Baby Mort is a Boy!!!!

I cannot tell you how big of a relief it is that he is a boy. And the proof was definitive - we had a good shot of the tripod. Now comes the hard part....naming him, figuring out how to decorate the nursery, and of course figuring out whether or not to circumsize. That last one is a doozy.

Here are a couple sneak peaks of the little boy. Crazy to think this is growing inside me. I know I have a baby - but seeing it on the ultrasound again was a bit of a mind warp. I don't know why but I almost expected to see nothing in my belly - although it has been growing. And Mort was quite the active one during the ultrasound - at one point I was like - wasn't his head just over here on this side. The lady laughed and said yes, he is moving quite a bit. Why am I surprised. I fuly expect to have a little soccer player that will be kicking me constantly.

At least Baby Mort is a healthy baby. I guess he has long arms and legs, a nice round head and a chubby belly. They told me 84 percentile for size. Almost makes me a little nervous what he will eventually pop out at since he seems to have been a smidge bigger the whole way. But we aren't thinking about that day yet. I have a lot of days to go.

I have........

a banana. LOL

Well that is what the baby center place said any way. I have a one pound banana from head to toes. We have now moved into the arena where they measure the baby from head to toes instead of head to butt. I feel like I already have a 3 pound banana in there though. And Baby Mort has been stretching me quite a bit this past week. And if it weren't for the ultrasound confirming otherwise - I would swear I am having twins.

We find out tomorrow exactly "what" Baby Mort really is - aside from being the size of a banana that is. :) Waiting month to month to hear the heartbeat is a bit grueling at times. Mainly because I STILL do NOT feel ANYTHING!!!!!! I know Baby Mort is growing though cause my stomach is getting so big. So I at least feel confident that it is alright. I will tell you however, I am so glad to be finding out tomorrow so I can just start telling people what Baby Mort is and instead of listening to everyone in their mother guess at what it is. Really - I know it sounds weird, but it is sort of making my head spin. All these wives tales of what it is and why it is what it is....blah blah blah. Everyone has an opinion, the Chinese Conception calendar can't even get on the same page with itself and I have no clue whatsoever.

Soccer 101

Saw this in the Seattle Times and thought I would post it for you non-soccer die hards. All of it is accurate with the exception of the Cautions - you can get cautions for more than a fould....like for Dissent. Mouting off to the referee and telling him how full of crap he is at a certain call he made - that will get you booked too. But overall it is a good recap.

Soccer 101: Everything a new Sounders FC fan needs to know

By José Miguel Romero - Seattle Times staff reporter

A whole new breed of Seattle fan is filling the seats at Qwest Field for Sounders FC matches. Sounders FC soccer is the hottest team and the hottest ticket in Seattle, its first three home games sold out.

You want to be there to see just what the buzz is all about. You want to bask in the crowd at Qwest Field. You want to get tickets to this show on turf and shake a scarf, soccer's version of a rally towel or pompom.

Except there's one problem — you're new to the game, and your soccer knowledge goes no further then two nets, a ball and two teams kicking it back and forth until one team manages to score a goal.

Fear not, wannabe Seattle soccer enthusiast. This primer gives you enough basic knowledge of the game to feel like you can hang with the many knowledgeable fans sitting around you at Qwest Field. And we won't forget you, either, season-ticket holder and/or hoarse-voiced member of one of the supporters groups who loves Sounders FC and another club team in Europe with a passion. You have a place in this Soccer 101 course, too.

"Just engulf yourself in the beauty of the game," Sounders FC defender James Riley said when asked what advice he'd give to those new to the sport. "The game's very dynamic. There's no set plays. A lot of things happen on the fly.

"It's almost kind of like real life. You never know what's going to happen."


Five questions and answers for a new fan:

1. What does "F.C." stand for?
"Football Club." It's a nod to the European influence on the sport — top clubs in England, for example, use FC at the end of their names.

2. What's the most common question players get about the rules of soccer?
"What is offside?" Offside is called by an official when a player on the offensive does not have either the ball or two defensive players between him or her and the goal. It nullifies a lot of scoring chances and is sometimes a very close call.


3. Why does the game clock stop at 45 minutes and 90 minutes, even though the game is still going on?
The referee is the official timekeeper of the match, and can allow extra time (also called stoppage time or injury time) to the end of both halves if he or she feels it is warranted. So the game continues until the referee blows the final set of whistles that ends the half or game.

4. Why does the game end, even if the score is tied?
A winner does not need to be produced in a regular-season game. Ties, or draws, count in the regular-season standings, so if a team's record is 2-2-1, it has two wins, two losses and a tie. The draw is worth one point (three for a win, zero for a loss) and in MLS, playoff berths are determined by points in the final regular-season standings. Therefore, Sounders FC's nine points (three wins) is very important.

5. Why all the nonstop chanting and singing from the crowd?
That's how fans around the world show support for their team. No artificial sound effects, just natural, creative, original noise.


Five "Did You Knows?" for the avid fan:

• Did you know ... that Sounders FC defender Tyrone Marshall has the names of his four kids (Derby, Morgan, Marley and Kingston) tattooed near both shoulders and that he touches the tattoos and crosses himself every time he takes the pitch for a game?

• Did you know ... that midfielder Freddie Ljungberg puts his right shoe on first before a game? And that midfielder Steve Zakuani always listens to English rap and R&B before games?

• Did you know ... that coach Sigi Schmid has brought his scarf-wearing tradition over from his former team, the Columbus Crew? Schmid donned a scarf as a good-luck charm for every game, no matter the weather, as the Crew went on to win the MLS championship. He's worn a Sounders FC scarf of some type for every game. "That's something that really wasn't planned and something that sort of happened and evolved," Schmid said.

• Did you know ... that goalkeeper Kasey Keller doesn't have any pregame superstitions, preferring to follow the same routine before every match? "Repetition more than superstition," he said.

• Did you know ... the three officials on the field are able to communicate with one another with an earpiece and a receiver with an activation button attached to their sides? The head referee and the two assistant referees, who are the people on the sidelines with the out-of-bounds flags, use the communications devices for game purposes only.


Glossary

A glossary of soccer terms to impress your neighbor and help you can hang with the hardcores (some information taken from the "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Soccer"):

4-1-3-2: The player formation that Sounders FC has used to start games. The numbers refer to defenders, midfielders and forwards on the field from back to front, not including the goalkeeper. Seattle has used the following lineup in front of goalkeeper Kasey Keller — James Riley, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Tyrone Marshall and Zach Scott as defenders, Osvaldo Alonso as the defensive center midfielder in front of the defense, Steve Zakuani, Brad Evans and Sebastien LeToux as midfielders and Fredy Montero and Nate Jaqua at forward.

Corner kick: The reward for a ball that is knocked over the end (goal) line by the defense, which allows the attacking team an opportunity to place the ball in a corner near the opposing goal and kick it back into play. Some of the best goals come off corner kicks, as a high-arcing ball can be headed into the goal or some kind of chaos could ensue in front of the goal, with the ball finding its way in.

