My weekend

Tomorrow, I have a table at a home business expo to run. We're going to advertise my Herbalife business, and JR's real estate business.
After that, we're going to Arnold to pick up a whole bunch of Herbalife merchandise this lady offered me, because she can't use it.
Then we're going to the beach!! Yay!

Sad Story About a Bird

This is so sad. I looked out the window because there were a bunch of birds (different kinds) all making a racket in our yard. There was a big black bird picking up a helpless small bird and pecking it. All the other birds were making all this noise around him. I don't know if they were trying to get him off the other bird, or they wanted to eat it as well. Then he flew off with the helpless bird, and dropped it like 30 feet when he landed on a telephone wire. Then he came down picked it up and dropped it again.

Finally, he flew it into the neighbor's yard where the neighbor lady picked it up.
It made me so sad! I wish I ran out there when it was happening in my yard, because it would of saved her from a 30 foot fall!
:(

Freecycle- Hagerstown

So I tried to sign up with the Freecycle group in Hagerstown. On top of the standard ''tell us why you want to join this group", I had to read this long email full of rules on what you're allowed to post, and how you're forbidden to request any cool items (like electronics) and other restrictions. Then, I had to take this test to confirm that I understand the rules. Also, I had to respond to another email confirming the area I live in with the nearest intersection I live at.

After all that, my membership was denied. I wrote back and asked why.

Here was the response I get:

I'm sorry you were denied but we're no longer accepting members from areas that have their own group. Freecycle's main goal is protecting the environment and to have members travel to other areas for items wastes gas and creates more pollution which doesn't fit the mission of the group

So they're protecting the enviroment.
I have no idea how they prevent people from just lying about where they live when they sign up.

No Want

Personal Ad

SBWLM looking for companion to help me reach hghr places like counters. Pref. MWF who likes snuggles and feeding. Interests incl: climbing, short walks, throwing, dumping, undressing, scattering, spilling, shaking, emptying and much more. Very affectionate, want phys. rela. w. lots of hug&kis. see pic

Water Saving Toilet

When I was in Japan, I saw this really efficient use of water. There was a little sink on top of a toilet tank. When you flushed the toilet, the faucet to the sink would automatically turn on. Then, it would drain into the tank. So it was providing clean water to wash your hands, and filling the toilet at the same time.

I want to see if I could re-create that with my toilet. Wouldn't that be cool? I could add an extra pipe to the fill valve to make it stick out of the tank. Then, flip the lid upside down to turn it into a basin. I would just need to find a way to cut two holes (one for the fill valve pipe, and one for the drain) into the ceramic lid.

One of the things that sparked the interest in doing this, is the sink we now have. It has a clog, and I have gotten used to washing my hands in the bathtub. Of course, the faucet there is much faster, which makes me think about conserving water. That toilet in Japan was the most interesting way of conserving water I had seen.

One thing that would be easier than converting my toilet, is to just fix the clog in the sink. I just haven't gotten around to going downstairs to get the funnel to pour clog un-stopper in the drain.

I really need to do that.

Great Falls, VA

Naivety

I totally walked into a common scam among Craigslist users. Thankfully, it never panned out.
I posted my ad to sell my Crib furniture set ($425) that includes a changing table/dresser and a shelf. (Which BTW is still for sale if you want it)

This guy named Mark Cannon offered to buy it sight unseen. He said that he will mail a cashier's check for the asking price PLUS shipping charge and $20 for my trouble. Then, I was to wire the amount of the shipping charge to his shipping company when the check clears.

I was excited and accepted the offer. However, he never sent the check. I emailed him a couple times, asking where the check was. One time he responded, he said his son had Typhoid fever, and he didn't get a chance to send it. Another time he said he would send it 'soon'.

It was not until today, when I reposted the ad that I read the warning from Craigslist. It said a common scam is for someone to make a purchase sight unseen, and offering to pay by cashier check. They then mail a conterfeit cashier check to the seller who deposits it. The money will clear the bank, but when the fraud is detected, the seller who deposited the check is held responsible. Even to the point of facing charges! The warning also said if someone asks you to wire money, it's a scam.

I was reminded of a few good lessons. First, I should read directions carefully. Also, I shouldn't believe an offer is true, just because I really want it to be true.
I should also trust my instinct as well. I did not have a good feeling about the wording in his emails. Especially the fact he didn't use his name. That's a sign that someone could be either shady or lazy.

Speaking of lazy, that's the lesson Mark Cannon should have learned. If he had been more diligent in sending me that counterfeit check, he could of cheated me out of a couple hundred bucks. Instead, he made excuses and empty promises. I didn't wait around to be swindled by his ill-executed, dishonest scheme, because he didn't do his job. He needs to take a lesson from the real crooks, who see the job to its finish. They make sure they get the money before they run.

