CntrySigns

Crafts in Chelsea

2010-10-15T11:13:00.002-04:00

I wish I could go to this but maybe you can. It looks like a lot of fun.

My "On the Record" Prediction for 9/1

2010-08-28T13:06:00.006-04:00

Wednesday September 1st 2010 Apple will have a press conference to announce some new products that I of course will try and buy at least some of them. But, since Apple is Apple we don't really know what they are gonna say. All of us fans are scanning the internet, reading all the predictions and hoping to get what we want. So as usual I will go on record with what I am hoping for.

1. An iPod Touch with the updated screen and 2 cameras

a. Why do I think this? Well, in the last press conference Steve announced that face-time would be on other platforms so I assume he meant the Touch.

b. They will probably be higher priced maybe starting at $299 but I hope not.

2. I'm hoping they will announce Garageband for the iPad. Since the invite was a guitar and thats the icon for garageband it fits. :)

3. They may also announce an iPad with facetime cameras but doubtful at this time, maybe later in the year.

4. For some reason I think the nano will also be updated. Somewhere I heard Apple was making a tiny screen. This maybe to make the nano a touch device.

5. I still think there will be a third portable touch screened size device. The iPad is the large and the iPhone/Touch is the small. There should be something in the middle. They may make the new iPod Touch a little bigger or they will have a new device. I'd say half the size of the iPad would be a good idea. The other option for the 3rd size could be the nano I mentioned in #4

Or I could be all wrong as in the past. Either way, Wednesdays announcements will most assuredly cost this family some money.

UPDATE: 8/31

They announced they will be streaming the event live so now I want to add that they are announcing a music streaming service.

Childhood Memories and Junk

2010-08-07T19:56:00.004-04:00

Wow do I have a lot of Junk!

I used to live with my Grandmother before I moved in with my husband years ago. All of my stuff is still in my room in her apartment. Since she passed away in April we have had the task of going though her stuff and deciding what to keep, what to toss and what to try and sell. Plus I need to finally grow up and get rid of some of my old toys, magazines and stuffed animals. Not because I want to but because I don't have the room for it all and really don't want to get another storage room for it all. Today I went through my bookcase. I have a ton of romance novel paper backs that I'm gonna bring down to the library next chance I get. The magazines are crazy! I have/had and very odd wide range of likes. On the same shelf I found:

Nintendo Powers from the 90's
Games Magazines from the 80's
National Geographic World Magazines from the 80's
Deaf Life from the 90's
Silent News form the 90's
Realms of Fantasy (I have the 1st one from 94) Its well warn and was read though many times :)

Part of me wonders if I should try to sell them, another wants to find a way to store them and then lastly I just want to chuck everything.

What do you think??

BBGWWPW2010_Group.jpg

2010-07-28T12:17:00.001-04:00

BBGWWPW2010_Group.jpg
Originally uploaded by AMRosario

We had a blast that day! The place was huge and it was really hot. I can't wait to go back and see all the places I missed.

Babies Trailer for upcoming movie

2010-03-24T18:05:00.000-04:00

This just looks adorable I had to share.

Hubby & I chat at Starbucks

2010-01-27T11:51:00.003-05:00

Frank & I were sitting at Starbucks on Sunday chatting about what we thought Apple would come out with today and in the future. I used my iPod touch, phillips imic, and italk to record our chat while we ate breakfast. The quality is not as bad as I thought but you do here the music, the coffee maker, us eating and people around us every so often. I think it will be fun to see whos right.

I uploaded the chat using twaud.io, a free service that lets you upload 10mb or less of audio to twitter. You can listen via this -->http://twaud.io/16G <-- link

My First Community Board Meeting

2009-10-14T22:56:00.002-04:00

Usually I go to my local civic and property owners meeting but I figured I should branch out and also attend my community board meeting. If you've never been to one, its where your neighbors share things they feel need to change in the community and events going on that may be of interest to you.

These meeting are very important and I plan on attending as often as I can and ask that you do the same.

But I do have 1 complaint.

If you're going to a community board meeting, plan to stay as long as you can. Not just until you have said your piece and then leave. It was very rude and in my eyes shows that you only care about yourself and not the rest of the community. Why should I care about helping you.

Glendale garbage is getting out of hand

2009-09-15T12:19:00.003-04:00

I am so sick of garbage problems. It seems that my neighborhood is always getting dumped on.

First off, the corner garbage cans. Residence of Glendale are putting in bags of household garbage which fills them up fast. People keep putting garbage in and as it over flows the garbage blows down the street. Which means when sanitation inspectors come by they give tickets up and down the block. What a scam. I clean up 2-3 times a day and its never enough.

2nd, the city trees. People decide that either the green bags for water or the dirt are perfect places to dump their garbage. I always try to notice and pick it up but come on, who raised you??

3rd, NYC hired a contractor to clean out the weeds where the trees are that they planted. These people came by and did a great job, but then left the bag of weeds behind. Since it wasn't my pick up day Sanitation wanted to give me a ticket. Luckily my neighbor saw him out front and called me. I ran out and luckily was able to talk my way out of ticket. The Sanitation inspector was very nice about it and suggested that I call 311. So I did but I doubt anything will come of it.

The Snow Leopard is charging...

2009-08-25T17:49:00.005-04:00

As you may have heard Snow Leopard is coming, so I thought I would share with all of you where I get my mac help from in Podcast form. This is not all of the good ones but these are my goto ones in no particular order.

Typical Mac User - http://www.typicalmacuser.com

Mac OSKen - http://macosken.com/

The Mac Review Cast - http://www.surfbits.com/

The NosillaCast - http://www.podfeet.com

The Mac RoundTable - http://www.macroundtable.com/

Macbreak Weekly - www.leoville.com

Now just make sure when you go to upgrade that you check your software. I try so many odd programs I hear about this is a quick way to see if they will work with Snow Leopard, which is intel only.

Click on:

your Apple in the upper left corner of your screen
About this Mac
More info
scroll down Contents to applications

The Column all the way to the right is Kind. That will tell you if the software will run in an intel only environment or if you have to install rosetta. Check the companies web site, maybe they have or are working on an update.

Feel free to leave additional tips in the comments.

Love these totally looks like entries....

2009-05-03T19:22:00.003-04:00

see more Celeb Look-A-Likes

I Love Gossomer!

I think there is also one showing Chloe Obrian (24) looks totally like Yeoman Rand (Star Trek) but I can't find the file. Here are some pictures.

Plans for the kittens....

2009-04-22T10:27:00.003-04:00

Since the kittens will be coming home soon I've been looking at ways to document their progress. But since my camera and video cam are pretty old I've been looking at upgrading. Of course that will cost money so I can't say it will happen very soon. But I did find out Scott Bourne is having a contest for a bunch of things that would help in my quest. Go on over to his site http://www.photofocus.com and see how you can enter yourself and keep your fingers crossed for me.

I've been looking at the little flip mino video cameras. If anyone has one let me know your thoughts.

Also once they are home I won't be blogging too much more about them here. I got turned onto mycatspace.com it just as ugly as the real myspace but I figured it would be a better place to update friend about them without boring my friend and family that can't understand my love of cats

Not a replacement....

2009-04-18T21:43:00.004-04:00

My husband & I can not be without a little critter in our lives. We miss Osiris so much. But we now have a plan. A friend of ours is a foster parent to cats all the time. Today we went over his house. No one can ever replace Osiris but there is no reason we can't love another cat or two. :) Here is a picture of Dinner Time. One of the Calico's fell asleep on my lap - I can't tell from the back but that's Molly and the Gray and White Kitty in the center of them all is the little boy that picked Frank. They are all so cute its hard to choose but it really wasn't our choice. :) As soon as they are big enough and had their surgeries we will have a happy home again.

R.I.P Osiris...

2009-03-28T20:22:00.004-04:00

Today we needed to make the hardest decision in any pet owners life. To put our beloved cat to sleep. We adopted him about 10yrs ago after his last owner abandoned him. The vet estimated he was about 16 or 17 years old. We will never know for sure.

As soon as he came into our life he became the king of the house. He slept on us, he tried to steal our food, but we loved him and he loved us back. Being a siamese he talked to us and purred so loud he could wake you from the next room.

I won't go into the gory details but his health has been going down hill and the vet felt that any of the possibilities would be life ending and he would be in pain. It was a hard decision, but we put in to sleep rather than have him suffer any more. He will be in our hearts forever.

My predictions for tonights BSG...

