)
Mayor Richard M. Daley (son of former Mayor Richard J. Daley)

Our leadership in Illinois...all Democrats.

Thank you for the combat zone in Chicago.

Of course, they're all blaming each other. Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any!

State pension fund $44 Billion in debt, worst in country. Cook County (Chicago) sales tax 10.25% highest in country. (Look 'em up if you want). Chicago school system rated one of the worst in the country. This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois . And he's gonna "fix" Washington politics for us!

Back on August 19, IntenseGuy posted THIS, which featured an Indian statue and a train. The following day, I received an email of the following:

Olson Rug Company was established in 1874. The manufacturing mill was located in Chicago at Diversey Ave. and Pulaski. During the war era, when raw material was scarce, people would send in their old wool rugs, rags, clothing, etc. and Olson Rug would turn them into beautiful area rugs. The first picture is a distance shot of the waterfall with the rocks surrounding it next to a couple city buildings and lots of grass.

The family owned business was "the place" to buy rugs for many years. This is a close up of the waterfall, where you can see the plants and rocks on the different levels on each side of the waterfall and a bridge crossing it.

Alongside the factory was the renowned Olson Memoria Park. Walter E. Olson built the 22 acre park in 1935. The project took nearly six months to complete. About 800 tons of stone and 800 yards of soil were used for its construction. This is of an opening somewhere in the waterfall, or possibly at the base, where water gently pours out into a retention pond.

Approximately 3500 perennials were used along with numerous species of junipers, spruces, pines, arbor-vitaes and annuals. This is a side view of the waterfall, you can see some of the lights used to illuminate the waterfall at night, and some of the plants around the pond at the bottom.

The park consisted of a stunning rock garden, duck pond, and 35 foot waterfall. This looks up at one of the levels in the rocks, where there are a couple deer statues.

Olson Park became a popular spot for family outings. During the first Sunday after its dedication, Olson Park attracted as many as 600 visitors per hour. Here we have an American Indian with his arms outstretched and a teepee or wigwam behind him. I do not know what Indian this is supposed to be.

In 1965, Olson Rug sold it's building to Marshall Field (now Macy's). In the 1970's the waterfall was turned off and the park dismantled to make room for a parking lot. This is a picture looking down on the waterfall from the top, with the pond below and the rock border around the pond, with flowers and plants.

Today, Olson Rug & Flooring is a Chicago based, 11 store chain who's main business is retail residential floor covering. The Olson Rug stores sell a wide variety of carpet, area rugs, hardwood flooring, laminate floors, ceramic tile and vinyl flooring. This ad is for turning your old rugs into new ones.

I just checked out their website, they list all this information that was in my email along with the last two pictures, of old ads they ran. Unfortunately, I don't know the year these ads ran. This last ad is also for sending in old rugs and carpets, where they would weave new ones, restore them, or you could buy Colonial Rag Rugs at low prices.

Do you have feelings of inadequacy?

Do you suffer from shyness?

Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.

Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions.

Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything.

You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.

Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had. Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas.

Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include:

- Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration

- Erotic lustfulness

- Loss of motor control

- Loss of clothing

- Loss of money

- Loss of virginity

- Attractions

- Table dancing

- Headache

- Dehydration

- Dry mouth

- And a desire to sing Karaoke

WARNING: The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you are whispering when you are not.

WARNING: The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.

WARNING: The consumption of Margaritas may cause you to think you can sing.

WARNING: The consumption of Margaritas may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.

"That laundry is not very clean", she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

I don't normally post political emails, but this is one that I feel needs to be said. I know there are those out there that may read this who don't share the same ideas regarding our government that I have. All I ask is that you read the below text with an open mind and consider what this may mean for our country.


From Sunday's Televised 'Meet the Press' Senator Obama was asked about his stance on the American Flag.

Obama Explains National Anthem Stance Sun, 07 Sept. 2008 11:48:04 EST, General Bill Ginn USAF (ret.) asked Obama to explain why he doesn't follow protocol when the National Anthem is played. The General also stated to the Senator that according to the United States Code, Title 36, Subtitle I, Part A, Chapter 3, Sec. 301...During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform are expected to stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. At the very least, stand and face it. (Upon looking up the actual code, it says nothing of "at the very least, stand and face it." It only says those not in uniform "should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart.")

Senator Obama Live on Sunday states, "As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides. There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing.' If that were our anthem, then I might salute it.