Throw-in: When the ball goes out of bounds along the sideline, the team that did not cause it to go out of bounds gets to inbound the ball with a two-handed toss from where it went out.

Penalties (penalty kicks): Free, non-defended kicks on goal that pit a shooter against the opposing goalkeeper, one-on-one, from a specifically marked spot in front of the goal. These are either the result of a foul in the goal box or used to determine the winning team of a match when one is required.

Center or cross: A pass from a player on the wings toward the middle intended for a teammate, usually in front of the goal.

Caution: A yellow-card warning issued to a player by the referee for a particularly hard foul. If another yellow card is issued, it results in a red card and the player is ejected. In MLS, once a player picks up his fifth yellow card, he is suspended one game, regardless of why or how the caution was given. At the eighth yellow card, another suspension, and at card No. 11, a third game. However, if a player goes three games without receiving a caution, he can have one of his previous cautions wiped away, but only once a season.

Own goal: When a defender knocks the ball into his own team's goal accidentally. It counts as a goal for the other team.

Tackle: To slide and steal the ball from an attacking player.

Nutmeg: Putting the ball through another player's legs.

Penalty box: 18-yard area in front of the goal within which a goalkeeper can use his hands to touch the ball. A foul here against an attacking player results in a penalty kick.

Foul: Contact ruled hard enough by the referee to award the ball to the team that was fouled.

Clean sheet: Soccer's version of a shutout, e.g, Kasey Keller has three clean sheets this season.

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company

Baby Mort

Man - that little baby ticker up there makes me happy on some days and sad on others. Happy when I feel progress that we are finally getting to the back half of this process and sad when I realize how much more I got to go. And anyone who enjoys being pregnant needs to be checked into a mental facility for evaluation. Anywho I thought I would post the first picture of me and Baby Mort. Not bad photography for an iPhone and an arm's length away that I couldn't even see eh?

5 months next week and we find out just exactly what Baby Mort will be. Girl? Boy? Don't even have a guess. I want a boy but always felt being a 4th generation first born female that the female was going to win out in that department. I guess we will just have to see which one of Tony's swimmer's made it there first. He initially felt it would be a girl but has been thinking about a boy more lately. We felt boy off the initial ultrasound, but I guess we shall see how good our guessing is soon enough.



Oh and no, I have not felt anything. :( But I am growing so I know it is still progressing.

No Pressure No Problem.....Intimidation

Ever wondered what it was like to go to a third world country wearing the jersey of your national team, competing in a World Cup Qualifying match where there is only 100 people on your side and 40,000 that hate you? Hoping the crowd doesn't decide to rush the field? Notice the big metal chain link fence around the crowd....Our boys came back from being down by two to tie it up in the last 15 minutes on the road in El Salvador.

My Witch Doctor

Do you ever get yourself in one of those situations where at first you think nothing about it and then afterwards you look back and think - that probably wasn't the wisest idea? Well that happened to me last week. I have been having problems with my back and it got so bad that a nerve pinched in my back and made it so I couldn't' walk. Even walking with crutches was excruciating. So I came into work on Friday, my boss noticed the crutches and immediately said I needed to go see his witch doctor. Not it really isn't a witch doctor - more of an energy healer. So we make the phone call and my boss tells me it is going to be $250 but he will pay for it. He whips out the money in cash and gives it to me. I go home and tell Tony about it and he immediately is not ok with it. I of course was like - but it might be someone who can help me - the optimist when it comes to my back. So because it was downtown in an office building that was closed on Saturday and I was going to be meeting with men I had never met and led in through a side door, my husband decided that he was going with. We get there and the Asian guy leads us in. It is one of those buildings set up of one and two man offices in an old old building.

So we sit down and the guy gives me a sheet of paper with 4 views of the body on it and tells me to write my name and two phone numbers to reach me on it. That was it. No paperwork, no filling out anything else. So a few minutes later this guy shows up at the door behind us and he kind of looks like a bum. It turns out he is the energy healer. So a few minutes after that we are led into a room that overlooks the building across the street. The energy healer guy walks in, the Asian guy walks in, and then two guys who I have no idea where they came from, also walked in. One was about my age - the other about 23. So here I am in a room with 4 other men aside from my husband - at this point I am very happy he is there because that is a bit of an intimidating thing. Apparently at one point he was pondering how he was going to beat everyone off with my crutches and grab me and make a run for it he felt so sketched out.

The Asian guy throughout the whole process touches me at various points on my back, while the energy healer guy presses on points on my front and then has the younger guys "hold" their fingers at certain other points on my body. At first you would think it was an acupressure type of situation, but the reality is it they weren't pressing hard enough to really do anything. At some point through this process the guy about my age goes and sits in the chair behind me and apparently starts meditating. And through it all, the energy healer would say things like - yes, yes, it is releasing. Do you feel that? And then the Asian guy would say - her breathing has changed - and the young guy would say, her pulse has changed. Or - she got taller. Now there were a couple times I thought - I think I do feel a little better, but other times I was like - I don't feel shit and I really just don't know what to say about this. So I would just nod and smile a little bit. After an hour he then adjusts my neck - which in hind sight was probably not wise since I don't even think this guy was licensed. And really - my neck has been sore ever since. So after an hour and half, he finally puts me face down on the table to address my back.

He had previously said all my problems were stemming from my feet and that I was a mess. Ok. So I am now on my stomach and that is of course not very fun. He starts shaking my low back which of course has me dying. At various points he tries to force my low back to do something or shift in place - remember - I was not going to a chiropractor - but an energy healer - so this was a bit odd for me. He then at some point started banging on my upper back with his fist so hard that Tony just about came unglued at this point. I'm actually surprised I don't have a bruise. But I was also trying not to laugh when it was happening - cause I have never had anyone beat on my back before.

In the end he had me get off the table and walk. My walking was really the same as when I came in - but of course he tried to make it seem like it was better cause I technically wasn't walking with my crutches. But I could have walked into that office without my crutches - it just would have still been painful. So the pain was about the same. At that point it was kind of like - ok I think I just want to agree with anything so I can get out of here.

So the session ends and we go with the Asian guy to schedule another appointment cause the guys said I needed to be seen again before he left in a few days (apparently he didn't live here anymore and wouldn't be back for 5 weeks). So we scheduled it for Monday and then i mention something about payment. The Asian guy tells me it will be $550. Excuse me I said. five hundred and fifty dollars? Yes he said. I was told it would be $250. No he said, my boss goes to the other guy who was on vacation and his rate was $175 an hour. The guy I saw was that guys "master teacher" and his rate was $300 an hour because the skill level was so much better. Are you for real? $300 an hour? Honestly people, for $550, I expect Jesus to come down from on high and give me a freaking miracle. And I was not feeling like a miracle had been worked. I said to the guy - well I only have $250. So he goes and talks to the energy healer and comes back and says - oh well he will take $350. I', like - well I still only have $250 - I don't have money like my boss. SO he tells me that we can do a payment plan and that it really is on the honor system - cause they only take cash. So I give him the $250 and away we go. After hours of reflection on it, my husband decided I was not going back there. He has seen too many of those first 48 shows about dumb deaths and was like - that was just not something he could handle and it was just too sketchy of a deal. My boss when he found out about the money was pretty pissed off. So we cancelled the appointment and did not go back. I am walking but not great and it is speculation on whether the energy healer really made me better or not. In the end, I am glad I have a husband that is not as trusting as I.