2009-03-20T15:12:00.002-04:00

OK so I'll admit, I was wrong. I thought Gaita was going to be the final 5th Cylon. But thats not gonna stop me from saying my piece about other things...

1. I think Starbuck and Baltar are half bro/sis AND they are Hybrids. They either share a cylon mom or dad. I'm thinking dad because of the music connection. That is why Baltar has a 6 in his head and why Starbuck is re-incarnated.

2. My other thought is that all of the people are either half or full cylons. Which would explain how they share dreams and how Baltar is in 6's head.

I guess we will find out tonight and no mater what happens we won't be happy.

I felt like an Alien....

2009-02-01T16:50:00.003-05:00

Until Friday, I thought I had the 3d glasses I needed for the Super Bowl commercials and for Chuck. But oh no... these are new glasses. They tell me they have them at your local grocery or drug store, so out I trek husband in tow. We tried the little places first, but they didn't even know what I was talking about. Then we headed out to some bigger stores. CVS - fail, Met Food - fail, Seven-11 - fail. Most people looked at me like I had 2 heads. They had no clue what I was talking about. I can see now why there will be so many people without TV when the digital TV switch happens. We finally found some at Stop & Shop. But that was after trekking all over town for 3 hours. They really didn't do a very good job of promoting it.

What I miss from my Palm TX....

2009-01-17T11:30:00.004-05:00

What I miss from my Palm TX that I really hope I can get on my ipod Touch (here in referred to as the iTouch, which really should have been its name but thats a different post for another day)

Games:
- Alchemy - You had to place a piece on a board kind of like uno. You had to match the color or symbol. It was easy in the beginning but when 2 pieces had to connect it got hard fast.
- Cake Mania - Build cakes to take care of customers and make money.
- Bounce Out - move balls around to have 3 so they would bounce out of the board.
- Candy Train - A train is chugging along a track, you need to move it around the board to pick up the next cars. When you get the caboose you then have to maneuver it to the station.
- NoMess - each round puts 3 random characters on a board. You need to move them so you get 5 in a row for them to disappear.
- Plant Tycoon - Making different plants to find 4 magical plants. Similar to the Fish Tycoon that is on the iTouch but I like Plant Tycoon better
- ShapeShifter - Carnaval setting where you have to drag pieces on to a moving board. The goal is to fill in the whole board before time runs out.
- Tot's & Togs - you are running a clothing store. You need to lay out the store and buy clothing that will or won't sell.

One thing I will miss is that my apps were listed alphabetically on the palm. Also it had wifi, bluetooth and IR.

So - iTouch owners. Please post here any games you found similar to the ones above that I should try. Below is a list of what I use most on my iTouch now.

- AppSnipper - Tells you the apps on sale and all the new apps in the iTunes app store. It also will follow a program you ask it to watch and lets you know when the price is where you want it.

- Units - convert any measurements - So far this is the best one I've found, but I know there are a lot

- ShopShop - Shopping list program - still not everything I want but it will do. I guess my dream app would be one that let me have a closet and a fridge and let me list what's in it. Then lets me add items from there into my shopping list. When its checked off the list it goes back where it came from. Why do I want this, well, sometimes I'll see something new in the store and not remember if I have what goes with it at home or not.

- 1Password - Need I say more, this program has saved my but more than once.

- Mancala - move your marbles around the board until yours are all done getting the most in your pile.

- Topple - an odd take on tetris

- Gemlogic - I tried the Free version and loved it so much I bought it. It's like bejeweled but as you advance you get more rows and columns making it harder. You can also switch gems anywhere on the board.

- TikiTowers - Build a tower, let the monkeys go. If they survive your tower you move on.

- Newsstand - So far the best rss reader I've found. I use google reader to collect all my feeds so using the google app works too but Newsstand gives you more options on what you want to do with a feed.

- Tweetie - Twitter app (duh) :)

I of course have tons of other apps but these are my must haves. Put some of your must have in the comments.

New = Organize...

2008-12-28T21:14:00.003-05:00

New = Organize.. or at least it does in my world. I've been this way since I was a kid. New School year with new books meant organizing my subjects, homework, assignments etc. But then that would fade and I'd be back to the disorganized mess by December. I guess someone in history was like me because they created New Years Resolutions. So every new year we all try to change things, or in my case re-organize things in hopes it will continue threw the year. Heres hope. :)

But at least today I feel like I accomplished something. With my husbands help that is. I've been bugging him for shelves in my kitchen for years. Finally today I guess he couldn't take it any more and I got my shelves. Nice wide shelves, just out of the way of my ever so little counter space but close enough to grab from when I need to. The shelves now hold my blender, coffee maker, toaster, cutting board and phone. My counter space now holds nothing, zero, zilch. Its clean! I can grab an appliance and use it and then put it back on the shelf. I know, its silly. But I feel like I have a new kitchen, so... time to organize.. :)

What Reindeer Are you

2008-12-08T22:16:00.001-05:00

Which of Santa's Reindeer are you?

Donder

Like Donder you are sensible and a good leader. You know the right things to do at the right time and have people's respect

Find out which of Santa's Reindeer you are at Quizopolis.com

Maybe my christmas card this year :)

2008-11-18T09:37:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

I know its been awhile....

2008-10-26T21:19:00.003-04:00

I know, I know, its been while. Well, I've been busy. Making baby shower gifts and submitting grant proposals for a non-profit I volunteer for. But today I felt like letting off a bit of steam.
The steam is from my new neighbors. My family has been in this house for 50+ years. But now these new neighbors have moved in and have decided to make the block miserable. Yet I seem to be the only one annoyed by it. First, instead of picking up the leaves on their sidewalk like they are suppose to do, they take out a leaf blower and blow them down the block. My dad and I go out and ask him what the heck he was doing and he acted like an ass and told us to call the cops. I wish I could, but of course, we didn't, because we're pushovers. We're too afraid of a brick through our window so we just keep picking them up. Now today I put my garbage out, then went back inside to get more and come out just in time to see him walking past my door and another bag in front of my house. His house has a huge pile already so I guess he felt he should spread some of it out. Not sure why this is making me so angry but it is. But now that I've blogged, I feel better.
Steam released....

Vote for Chelsey Larkin!

2008-09-10T12:05:00.002-04:00

Please go to http://web.icenetwork.com/index.jsp
Then click on the 4th picture of the people in red shirts
Then click on vote for your favorite skater
Then please vote from my friend's grand daughter Chelsey Larkin.

Thanks!!

Building of World Trade Center

2008-09-09T15:24:00.002-04:00

My sister is coming to visit so my husband and I have been cleaning out some old old boxes that we have been putting off for a good 10 years. Well in a box I found some pictures of my Dads and this one he took from a ferry when they were building the world trade center.

Frank & Michelle's Special Dance

2008-09-04T17:52:00.000-04:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Rainbow over Glendale

2008-08-12T22:02:00.003-04:00

Walking to Stop & Shop today there was a big rainstorm. Well just as I got to Woodhaven Blvd and Union Tpke I saw this beautiful rainbow. More pictures are on my flickr sight. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cntrysigns

Mac haters....

2008-07-17T09:34:00.003-04:00

I almost feel like there are a bunch of Mac haters in the audio book field. My grandma listens to a lot of audio books and the ones she wants are not always the new best sellers that the library has in the branch. So I go to different places online, including the library. The library allows you to borrow for free audio books to listen to. Grandma can use my shuffle with no problem but I can't put them on my mac in order to give them to her. The software they use is Overdrive. This is the message I get as a Mac user.

"Why can't I transfer WMA Digital Audiobook titles directly to my iPod, or use these files on my Mac?

WMA Digital Audiobook titles, provided by OverDrive, Inc., use DRM protection technology from Microsoft Corporation. Unfortunately the iPod and Mac do not currently support DRM-protected Windows Media Audio (WMA) files.

OverDrive, along with hundreds of online digital media providers, is hopeful that Apple and Microsoft can reach an agreement that would enable support for Microsoft-based DRM-protected materials on the iPod and Mac."

Well my first questions is why are they using WMA? They are completely blocking out thousands of people. For what reason? Shouldn't the library be using something a little more open? Then today I'm on Borders and they are offering a free book. But guess what? Can't use it because I haven't paid my few hundred dollar Microsoft Premium cost. I know I can put windows on my Mac but I don't want to. Apple has been so good about their products working on a windows machine. But Microsoft just doesn't! ::pout::

AVN Award show...