We should consider to reinvent our National Anthem as well as to redesign our Flag to better offer our enemies hope and love. It's my intention, if elected, to disarm America to the level of acceptance to our Middle East brethren. If we as a Nation of warring people, should conduct ourselves as the nations of Islam, whereas peace prevails. Perhaps a state or period of mutual concord between our governments. When I become President, I will seek a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity, and a freedom from disquieting oppressive thoughts.

We as a Nation have placed upon the nations of Islam an unfair injustice. My wife disrespects the Flag for many personal reasons. Together she and I have attended several flag burning ceremonies in the past, many years ago. She has her views and I have mine. Of course now, I have found myself about to become the President of the United States and I have put aside my hatred. I will use my power to bring CHANGE to this Nation, and offer the people a new path of hope. My wife and I look forward to becoming our country's First Family. Indeed, CHANGE is about to overwhelm the United States of America."

And the tagging continues...

I was tagged last week by Jess, and since a few others have subsequently been tagged and responded, I figured it was high time I did mine. Part of the reason I haven't done mine is I just don't know what some of my answers are. So, without further ado, here are my:

Top Four Wishes

1) That everyone makes enough money so they don't need to rely on the government for help.

2) That people would stop killing each other senselessly.

3) That people would be more conscious of their environment. Sometimes the little things can make a difference.

4) That people would be more polite to each other. It seems that today's society, in general has gotten more rude, and it's affecting our children. No one treats anyone with respect anymore.


Four Places I Want To Travel

1) I'd love to go back to Galapagos again. That was a once in a lifetime experience, to see animals living like they did hundreds of years ago, with minimal interference from man.

2) I'd love to travel through Europe. There is so much history there, not only in England, France, Italy and Spain. But in all the small Eastern European countries that are still fighting for their land and independence.

3) I want to do a Civil War battlefield tour. Reaching from Pennysylvania to Maryland to Virginia, down through the Carolinas, through Atlanta and across the deep south over to Texas.

4) I could stand visiting Hawaii for a few more weeks, months or years. No more snow, no more cold, just beautiful weather. Ok, so they can get Cyclones, and they have earthquakes...what do you expect for an island in the Pacific?


Four Careers I Want To Try

1) Wild Animal Rehabilitator
2) Race Car driver
3) Cartoonist
4) Own a winery


Four Things I Want God To Say At The Gates Of Heaven

1) So glad to see you, I've been expecting you.
2) Your parents, brother and Deena are waiting just inside for you.
3) I know it felt like you dealt with a lot down there, but it was for your own good.
4) I'm proud of you.

(LBE...FD...)

Not much is happening around here. Work is ULTRA boring, I think I might just go crazy if things don't pick up soon. Michigan was wonderful! The weather was perfect, the company was perfect, the food was perfect. It's about a five hour drive, we left about 7:20AM on Friday and arrived about 1:30PM. We stopped at just about every rest stop, so we could get out stretch, do whatever, and let the dog sniff around and do whatever she needed to do.

That evening we tried going to a restaurant my aunt had been told about by someone she met at the Cubs game last month. It was just down the road from our friend, but when we got there, it was smokey on the inside. Apparently, Michigan is not smoke-free yet, so we nixed that idea, as the smoke would bother both myself and my aunt. Instead we drove back to town and went to Frank's, which is a pizza joint that serves other food also. I chose a personal sausage and cheese pizza, and boy was it good! The crust wasn't too thin, not too thick, had a good flavor, yummy!

The next day we slept in till about 9:20AM, had turkey bacon and french toast. About 11:30AM we walked a few blocks over to a neighbors house, an elderly lady our friend helps take care of. She just turned 85, and twice every day our friend goes to her house to fix her lunch, and either help her do some exercises or bathe her. She is a such a nice lady, loves the company, and has many interesting stories to tell.

Afterwards, we went to do some shopping. I needed some new jeans and we discovered that Fashion Bug has a new sizing method on their jeans. So we headed over there to buy me some jeans. The lady measured me around the waist, we picked a couple pairs, neither worked. She grabbed a couple more, they didn't work. She grabbed one more...success! So I bought two pairs, and ordered one more pair to be delivered right here to my apt. They were also having a sale, buy one item, get another at 99 cents. For two pairs of jeans (cause the ordered pair was charged separately) and 5 tops (one wasn't included in the 99 cent sale) I spent $123. Then on the way home, we stopped by the apple orchard just outside of town.