I Got Beefs

Mt two beefs today are this:

1. The Ponzi Schemers
2. Child Support Payouts

The Ponzi schemers have me pissed because it is a representation to me of what is wrong with a human being. A representation that someone can intentionally defraud someone while under the guise of a trusted and more intelligent individual handling someone's money, do it with a smile on their face and clearly have no conscious about their actions.
Stanford Financial Group - Allegedly swindles up to $8 billion.
Bernard Madoff's Investment Firm - Allegedly swindles up to $50 billion

Seriously - how do they sleep at night? At least in Madoff's case, it looks like he will probably rot in jail and die there since he is 70. And that gives me some solace that karma does come back on you.


Child Support Payments - tell me you think this is ridiculous.
Russell Simmons to Pay $40K Child Support a Month - Simmons has agreed to pay child support for daughters, Ming, 9, and Aoki, 6, of $20,000 each per month until the girls turn 19. Simmons also agreed to provide a new car, worth at least $60,000, for the children's use, until they turn 16. The car will be replaced every three years.

Now this is just another demonstration on how the child support system is broken. Can someone explain to me how it costs $20K/a month per child for this woman to raise and care for her child? I think it is fair to say that most people don't even come close to spending $20k a YEAR to raise their child. And how is it that the children need at least a luxury car to chauffeur them around and of course needs to be replaced every 3 years? My car is still pretty good after 5 years.

The notion that child support payments should be handled based on the income of the main parent that does not get the children is a bit beyond me. Because how is it that a low income earner may only have $300 a month in payments to make, but another person has to shell out a whole lot more????? Child support is supposed to be about ensuring the basic needs of the child are met - not outrageous things a child doesn't need. So what would my plan be you ask? Something more along the lines of: what is the custody arrangement? if it is 50/50 - then to me, no payments to anyone should be made. Health insurance should be made based on the best health plan and the parent who has to pay the premium, should get a 50% payment from the other parent. Otherwise, a lump sum of money (based on a reasonable sliding scale with $2k a month cap) is decided on as what will constitute the care of the child over the course of the remaining amount of years until the child reaches 18. The total fee is then assessed against the custody arrangement of the parents. The parent that has less custody will then have to pay the other parent a sum based on the offsetting custody time and how the money corresponds based on that time.

Controversial Topic

Yesterday there was a news article discussing the legalization of Marijuana in the State of California as a way to claw themselves out of debt. According to various politicians they have deduced that the state could save over $1 billion in law enforcement expenses and effectively also incur $1 billion annually in tax revenues which would would get California not only back on track financially but headed toward a positive financial status.

So the question of the day is - would you rather see a state (that could be considered in the top 10 economies in the world if it was a country) go into financial disrepair and causing the federal government to further climb into a hole it might not be able to get out of, OR would you rather the State move forward with this plan if in the end it means a self sufficiency of the state causing a severe decrease in dependence on the federal government IE the general taxpayer = you and your money?

Is your view of this so jaded that it is constricted to the simple notion that you have grown up with this idea being illegal, OR can you see the benefits of law enforcement efforts being spent on more serious issues of concern and at the same time cracking down on drug cartels ability to make money on this crop?

Can you handle the notion if it is controlled - even by the state as in the case of alcohol (like in the bible belt)OR is this something you just cannot get past because of prior bias?

Thought provoking for sure isn't it?

My Boy Bradley

Can you say GO USA!!!! Go Michael Bradley!

US beat Mexico in a World Cup Qualifier on Wednesday 2-0. That of course had my boy Bradley scoring BOTH goals! And he was awesome!!!!! A reporter likened his play to that of a rabid doberman - and I have to agree. He was everything we needed in the midfield that day. He's #4 in the picture.

Perspective Round II

Remembering days of my youth and that tale of Chicken Little running around saying the sky is falling the sky is falling is what brings to mind the most recent spate of incidents that have most rationale people scratching their heads.

1. Executive Pay/Compensation
President Barack Obama on Wednesday imposed $500,000 caps on senior executive pay for the most distressed financial institutions receiving federal bailout money, saying Americans are upset with "executives being rewarded for failure." The move comes amid a national outcry over huge bonuses going to executives heading companies seeking taxpayer dollars to remain afloat. The desire for limits was reinforced by revelations that Wall Street firms paid more than $18 billion in bonuses in 2008 even amid the economic downturn and the massive taxpayer-dollar infusion into their industry.

GOOD!

2. Wells Fargo forgoes Las Vegas junket
Wells Fargo abruptly canceled a pricey Las Vegas casino junket for employees Tuesday after a torrent of criticism that it was misusing $25 billion in taxpayer bailout money. The company initially defended the trip after The Associated Press reported it had booked 12 nights beginning Friday at the Wynn Las Vegas and the Encore Las Vegas, two of the Strip's most expensive hotels.

But within hours, investigators and lawmakers on Capitol Hill had scorned the bank, and the company canceled. The conference is a Wells Fargo tradition. Previous all-expense-paid trips have included helicopter rides, wine tasting, horseback riding in Puerto Rico and a private Jimmy Buffett concert in the Bahamas.

Initially, the company indicated it had no plans to cancel.

"Recognition events are still part of our culture," spokeswoman Melissa Murray said Tuesday afternoon.

On Capitol Hill, however, some lawmakers were incensed.

"Let's get this straight: These guys are going to Vegas to roll the dice on the taxpayer dime?" said U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., who sits on the House Financial Services Committee. "They're tone deaf. It's outrageous."

The trip was to come on the heels of this week's announcement that Wells Fargo lost more than $2.3 billion in the last three months of 2008.

"In light of the current environment, we have now decided to cancel this event as well," the company said Tuesday night in a news release that also said it had never planned to use taxpayer bailout money for the trip.

Corporate culture? That phrase needs to be chucked out the window. And don't give me that - funds weren't going to be used for the fun stuff. Well if you have funds to do that stuff - why do you need money from the government. If I am wondering about how I am going to afford to eat - I don't go out to eat and drop $80 McFly.

3. AIG and Spa Treatments
Corporate retreats have attracted criticism since the bank bailout last fall. Congress scolded insurance giant American International Group (AIG) for spending $440,000 on spa treatments for executives just days after the company took $85 billion from taxpayers. AIG has since canceled all such outings.

Is it just me or don't you think the execs could have afforded the spa treatments on their own dime?????

4.Automakers pleading for money yet flying in corporate jets
A couple months ago the CEO's of the big three automakers all flew to DC to meet with lawmakers to request funding in which $26 billion was requested and granted. And in doing so - all three flew separately.......in their own private corporate jet. A month later - they flew commercial.