2008-06-25T00:57:00.003-04:00

OK... The other night I was setting the DVR to tape Weeds and Diary of a Call Girl. Well I noticed after it that Bull Shit was gonna talk about Porn and then the AVN awards were gonna come on. Hubby and I have never seen an Adult Entertainment award show so I taped that too.

Where to begin... Well usually when you see an award show you see the actors out of character. They don't look exactly like the character they play on screen, they look like real people. Well dressed and decked out people but real people. The name called is not the character they played name, its the actors real name. Well, on the AVN awards, everyone there is still in character. It was the oddest thing. People were kissing and grabbing each other in the room like they were taping a porn and not an award show. It just didn't seem like an award show at all. Oh, except for the acceptance speeches. The people would come up and thank their directors, AVN, the audience etc but some of course added that they thanked all the cocks or dicks that helped them get there. It just seemed so fake and over the top. I was very dissapointed. I didn't take it seriously.

Sponsors who need to have a NASCAR car....

2008-06-21T19:49:00.002-04:00

Watching NASCAR racing for as long as I have, I actually have a wish list for some sponsors and how the cars would look....

AVON - Hello Tomorrow black car with white lettering
Apple - Gray hood with the apple logo, remainder of car with leopard spots.
Del Sol - The car would change color in the sun.
Microsoft xBox - the steering wheel will look like the joystick

What would you like to see on a NASCAR??

Treat others the way you would like to be treated....

2008-06-04T09:36:00.003-04:00

Treat others the way you would like to be treated. Is that too much to ask?? I guess so.

A garbage truck broke down a couple blocks away from my house this morning causing a bunch of ass hole drivers to lay on there horn when no one was moving. The horns got me dressed and out to go see what was going on. So I started telling drivers how to get around the problem. All that paid attention to me said thanks. But too many drivers were busy on their cells, honking their horns ignoring the women waving her arms at them. One of them I finally smacked his car and told him how to get around it and he practically knocked me over getting onto the sidewalk to go down the block I was sending traffic. What an ass! But thats not even what bothered me the worse. The toe truck trying to move the garbage truck said it would still be a while so I called the police to see if they could send a cop to help. The cop said they had "no one available for non emergency situations at this time." What? Bull shit!! So I continued to try. Down the block my neighbor was out front and ask what I was doing. When I told him he laughed at me! Laughed at me. The asshole said. "Who cares, if they're not smart enough to go around fuck'em". Well I could have punched him. I lost it. I asked him how he would feel if he was late and stuck and no one helped him and I walked away. The nerve! I don't even know what to say to stupidity like that. Its a basic concept...

Treat others the way you would like to be treated!

A night at the Theater....

2008-05-31T23:01:00.004-04:00

For the last few weekends, my husband and I have been at the movies. The Regal at Atlas Park to be exact. A piece of Florida away from Florida. But the place is very under staffed. Each weekend we see the opening blockbuster to have a good time. But it turns into stress. Stress that shouldn't happen when you're going to have fun. Going to the movies has become like going to the airport. You need to arrive 2 hours before the start just to make sure you get to sit together. The place is all staffed with kids who don't care or security that look like they would fall over like a feather.

For all the people that were there, there were only 3 people working the concession and when I finally got to order my Ice Tea was like water, I traded for coke and it tasted flat so I settled on lemonade that was way too sweet. We spend a lot of money for tickets and food and its really a disappointment. Do they just not understand crowd control? How many big movies have played there and you still can't handle it! Its just a shame. I am praying for the day when the DVD comes out the same day as the movie. I would be willing to pay more and be able to sit home and I don't think I'm alone.

Sex and the City was very good. I hope they don't do a sequel. I won't ruin anything but I was satisfied. I will say it was not a movie for little kids. There was a 10 year old behind us and everytime there was a nude scene the mother screamed, "cover your eyes!" WTF!?!?! There there was a baby that started crying and the mother had to take the child out. Come on! I'm really sick and tired of it. These parents should be reported for child abuse. They don't have good enough judgment to have a child.

It comes down to people not treating others the way they would like to be treated. They think nothing about inconveniencing others....

One picture of the craziness here. The rest are on flicker.

My Fairy Name...

2008-05-30T16:42:00.002-04:00

My Married name:

Your fairy is called Columbine Icetree

She is a bone chilling bringer of justice for the vulnerable.

She lives in mushroom fields and quiet meadows.

She is only seen when the first leaves fall from the trees.

She wears lilac and purple like columbine flowers. She has icy blue butterfly wings.

Get your free fairy name here!

My Maiden name:

Your fairy is called Columbine Iceglitter

She is a bone chilling bringer of justice for the vulnerable.

She lives in mushroom fields and quiet meadows.

She is only seen in the light of a shooting star.

She wears lilac and purple like columbine flowers. She has icy blue butterfly wings.

Get your free fairy name here!

The summer looks bleak....

2008-05-30T13:05:00.003-04:00

Summer is usually a busy time. But this one seems to be shaping up to be a bit bleak. :(

Some of my favorite podcasts are either closing completely or taking the summer off. The Cup Car Update has decided to stop production because they just don't have the time. The same goes for Winginit 3d another Far Point Media production. Though it does look like some new stuff might be coming out from Mike in the video realm so keep an ear out. Then Technorama decided to stop regular production. They still will be coming out with special shows now and then, but its just not the same. :( Also... Beyond Reality Radio with Jason and Grant from Ghost Hunters is taking some time off the radio show because of lack of time. SciFi channel is really burning them out with production schedules and traveling to promos.

Who's gonna be next?? :( Its even coming time for my shows to go on summer break. My daily dose of Ellen I will miss the most. It was what I watched at the end of the day as my chaser. Its a great way to clean out the crap of the day and go to sleep with happy thoughts. Ellen=Happy Thoughts. :) But I will have to wait until next season. :(

Don't put children here.....

2008-05-25T15:22:00.004-04:00

This is a kid taxi for one of my local malls. Cute looking thing but check out the back.
The net basket says Do Not put children here!

Thyroid Update...

2008-05-13T21:57:00.002-04:00

Well the biopsy came back and still no definite diagnosis. They said they are leaning away from cancer and leaning towards Hashimoto's disease, which is when my immune system attacks my thyroid. I need yet another blood test to check it out! When will this ever end?!? By the time they figure out what the hell is wrong with me I'm gonna be too old to have kids!

My Dad was here.....

2008-05-07T10:32:00.003-04:00

I was born in Montana. My Mom lived in Montana and met my dad when he was stationed at the Air Force base that was talked about on the Today show. While we were watching he reminisced a bit about digging out the sensors from the snow. Montana gets tons of it so its good Al didn't go in the winter. Enjoy.

Changing my deodorant...

2008-05-05T15:54:00.002-04:00

I have probably used the same brand of antiperspirant / deodorant since High School. There is probably nothing wrong with continuing to use it. But I've been reading a lot about how I should be avoiding Aluminum & Paraben, so I went looking for something without it. All the antiperspirants had aluminum so I was gonna just get deodorant. Then I found Herbal Clear naturally. Aluminum, Paraben & Alcohol Free and Hypoallergenic. http://www.21stcenturyvitamins.com
So far so good. It feels nice and doesn't really smell.

Iron Man Review....and spoiler

2008-05-03T19:09:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since we've been to the movie theater. I hate dealing with the inappropriate kids at a movie that effect my expensive evening. But for Iron Man I made an exception. I saw the movie at the Atlas Park Regal Theater, which really needs to upgrade their security and staff for times like these.
So on to the movie. I'll admit I don't know the story of Iron Man so I don't know if it keeps with the comic. I will say that that the story was better than I expected. I was expecting a movie that looked good but lacked substance. I'm happy to say this movie did well on both fronts.
All the actors fit their roles well. If you don't already know it, you need to sit through the long credits at the end for a surprise from Samuel L Jackson. Hubby also tells me that Terrence Howard looking at War machine is also a clue to the future of the franchise. I look forward to the Hulk and Iron Man II.

The whole house shook......

2008-05-03T09:41:00.003-04:00

Well, this actually happened a few days ago but it's been a bit crazy so now I'm playing catchup.

On Tuesday I had planned a full day. Oncologist in the morning and biopsy in the afternoon. Well at 8:20 in the morning I was watching the Today show and brushing my cat when if felt like someone hit the bottom of my bed with a bat..hard. I looked outside but didn't see anything. A few minutes later I went down to open up my shoppe and just as I opened the door I started hearing the sirens. So what happened you ask? A car crashed into the cleaners a few doors away from me. You can see a video and read the news about it http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6110492

I didn't want to leave the house for my appointment just in case there was any evacuations etc. So I now won't get to see the oncologist until June 17th! Such a long time but oh well.