It's been around for many years, the cider is delicious (even though it's unpasteurized) and they have several flavors of jellies plus apple butter. They sell donuts too, plus pumpkins, they have a corn maze, a hay ride, and of course...APPLES! We didn't buy any apples, but we got six cinnamon and sugar donuts, which were yummy! My aunt got some sugar free blueberry jelly for her sister, and we headed back to our friend's house.

Her daughter was going stag to her homecoming dance, so we needed to be there so her hair could get done. Also, it was about time for her to go over to the lady's house to feed her supper. We had hot dogs, potato chips and spanish rice for dinner, while we watched Penn State whoop on Michigan, lol. I was rooting for PS.

Sunday we got up about 7:30AM, had breakfast (monkey bread) then went to return some cans our friend had collected. Michigan residents pay a $.10 deposit when they buy pop/soda, so all the big stores like Wal Mart and Meijer have these machines where you can return them and get tickets for a maximum of $25.00 per visit. With money in her hand, she took us grocery shopping with her, lol. The rest of the day was kind of quiet, just relaxing and chatting, hanging out in front of the tv. For dinner we had bratwurst, sauerkraut, and pasta with meatballs and brown gravy on it for dinner. For dessert we had acorn squash with peaches baked in the oven. I had never had it before, it was quite good!

Monday we got up about 5:30AM to start getting ready so we could leave by about 8:00AM. We had gooey eggs (scrambled eggs with melted Velveeta cheese in them), sourdough toast and turkey bacon for breakfast. I got everything out to the car, and we were on our way at about 8:00AM, right on time. We stopped again at most of the rest stops, but then I missed an exit here in IL, and we had to go quite a few miles out of our way. I'm blaming it on the construction and that they messed up the exit so I wasn't expecting it where it was. Yeah, that's it, that was my problem!

It was nice to get away for a weekend, but it was also nice to get home and sleep in my own bed again. Now if I had something to do at work, I'd be a happier camper.

Laugh, and the whole world laughs with you...

I got this as part of an email, and thought it might brighten someone's day.

Tori, it's a chicken with a mustache and glasses in a big stew pot. On the pot it says, "Laugh a little each day, it's better than chicken soup." Around the pot are vegetables and salt and pepper shakers on a red and white checkered blanket. Underneath all that it says, "At least that's what the chickens say."

I'm heading out of town for a long weekend visiting a friend in Michigan, so here's a nice cute post to tide you over until I return. Below are pictures of the two cats I owned a few years ago. They were brothers, given to myself and my best friend (we were roommates at the time) by her mother and grandmother. For Tori's benefit, they are both orange and white long-haired cats.

This is Willie. I had a really hard time naming him, nothing came to me for several hours. As I watched him investigate everything, running around like a wild animal, I finally settled on Wild Willie. His proper name was Wilfred, but we also called him Baby, because he liked to be held in your arms, propped up on the shoulder just like a baby. And he would sit at your feet and cry until you picked him up. You can't tell in this picture, and I wasn't able to find a good one of him that showed it, but he had blue eyes. I always thought that was very unusual. He also had a small white spot of hair in the middle of his back. That was one major distinguishing factor between him and his brother. He also wore a collar with a bell, so he was easy to locate.

This is Willie's brother, Stewart, named by my friend after her favorite actor, Jimmy Stewart. We had lots of fun with his name...Stew Poo, Stewie Pooey, Stew-fart. He had a completely opposite personality from his brother. He didn't like to be held, preferred to be off on his own, curled up underneath a bed or in a bathroom sink. He had the most beautiful golden eyes I've ever seen, very big and round. When he was a kitten, he was just a ball of fur. Willie at least had some "cat" shape to him, but Stewart was all fur. That was what my friend wanted, a fat cat, and that's what she got. He tipped the scales at 18 pounds as an adult, compared to just 12 pounds for Willie. Although everyone swore the two cats were identical, Stewart was not only larger, but he was a slightly darker orange. And he didn't have the white spot on his back, like Willie did.

I'll never forget, one Christmas, with the cats. We had a bunch of candles out, they were lit, and we were watching television. One eye was always kept on the cats when they were in the room, but generally they kept away from the candles. Stewart came walking in the room, right up to the coffee table, where a bunch of candles were lit, walked right next to it, and flipped his tail over so it draped on the table and proceeded to swipe it right over one of the candles. Of course, we freaked! His tail was on FIRE! As I stupidly ran into the kitchen to get a wet towel, my roommate took her hand and just lightly grabbed the end of the tail that was burning, and snuffed it out. It never even reached his actual tail, it was only the hair that had burned. Needless to say, we never put lit candles on that table ever again!

