29 November 2013

This is a MEDIUM.

I had some horridly long appointment and took the littles to Burger King for some fries.  I'm not going to blow my diet by eating there, but what I did get was a medium-sized diet drink.  I reasoned that a mega-size would be too big to fit in my cup-holder, and even a large might be a bit too much.  Now I'm wondering if I shouldn't have gone with a "small."  What a joke.

28 November 2013

Saving Money With Smartphones.

You might be saving thousands of dollars every year because you're playing with your smartphone in the checkout aisle instead of thinking of the Snickers bar.  Now advertisers are thinking of new ways to bug you while you're on your phone.  Because you simply MUST BUY MORE THINGS when you are in the store.

Not mentioned in the article are the people who are connected to Amazon and beep the prices in on their smartphones.  I realllly want stuff like that so I can be a savvy shopper without having to remember everything and keep paper lists in my purse.  I hear some stores are blocking the internet so that you can't compare.  Guess what?  I have legs and I can remember a price and walk out to the parking lot.  You just stand MORE chance of losing me as a customer that way because then, I'll have time to think that maybe I don't want to bother going back into the store.

I don't understand the smartphones, though.  I am scared of getting one.  Already this morning D and I had a discussion.  I thought someone ordered denture cream accidentally with the special Amazon one-click.  Apparently not; it's some sort of whoozie-whatsit for the computer that he bought that looks like denture cream.

I could probably save thousands of dollars on impulse purchases with my smartphone, but then, I would need thousands of dollars to get and maintain the smartphone. 

26 November 2013

Giving Dirty Clothes to Charity

You might not want to donate stuff that doesn't work, or clothes that smell so badly that the thrift store manager spends an hour wearing a mask to sort through the stuff, only to pitch it.  (Why didn't she take just one whiff and go, "No."?)

Ummkay.  I'll spare you several paragraphs' detail about how every charity would rather have money.

25 November 2013

Do You Have a Movie Suggestion?

I try to watch a movie with the older children once or twice a week.  I'd like to hear suggestions because I'm running out of ideas.  There are only so many times I can watch The Truman Show or Galaxy Quest.  Leave me a comment so I can check out your ideas on Amazon to see if I can watch for freee with Amazon Prime.  Thanks! :)

24 November 2013

Guess Who's Coming to Homeschool?


We have a new homeschooler!  Woodjie will be joining our homeschool in two more days.  This will give us all time to adjust to the idea and get prepared.  Not to mention, I feel it's best whenever possible to pick a good break time.  Thanksgiving vacation is an excellent transition (I hope).  I am including this picture Woodjie made in my post just because I think it is cute.
Here's what Woodjie will be using, along with Rose's old schoolbooks.  I hope we'll have a lot of fun.  I'll keep you posted.  Meanwhile, wish Woodjie a nice classroom experience for the next two days.  Thanks.

21 November 2013

Feeling Hungry? Some McResources for You.


I think this movement to give people in the grocery stores and fast food joints a "living wage" is absolutely ridiculous.  Only imagine busting your butt, taking on about $100,000 in debt, going to college and emerging only to find that you're getting the same wage as the dropout who got hired yesterday at McD's.  That's just not right.

Anyway, with that being said, the right thing to do in any business is to reward your loyal workers.  Yes, that does mean you should make them full-time staff and give benefits after a certain number of years.  I'd happily pay extra for my burger to ensure that the people who show up for work every day and know their business well are paid well.

Balance, people.  And wow.  This video shows that McDonald's is just. not. there. yet.

You Have to Finish the Story!

Woodjie is very difficult to motivate academically, but he will read to his sister.  Rose demanded that he finish an entire story, and helped him when he had trouble with the words.  She says she is the teacher and Woodjie can keep her old homeschool book.  He keeps it on his toy shelf with some of his other treasures.

19 November 2013

Stop Smacking Me Because I'm Beautiful

Women have to be mean to each other because they're in competition for the best guys.  It's science!

So, in this study about "female aggression," a bunch of people are recruited to talk about friendships on a college campus.  But really?  What happens is this young woman comes in and interrupts them, and the science part is what they say when she leaves.

When she's dressed like a normal person going to college class, no one really says much of anything.  BUT.  When she's overprimped, strumpet-y looking, and her boobies are about falling out of her top, people sorta say mean things about her after she leaves.  It's just plain old jealousy and can't have anything to do with her looking inappropriate or slutty.  Oh!  And it was aggressive of me to say that.

It is also aggressive of me to note that had this young woman dressed in a hoop skirt and button-up shoes instead of skankwear, that there would likely have been odd comments after she left the room as well.

17 November 2013

Homemade Sundial

It's 11 o'clock.  Emperor's paper sundial is accurate within about 15 minutes all day.

White Suburban Moms Upset About Common Core

Used to be just a buncha Tea Party radicals were upset about the Common Core because they are racist and hate Obama.  I know every time I don't agree with the president's philosophies or leadership?  It's because I'm a racist teabagger.  Yep.

Now it's a "white suburban mom" thing to hate the Common Core because the new "global standards" testing is revealing that their kids are stupid, Arne Duncan claims.

I wonder what demographic he'll say causes all the controversy next time he opens his mouth.

14 November 2013

11 November 2013

News Roundup!

Would you like to play fetch with this puppy?

Doggie brings home severed human leg.  The 93-year-old owner freaks out and buries the leg for four days.  He doesn't want to go to jail, don'tyaknow.  Then he tells his adult child who, of course, uses a little common sense and calls the cops.  Good grief.  Now they're hunting all over for the rest of the murder victim.  Interesting sidenote:  at no point in the article does it mention that Mr. Flowers is NOT a suspect.

No converts?  No raise.  

What if churches instituted performance pay just like the big corporations?  Or what if how the congregation met certain benchmarks determined pay raises and bonuses for pastors, as students' performance does for teachers?

It's an interesting idea.  I'm sure pastors and other staff members will get upset and say they shouldn't be canned when the economy dips, or that they can't possibly be responsible for what sort of effort other people choose to put forth for the church!

Ahhhh.  Welcome to the real world, right?

Good Parents Go to McD's.

Dad said he could go anywhere to dinner except McDonald's.  Kid pitched a fit and didn't get dinner.  Now Mom is using this as evidence of his "unfit parenting" in a custody battle.  Poor Dad says he shoulda just taken the kid to McD's.  I'm sorry, this says more about the MOM's bad parenting than the dad's.  Though we don't know the "whys" of this divorce.  He might just be a manipulative jerk and this is just the icing.


08 November 2013

Why I Still (Heart) My Health Insurance

What's not to love?  The huuuge increases the insurance company will get from us next year.  And the fact that we now need to find a new dentist, and possibly a new doctor.  Doctors often complain that our insurance is a bit stingy. 

03 November 2013

The Black Lifestyle

It's called "B-Style." Black culture and dance are really in with the cool kids in Tokyo now. Interviewees inform us that American black people wear "loud clothes" and gaudy accessories. "Black people look so great and stylish," one of the young ladies gushes. The look is "vulgar" on Japanese people, she says, and so it's best to try NOT to look Japanese. Deep tans are the thing to do before going clubbing all night. This partying is also (apparently) part of black culture. "Black lifestyle!"

Bringing Garbage Home

Some people up the street were throwing this table away. It was in pretty bad shape and one of the legs was off. I've glued the leg back...