I was able to make the 5pm biopsy appointment which was not fun. I found out I don't only have 1 nodule on my thyroid I have 2. 1 was easy to biopsy but the 2nd was harder to get to. Needless to say tears were involved. :(

So now I wait....

Yet another test...

2008-04-28T18:12:00.003-04:00

I saw my Endo today and he said the uptake didn't give him a conclusive answer so I have to have a Fine Needle Biopsy. Oh fun! I called the place that does them and I guess I'm lucky... They can see me tomorrow at 5pm. So tomorrow is a full day. I see an oncologist at 9am and have the biopsy at 5pm. I would think that I should put the oncologist off until the results of the biopsy but I'm told no. They tell me the elevated CA-125 has nothing to do with my Thyroid that it has to do with my ovaries. My Endo thinks the 2 might be connected but not my regular doctor. I'm just very upset and annoyed at all this crap!

I am having the worse luck lately.....

2008-04-25T13:11:00.002-04:00

So today I was going to see my oncologist. He was suppose to be reviewing my tests and blood work and tell me what is going on. My appointment was at 9:45am and I got there at 9:30am. At 10:15 I went to the desk to see how much longer it might be and they said they didn't know because they couldn't reach the doctor!?!?!?!? I can't believe it! 2 different places in the same week someone forgets that they had to be at work. If I did that I would be fired and I'm sure you would be too. Though I guess I don't know if the radiologist from the other day was fired or not. I am rescheduled to see him next Tuesday at 10am. But come on, can I have any worse luck? I'm stressed enough as it is and to not only have this happen once but twice. If it ends up I have something incurable I plan to sue these places for their incompetence . Why shouldn't I? Everyone else does. Its really amazing that doctors and offices can get away with this kind of treatment. I know it's not the nurses fault and that they are getting the wrath from the patience but they acted like this wasn't the first time. If thats the case then I should hope they start calling him the day before to remind him. They call me to remind me I have the god damn appointment, why not the doctor. AND If I forgot about and appointment I would be charged for not showing up!!

Step 2

2008-04-24T17:14:00.002-04:00

Well, I just got back from the Thyroid uptake and scan. Wasn't that bad. A bit uncomfortable to lay still for so long. Now they said it will be about 3 days for the results. I'm clear to sleep in my own bed Saturday night. I think that's the worst part of it. Being apart from your support system while your going threw all this. And then to see conflicting information online that I should wait 5 days and that this test causes macular degeneration. But I'll listen and trust my doctors and see what happens.

Preparing for the worse....

2008-04-23T17:52:00.003-04:00

This is another TMI entry so be warned.

So right now I'm nuclear...

This morning I went in to get my pill for my Thyroid Uptake & Scan. My appt was at 9am but at 9:15 they came out to say the technician wasn't in and they didn't know where he was. After waiting a while the radiologist told me to go home to wait and he would contact me once they found out what happened. At this point I was fuming. I hadn't eaten since the night before and I'm not a very patient person when I'm hungry. So I headed home and had a little to eat. Finally at 3pm they called me to come back.

The pill wasn't that bad, but the instructions were a bit of a shock. I can't kiss or sleep in the same bed as my husband for 3 days. I also shouldn't be within 3 feet from anyone because I'm giving of a low dose of radiation that could be harmful. I'm really not prepared for this, but I keep telling myself I'm only banished to the couch for 3 days.

But now on to my doom and gloom theory.

I have this sinking feeling I have cancer.

I know, I know I'm hearing it through the tubes. "Stop jumping ahead", "wait for the doctors to tell you that".

Well, I'll tell you why I think this way...
1. I smoked a lot for many years and my mom smoked around me growing up. I quit when I was 30 and now I'm 37.
2. My CA-125 is elevated. I've had a sonogram and a Hysterosalpingogram which showed I only have 1 tube.
3. I have a 7mm nodule on my thyroid. All the sites I look at say that only 1 usually means cancer. So I'm figuring the elevated CA-125 isn't anything in my ovaries that its my thyroid.

So tomorrow at 3pm I get scanned and I'm hoping they can tell me right away. Then on Friday I see an oncologist.

I'm just hoping what ever it is that it's caught in time. I want a baby so bad but that doesn't look like its in the cards so at least I'd like a long healthy life....

TMI for most of my friends....

2008-04-15T23:22:00.002-04:00

This is a warning to my male friends, don't read further unless you want to hear gory details...

So, As most of you know my Hubby and I have been trying to get pregnant. Well today I took the next step and had a HSG test and it showed I only have 1 working fallopian tube. :( Doctor seemed to think that it was great news. I don't see it as good news but I guess it could have been worse. I was reminded that you only need one to get pregnant but since I'm 37 and have thyroid problems I kind of feel that there are 3 strikes against me.

Now the next step is to figure out my Thyroid problem. I had a sonogram of my thyroid and my doctor is very concerned. I need to have a fine needle biopsy and a Nuclear Scan. So now I'm terrified. I'm trying not to panic but it's not easy. Everything takes so dam long! All this waiting is driving me nuts!!!

AeroGarden Day 25

2008-04-10T22:08:00.003-04:00

I am getting so excited about my Herb Garden. Its actually working. A few years ago I tried the Chia herb garden and it failed so I was so sure this would fail too. Even my Husband is surprised its working because none of the other "As seen on TV" crap I have does. I fell for that spaghetti tube cooking thing that you pour boiling water in. I'm dangerous watching infomercials, but you can see by the pictures its working.

Congestion pricing in NY.....

2008-04-06T23:20:00.003-04:00

My opinion and you all know I have one... About Congestion Pricing in NY.

There should be a way to charge people to enter the city that don't need to, without punishing people who need to enter the city with their car in the performance of their jobs. Then maybe people who just feel like driving would think twice before they did.

Lets first take delivery trucks. Under the current plan they would be charged to enter the city. That is punishing the delivery companies, the businesses that get the deliveries and the people who buy from the shoppes. This of course would hurt the small businesses more than the big quys (as usual). So many blocks where parking was limited in certain hours for trucks with deliveries now allow parking for all the condos that have gone up. None of these places should have been allowed to be built with out providing enough parking space for the cars they would bring.... but that's a rant for another day.

Then, what about repairmen? These guys (and gals) help keep the city working. A lot of them take their tools and parts in their own cars because they don't need a truck. These people shouldn't be punished for having to go to work.

My husband says: "How do you enforce this?" Well, I guess one way might be something on the drivers license. If you have to drive into the city to perform your job you would get a type of license, maybe like an easypass you could wave at the toll booth to go free.

Now to those people who drive to the city because its more convenient for them to drive, or the tourists to want to drive. These people should be charged to come into the city at certain times. These people are impeding people from working and clogging our street for their own comfort. If they had to pay maybe they would think twice about doing it.

But now my conundrum. These people will still want to go into the city, how the hell are they suppose to do it?!? Our subway and bus system is over crowded, dirty, and un-reliable.

So... My solution to all this? (and yes I do have one)...

Make the subways and buses a place people want to be and use. The advertisements in the subway are maintained better than the subway itself. "If you build it they will come" is a famous saying that I think applies to everything. I'm sure all of these cameras in the subway catch people throwing garbage, harassing other riders and vandalizing property but its never enforced. If these people were fined that would raise the money needed to maintain it.

OK OK /rant

I like to think I would....

2008-04-02T21:48:00.004-04:00

Last night I was at my local B.J.'s to get crapload packages of stuff that doesn't expire like toilet paper and paper towels etc. Over the PA comes a message "if anyone found an ipod please return it to the customer service area". I thought to myself never. Never would anyone turn in an ipod. I can't even honestly say weather I would or wouldn't. I'd like to think I would return it. I know if I lost one I would like to get it back. But anyway I was looking at the books and this mother was screaming at her daughter at the top of her lungs about losing her $400 ipod. "Why did she put it down in the bathroom", & "did you look around to see if anyone was using it"? This kid couldn't be more that 15 years old. What the hell was she doing with a $400 ipod?? I never had anything that expensive as a teen. I used to lose my book bag and purse regularly. All kids do. It doesn't make it right but its a fact. Kids are not responsible. They need parents guidance, not parents who will yell at their kid in the middle of store as the kid is crying her eyes out. I felt so bad for that kid. I was kind of hoping whoever found it would feel bad for the kid too and give it back but as far as I know no one did.