I do miss my cats, but sometimes it's nice to be able to plan a weekend away, or a vacation in California without worrying about who will come and clean the litter box or feed them, or just keep them company.

I hope you enjoyed learning about my cats, and I will talk to you all Monday night when I return. Have a great weekend!

On a chain of beautiful deserted islands in the middle of the South Pacific, the following people are stranded:

Two Italian men and one Italian woman.
Two French men and one French woman.
Two German men and one German woman.
Two Greek men and one Greek woman.
Two British men and one British woman.
Two Bulgarian men and one Bulgarian woman.
Two Japanese men and one Japanese woman.
Two Chinese men and one Chinese woman.
Two Irish men and one Irish woman.
Two American men and one American woman.

One month later, on these absolutely stunning deserted islands in the middle of nowhere, the following things occurred:

One Italian man killed the other Italian man for the Italian woman.

The two French men and the French woman are living happily together in a ménage à trois.

The two German men have a strict weekly schedule of alternating visits with the German woman.

The two Greek men are sleeping together and the Greek woman is cooking and cleaning for them.

The two British men are waiting for someone to introduce them to the British woman.

The two Bulgarian men took one look at the Bulgarian woman and started swimming to another island.

The two Japanese have faxed Tokyo and are awaiting instructions.

The two Chinese men have set up a pharmacy, liquor store, restaurant, and laundry, and have got the woman pregnant in order to supply more employees for their stores.

The two Irish men divided the island into north and south and set up a distillery. They do not remember if sex is in the picture because it gets somewhat foggy after a few pints of coconut whisky. However, they're satisfied because the British aren't having any fun.

The two American men are contemplating suicide because the American woman will not shut up and complains relentlessly about her body, the true nature of feminism, what the sun is doing to her skin, how she can do anything they can do, the necessity of fulfillment, the equal division of household chores, how sand and palm trees make her look fat, how her last boyfriend respected her opinion and treated her nicer than they do, and how her relationship with her mother is the root cause of all her problems, and why didn't they bring a damn cell phone so they could call 911 and get them all rescued off this forsaken deserted island in the middle of freaking nowhere so she can get her nails done and go shopping.

Guess who this is?

I came across this picture as I was searching for some information for a friend. I found what I was looking for rather quickly, but then decided to look through everything else that was in the box. I found quite a few pictures, mostly of babies of friends. I found a Tigger coffee mug, some bubble bath, some old unused 35mm film from 1999, unused Christmas cards, and other miscellaneous documents that I will hold onto. The good news is I got rid of a box that was cluttering my bedroom. The bad news is I have a few things that I need to go find a place to store.

Hint on the picture above. There's a year noted at the very bottom of the picture, that might help.

Anybody know a good physics professor?



Following up on the "Can I Blow You A Kiss" post from yesterday, a friend of mine who shall remain nameless (Iggy) wanted to blow me a kiss tonight. However, he was feeling some frustration at not having the lung capacity to get it here from his house in Pennsylvania. The concern was that the wind would blow it right back at him and never reach me.

In my infinite wisdom, I suggested he blow it East, and the kiss could circle the globe and eventually reach it's intended destination, me. But then I got to thinking harder about this, and that's where the physics came in.

If a kiss were blown East from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Easterly winds blowing at an unknown speed, how long would it take that kiss to circle the globe and reach Chicago, Illinois? My friend (Iggy) suggested I duck in about two days time. That got me thinking even more.

Would it take two whole days, if it was going with the wind? Hmmm, I wonder if the rotation of the Earth would affect that answer? Imagine your right fist is the Earth, and your left fist is the Sun. One revolution of the Earth, your right fist, is one Earth day. The Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. If you turn your right fist to the right, that would validate the rising and setting position. Now imagine you are looking down on the North Pole as the earth is spinning, and you would see it spins in a counter-clockwise direction.

If a kiss were blown to the East, and the Earth spins in that direction, would the kiss travel faster than the Earth rotates? Or would it rotate at the same speed regardless of wind speed? If the kiss travels faster than the Earth, then theoretically I would receive the kiss in less than one days time. If the kiss travels the same speed as Earth, then I would still get it in less than one days time, probably about 22 hours.

See why I need a physics professor?

