What the Heck Does Meme Mean?

That’s what Ambulance Driver asked when he was tortured into doing this (and then had the audacity to tag ME): "share five off the wall, strange, unusual or just little-known facts about yourself. Then you "tag" five other bloggers who are supposed to do the same thing."

A while back, there was a “Three things MeMe” thing going around that a lot of bloggers were tagged with. So maybe it just got shortened to “meme.” Except I never did figure out why it was three things MeMe instead of MeMeMe.

Personally, I think these things are viruses, and if we don’t come up with a cure or vaccine pretty soon, the whole blogger community will become infected and morph into MySpacers.

In the meantime, I guess the only way to get rid of it for now is to treat the symptoms by doing what is asked.

1. I was a wife, mother, ER nurse, maintenance officer, dining facility (read: mess hall) officer and CH-47 pilot. All at the same time. I’ve also been a candy striper, lifeguard, waitress, nursing assistant, flight medic, battalion assistant S-3, substitute teacher, and cattle farmer.

2. I was a school board member in the small town we used to live in. I wasn’t well liked by the other members because I was an uppity city girl that expected too much. Like for education to be the top priority, kids to behave in class, teachers to be given the supplies they needed and to be paid (heaven forbid!) what they were worth.

3. I am acrophobic. I know, I can’t figure it out, either. I love to fly, loved being a pilot. Back when I was a flight medic, I’d sit in the hell hole of a Huey on a nice day with the doors wide open and was as happy as a dog riding in the car with his head sticking out of the window. But put me on top of that Huey during a preflight to check the Jesus nut, and I’m hanging on for dear life.

4. I was in the Mrs. Texas pageant—a LONG time ago. A friend talked me into it. You could definitely tell who the experienced contestants were. For those of us that weren’t really contenders, it was just something different to do and we had a pretty good time. And I learned how to stand like a model.

5. I have created life. No, not human life, bovine. When we had cattle, we used artificial insemination for a while. I went through training, then AI’d some of our cows/heifers. And a few of them actually took!

As for the second part, let’s see………..I haven’t been to their blogs yet, so even though they may have already been tagged, I don’t know that, so I choose Holly, Lovi, and Mair. Sorry, those are the only ones I know that haven’t been tagged before I was. And it specifies “bloggers” this time, so I can’t pick on my other loyal fans. Otherwise, Gbro, Lainy, and Rabbit would be on the list. Darn, cuz Rabbit was such a good sport about it last time. I really would be interested in what the three of you come up with, so feel free to comment anyway if you’d like. (Lainy is actually out of town caring for a very ill son, so I’ll excuse her this time.)

That’s all, folks!

Flo

Our Plumber

I intensely dislike the head plumber working on our house. He might be the reason I have developed hypertension—I’ve had nothing but problems with him.

Back in July, Mr. Builder says I need to go pick out my plumbing fixtures. Ok. So like the good little girl I am, I do what he says.

I go to the plumbing supplier and work with a really nice sales rep. I’m there for several hours, but it’s not terribly painful. The rep looks at my floor plans and we go room by room. She shows me what is standard, then some upgrade options. Standard is perfectly fine for me, with the exception of my kitchen. Even though Lainy says I don’t cook, I have thought about the perfect kitchen for years, and there are a few little extras I would like. And the whirlpool tub for the master bath was a tiny upgrade—MSRP was more than I paid for my first car. But, as Holly says, this is my dream mansion, I can dream a little. I really just wanted to know how much something like that cost, it’s not like it was the one we ended up getting anyway. Sometimes Hubby forced me to do a reality check.

So the rep gives me a copy of everything we picked out, and I about go into cardiac arrest when I see the grand total. Not to worry, says the rep. This will go to the plumber, then he will fax the builder with the actual builder cost.

That’s fine. I’ve never seen retail prices on anything else, but builder’s price is what we’ve always paid.

Except that’s not what Plumber faxed to Builder; it was the same copy I had received. Plumber told Builder he was concerned because I had gone several thousand dollars over budget. No no no no no, I said. Those are retail prices, not builder. Builder talks to plumber, who says those are the prices he’s paying. Builder talks to Plumber again, Plumber says that is the cheapest he can get things, they can’t complete with warehouse sales like Home Depot or Lowe’s. Builder says if I don’t like the prices, that I should go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and pick out what I want.

At this point, I am slightly perturbed. I spent several hours of my time, and several hours of the rep’s time to pick out the things that I needed. Plumber is not being honest. Builder says he’s tired of dealing with it and there’s nothing else he can do, I need to go pick out what I want at Lowe’s or Home Depot.

Keep in mind that my original order included everything needed for the downstairs. When I was picking things out, I didn’t realize we were only roughing in the downstairs, not installing fixtures. So that was not a part of the final cost. The whirlpool was also not part of the cost. So the final total was much lower than the initial order.