God forbid you have to mix with the lowly people at the public airport and fly in a commercial jet. Oh how does one survive?

5. Citigroup and a new corporate jet
A few days ago it was revealed that Citigroup acting under pressure from Capitol Hill decided to cancel the purchase of a new corporate jet costing about $50 million. They received about $45 billion in bailout funds.

Same statement as above.

6. Merrill Lynch Chief Executive John Thain has suggested to directors that he get a 2008 bonus of as much as $10 million.
Merrill was arguably saved from extinction when it agreed to merge on September 15, an hour before Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. The fear was that Merrill could be next if shareholders and trading partners fled, as many did at Lehman and the former Bear Stearns. Mr. Thain has said he deserves a bonus because he helped avert what could have been a much larger crisis at the firm.

Luckily the request was withdrawn after public opinion scorched him on this. But what an arrogant SOB.

7. WaMu CEO Gets 20 Million payout as bank fails after working 17 Days
WaMu threw a $7.5 million bonus at Fishman when it hired him on Sept. 8, and guaranteed him an immediate cash severance of $11.6 million — both of which he gets to keep. He also was eligible for annual bonuses of up to 365 percent of his annual base pay — set at $1 million — to go with millions of shares of company stock. Fishman does lose out on a big bonus that would have kicked in had he remained on the job through 2009. Documents show WaMu was going to pay their new boss $8 million to simply not screw up and get fired — all negotiated as the Seattle-based banking giant's loses climbed to an estimated $20 billion.

I don't even know how to respond to this one.

--------------------------

Is it just me? What do these people not get? Have they really gotten so high up on their perch that they just cannot see beyond their nose and the reality of what needs to happen vs "keeping" a corporate culture alive? I bet in reality - the people that lost their jobs at Wells would have preferred that the money be allocated back to keeping them employed vs being spent on others getting to party it up. At a time when so many people are losing their jobs and unable to find work - of any kind. The thoughts and despair of how one is going to feed their children, afford to shelter their family, go through the shame of not being able to live their life how they had planned and worked hard for. The thought that retirement in a few short years is now a distant memory. Vacations? What is that? There aren't any more vacations. Not unless you consider roughing it for the weekend in the mountains. I spoke to a colleague the other day who told me that he knows tons of Harvard graduated executives that can't even get a sniff of a job anywhere. Resumes that are impeccable and in a normal economy would have employers salivating to hire these people.

And yet the people at the top who were so desperately pleading to have their companies saved and to give them money because it is a viable thing to do for the economy - and yet they can't make the correct decisions regarding company funds as clearing illustrated above.

I love the fact that if you receive taxpayer money - the executives now don't get their loads of money like they previously did. Serves them right. TO be morally irresponsible and completely irrational in the face of an economic crisis is beyond my comprehension to understand. Some of the statements above have me wondering how did these people get to BE at the top of the pyramid? I hope you are as incensed as I am about this. It really is reprehensible.

Perspective

Compliments of Momma Lori

A letter from the Boss:

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country.

However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.

First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a Back Story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.

However, what you don't see is the BACK STORY :

I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends go t jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... you never realize the Back Story and the sacrifices I've made.

Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.

Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds.

Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.

The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.

Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the eco nomy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.

So where am I going with all this?

It's quite simple.

If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more.

Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs wi ll be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about....

Signed, THE BOSS

US MNT 08 Review and 09 Fixtures

As we have now ended the 08 year and entered 09, here is a great little video about the MNT goals in review.

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What does 09 hold for us? A tough year. We start off by competing in a friendly next week against Sweden - most likely with our MLS based players only. Then in February we start the next round of World Cup qualifying against Mexico - but in OH since they don't like the cold. This summer we will hit up the Confederations Cup in South Africa which is a prelim to the World Cup next summer. There we will play Egypt, Brazil and Italy. Can you say - OMG. But I would rather we play them in the Confederations Cup than the World Cup! By sometime this summer, we should have qualified as one of the three spots to go to the World Cup - let's just hope we take the top spot in order to get a good seed. Right around the Confederations Cup we will take a group of MLSers to the Gold Cup.

It will be quite the busy year! But I can't wait! I will be busy watching the games from the comfort of my own home while wearing my new Michael Bradley US jersey - Christmas compliments from the hubby. Isn't he so supportive. :)

Abstinence-only sex education has totally failed the nation's teens

This goes in line with those "Purity Balls" which IMO walk a fine line of being mentally sick and disturbing behavior exhibited by fathers.

By Ellen Goodman

Syndicated Columnist

BOSTON — The statistic in the newest research about teens who pledge abstinence. The majority not only break the pledge, they forget they ever made it.

This study of teens and pledges comes from Johns Hopkins researcher Janet Rosenbaum, who took a rigorous look at nearly 1,000 students. She compared teens who took a pledge of abstinence with teens of similar backgrounds and beliefs who didn't. She found absolutely no difference in their sexual behavior, or the age at which they began having sex, or the number of their partners.

In fact, the only difference was that the group that promised to remain abstinent was significantly less likely to use birth control, especially condoms, when they did have sex. The lesson many students seemed to retain from their abstinence-only program was a negative and inaccurate view of contraception.

This is not just a primer on the capacity for teenage denial or the inner workings of adolescent neurobiology. What makes this study important is simply this: "virginity pledges" are one of the ways that the government measures whether abstinence-only education is "working." They count the pledges as proof that teens will abstain. It turns out that this is like counting New Year's resolutions as proof that you lost 10 pounds.

We have been here before. And before that. And before that.

When he was running for president, George W. Bush promised, "My administration will elevate abstinence education from an afterthought to an urgent goal." Over the past eight years, a cottage industry of "abstinence-only-until-marriage" purveyors became a McMansion industry. Funding increased from $73 million a year in 2001 to $204 million in 2008. That's a grand total of $1.5 billion in federal money for an ideology in search of a methodology. And half the states refused funds to pay for sex mis-education.

By now, there's an archive of research showing that the binge was a bust. Programs mandated to teach only "the social, psychological and health gains (of) abstaining from sexual activity" and to warn of the dangers of having sex have been awarded failing grades for truth and effectiveness. As Rosenbaum says, "Abstinence-only education is required to give inaccurate information. Teens are savvy consumers of information and know what they are getting."

Our national investment in abstinence-only may not be a scam on the scale of Bernie Madoff. But this industry has had standards for truth as loose as some mortgage lenders. It manufactures a product as ill-suited to the environment as the SUV. All in all, abstinence-only education has become emblematic of the rule of ideology over science.

The sorry part is that sex education got caught in the culture wars. It has been framed, says Bill Albert of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, as a battle between "those who wanted virginity pledges and those who wanted to hand out condoms to 14-year-olds."

Meanwhile, six in 10 teens have sex before they leave high school and 730,000 teenage girls will get pregnant this year. We see them everywhere from "Juno" to Juneau — or to be more accurate, Anchorage, where Sarah Palin, advocate of abstinence-only education, just became an unplanned grandparent.

