With gas at $3.69/gallon, have you decided to drive less, drive slower, or not drive perhaps? Was $3/gallon the tipping point, or are you waiting for the inevitable $4/gallon? Personally, we have been driving less since $3 and slower when gas hit $3.50. I have noticed a marked change in the speed people drive on the interstates; especially the larger trucks. My Subaru gets over 26 MPG, so I am not feeling the pinch as much as some people, but it still hurts.
This is a very funny Monty Python sketch, one of my favorites.
“If You Can’t Read ‘Then You’ve Got, the Army, Iraq” - Stephen King
Wow. Thanks.
Earlier this week, Drew was given a small U.S. flag that he is very proud of. That same day he skipped his nap and was pretty tired as we did our nightly routine before bed. We got ready for bed, said our prayers, and recited catechism. Before we tucked him in, I asked him if he could say the Pledge of Allegiance with his new flag. The following is an exact quote.
(With his little hand over his heart) I pledge allegiance to the Flag- of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, induh-induh-vis-ible, and have everlasting life. John 3:16.
Kids are so precious.
2 lbs hamburger
1 pkg McCormick Mild Chili Seasoning
1-28 oz can Hunt’s Petite Diced Tomatoes
1-14.5 oz can Hunt’s Petite Diced Tomatoes with Mushrooms
1-14.5 oz can Hunt’s Italian Style Diced Tomatoes
2-15.5 oz cans dark kidney beans
1-15.5 oz can light red kidney beans
1-10 oz can Rotel Chili Fixings’
4-1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 green pepper, chopped*
1/4 white onion, chopped*
1/2 fresh tomato, chopped*
Brown and drain hamburger. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 2-3 hrs. Enjoy.
*Chopped veggies may be omitted if you use a 14.5 oz can(s) of Hunts Petite Diced Tomatoes with Green Peppers and Onions instead of one of the aforementioned Hunt’s cans.
**copyright jeremyfrombenton.com
We were awoken at about 4:35 (9:35UTC) this morning by an earthquake in Southern Illinois. Being half-asleep, I thought someone was running on our second story roof. I came to my senses, we grabbed the kids, and headed to our safe spot to ride it out.
USGS.com puts the earthquake at M5.4 with an epicenter just northwest of Mt. Carmel, IL, and 5 miles deep.
UPDATE: The USGS has revised the temblor (thank you Bill Jacks) to a 5.2.
I have a new favorite band: The NESkimos. Their songs are inspired by NES and other video games; they are not note-for-note conversions. Very nostalgic, very good.
From Fox News:
MARION, Ill. - A federal agency is investigating the case of a baby apparently sent home with the wrong family from a southern Illinois hospital. Officials say the mistake happened in March at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion.
A spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health says the hospital wasn’t required to report the matter but it did on April 4th.
She says the state did an investigation on behalf of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That’s a federal agency that administers Medicare and Medicaid, under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Peter Leonis is a spokesman for the centers, and he says findings of the investigation may be available within weeks.
The hospital, meanwhile, isn’t commenting, citing patient privacy laws.
Wow, this is just one of many crazy stories I have heard concerning this hospital. Personally, I drive the extra 15 minutes to Carbondale.
From nbc.com:
DINNER PARTY
9/8c TV-PG
04.10.2008
GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER - Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski) find they have run out of excuses and are forced to go to Jan (Melora Hardin) and Michael’s (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) house for dinner. When Andy (Ed Helms) and Angela (Angela Kinsey) are also invited to dinner, Dwight’s (Rainn Wilson) jealousy gets the best of him. Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Oscar Nunez, Phyllis Smith, Paul Lieberstein, Mindy Kaling and Creed Bratton also star.
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 dash salt
4 egg whites
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons white vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 nine inch pie shell, baked
2 cups whipped topping
2 tablespoons ground almonds
- In a saucepan cook flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, egg whites, and milk until bubbling, stirring constantly; continue to cook and stir another 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add butter, white vanilla, and almond extract, stir.
- Lay plastic wrap on pudding surface and allow to cool; pour into cool pie shell and chill, again covering surface with plastic wrap.
- When ready to serve top with whipped topping and sprinkle with ground almonds.
From dtv2009.gov: “At midnight on February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations in the United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital broadcasting. Digital broadcasting promises to provide a clearer picture and more programming options and will free up airwaves for use by emergency responders. If you do not have cable TV or satellite TV, and use only an antenna, and do not have a TV in your home with a built-in digital tuner, you are eligible for a $40 coupon toward a converter box from the feds. Hurry! Supplies are limited! [https://www.dtv2009.gov/]
Whether we agree on the mission or not, we should all remember the many men and women that are fighting for our country. Pray for them, let them know you support them. Help their families out any way you can while they are away. I can’t imagine leaving my family for a month, let alone a year (or longer).
Brian, Travis, and the countless others- thank you for your service.
Stopping the telemarketing calls: Register your home phone AND your cell phone at the official donotcall.gov website. You simply enter in your numbers and your email address. They send you a link by email you must confirm to finish your registration. Since I registered my numbers, I haven’t had a telemarketing call in over a year.
Stopping (most of) the junk mail:
(From obviously.com) The amount of paper junk mail sent each year in the USA is staggering - some 4 million tons, nearly half of which is never opened. Even if you recycle there are still enormous environmental costs in terms of ink, energy to produce deliver and recycle the paper, recycling inefficiencies and loss of virgin forest to create the high quality glossy paper much junk mail uses. There is a lot you can do to reduce the cost to the environment and your own time: Continue reading ‘Leave me alone’
From the FTC:
Your Access to Free Credit Reports
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. The FCRA promotes the accuracy and privacy of information in the files of the nation’s consumer reporting companies. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, enforces the FCRA with respect to consumer reporting companies. Continue reading ‘Free annual credit report’
What is Woot and who’s behind it? Woot.com is an online store and community that focuses on selling cool stuff cheap. It started as an employee-store slash market-testing type of place for an electronics distributor, but it’s taken on a life of its own. We anticipate profitability by 2043 – by then we should be retired; someone smarter might take over and jack up the prices. Until then, we’re still the lovable scamps we’ve always been. But don’t take our word for it: see what the online community has to say at this Wikipedia article.
Basically Woot! is a website that sells one item every day. Once that item is sold out, that is it for the day. You can get a steal of a deal on some things. If you have the means, I highly recommend checking it out.
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