However, that wasn’t the issue with me anymore. I was not going to pay retail price for something I knew was supposed to come at builder’s price.

So Hubby speaks to Plumber. Plumber finally faxes him a list of his actual cost. So that was a lie about the original prices being the prices he paid. And wasn’t it interesting that the prices of many of my upgrade items were still the original cost.

On top of that, Plumber is charging us a delivery fee. The supply company provides free delivery.

In the meantime, Builder and Plumber are both insisting we have to turn our order in if we are going with them.

Fine, I’m sick of it all, too. I told Hubby what to order, deleting anything for downstairs, the tub, a hot water dispenser and tank, water softener, and water filter.

That was back in September. The only item I have seen has been one bathtub.

Plumber comes back the other day. They are scheduling installation of everything else to start Wednesday, but he doesn’t have a kitchen faucet, garbage disposal, or a couple of other things. I go looking back at what he was supposed to order, and those were all included. He should have ordered them.

The latest thing I’ve been told to try and placate me is that the standard option items were part of the bid. Uh huh, sure. Whatevuh. So what would be the additional cost for the upgraded items I want, along with the items not included in the bid, hm? I haven’t seen that yet. Someone conveniently hasn’t had it to show to me. A faucet and disposal are standard items included in the bid, but are we going to be paying the difference between the cost of the standard faucet and what I chose, or the full price of what I chose? And would that be the difference between the retail prices, or the builder prices?

Hubby had told me a while back that Builder wasn’t having much luck with plumbers and had switched several times. I said it looked to me like he needed to keep searching. What I have a difficult time understanding is that this is the builder’s business. If he continues with this plumbing contractor, his other customers are being taken for a ride.

Yeah well, what do I know? I’m just a customer, and evidently the customer isn’t right about this one.

Flo

Identity Theft

I received this through an e-mail the other day. Although the focus is on identity theft, the safety precautions recommended will help prevent other kinds of grief that could head your way.



I never leave my purse or keys in the car if I have to run inside, even for just a moment. I don't know why it never occurred to me that someone in a car could drive by and make a grab for something from the passenger side while I'm standing right there filling up.

Good to pass along, especially if you know young drivers that can get conditioned to this thinking early on. I talked to MFD and the neighbor we take to school about it, and hope I remember to reinforce it, since they'll both be getting a license in a few months.

Flo

Carnegie Hall

NEW WEBSITE ANNOUNCEMENT

The Lee's Summit Chorale announces their website is up and running at: http://www.lschorale.org/

For more information about the Lee's Summit Chorale, members information, how you and businesses can support the group, plus much more, check out this website. For more information send an email: jan_nsss@yahoo.com

This explains more about the group that is going to perform at Carnegie Hall. This would also be why I ask you to click on the Google ads on my page. You don't have to buy anything, I get paid just for the click. We have to pay for our transportation to New York, along with room and board. Because the whole family is going (tickets to attend the show are included in the package for Hubby and My Favorite Son to see me and My Favorite Daughter perform), it's costing us a pretty penny, so every little click helps!

Somewhere in my office I also have a form I have to fill out for fundraising contacts. If you or someone/business you know can help the group with a tax deductible donation, there is information available at the web site.

I would offer to take your personal check, but you'd miss out on the tax break!

For any of you in the area, we are hosting a fundraising event with comedienne Kelly Sisney on 17 February. I'm sure they'll post more info on the web site as soon as it becomes available. Or let me know if you're interested and I'll keep you updated.

I think this is one of the most awesome opportunities I've ever had, and I truly appreciate my devoted readers taking the time to click on all those........ads. I won't mention subjects, Rabbit is liable to do me bodily harm if he sees another ad concerning the Worship of the Porcelain Goddess.

Flo

Bravo

The guitar has to be one of the most diverse instruments ever created. It is one of few that can be played as a solo instrument with a range of expression almost as extensive and unique as the human voice.

Of course, it takes a master musician to generate such distinct sounds.

And that would not be me. Even with my MPD, the only one of us that can play the guitar just strums to have a little fun.

When I was in Officer Candidate School, one of my fellow candidates gave me one of her guitars and showed me how to play some chords. Then she gave me a songbook that she handmade with chords written out to songs I liked. She put a lot of time and love into that book.

That guitar and book became my stress reliever. In nursing school, when alkalosis and acidosis blurred my vision; or in flight school, when memorizing emergency procedures and limitations gave me a headache, I’d pull out the guitar and do a little pickin’ and a grinnin’.

Fast forward a year or two or twenty.

My Favorite Daughter has been taking classical guitar lessons for six years now, four of those with one of the best teachers in the area. After one lesson, he knew she had a gift and has been encouraging her ever since.