AeroGarden day 9

2008-03-25T14:47:00.002-04:00

So far so good. All but one herb has sprouted. Here is my purple basil. you can see the rest on my flicker site. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cntrysigns/

My new Waffle maker....

2008-03-23T12:34:00.004-04:00

Another one of my Birthday presents was a new George Foreman Grill with interchangable plates. One of the plates was a waffle maker. Now anyone who knows me knows I'm not a very good cook. If I can throw it together I'm fine. Sometimes stuff turns out great sometimes it doesn't but I really can't do the same thing twice. So measuring is not something I do too often. :) But guess what. Waffles aren't that hard.....

Star Wars Hugo the Cat with 1000 faces

2008-03-21T17:21:00.002-04:00

This is very inventive and funny! A bit of a chaser from my last post.

Disgustingly beautiful....

2008-03-21T10:25:00.002-04:00

This is a beautiful educational tool that is really disgusting to look at.... Enjoy :)

I just want to be on the record.....

2008-03-20T12:40:00.006-04:00

I called 311 like I was suppose to and I called the Forest Park Trust but no one seems alarmed that this tree looks very precarious along side Myrtle Ave (a busy street, took me awhile to get a shot with no traffic). If the tree falls the other way it will hit a pre-school! Double click picture to view full size.
Update 3.21.08: The parks department came this morning to take away the branch. They didn't do anything with the tree but I hope they looked at it and feel its safe.

My AeroGarden

2008-03-18T22:06:00.004-04:00

Well, like I said. I do not have a green thumb. Green eyes but not thumb. :) So I'm really excited about this AeroGarden. It was planted on March 16th and some of them say they might sprout within 3-7 days. Nothing yet but my fingers are crossed.

Happy Birthday to me.....

2008-03-16T18:00:00.003-04:00

Yep! today is the day I turn 37. I am enjoying a nice relaxing day with my husband & cat. But I wanted to blog about my gifts. lol
Hubby got me the 2 gig ipod shuffle in green I was drooling over. I wish it came in orange but green is good too. :)
Family got me a new George Forman grill. I had really wore my last one out. They also got me the AeroGarden. Now this looks like fun. I just set it up and will take pictures as if comes long. I have the herb garden set. I would love to have fresh herbs to cook with but since I don't have a green thumb I'm not very hopeful. I'll keep you updated...

Happy pi day everyone...

2008-03-14T17:30:00.002-04:00

My geek calender also says its something else today but I'll let you research that to find out. The kids in this video are wearing Harry Potter'ish shirts long before Harry Potter. :)

Am I Secretly a Texan? :)

2008-03-13T15:37:00.001-04:00

Are You Secretly Texan?

My Result: Nature

An outdoors enthusiast like you is as invigorating as a breath of fresh air. And getting outside and enjoying all the things that nature has to offer is what gets you going. Whether you're into hiking, fishing, going to the beach, horseback riding, or camping, it's all about soaking up the scenery, checking out the view, and taking in the Great Outdoors.

A down-to-earth and genuine soul like you can appreciate the little things in life, from a beautiful sunset to the soothing sounds of ocean waves. Taking pleasure in the natural wonders of the world is where it's at for you. And that's how you can relate to the Lone Star State. Take a deep breath. Ahhh...

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=secretlytexanogt&c=50652

When I got married....

2008-03-12T17:40:00.003-04:00

I was remembering the day I got married today. It was a long time coming. Neither one of us wanted a big production. In NY it seemed to be a pain in the butt to get the license, to go to city hall etc. So we looked into doing it when we went to Fla on Vacation. I did some calling and they would be happy to marry us, but we had be licensed in the state we lived in. Well, we weren't gonna waste one of our Vacation days to take care of it so we put it off. Later in the year we were going to Spokane to visit my Half Sister and her family. So I called there. They had a better system. They only had a 3 day waiting period after applying for a license to then get married. Great, we would be there over a week. So that was the plan. Everything was easy and the people were very nice. It always amazes me that certain laws are different in every state. Aren't we the United States of America??? But thats a rant for another day.

The weather was beautiful the entire week. I got my long hair cut short and donated it to Locks of Love and my sister and I even got our nails done. Then as we were driving to the court house, out in the distance we could see a huge forest fire. Luckily it was far enough away that it didn't effect the city or homes that I could tell. But that couldn't be a good omen. Then as we got off the highway into the city the sky's opened up and it poured so hard I couldn't see a thing. We were planning to get married under a tree on the grounds so that would now be out. But even worse... Non of us had an umbrella. So my nice new hair cut and white clothes were drenched. It was kind of funny though. They say its good luck if it rains on your wedding day. But it only rained from 10 minutes before our ceremony and was over by the time we got out. So between the forest fire and the freak rain storm not sure what the omens say about us getting married. Its been a few years now and we're still happy so thats good.. right! :)

I wish i knew who did this to give credit.....

2008-03-11T13:19:00.000-04:00

Many thanks to all those who have sent me emails this past year.

I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat manure in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing.

I now scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

In fact all my money is gone but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program

Or, I'll receive it from the senior bank clerk in Nigeria who wants to split $7 million with me for pretending to be a long lost relative of a customer who died intestate.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca-Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer buy petrol without taking a man along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm filling up.

And I don't go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number and I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore and Uzbekistan

Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my bum.

And thanks to your great advice, I can't even pick up the $5.00 I found dropped in the car park because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00pm this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician.

By the way....a South American scientist after a lengthy study has discovered that people with low IQ who have infrequent sexual activity always read their e-mails with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

Re-posting What I want with what I have to do....

2008-03-11T12:53:00.003-04:00

Originally posted January 8th, 2008 11:47pm
Well, just about time for sleep and I haven't blogged yet. So.....

Today I went to my library to return a book that I never got a chance to finish, it just wasn't very good. :( I love to read, especially Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. But since I'm out of work I went back to my library instead of Borders or Barnes and Noble. Unfortunately there was nothing interesting to read. Tomorrow I'm gonna do some research on the Dragon Page Cover to Cover web site and then search the library's web site to see if they have it before I go there tomorrow night. I love the modern age. Dragon page also has a podcast you can listen to. They interview writers and a lot of times you get some great inside info. Enjoy!

At 2:58pm on January 9th, 2008, Eve said…: Sounds interesting. I love the fact that I can check out the card catalog on line before I go to the library. I met a guy standing in the checkout line at the library last week who never goes to the stacks at all. He finds what he wants online, puts a hold on it, and then stops at the front desk to pick it up. Makes trips to the library a lot faster.

I'm a lucky wife....

2008-03-10T21:49:00.003-04:00

As you see I had a little tough news yesterday. Hubby went and got me my favorite ice cream from cold stone to cheer me up. :) He is always so patient when I flip out about things. He's my perfect other half.

Well that could be why I'm not pregnant....

2008-03-10T16:40:00.003-04:00

First, a few years ago I had huge fibroids. I had the surgery and was told go try, everything looks great! Well nothing happened. Just went for some blood test and now I get this really professional sounding diagnosis "your thyroid is out of whack"!?! and to see an endocrinologist. Just great! Some women can have tons of kids when they barely try, abuse them and sometimes worse but I try and have nothing but problems! Why is nothing ever easy!?!

I guess its my own fault for waiting until I was in my 30's to start trying. I guess I should have done what some of my friends did and have kids right out of High School. Its not like I did anything with my life. I need to stop doing things for so many other people and live the way I dame well please.

We lose another hour....

2008-03-08T23:57:00.003-05:00

If I was president, I would split the difference and never touch the time again. Meaning instead of putting our clocks ahead an hour we would put it ahead a half hour and leave it. Enough already!! National Geographic has a great article on how standard time got started and why we do daylight savings time. But they mention it is not mandatory for any state to do it. So lets not do it. Talk to your local politicians and tell them you don't want to do it any more!!

Do you know your candy bars??

2008-03-05T14:08:00.002-05:00

This is a cute quiz that I warn will make you want to got buy a candy bar. Its asks you to name a candy bar by looking at the innards. I did worse than I thought I would. I got 11 right out of 20. :(

http://food.aol.com/play-with-your-food/candy-bar-id-quiz

We expect so much....

2008-03-02T13:55:00.003-05:00

There are so many free things I have gotten addicted to lately and I tend to rely on them. Twitter, talkshoe, blogger, pownce etc. And I tend to get frustrated when they don't work. I need to be more patient and understanding. Its not the end of the world if somethings not working. When stuff like this happens I need to step back, maybe clean my house a bit or read a book. When I come back later I'm sure it will all work great again.