The overwhelming majority of protective parents don't want a political battle. They want teens to delay sex and to have honest information about sexuality, including contraception. The programs that work best combine those lessons.

Soon Congress and the new administration will be asked to ante up again for abstinence-only programs. As Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood says, abstinence-only education was "an experiment gone awry. We spent $1.5 billion and can't point to a single study that says this helps. If it doesn't help, why fund it?"

Teens are not the only masters of denial. But we are finally stepping back from the culture wars. We are, with luck, returning to something that used to be redundant — evidence-based science. That's a pledge worth signing ... and remembering.

People Who Can't Drive

Better them than me!!! This is why I opted to Work From HOME. Taken by a coworker the other day outside his condo. Oh and I just read a report today that said Seattle uses rubber blades to plow - genius!!!!

SNOW DAYS

We got over 10 inches of snow in Seattle!!!! Don't believe me? Take a look. This is our back deck railing.



And here is me measuring the snow on our back deck. Yes that says 10 inches.



Here is the front area. Notice the walk and drive had been cleared a little bit before the snow stopped?



And then do you see the round bushes to the left. Now look to the right - can't tell there is any type of landscaping beneath that snow eh?



I have to tell you - it has been crazy how a city of several million has just shut down completely!!! And because of it - I have had the pleasure of working from home. I feel like I am back in school I have been home for so long and I'm not "taking days off". Tomorrow I believe I will try to brave the roads and get into work though. Wish me luck!!

Santa Kitty

Here is the adorable hat I bought for my kitty.



And this is what she thinks of the hat...



I'll see if I can get a picture or video of her in the hat.

Put Your Man in the Doghouse

LMAO This is just priceless.......

See What Life is Like in the Doghouse

Luckily - I won't be putting my guy in the doghouse.

So this is what it will be like to be a parent.....

How was your Turkey Day? I hope it went well. Let's just say that mine will definitely be one to remember.

You know how you just know the behaviors of your pet or child and when something is amiss? Well that is how it all started for me on Thanksgiving Day. I was sleeping in. Bambi decided for whatever reasons to start messing with the blinds in the bedroom, causing me to get a little annoyed. Typically she only ever wakes Tony up, not mommy. But then, I hear a noise that my little ears perk up at and register in my little brain that says - that is odd. So I sit up, only to see my fluffy bunny sitting in our big black chair......staring at me. What is odd is that she doesn't EVER get in that chair. The second odd thing was she was giving me...the stare down.

The stare down is an intentional stare she gives me where she refuses to look away (admitting that she might be guilty of something) and where she holds her ground on the stare. Like the stare is the most important thing she is communicating with me at that moment. It kind of is like a belligerent teenager giving you the stare down of "oh yeah? watcha gonne do to me?" And you may think I am a bit weird, but the reality is Bambi is an attention whore. YEAH I SAID IT! (Thank you Chris Rock) Truly she is though. If she catches you looking at her, it is an open invitation for her to come over and try to find a way for you to give her some love and attention. But by purposefully giving you the stare down and NOT coming over, is how mommy can deduce that something isn't right here. So realizing very quickly that I am indeed getting the stare down......I look at her squatty little legs and realize......they are just a bit farther apart than her normal sit.

OMG.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

At that point I throw the covers off of me and start for the chair and Bambi.

She holds her ground - another ominous indication that she is indeed doing what I think she is doing. Grabbing my big fat cat (who apparently is a healthy 17 pounds)I pull her off the chair and throw her outside the door of the bedroom. Then, I do the mommy test. Yeah you know what I am talking about. I turn the light on, walk over to the chair, don't see anything right away, bend down and take a good whiff.

Hmmmm........I don't smell anything. I pick up the shirt that she was sitting on and find......a nice new wet stain. But something isn't right. The stain is not exactly that perfect urine color. Instead, it almost looks a bit red. At this point I start walking outside and down the stairs calling Tony. As I am doing so, I realize that there are cherry koolaid looking spots and puddles......down the stairs.......and into the hallway.

WTF?

After a short conversation with my husband in which he tells me she was in and out of the cat box 5 times over the course of the night - which is very odd, we then look at Bambi's rear, only to find it nice and bloody. Yummy huh? And then, I do the mommy freak out.

WHY oh WHY is my Bambi bleeding from her tata????? And on Thanksgiving day of all days. Luckily, nobody was coming over, so it was just Tony and I's disruption.

So among the next 20 minutes of dressing, grabbing the kitty, cleaning up blood stains, calling the vet who of course is CLOSED - but giving us an emergency Vet to go to.....we finally get in the car and are on our merry way.

Two hours later of waiting for our kitty to be taken back to be seen......I have seen other animals come in and get taken back while I am there waiting. Now there was a sign that said I could wait for up to 2 hours if there are more important animal emergencies that come through the door. But please tell me how a dog that has arthritis and is in pain is more important than MY Bambi who is bleeding from her TATA?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! So I cried. Of course. And then my husband did the good husband thing and went up to the front desk people and got them to tell us how much longer we were going to have to wait. After a phone call and two minutes of waiting, someone showed us back. We waited for about another 30-45 minutes in the room - but that was ok because at least I felt progress.

Finally the vet came in and examined her and deduced that she had a urinary tract infection. So we got some kitty dope and antibiotics (that tasted like banana cause apparently cats like banana flavor - who knew?). So over 3 hours and $300 later we finally came home to put the turkey in the oven.

We of course spent the next 3 days dealing with the flufster and all of her not feeling good woe which resulted in us holing her up in the master bathroom - which she trashed. But last night it seemed she was over the worst of it and so we gave her a good bath, cleaned the bathroom and finally got a decent night's sleep. I guess Bambi prepped us for things to come when we have a kid. How nice of her eh?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well Duh...McFly

It's official: US is in recession

"WASHINGTON – The U.S. economy has been in a recession since December 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday.

The White House commented on the news that a second downturn has officially begun on President George W. Bush's watch without ever actually using the word "recession," a term the president and his aides have repeatedly avoided. The decision on the recession means that during the eight years that Bush has been in office, the country has seen two recessions. The first downturn lasted from March 2001 until November of that year.

Many economists believe the current downturn will last until the middle of 2009, and will be the most severe slump since the 1981-82 recession."

Hmmmmmmm......from what I have been hearing, we aren't going to start seeing the light of day until mid 2010 to 2011. Of course we wouldn't want to spark any more fear into the public y being honest or anything. And people wonder why other people lie......

Happy Halloween

Of course I did not disappoint this year. I was the ONLY person on the block that actually decorated my house. It was actually quite funny as all the little kids wanted to know if the INSIDE of the house was as scary as the outside. At any rate it was definitely a hit - and with the parents as well - cause people were actually taking pictures of my house! LOL Here are some pics to show you my Halloween decorating. Oh and I got about 30 kids btw. They have to walk up a long hill to get to my place - so I always want to make sure they have a cool house and good candy when they get here. What unfortunately doesn't show up real well is that we also had orange lights in our patio light fixtures so there was an extra special glow. - So you will just have to imagine that part of the scary factor.