We are fortunate to have a Conservatory of Music in our area, along with a Guitar Society. These organizations arrange to have national and international artists come to play in concert and offer master classes.

MFD was privileged to be one of four metro area students chosen to perform yesterday afternoon in a master class with William Kanengiser. Last evening, Hubby, MFD, and I attended his concert.

William Kanengiser is a master musician.

Mr. Kanengiser’s repertoire includes music from the great composers such as Mozart and Handel, Eastern European, and Caribbean; traditional, folk, and jazz. His performance last night included African music, and his guitar sounded like the tribal drums. To accomplish that feat, he used…..staples.

Yes, ordinary staples, slightly bent and attached to two strings.

Awesome.

And we’ve added four new CDs to our guitar collection.

Flo

Let There Be Light

There are light fixtures in my house. AND—when you flip a switch, they turn on and off!

No, it doesn’t take much to amuse me, and it truly is the little things in life that please me the most. And since there are so many of me to please, that is a very good thing!

Of course I’m talking about the mansion (as Holly calls it) that we’re building. The latest move-in estimate is February. I just don’t know which year.

The insulated concrete walls are up, the roof is on, the stucco is done. We just need gutters and downspouts, and the outside will be complete—as far as construction goes. For now.

Inside framing is done, drywall and paint are on. Light fixtures, cabinets, and countertops are installed. All but one appliance has been delivered, but they won’t be installed at least until the floor tile is finished, which shouldn’t be too much longer. Plumbing fixtures will be next, then we’ll finish out the trim and touch up the paint. The carpet will go down last.

It’s actually coming along well, especially now that we’re getting into the things I’m interested in. I’m afraid I just can’t get excited about the stuff you can’t see. As opposed to paint colors, tile patterns, cabinet stain, and my Shiatsu massaging tub. Hubby says I did a good job selecting the light fixtures. For a man who could not care less what things look like, he’s been pretty particular. Every once in a while, I’ve tried to control costs, then he’s the one that says “Oh NO, you CAN’T put ceramic tile in this house! It HAS to be Italian porcelain.”

At least we haven’t killed each other. The “home automation” guy was out the other day and his comment was: “I see you’re both still together.” To which I replied: “Yeah, and you know what? I haven’t even had to open the Yellow Pages to look for an attorney—divorce or criminal defense!”

Flo

Denver Weather Report

First, I want to tell you about another blog I've found and added to my links. It's "A Day in the Life of an Ambulance Driver" and it's brought back so many memories of my working days. He has a wonderful sense of humor, which is something you definitely need in this field. There are so many times that if you don't laugh about the situation, you'll be crying. So go pay a visit. He just started in December, so if you hurry, you can go back and catch it from the beginning without having to take vacation time.

Now then, I received this from a friend who lives by Denver, and found it rather interesting. I don’t know who wrote it, but there are some good points.

Up here, in the "Mile-Hi City", we just recovered from a Historic event---
May I even say a "Weather Event" of "Biblical Proportions" --- with historic blizzard of up to 44" inches of snow and winds to 90 MPH that broke trees in half, knocked down utility poles, stranded hundreds of motorists and thousands of cattle in lethal snow banks, closed ALL roads, isolated scores of communities and cut power to 10's of thousands.

FYI:

George Bush did not come to visit.

FEMA did nothing.

No one howled for a government bailout.

No one blamed the government.

No one even uttered an expletive on TV.

Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton did not visit.

Our Mayor did not blame Bush or anyone else.

Our Governor did not blame Bush or anyone else, either.

CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX or NBC did not visit - or report on this category 5 snowstorm. Nobody demanded $2,000 debit cards.

No one asked for a FEMA Trailer House.

No one looted.

Nobody - I mean Nobody - demanded the government do something.

Nobody expected the government to do anything, either.

No Larry King, No Bill O'Rielly, No Oprah, No Chris Mathews and No Geraldo Rivera

No Shaun Penn, No Barbara Striesand, No Hollywood types to be found.

Nope, we just melted the snow for water.

Sent out caravans of SUV's to pluck people out of snow engulfed cars.

The truck drivers pulled people out of snow banks and didn't ask for a penny.

Local restaurants made food and the police and fire departments delivered it to the snowbound families.

Families took in the stranded people - total strangers.

We fired up wood stoves, broke out coal oil lanterns or Coleman lanterns.

We put on extra layers of clothes because up here it is "Work or Die".

We did not wait for some affirmative action government to get us out of a mess created by being immobilized by a welfare program that trades votes for 'sittin at home' checks.

Even though a Category "5" blizzard of this scale has never fallen this early, we know it can happen and how to deal with it ourselves.