Can I Blow You A Kiss?

As I was driving home this afternoon on the interstate, minding my own business, a car pulled up beside me and honked the horn to get my attention. When I turned to my left to see who it was, what they wanted, or why they were honking at me, a nice looking gentleman was holding up a spiral notebook with these words written in black marker: Can I blow you a kiss?

Well, I got such a chuckle out of it, I couldn't even respond with a nod or a wave (or a kiss of my own). The car then proceeded to speed up a bit, I believe looking for the next female driver to offer a kiss. I actually debated whether to speed and catch up to them, but decided to safely remain where I was and savor the moment that made me smile today.

On Thursday nights, Ladystyx and I both watch a show on television called Supernatural. It's about two brothers who drive across the country searching out demons, sending them back to Hell, and in the process saving innocent lives. The biggest reason we watch, and I think Styxie will agree with me, is the oh so cute guys who play the brothers, Sam and Dean. Total eye candy!

What made me mention this show is, Ladystyx gets periodic emails from a website with previews and informational articles about this show (and a couple other that we watch), and right under the particular article tonight was one of those quizzes where you answer some questions and it tells you which Supernatural character you are. There were only 15 questions, so I decided to take the quiz to see what the result would be.

Which Supernatural Character Are You?

More on Supernatural. Created by BuddyTV

Mmmmm, this is my eye candy, my favorite character, the reason I started watching this show midway through the first season. And surprisingly enough, the results are pretty accurate, lol.

While looking for something else, I came across a website that stated Sunday is the start of "National Squirrel Awareness Week." A snippet from the site:

"Sure, we could intiate a campaign to do away with this national embarrassment. Or, perhaps we should promote Skwerl Awareness Week as a time to drive the bushytails back into their forest hovels where they can gambol around with all their skwerlvert eco-terrorist friends. Then we could release an army of famished wolves into the forest and... well, you can see where we're going with this... "

To see the website and read all the suggestions of what to do this next week, click on this link. Warning! Some of the suggestions are down right mean. You can also do a google search of National Squirrel Awareness Week and find other sites that give details.

Everyone else is getting into their Autumn/Fall colors, so I figured it's time for me to play follow-the-leader.

Tonight's going to be crazy. Survivor starts in less than 10 minutes, Supernatural is on at 8pm, the VP debate is also on at 8pm, and the Cubs are playing at 8:30pm! My plan is to watch Survivor, record both Supernatural and the debate (for some reason my fingers keep wanting to capitalize the T in "the) and listen to the game on the radio.

The Cubs lost game 1 to the Dodgers last night, and MUST win tonight if they want to have any chance of winning the series. Saturday and Sunday games are both in Los Angeles. Historically, the team that won the first game of the divisional series usually wins the series. So the Cubs only have a 14% chance of winning this series and moving on to the next round. Keep your fingers crossed the Cubs can get it together tonight!

9:11PM Update: It's the bottom of the 2nd inning, and it's already 5-0 Dodgers. It's going to be a LONG night...

10:57PM Update: 8-1 in the 8th inning. I had to turn the radio off, I just couldn't listen to it anymore, it was pure torture. Three errors in the first three innings? The Cubs are going to have a very difficult time trying to come back from this to win the series. They have the talent to do it, but unfortunately, there's only one person on the team actually hitting the ball. Did the Cubs and the city of Chicago celebrate just a little too early when they had the rally last Tuesday?

Boy this has been a lousy week!

Tuesday morning I wasn't feeling well when I woke up; I had a terrible headache. I called in to work and took the morning off as sick time, went back to bed and slept for another couple hours. That helped immensely! I had slept badly the night before, so that may have contributed to the problems in the morning. While I was at home, I called the car dealership to schedule and oil change, tire rotation and anything else that needed to be done, including checking the front and back brakes. Turned out I needed more than just an oil change. It was time for my 60,000 mile check up.

I dropped my car off after work and with a coupon for a free rental at least had a car to drive to work on Wednesday. My verbal estimate was about $700 for the majority of the stuff, plus $300 for my timing belt as a normal replacement at 60k miles. I received a call about 9:30AM from the dealer advising me that both front and back brakes needed to be replaced. The brakes were about $350 each, so that's now $1700 total for my car!