No it's not Bagheera! But I do wish my black cat would be a good Halloween kitty for me.



Here is my cemetary - it's not nearly as cool as Momma Lori's cemetary - but Tony did take a really good picture.



Last year my leaves were already off the tree - but since they were late in dropping this year - I was able to stick a skeleton hand in the tree grabbing for the graveyard sign - I know.....I'm creative, what can I say?



And because it really is about the nuances..... mice on skeletons, snakes crawling around at you, the glowing hanging cauldron hidden behind spider webs, spider webbing on the shrubs......















And here is the crazy doctor at the morgue waiting to cut up more people. :)

The 411

I don't know if any of this is true or not....but it sure sounds interesting and as if it could be - so I thought I would share. It's about 5 minutes long.

What Does it All Mean?

Atlas Shrugged

And so the shift begins......

3 Black Mondays in 3 Weeks
- September 15
- September 29
- October 8

AIG Wants More Billions

State Unemployment Funds Drying up

600,000 + Jobs Losses in 2008 alone

The Global Recession

Food and gas prices go up


We are already in a full blown recession, the question is, will we go through the second great depression....I sure didn't see it happening in my lifetime - but our economy is on the verge of collapsing - and the end is not over.

It Took Awhile BUT

FINALLY KARMA CAME BACK ROUND! 13 years to the day he was acquitted

OJ - GO ROT YOU POS - GUILTY ON ALL 12 COUNTS!!!!!!!

I still love Mr Goldman's response of what his wish would be - that OJ got a jail cell that was a 3x3x6 cell that had a small window that faced a golf course - so he could stare at that course every day knowing he would NEVER get to Golf scot free again!

15 year minimum on one count of kidnapping- he's 60 years old - he is going to die in that cell and that is a very good thing. I will sleep better tonight.

My Kitties are Good to Go!

Bagheera was first in mastering the box - as I thought he would be. He is the smarter of the two of them. And Bambi has now finally come along. She did the hold it thing for awhile - but I think she realized mommy wasn't messing around. And of course my stubbornness that she WILL master the box - worked. It's just like kids. Sometimes it is so easy to want to just cater to what they want to do or what you think is easier for them - but in the end it is better if you don't. And I can honestly tell you how happy I am that I did NOT cave for her. And she has finally figured out how to NOT get her tail stuck in the flap as she exits.

Now This is Just Retarded

I swear I did not get this from The Onion.

PETA Urges Ben & Jerry's To Use Human Breast Milk

Sick, sick, sick

Don't they have better things to do?

And you thought I was kidding...

Here is the pet door we cut from the house to the garage...



Here is what the box looks like in the garage....



And here is the inside of the box....



Yes I know....... cat owners aroudn the world are jealous of my contraption. And I know it will be one of those "add ons" for when people build their homes - would you like a cat box in the garage with that?

I Spy.......

cat shit.........on my couch.

Yes, that would be my little spiteful Bambarelli that left that treat for mommy to find. Thanks Bambs. I love you too.

Follow Up Post

An excerpt from a blog entry by Jay Demerit - a back up central defender for our Mens National Team.

Guatemala was a true test for us, considering we hadn't won there in over 20 years. The Guatemalans tried everything to disrupt us. From messing up our training schedules, to the fans throwing beer bottles at the bus on the way to the stadium, and also not letting us through the entrance gate. Even two hours before the game, the stadium was packed with fans booing and whistling at us. When we checked the field to see what studs we would wear for game time, they even launched coins and other projectiles. They also had Gatorade girls positioned right next to our benches for distraction. I know I was distracted! They tried everything, but to be honest, no one was fazed and we weathered the storm as a team, seeing off a 1-0 win, and a great start to our bid for 2010.

US Beats T & T

Ok so this is a bit late in posting - but I have been a bit busy. US ended the first half of their CONCACAF qualifying run by beating Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 in Chicago. My boy drew first blood in the 9th minute with a superb game winning goal indicative of his season with Heerenveen. He once again was outstanding in the match. The US look to take on the Guatemalans and Cuba on home soil and T&T at home in the second half of qualifying over the next couple of months so I will keep you posted of their success. The reality of it is though they currently sit atop the group with 9 points and really only need to win one more match to secure their spot to the semi final round of qualifying.

GO USA!

My Boy Rocks!

As a typical fan would do - I troll through the internet reading stuff about how people felt about our MNT performances. And not surprisingly there is a lot of retards out there that spew a whole bunch of crap. For example: I don't know why Bob Bradley continues to put Michael out there as he sucks. His passing is awful and he isn't displaying any of the attacking abilities he did in Holland.

Oh yeah. How about this you haters -> from US Soccer

Not only did midfielder Michael Bradley attempt the most passes with 89 (not surprising for a center mid), he also completed 97% of them. Impressive stuff from the 21-year-old. Brian Ching also completed 97% of his 38 attempts.

And to see more data on the match and how our boys did from a stats perspective

US vs Cuba

So take that!

On the Road

I have mentioned previously when our US MNT goes on the road that they don't exactly experience shangra-la. Here is an exerpt from US Soccer and former players that will help give you some perspective.

"There are a lot of issues that complicate World Cup qualifying,” said Arena. “From short preparation time, travel for players from different continents, the different levels of fitness in your group and the climate, all these factors add up. When you put that all together, it's never easy.”

Defender Marcelo Balboa, who played in 10 qualifiers during his career from 1989-1997, has plenty of experience with road games that often present a tougher match up on the field than they do on paper.

“You have to get on a plane, play in a hostile environment and deal with the fans,” said Balboa. “This is for the World Cup. It means a lot to the federations and to the players, and the bottom line is that they find energy and ways to make games hard.”


TRAVEL

Many different factors present a challenge to a road team, but add in the fact that a large portion of the U.S. National Team is based in Europe and therefore have to make the long journey back to the Western hemisphere and a difficult task becomes even more tough. Long-time U.S. defender Tony Sanneh, who has 16 qualifying caps to his name, realizes the difficulties of traveling across the globe.

“We have a much bigger European base now and a large portion of our team is flying all the way in from Europe while a lot of the teams we play are based domestically,” said Sanneh. “The standard of living isn’t what we’re used to, neither is the food or the quality of the fields. Adding all those things together can honestly be a recipe for failure.”


SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

Guatemala has long been considered one of the most difficult places in the region to play, and the U.S. has not fared well in the Central American country, holding a 1-4-3 record there leading into the August 20 matchup.

Sanneh was part of the squad that earned a 1-1 draw in Mazatenango, Guatemala on July 16, 2000 during the qualifying rounds leading up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He knows the challenges of playing there first hand.

“When we played in Guatemala, they put us very far away from Guatemala City in a smaller stadium, so it was in the mountains where it was very hot,” said Sanneh. “There were cars driving around at night making noise and keeping us awake throughout the night.”