Yankee or Dixie???

2008-02-28T11:44:00.002-05:00

This was a cute little quiz

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/yankee_dixie_quiz.html

I'm "62% (Dixie). A definitive Southern score!"

Considering I was born in Montana and raised in NYC I'm very surprised by the results.

Ways I'm trying to make money and failing...

2008-02-28T00:49:00.003-05:00

Originally posted on Ning January 3rd, 2008 6:19pm

I had a job I hated. I was working long hours for a place that treated its employees horribly. So I quit. I've taken over the management of my Grandmothers Arts & Crafts Shoppe. It needs a big dose of advertising but with no money thats hard because its very very expensive. So I'm working on a web site and a podcast and video tutorials, but still need a little money to come in.

So now I sell AVON. My mom used to sell it when I was a kid and I remember helping her put the samples in each of the bags etc. Well I kind of expected the local manager to be helpful, but I have to say they haven't been. First it took them over a month to get me signed up. I went to my first meeting last night and they called out everyone in the meeting about their sales and when ever I had a question I was told to take the online training or look in the books they gave me. Not really sure I like that model. I realize they are trying to make money but don't be a manger if you can't take the time to teach. So I blundered ahead on my own and wow, what a shock, I made a mistake, and they are even less than helpful. They don't understand how I made the mistake and they aren't sure how to fix it. I'm gonna give it a year. If I don't see that I'm making a little money from it I quit. If you interested in buying or selling AVON its really a great product, contact me and I'll give you more info.

I used to sell Tupperware, and wow, that was expensive. Great products but really over priced. It was hard to talk people into buying products that they could get at target for less.

My other option is selling on e-bay. I have tons of stuff. I wish I could have a garage sale. I could probably have one every weekend and still have more stuff. But no garage.. :)

I type fast, and could sit on my computer and type, but all of those work at home jobs are just BS.

So hopefully later this year I won't have time to blog because I'm busy making money. I'll keep you all posted.

The link I want to mention today is http://www.spritestitch.com/ they have some great cross stitch patterns for video games. Gives me lots of ideas.

At 3:56pm on January 6th, 2008, Eve said…: Good Morning America has an on-going series on working from home. They have done the research and recommend some legitimate opportunities. Go here: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/CareerManagement/story?id=2371804&page=1Delete Comment

At 2:04pm on January 7th, 2008, Michelle said…: Thanks I will and blog about what happens. :)Delete Comment

At 3:11pm on January 7th, 2008, Ruth Ferguson said…: Something I did for a while was work as a telephone operator from home for West and LiveOps. They generally handle calls for the infomericals.Delete Comment

At 4:04pm on January 7th, 2008, Cass said…: It takes a lot of time and effort to post items for sale on Ebay. You're probably better off having a garage sale!Delete Comment

At 9:11pm on January 7th, 2008, Michelle said…: that wouldnt be a bad idea, thanks RuthDelete Comment

At 8:50pm on January 8th, 2008, atomik-kitten said…: Have you tried etsy?

Moving posts from ning365

2008-02-25T00:04:00.001-05:00

Seems its the year of twins...

It seems that its the year of twins instead of the rat. Last year I felt like all I was hearing about was people being pregnant. But now all I keep hearing is twins. Which is kind of making me scared because my husband & I have been trying for a baby. I'm excited & scared to have 1 baby, I can't even imaging having twins.

Posted by me on February 8th, 2008 at 11:43pm

Vets treat their patients better than Doctors.....

2008-02-23T14:45:00.003-05:00

I am again amazed by how long the wait is at my Doctor's office. Don't get me wrong, I love my Doctor, but I think its her assistant who causes the problem. The doctor starts taking patients on Saturday at 9:30, but there are 15 people who have an 8:30 appointment time. I got there at 7:45 and there were 2 people waiting there before me. I didn't see the doctor until 10am! Now compare it to the Vet. I have a 10am appointment for my cat and I was seen at 10:10am and was done by 10:40.

Everyone thinks its so great that the candidates say they will guarantee everyone will get health insurance and be able to see a doctor. That sounds all great and wonderful but what doctor are they gonna see?? Everyone I talk to says they have to wait so long at the doctors office they sometimes give up. They are sitting in a waiting room with people who are coughing and sneezing for hours so if they aren't sick going in they are by the time they leave.

Why can't the candidates figure out how to educate more doctors and make it easier to have a local doctors office. People are so quick to sue a doctor when a mistake is made. The insurance is so much money the doctors need to jack their prices up, which in turn makes health insurance more and causes people to not be able to afford to go with out insurance. Which of course brings us to the fact that doctors & nurses are so over worked more mistakes are made. Its a vicious cycle that needs to be fixed... and quick!!

Sending the wrong message....

2008-02-21T23:44:00.003-05:00

Again, I'll probably get a lot of shit for this rant but I can't help it...

Some 18 year kid (I say kid lightly, he's actually a man) in the Bronx got caught spray painting on a road sign. Then ran from the cops and got hurt. He says the cops punched him and caused permanent damage and is now suing.

So let me get this straight. The kid claims he didn't fight the cops that the cop punched him for no reason. He couldn't even look the newscaster in the face when he was telling his story. Now this kid get to be rich for fighting the cops who were trying to arrest him for doing something wrong. He's 18!! What the fuck was he doing spray painting on a road sign?!?! If he wasn't doing something wrong he wouldn't have been hurt. Then to top it off guess who gets to pay not only to clean the road sign he defaced but to pay for his settlement with the city?? Us taxpayers who have to put up with these shitty kids that have no respect for anything around them have to pay for it!!

What kind of message is this sending to kids? In my eyes it says to do something wrong, fight the cops, get hurt, sue and not have to work for a living!!

Review of Numbers League

2008-02-18T10:11:00.005-05:00

The first thing I got excited about was a card game. I know, there are tons of collectible card games out there but this one looked fun and educational. Its a set of cards called Numbers League. the educational part is math. But the fun part is a little hard to explain. This is from their web site www.bentcastle.com
" Numbers League - Adventures in Addiplication is a stand alone superhero themed card game where your basic math skills can save the day. The more you play the sharper these skills will become until no villain is safe from your numerical onslaught." What I liked is when you line up a head, a body and feet it makes a super hero name. So you can mix and match heads on different bodies to get different points and skills along with some fun names. The characters made me think of the Maximo game for some reason.
Here is a head, body and feet combo.

From Toy Show floor

2008-02-17T14:22:00.003-05:00

Gangsta babies
These were scarry

The start of my Toy Show day

2008-02-17T08:53:00.002-05:00

Toy show it starts

There is more of my Married name....

2008-02-16T22:15:00.000-05:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
1,473
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

How Many of Me...

2008-02-16T13:20:00.000-05:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
945
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Yarn Market Mag May-June 84

2008-02-14T21:50:00.002-05:00

Yarn Market May-June 84
Originally uploaded by cntrysigns

I found this magazine when I was looking in my Grandmothers stash. Its from 1984 and talks about the Arts & Crafts Business and the new technology "Computers". What a trip back in time!

Seems we were all had....

2008-02-14T11:22:00.003-05:00

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but it seems 20MacApps is a fraud! I payed $40 back in December for software that would start to be available Feb 1st or 2nd. Now on their website I see "For reasons beyond our immediate control, there will be a short delay in fufilling your 20MacApps order. We are now back on track with the promotion, and plan to begin fufilling your orders on April 1st, around 8 weeks after the original start date, with an app coming out every two weeks from that point onwards. As a way of apologizing to our previous buyers, we'll be sending out a very special offer later this week. Thanks for your patience, as we work hard to get this promotion back on track for previous buyers."

I'm sorry but I feel like a fool. And what kind of "Special offer" will it be? Something else where they want more money. Well, I won't fall for it again... I hope I'm wrong....

Moving my blog....

2008-02-14T00:44:00.002-05:00

I seem to like blogger the best right now. I started to use ning365 but there is no reason I can't blog everyday here so I'm gonna start moving my posts over here. This one I originally posted on Jan 1st 2008 at 4:48pm

Who & What I am....
I am a nut. Why?? Because I signed up to blog for 365 days straight. Not sure why I did it. My life isn't very interesting. I guess its more for myself. Its good practice.

My screen name is CntrySigns which stands for Country Music and Sign Language.