My car was ready when I left work, so I went to the dealer to donate my left arm and leg, a kidney, the shirt off my back, my first born, and set the schedule for how many weekends I would be spinning yarn into gold. Nah, it wasn't that bad, honest! I just forked over this nice little rectangular piece of plastic that they swiped in a machine, handed me the keys and told me to go home. I enjoyed the rental, a Ford Fusion, as I liked the look of the car, but it was ever so nice to be in my own car again.

You think that's the end of my story? Oh no! I get up Thursday morning to go to work, go out to my car, and there's a minor problem. The right front tire is flat. With no idea how my tire went flat, and knowing I only drove maybe 3 miles from the dealership home, and the fact that I know I can't loosen the lugnuts on a tire, I called the dealership and said "HELP!" Bryan, the assistant service manager that I had dealt with the day before sent a couple technicians to put the spare (donut) on my car, then I drove it to the dealer so they could look at the tire. They don't "do" tires there, but he was really curious as to why it went flat, since they had just worked on the car, rotated the tires, put them up to pressure, and balanced them the day before.

There was no nail, screw, or cut in the tire; no reason at all for it to be flat, except for the fact it was the only tire on my car with no cap on the valve. Two possible explanations for the flat: Overnight, someone could have taken the cap off and purposefully let the air out. Or, the cap was missing when it left the dealer, and when they were filling it, a speck of dirt got inside the valve and prevented it from sealing properly, allowing the air to leak out. The tire was taken across the street to Midas, even they couldn't find a leak. To be safe, they replaced the valve stem and re-sealed the inside of the tire.

My tire was back on my car, and I was back home Thursday morning by 10:30AM. Of course, now I've missed another half day of work. My boss was very understanding and put me down for another 1/2 sick day. And fortunately, we are so slow right now, I typically have about 2 hours of work to do each 7 hour workday. How to fill the remaining 5 hours? Spend them at a car dealership! LOL

Is that the end of my story? Nope! Thursday night, I'm on the computer checking emails before watching Supernatural. I wasn't watching Survivor, because it was two hours long and the second hour was during Supernatural. I can catch (I hope) Survivor On Demand, Supernatural I can't. Anyway...while reading my emails, I get one from a friend of mine who works at a company I used to work for. A nice lady who also used to work at that company passed away on Monday from lung cancer. And not just lung cancer, but apparently it spread to her brain and she had 22 tumors, at least that was what I was told tonight. Either way, Gerry Boyle, 63, wife, mother, grandmother, may she rest in peace.

Tonight was the wake, and I met up with some other ex-employees of that company. I think we're all going to get together for an alumni party of some sort next month, a bunch of us ex-Plymouth Tubers.

Other than all that, my week was great! Hope everyone's week was better than mine and MUCH less expensive.

Some of you may have seen these before, but I hadn't and I thought some of them were chuckle-worthy:

Smart-Ass Answer #6:
It was mealtime during an airline flight. "Would you like dinner?" the flight attendant asked John, seated in front. "What are my choices?" John asked. "Yes, or no," she replied.


Smart-Ass Answer #5:
A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets. As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket and he opened his trench coat and flashed her. Without missing a beat, she said "Sir, I need to see your ticket, not your stub."


Smart-Ass Answer #4:
A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store but she couldn't find one big enough for her family. She asked a stock boy "Do these turkeys get any bigger?" The stock boy replied, "No ma'am, they're dead."


Smart-Ass Answer #3:
The police officer got out of his car as the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down his window. "I've been waiting for you all day," the officer said. "Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could." When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket.


Smart-Ass Answer #2:
A truck driver was driving along on the freeway and noticed a sign that read: Low Bridge Ahead. Before he knows it, the bridge is right in front of him and his truck gets wedged under it. Cars are backed up for miles. Finally a police car comes up. The cop gets out of his car, walks to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips, and says, "Got stuck, huh?" The truck driver says, "I was delivering this bridge, and I ran out of gas."


Smart-Ass Answer #1:
A college teacher reminds her class of tomorrow's exam. "Now class, I won't tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow. I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury, illness, or a death in your immediate family. But that's it! No other excuses whatsoever! A student in the back of the room raises his hand and asks, "What would you say if tomorrow I said I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?" The entire class is reduced to laughter and snickering. When silence was restored, the teacher smiled knowingly at the student, shook her head and sweetly said, "Well I guess you'd have to write the exam with your other hand."


Bonus Smart-Ass Answer:
A woman is standing nude looking in the bedroom mirror. She is not happy with what she sees, and says to her husband," I feel horrible. I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment." The husband replies," Your eyesight's damn near perfect!"