“One time before a game, we got stuck in an elevator because they turned off the power, said Balboa. “Another time they had horns and radios blaring outside our hotel all night. Sometimes the fire alarm goes off at 3 a.m. and keeps going off all night.”


GAME DAY

When arriving at a visiting stadium, the Americans don’t always receive a warm welcome. Some adversity is environmental – unfamiliar weather, tiny locker rooms and bumpy fields.

“It was over 100 degrees,” said Sanneh, recalling his experience in Guatemala. “The game started off okay, but then we got a little overheated and they scored a goal on a rebound. We were probably a better team that day, but the conditions were very difficult.”

Other game-day factors include the fans, whether they’re loud, offensive, throwing objects onto the field or all of the above.

“It’s hard to describe what it’s like to step on that field,” said Balboa. “What you have to realize is that countries like Cuba have only one shot every four years to try to qualify, and if they do that just one time it would mean everything to their country and their people.”

With stadium renovations in Havana, Cuba, being completed as game day approached, the lights at Estadio Pedro Marrero went out completely during the teams’ warm up. Both teams also dealt with a less-than-ideal surface that took some time to adjust to, especially with heavy rains pouring down throughout the game.

“It was a tough game,” said forward Clint Dempsey. “Obviously both teams had to play with (the field conditions), but it wasn’t a flat surface. Even if you hit a good pass, the ball can bounce up on you and when it’s slick, too, that just adds on top of it. I thought in the first half neither team did too well with the conditions.”
“You can’t go somewhere and try to play pretty soccer when the ball doesn’t take a true bounce, or you’re playing in two feet of water,” said Sanneh. “Your job is to go there and win the game. It has to be workmanlike and businesslike. You have to be willing to walk away from these games at 1-0.”

Kitty Box Update

SO I am sure you are wondering - how are the cats doing with their trendy new cat box eh? Well let's see, since I last informed you, it appears that Baggy has figured out how to escape the box without getting his tail slammed in it - which has helped him in going in the box. He originally was meowing to us (what a good boy) when he had to go - thereby leading us to stuffing him in the box. As of last night - we made the decision to have the door down full time and deal with whatever .....accidents....... might occur.

Then there is Bambi. My beautiful fluffy bunny who is a little shit. Bagheera is the older and smarter cat. He has no problem saying - HEY PEOPLE I need to GO and you have BLOCKED ME. He also is much more intuitive as to - I know that is where I need to go, now how do I go about doing it. Bambi on the other hand, well she is not the sharpest tool in the shed. SO Sunday morning as I was sitting on the couch doing some work, I hear my fluffball leap up on the black leather couch to the left of me. My first inclination is that she doesn't normally jump up there - but I shrugged it off and paid attention to my computer as it looked like she was just circling the seat to find a comfortable spot to sit. And then I heard an all too familiar sound after she found her spot........you know the one........the paw, paw, paw, pawing of a cat foot on something. As my ears perk up, knowing the signals, my rational brain is contradicting my inner voice. But I look anyway. As I am staring at her - once again my senses are contradicting themselves as I see her look at me, spread her short fat little legs, squat her but down and then comes the sound that overrides anything,

Psssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Like a flash I am up out of my chair and on that little furball. Grabbing her and running toward the cat box - meanwhile screaming at her like I have lost my mind. She of course is growling at me the whole time. Like I care at that point. So I stuff her in that box. She comes out. I stuff her in it again. She comes out again. I stuff her in that box again! She finally gives me her grumpy stare down from the other side of the door and turns and goes in one of the boxes.

I return to then be irked about the mess I have to clean up. The reality of it is - she was being spiteful. And in some ways - I was lucky she did it on the couch instead of the microfiber couch or the floor. It was easy to clean up and I made sure to add some pine sol to make her never want to go there again! But it still was frustrating - because she knows where she is supposed to go.

Needless to say - we are struggling a little bit with the door. They now both get out just fine. Getting them to go in on their own however is the tough part. So we have reverted to a familiar exercise we all learned in psych class in high school - a little Pavlov's Dog routine. So now - if they do their business in the box - even if we had to shove them through, they get the one thing they both crave.........the hair brush. And of course lots of positive reinforcement. Bambi still has not mastered the cat door not slamming her tail at the end when she comes out - but I think after it happens enough times - she will figure out what she needs to do. I can't baby her forever on this.

So we shall see if I have any fun surprises when I come home tonight. Here is to hoping they did what they are supposed to do.

FM squared

Couple good videos on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The first one gives a good recap of their roles. The second is the plan.

Video 1

The Plan

History Being Made Part 2

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have been seized.

The Government Takes over Two Pillars of Our Economy

Why is this history? Well, because this has not only never been done before, but these two companies were established so this would hopefully never have to happen. But as typical corporate America will play out, when you have people that get a little too money hungry and not acting in the public best interest - you have these things happen. If you don't remember, Fannie Mae had a massive accounting scandal about 5 years ago. And they have been a government sponsored (chartered) enterprise, yet they are also a public company. Get your head around that concept. I personally don't think a government chartered entity should also be allowed to be a public entity but that is my own personal opinion. However, this has major impacts to our economy and of course my industry.

As I sit back and watch my industry implode, it amazes me that I still have a job. I am thankful that I have my house and can still make my payments when so many people out there are losing their jobs and losing their homes. And when you lose your home, you lose any of the equity in it you had stored up, you lose the ability to step into a home for two years, and now in order to get into a home - we have reverted to pre 2000 when you had to bring some money to the table (thousands) in order to get into a home. In some ways it is a good thing - it helps ensure that people don't just walk away since they have some of their money they had to save tied into the house. But how is this for a circle of events (Staci - feel free to tell Bill if you are trying to Bush bash :) ).

When Bush took office - he stood up on a campaign of everyone gets a home. Now 8 years later with our industry that has spiraled out of control as a result of that mandate, now .................everyone loses their home (and their job).

Scary times ahead as this is not the end of it.

History Being Made Part 1

In an Historic event - the US Beats Cuba 1-0 on Cuban soil in the semi final round of world cup qualifying. (My boy is # 12)



Why is this such a big deal? Because this is the first time the US MNT has been on Cuban soil in 60+ years. Only a U23 team played in Cuba back in 1991 (I think) for the Pan American games and then the Orioles played a couple games back in 1995 (I think). Other than that, it has been that long since ANY American sports team has played Cuba on Cuban soil due to trade embargoes and such.

Good job to the boys for enduring tough situations and getting the job done! In situations like this, one of the things that central American/Caribbean and south American fans will do is to camp outside the hotel of the opposing team and play music and make noise all night long - trying to ensure the boys don't get sleep in order to affect the match. They throw things at the bus the boys are transported to the hotel and the stadium among other things. How's that for sportsmanship! Apparently the stadium was in such disrepair that concrete pieces were falling down, a permanent residue of dust sits on the seats, the grass is super bumpy causing all sorts of fun possibilities to occur on the pitch, and lighting was only just recently added to the stadium per FIFA mandate when the match was scheduled to be at 8PM. Before the match and in the last 10 minutes of the match yesterday, about half of the lights went out in the stadium and it was raining cats and dogs. Quite the fun affair eh? Now the rain was because the tip of Hurricane Ike was just starting to hit the eastern edge of the island. But our boys got out of dodge before they could get marooned on the island due to weather.