The Country Music side of me is currently the president of the NY Metropolitan Country Music Association. I have been listening to Country Music since I was a kid and fell in love with the Dancing in my late teens. I'm now 36 and D.J. for events and teach dancing.

The love of Sign Language started when I was a kid. I always wanted to know a secret language to be able to talk to my friends with out the "Mean Kids" knowing what we were saying. Well I learned some and right now I can sign a little and understand more. This is something that I plan to practice more this year.

The rest of my life is very full.

I quit my job last year to take over my Grandmother Craft Shoppe. its a small business which I'm trying to build up and hopefully in a couple of years make a profit. I've started a blog a podcast and a web site for the store.
I also volunteer for the Ladies Auxiliary. Doing fund raisers etc.
I'm a computer geek that grew up with 286 computers and now have a Mac. I'm sure I will blog about it during the year.
Lastly I'm happily married to the most supportive kid at heart. We have been trying to have a baby so hopefully by the end of the year I will be blogging about a new addition to our family.

Live everyday as if it were your last....

2008-02-10T17:58:00.000-05:00

one day you will be right.

I don't know who said that, but its so true. I just found out my Dad's boss was killed yesterday by a 16 year old kid drinking and driving. I didn't know him very well but he seemed nice. He was always good to my Dad. I helped him with some computer problems a couple of times. My heart goes out to his family. Welborn's wife is hanging on in bad condition with brain damage and spleen damage.They are not sure if she'll make it. Death is always harder on the living.

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=71073
another link
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/15264840/detail.html

My Dad drives all over the east coast for his job and I always worry about him. I know he's a good driver but its always the other guy. Please please please, if you have kids make sure they know how bad it is to do stupid things. I notice more and more that kids have no respect. And where are they learning it from? Their parents. Either the parents are both working and kids are being raised in a group environment where the aide is over worked or the parents just don't care. Well, thats a rant for another day.

Please, for me remind 1 person that drinking and driving does kill, it might save a life.

How Frozen Peas Started An Online Cancer-Awareness Movement

2008-01-10T11:23:00.001-05:00

Applying a bag of frozen peas directly to her breast shortly after undergoing a needle biopsy that day in December made perfect sense to Susan Reynolds. And just like that, a mini-movement was born, an online community of people sharing their experiences with cancer..

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Ok this is odd...

2008-01-08T23:00:00.000-05:00

Found the weirdest online quiz today. "What finger are you?" http://www.blogthings.com/whatfingerareyouquiz/

Here are my results:

You Are the Index Finger

You are ambitious, driven, and capable.
You aren't afraid to take responsibility for your actions - or place the blame on whoever deserves it.
You are honest, free thinking, and objective. You see things in your own way - and you aren't afraid to let everyone know about it.

You get along well with: The Thumb

Stay away from: The Ring Finger

What Finger Are You?

Blog 365

2008-01-06T14:29:00.000-05:00

I will probably be a bit light blogging here for the next year. As much as I like blogger I joined Blog 365 http://blog365.ning.com/
my page can be found here http://blog365.ning.com/profile/Michelle3 see ya there, and consider signing up your self. I'm sure 1 or 2 of my entries this year will be interesting.

Holiday Shopdropping Angers Retailers

2007-12-28T22:56:00.001-05:00

Live animals being left in stores. Unique ways of free promotion. Shopdropping is not new but its getting more annoying.

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AVON now for sale

2007-12-27T16:23:00.001-05:00

Well I'm trying every little thing to make some money and still be home with my Grandma and her small craft store. My newest thing is I sell AVON. My web address is www.youravon.com/mlopez8142
Orders will be shipped direct to you. If you want to sell AVON yourself, let me know and I can pass along more info.

PC/Mac Commercial Idea

2007-12-23T15:37:00.000-05:00

The I'm a Mac & I'm a PC commercials are funny but not really accurate. All home computers are P.C.'s which stands for Personal Computers. So I say a commercial with Multiples of John Hodgmen. Some are in suits running Windows, Some in black turtle neck running Mac. Then to promote Mac's show the Windows running John's get viruses, crashing etc. :)

Just my two cents

Holiday Sweater Song

2007-12-22T10:51:00.001-05:00

Colverfield Opening Scene

2007-12-17T21:06:00.001-05:00

This is a legel copy of the opening scene of the upcoming cloverfield movie

You should be ashamed...

2007-12-16T18:16:00.000-05:00

I don't even know where to start I'm so pissed right now. My small business is closed on Sunday. The only day I'm home taking care of my home. 6 days I'm in the store trying to build it up, help customers and share my love of making things. My Grandmothers been doing it for 36 years. She's been robbed at gun and knife point over the years and she's never given up. Luckily no ones been hurt. So thats what I keep telling myself when things like today happen....Its Sunday so I was closed, but I went to give my Grandmother dinner and saw that some snot nose "Artists" decided to scratch their personal tags into my big store display window. Every single person who has ever done this should be ashamed of themselves. Business owners work very hard for the little they get. And when you do it to the subway or bus who do you think will pay for it. You and your family when the fares go up.
Tomorrow in the light I'll take pictures of it to post here.
Where do these people get off?!? And what can I do about it?? Nothing. I wanted to call the police, but what did my family say "it could get worse" just leave it. Just leave it!! Unfortunately it seems that thats the mentality. And thugs and thieves know it. Most people aren't gonna do anything about it. So I post here. I post here and hope that it will make me feel better to remind myself that no one was hurt... Except inside.

Apple Store - West 14th Street

2007-12-07T23:31:00.000-05:00

OK WOW!! I got there at 5:30 and was 3 blocks away. No big deal until you got a block away and more than 50 people cut right in front of us. Myself and only a few others had the balls to say anything but it did no good. What did the cop say "just calm down or go home"!! Me, not the assholes that cut in front of all of us, me. So I shut my mouth. Then as we got closer the people behind us started getting loud and pushy, this one girl pushed me right out of the way in front of security and then when her son didn't get past us she started screaming at my husband that "no one separates her from her kid" well if she wouldn't have been such a bitch pushing ahead of people she wouldn't have gotten separated. Its really a shame that all of these people were never taught manners. I can't even say it was one particular race or age because it was a bunch of them.

Then at 9:30 we finally got in. Everyone was handed a poster and on the inside cap you could win something. Hubby and I both won $10 iTunes gift cards. Cool. So then I ask where the bathroom was. Well what a shock, there is no public bathroom. WTF?!?!?! After waiting all that time. I can honestly say I will never go back to that Apple store ever again. SoHo is the best and always will be.

P.S if anyone blogs about the loudmouth in the orange jacket trying to control the line.. That was me :)

PPS. If Apple Insider is right, Apple is opening another store on the Upper West Side. Lets see what happens at this one...

What I need to figure out in Leopard...

2007-10-28T21:48:00.000-04:00

Well, I love Leopard so far but there are a few silly things I'm trying to change...

1. The right part of the dock has these stacks. But when the stack is closed, it takes all the icons and piles them on top of each other and it looks a mess. I would love to just be able to set an icon for it myself but haven't figured out how to yet. Because the Applications stacks first program is the address book, the address book icon is there and because the HD stacks first folder is Applications, when ever I go to open an application I click the hard drive stack instead of the applications stack!

2. The little spotlights on the bottom of the dock are not clear. They get lost in the reflections of the programs and you can't tell what programs are running.

Eye see spots.....

2007-10-27T23:51:00.000-04:00

OK OK maybe not the most original play on words... But if you haven't guessed, I've upgraded my Macbook to Leopard. The great spotted cat that replaced the great stripped one. So far so good. I'm online. :)

I decided to do a clean install. I could have upgraded but over the last year and a half I have installed a ton of programs, trials, beta's etc. and really wanted a clean slate. So I backed everything up.... twice.... just to be sure and now I'll start the process of adding programs back on.

First I installed iLife 08 and did a software update. So far so good. Then I installed Firefox and decided to blog a bit. :) In the background I'm importing all my mail from the backup I did (that will take a while)

So, my first impressions....
The box is nice, very small and I liked the hologram effect. The installation was flawless. Got the big green circle with the check mark about an hour after I started. The first thing I noticed was when you set up your account I didn't see any new icons. Come on Apple you couldn't have thrown in a few new ones. I am still an orange. I think I have been an orange since I got my first mac. So far I like the new finder. I guess Apple tried it out in itunes and liked the interface so much they extended it to finder. My airport extreme came up right away as did my husbands macs. So it looks like I have a long road ahead of me to re-install all my favorites. Oh and set up expose. I love expose...