I better go now. I'm off to send insurance money to a governor in Nigeria, so I can claim my share of the millions I assisted his family in recovering.

Garden

I started a garden today. Finally! I planted Sunflowers and Cilantro in the bed alongside my garage. Also I planted Parsley in 3 pots on my porch.

Plus, I started a compost container. We're using a plastic laundry hamper, because it has vent holes in it.

Next week, I'm going to plant a package of 'medicinal herbs' in my sprout barrel.

Windows Live Messenger

I just realized that Windows Live Messenger has a feature that shows what you're listening to.
So, if I'm listening to a song on ITunes, it will pop the song up next to my name. I imagine someone with me on their list can download the song.

You can get this program for free at msn.com. Let me know if you do, I'll add you to my friend's list.

Awwwww

Filip fell asleep on my lap.

Inventory

6 business cards
1business card holder
1 lemon
2 juicer attachments
2 lids
1 bible study tract
1 swim suit diaper
1 squirt crab
2 supplement bottles
1 karaoke cd in case
1 golf ball
1 bread bag clip
1 sock

Not to mention the bird cage with the bird in it.
Collected today from being thrown down the stairs.

Lily's Evacuation

Speaking of disasters, I turned around from washing dishes, and saw Filip pushing the bird cage to the edge of the stairs. I got there in time to see the whole cage tumbling down to the basement and crashed on the floor. Lily, our cockatiel evacuated quickly at the bottom, and does not look injured.
Filip has no comment on the matter.

Disaster Supplies Kit

I'm still working on getting my Disaster Supply Kit together. Basically, you need provisions to last you a few days in case you have to evacuate your home, or in case you're stuck at home under a pile of debris or something.
So mine is in a big laundry bin that can fit in the trunk of my car.

You're supposed to have on hand the following things:
Food
Water
First Aid Kit
Non-Prescription Drugs
Tools & Supplies
Sanitation products (like toilet paper)
Clothing
Bedding
Personal Items

For food, I'm stocking up on Herbalife shakes and protein bars and vitamins. It's easy to transport. Let me know if you want to buy stuff from me.
The First Aid kit is easy. At Target, you can get a really good Emergency Preparedness Kit by Red Cross. It has most of the items on my list. It's like $40.
The tools and supplies are not that hard, because you don't really need to take them in your 'to go' basket. You just need to make sure you have them in your house.

It seems like such a big project to get it all together, but it's not that bad. Plus, if you ever want to go camping, most of the stuff you need will all be together.

Duct Tape Wallet

I spent my afternoon yesterday making this nifty wallet out of duct tape.

I just followed the directions found here:

http://www.rpi-polymath.com/ducttape/duct_tape_wallet.html

It is a tri-fold that features 8 credit/business card slots, bill holder and a coin purse.

Fun Dice Game

I think it's called 'Greedy'.
You need: 10 dice; paper & pen
2 or more players

Here is the scoring:

1's -100
5's - 500

Three of the same number- that number X 100
each additional of the same number, double your score
(example three 4's gets 400, four 4's gets 800, five 4's get 1600 and so forth)

Three 1's - 1000 (double score for each additional 1)
Roll all 10 dice into pairs - 2000 plus roll again

How to play:

On your turn, roll all ten dice, put aside any dice that are worth points.
Roll the remaining dice if you want. Put aside any dice that are worth points.
You can roll as many times as you like, as long as you put dice aside.
If you roll and get no points, you lose all the points you accumulated on your turn.
If you roll, and use all the dice, you can continue to accumulate points by rolling all ten dice again, and putting aside as before. If you roll and get no points, you lose all your accumulated points on that turn. You may stop rolling at any time on your turn.
Write down your score. It's the next person's turn.

You can play to 15,000 (whatever you want). When someone reaches the total score of 15,000, each player gets one turn to beat that score to determine the winner.

Grasshopper

A grasshopper walks into a bar. The bartender sees him and says,
"Hey, we have a drink named after you!"
The grasshopper says
"Really? You have a drink named Kevin?"

pH

I found my pH test tape last week, when I was cleaning out the closet. So now I can test my alkalinity.
Bacteria and Virus' cannot live in an alkaline enviroment. So if you keep your body in that condition, it keeps you from getting sick and infected. The pH of your urine is a good indicator of your body's enviroment. On the pH scale of 1 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline), a balanced number would be slightly over 7.
This morning, mine tested at 6.0. Then I had a glass of water mixed with organic apple cider vinegar (with the ''mother'') and honey. It raised my pH to 7.2! Yesssss!!

Things that are good for raising your pH: fresh vegetables, raw almonds, wheat grass juice, fresh veggie juice.
Things that make your system acidic: soda, sugars, processed foods, medicine, fried food.

You can get alot of good info on taking care of your own health at www.jonbarron.org
His book 'Lessons from the Miracle Doctors' is available as a free download.