You may say that that isn't quite fair - but the reality of it is this. That is fine you know why? Because when we play Cuba in another month on our soil - we are doing it in NY - making the Caribbean players play in the colder weather. And when we play those dirty Guats on our soil in mid November - welcome to Dicks! A mile high and in the cold. So we have our own advantages. On the other hand, one of the issues that was a bit underhanded was that the Cubans apparently train and live in rooms at the stadium when they go to compete. When our boys went to have their closed door practice the day before the game, apparently the Cubans decided they wanted to watch - causing some tension between the team.s Not only is this unsporting - but they aren't allowed to do so - however, there was no FIFA official around so therefore there was no way to enforce the Cubans to go away.

As is the US sit atop of our group with 6 points. They play again against T & T in Chicago on Wednesday. I'll keep you posted.

My Big Shit Box

So one of my more brilliant ideas was to create a big cat box in the garage of our house that our precious kitties could go into from the house - effectively keeping the litter boxes out of the house and instead contained in the garage. Yes I know it is brilliant. So it took me a loooong time to convince my husband this was a great idea (mainly because it entailed curbing our garage storage space as well as cutting a hole in our house), but he finally caved after a couple years and agreed with me once it became apparent that it was a pain with company to have the boxes in our house (especially company with children that might be staying), the thought of us having a baby and the extra room we need and also he got tired of smelling cat litter and the like.

So a friend of ours came out and did the work for us. Essentially we have a 3 and a half foot long by two feet deep by 2 and a half feet tall box with a lid that opens up so I can get to the litter boxes from inside the garage. Yes I know my cats are a little spoiled - but really, it is more out of sheer laziness by their momma. The kitties however enter through the house - right behind the front door via a pet door.

Getting the cats to go in and and of the new litter box I didn't think was going to be too hard as long as the pet door was open. But I was concerned about the cats understanding to use their head to go through the door. We originally thought that Bambi would be the slow to catch on one and Bagheera would get it figured out pretty quick since he likes to head butt us all the time to get attention and love. As it turns out - Bambi caught on much quicker than Baggy. Baggy I presume felt like he was in a big kennel and just kept staring at us from the other side of the see through pet door. We finally helped them both out a little and as soon as Bambi realized she could MOVE the door - she was on it and out. Now, I don't know that she is fully advanced on the door thing - but since Baggy can't figure it out, we rigged the pet door to stay open so they can at least get used to going in and out and that being the new place for them to poop.

Luckily for us - we had no surprises in the house during the first 24 hours of the new box and we had success with kitties going in the box. Step 2 however will be the door. I think we will wait until tomorrow to try the torture chamber routine again. However, the kitties better figure it out pretty quick cause my niece and nephew are coming in a few days and little Gavin doesn't need to be exploring and finding a new toy box and discoverng what kitty treats are. EWWWWW That is something I would like to avoid.

My Boy Makes the Move

For months now I have endured the rumors of Michael moving to England and playing for an EPL team. How I wish that was true so I could see him every week. However, in the big picture of the game - it was best he didn't seeing he is so young and the EPL has a way of making or breaking careers - no matter if you are not ready or not. I once again doubt I will get to see anything more than highlights but here is to hoping!

Bradley Moves to Borrussia Moenchengladbach

And yes - that really is the name of the club. Luckily my husband knows how to say it so we had lessons earlier last night. LOL

Close Call

Do you ever have those moments where something major and traumatic almost happens and you realize how lucky you were that you are ok? Well that happens to me several times a year. My latest issue coming last night as I was on the interstate about a mile from my exit going into downtown Seattle. And it truly was a freak of nature. I was in the middle lane about a mile from my exit when I decided I need to get into the right lane. There was nothing odd about the day - it wasn't raining, the pavement wasn't wet. Nothing like that. But as I was easing my way into the right lane, all of a sudden my car's tires lost their grip and flew me toward the concrete wall. Now I was going about 65 miles an hours in my pathfinder with no weight in the back. Luckily I keep my head a bit in these situations and was able to jerk the wheel to try and correct but the road was so slick it had trouble getting a hold of the road to right itself. It did finally catch though and of course sent me careening back into the bad line where I fishtailed another two seconds and got my car righted. I came about a foot from slamming into the wall and having a major accident. And the reality of it was, if i had hit the wall, the angle of approach most likely at that speed would have sent me spinning and then flipped my car. Thank god I wear my seat belt.

As my heart is pounding and my head is spinning and I look in my rear view mirror to see all the traffic behind me sloooooooooowing down, I look over in the middle lane to see what possibly could have caused my car to slip like that seeing as my tires are not in bad condition at all. Turns out there was an major oil slick that lasted for at least 200 yards or so. One of those that are fine enough that you don't notice it as you are driving, but upon further inspection you notice one lane is not like the others. It's an oil slick that you typically have to deal with on the first 15 minutes of the road when it starts raining. Yeah - scary business!

But hey! I am OK! :) Luckily for me I didn't even scratch the wall, but I find myself wondering at times.....how do I get myself in these predicaments? And does everyone go through these types of scares and as often as me? I know my brother does, but for some reason he attracts that kind of weird stuff.

Redemption Day

Do you want to win? Yes

EXACTLY! That's what Pia Sundhage asked those poor of character US teammates.

Congrats Hope! You deserved it!

This is Sooo Me

Click on the image - it should give you a big picture you can read.

I pulled an all nighter

So Sunday morning, we were trying to figure out when the US men were playing according to the newspaper and other guides. Well we started with midnight then it was 2:45 and then we saw on the ticker it was 5:45 AM showing live. Tony ended up crashing and I?

Well, My Michael Bradley was playing in this game and I already missed his first game and wasn't sure if I could get the third game so....I stayed up baby!!! That's right. All for My Michael Bradley. And here is part of the reason why. Click on the link and then watch the video - it's pretty short.

Michael's Fortitude

Where have I been?

Well I haven't really been anywhere - I just haven't had anything really to talk about in a while. Yes I know - shocking. At least anything worth posting about. And seeing how my NFL and footy seasons are not quite up yet and have been on hiatus - well that has contributed. But NOW I DO have something to post! This is good stuff.

My Michael Bradley & the Crossbar Game w/ Freddy Adu



And in case anyone cares - the US Women bombed to Norway (2-0) in the first Olympic Games and the US Men on the other hand won their game (1-0) over Japan. If the men can get one more win from either the Netherlands (most likely not) or Nigeria (let's hope) then we advance to the next round. The US women will most likely advance out of their group since they have a weak group and Norway was their toughest opponent. But we shall see - it's why we play the game!