...to be continued

Day two:
Setting up my mail accounts was easier than tiger. Apple Mail automatically knew how to set them up after I told them my name and password. Or at least they thought they knew how. If your on AOL you won't be able to delete mail unless you make this change:
go into Mail-Preferences-Accounts-Mailbox Behaviors-AOL, then uncheck the box under the Trash option that says, "Move deleted messages to trash mailbox."
And I got my first circle with a slash through it. Adium... but even though it looks like it won't run... it does. sike!

...to be continued

Windy Day in Glendale

2007-10-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

It was a windy day in Glendale yesterday. My Gazebo blew over and is bent up pretty bad.

A tree fell near my house. It sounded like a very slow break but very very loud. The tree across the street is holding it up. There were some workers on a scaffold who got the scare of a lifetime. But luckily no one was hurt. It does look like a squirrel lost his home.

Talk about stress

2007-10-10T23:06:00.000-04:00

Have you ever tried to apply for a grant? I volunteer for a non profit organization, which of course has no money. A few years ago a past president received a grant from an organization so now that I am president I had to fill out the forms.... Make 24 copies of it.... make 2 CD's with sample music.... form a budget for something that isn't gonna happen until summer '08.... I could go on, but basically its been 2 weeks of this crap and I've about had it. I'm turning it in tomorrow with my fingers crossed. But isn't there an easier way?? I went threw a ton of paper and ink! I am so far behind with everything else in my life this better be worth it!! To all my podcasts, my laundry, my dirty dishes, even my husband. Its almost done, I'll be back soon! Miss ya!! :)

Why I am an ass! Today :)

2007-10-01T21:21:00.000-04:00

Well, its official. I'm an ass. I was in Barnes & Noble yesterday and I saw an actor. Not just any actor but one that was hot!! And I couldn't remember what show he was on or what his name was. It was years ago that I would have seen him, maybe on a soap or a movie, but now because I didn't have the guts to go up to him its driving me crazy to figure out who he was. Black or dark brown hair, Shaggy and a pout. I think the reason I didn't want to go up to him would be because I would have turned 20 shades of red. I turned red just telling my husband. He kept pushing me to go up to him but I was terrified I would make a fool out of myself.

Update:
I figured out who he is. The more I thought about it, I kept remembering the pout and that he was on Days of our Lives. So I went searching and found out he played Tanner and his name is Michael Easton. WOW Here is his website http://www.michael-easton.com/ . I feel bad for his wife, she is georgeous, but image women like me always going up to your husband.

The Halo 3 Unboxing!

2007-09-25T01:10:00.000-04:00

The Halo 3 unboxing. Notice the sheet being held up to hide our messy house. :) Which now will not get cleaned until Halo 3 is complete.... Oh yea, we still haven't finished Bio Shock. AND when we were waiting for Halo 3 they gave us the list of upcoming games and Turok is on it!!! Can't wait for that one. I think thats the only reason we keep our old consoles around so we can still play it. So someday the house will be organized....

2007-09-25T00:15:00.000-04:00

Halo In Hand!!
Here is my husband, holding our copy of Halo 3. We are waiting for the bus.

waiting online for halo 3

2007-09-24T20:33:00.001-04:00

First pictures waiting online for halo 3 at queens center mall.

waiting online for halo 3

Doctors Waiting Game

2007-09-19T13:20:00.001-04:00

It should really be a crime to have to wait for over 2hrs in a doctors office when you have an appointment! Every doctor lately has huge wait times in the office on a regular bases. It can't always be emergencies and if it is your staff should make appointments with a bit a leeway just in case. Or if your office is running late, call your patients and say so. Be proactive about it. When I worked for an insurance office I used to know some of the offices really well and I heard so many excuses. That the price of malpractice insurance is so high I have to pack patients in the door just to make a living, or patients cancel so often I always double book and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.
And Don't Lie to Us.
I asked the girl when we got there about how long it would be, because my Grandmother had trouble sitting in hard chairs for very long. She said they were about 1/2 hour late because of emergencies. Well, I'm a talker, so I talked to the people in the waiting room. Everyone of them had already been there for over an hour and that they always have a couple hour wait. Unbelievable. When we finally saw the doctor I told him about it. He acted surprised and said he would talk to his staff but I don't believe him. If this was a doctor for me I would have left and told them why I was leaving.
Why do we put up with it?? How do they get away with treating us this way??? I never wait this long at a hair appt, are they better organized than doctors. A very scary thought!!

Wish list

2007-09-15T15:08:00.000-04:00

I heard about this board game via www.winginit3d.com and even though I haven't played boardgames in a while I really want to have it. http://www.rednecklife.us/

Secret homemade stain removers that kick butt.

2007-09-10T17:58:00.001-04:00

I have been trying to find an easy way to get rust off my sterling silver forks and this was great!

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Walgreens will fill that Ink Cartridge for FREE!

2007-09-10T17:43:00.001-04:00

Follow the link and print out a coupon to have Walgreens refill 1 ink cartridge for free!! Wow!!

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Spooky the cat

2007-09-09T04:31:00.001-04:00

Spooky the cat
Originally uploaded by cntrysigns

Always on her back our adorable little spooky.

Rest in Peace Spooky

2007-09-09T04:03:00.000-04:00

Anyone that has had a pet and lost one knows what we are going through right now. Today I lost my kitten Spooky. She was only with us for a short time but became such a part of our lives I don't know how we will get by without her. Last night she seemed to be having trouble passing a hairball. She had diarrhea but no blood so I thought it would just pass. Tonight she seems tired and we were going to go to the vet at 10am when they opened. That is my biggest regret. I should not have waited. At 2:30am I checked on her and I think she was gone. I got my Dad and my husband & we drove to the Animal hospital where they confirmed that she had passed. They of course can't tell me what happened to her unless we do an animal version of an autopsy which I think they said was a necropsy. Now I don't know what to do. My husband & I can't stop crying. It seem to come in fits. She was such a good cat. We will probably never know what killed her but I want her to know, where ever she is right now that we love her and we're sorry. I've said before that I would never do it again. That I didn't want to have this pain again. But I keep trying to remind myself and my husband that the short time of pain we are having right now does not erase all the love, comfort and laughter little spooky brought to our lives.

CntrySigns

Crafts in Chelsea

My "On the Record" Prediction for 9/1

Childhood Memories and Junk

BBGWWPW2010_Group.jpg

Babies Trailer for upcoming movie

Hubby & I chat at Starbucks

My First Community Board Meeting

Glendale garbage is getting out of hand

The Snow Leopard is charging...

Love these totally looks like entries....

Plans for the kittens....

Not a replacement....

R.I.P Osiris...

My predictions for tonights BSG...

I felt like an Alien....

What I miss from my Palm TX....

New = Organize...

What Reindeer Are you

Maybe my christmas card this year :)

I know its been awhile....

Vote for Chelsey Larkin!

Building of World Trade Center

Frank & Michelle's Special Dance

Rainbow over Glendale

Mac haters....

AVN Award show...

Sponsors who need to have a NASCAR car....

Treat others the way you would like to be treated....

A night at the Theater....

My Fairy Name...

The summer looks bleak....

Don't put children here.....

Thyroid Update...

My Dad was here.....

Changing my deodorant...

Iron Man Review....and spoiler

The whole house shook......

Yet another test...

I am having the worse luck lately.....

Step 2

Preparing for the worse....

TMI for most of my friends....

AeroGarden Day 25

Congestion pricing in NY.....

I like to think I would....

AeroGarden day 9

My new Waffle maker....

Star Wars Hugo the Cat with 1000 faces

Disgustingly beautiful....

I just want to be on the record.....

My AeroGarden

Happy Birthday to me.....

Happy pi day everyone...

Am I Secretly a Texan? :)

When I got married....

I wish i knew who did this to give credit.....

Re-posting What I want with what I have to do....

1 Comment

I'm a lucky wife....

Well that could be why I'm not pregnant....

We lose another hour....

Do you know your candy bars??

We expect so much....

Yankee or Dixie???

Ways I'm trying to make money and failing...

Moving posts from ning365

Seems its the year of twins...

Vets treat their patients better than Doctors.....

Sending the wrong message....

Review of Numbers League

From Toy Show floor

The start of my Toy Show day

There is more of my Married name....

How Many of Me...

Yarn Market Mag May-June 84

Seems we were all had....

Moving my blog....

Live everyday as if it were your last....

How Frozen Peas Started An Online Cancer-Awareness Movement