"In my many travels, I have noticed that once one gets north of about 48 degrees North Latitude, 90% of the world's social problems evaporate."

It does seem that way, at least to me.

I hope this gets passed on.

Maybe SOME people (Like NO and Wash. DC freeloaders) will get the message. The world does Not owe you a living. The Government and Tax $ are not your insurance company!

Of course FEMA is now involved, but you don’t hear about it. In fact, this hasn’t been headline news in days.

Flo

Message From a Soldier

This is from a friend of ours who is based in Kuwait, but travels frequently to Afghanistan and Iraq. I thought my readers and their friends would appreciate hearing “straight from the horse’s mouth.”

It is another Christmas here in the sand; my third to be exact and I can tell you that Christmas just becomes another day to deployed Soldiers. Don’t get me wrong, we have celebrations’ to honor the birth of Jesus and the Holiday USO shows definitely helps with our morale. We also experience a special closeness with our fellow Soldiers since we all share the common bond of being away from our friends and loved ones back home. Simply put, we endure the situation because that is what Soldiers do.

I have experienced enough in this part of the world to state first and foremost that I pray for Peace everyday. I strongly believe in our cause and I have personally seen many examples of progress that are making a positive difference for the Global War on Terrorism. I will also share with you that every Soldier that I know is properly accepting the fact of being away from their loved ones during the Holidays. The reason is because we believe that the work that we are doing is worth the sacrifice. It is not just giving the opportunity of freedom to the oppressed people of Iraq and Afghanistan, but much more importantly we have brought the war to the Middle East, which is keeping it from being on the streets of America as it was five years ago.

My wish for this Christmas is a prayer that all of our families back home remain safe and that God blesses each and every Soldier, Airmen, Sailor, Marine, Coast Guardsmen and Department of Defense Civilian that are over here in harms way defending freedom and our way of life.

There are many soldiers that are giving much more than just being away from their families for the Holidays. Please join me in prayer for those soldiers that have made the ultimate sacrificed for our country and our way of life. They must never be forgotten. I would also like to ask you to join with me in helping lift the spirits of a Soldier who is recuperating. Just write and say thank you to:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001

My Christmas present to you this year is the attached e-mail address. This address will connect you to a website where you can subscribe to the free weekly publication called, The Advisor www.mnstci.iraq.centcom.mil/advisor.htm. By subscribing you will receive the latest news on Iraqi Security Forces from the Multi-National Security Transition Command in Iraq. This publication will give you a true idea of the progress that we are making. Feel free to pass on “the rest of the story” to your family, friends and associates.

A final thought that I suggest you take a moment to ponder:

While you are reading these words somewhere there is a true believer, that has minimal food and water, is used to living in very austere conditions and he is training and planning every day and every night to kill you and kill your cherished loved ones. The only thing on him that is clean is his weapon. His web gear is home made. His ruck sack weighs what it weighs. He doesn’t worry about a daily workout to stay in shape because his physical training ends everyday when we stop chasing him. He is a True Believer in his cause and is not concerned about how hard he has it, how much it cost for a gallon of gas or the current value of his 401K. He doesn’t go home at 1700hrs, because in reality he doesn’t have a home to go back to. He knows that he will someday be caught and with it will probably cost him his life. He will be considered a martyr and with knowledge he is content join his brothers in the home of Allah. THIS IS THE ENEMY WE ARE FIGHTING.

If 65 years ago the Greatest Generation turned their backs to the Nazi’s in Europe and the Japanese in the South Pacific; I wonder how you would be celebrating this Christmas? How should your Grandchildren celebrate Christmas 65 years from now?

Do you really believe you are safer if we pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan?

Spread the word.

Flo

Moral Dilemma

First, a little catch up:

Lainy, I used the stove (to make sweet potatoes) AND the oven (to make a ham), so I DID cook for real! Ha!

Gbro, thanks for supporting me--and I at least helped her make our drinks.

Diamond Mair, I'm thinking pea green isn't your color. Maybe yous should come as yourself next time, rather than as a fly.

And now for your question. This was a tough one for me:

By giving an honest answer, you will discover where you stand morally.

You are in Florida, Miami to be specific. There is chaos all around you caused by a hurricane with severe flooding. This is a flood of biblical proportions. You are a photojournalist working for a major newspaper, and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster.

The situation is nearly hopeless. You're trying to shoot career-making photos. There are houses and people swirling around you, some disappearing under the water. Nature is unleashing all of its destructive fury.

Suddenly you see a woman in the water. She is fighting for her life, trying not to be taken down with the debris. You move closer . . somehow the woman looks familiar. You suddenly realize who it is. It's Hillary Clinton!

At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take her under . . forever. You have two options--you can save the life of Hillary Clinton, or you can shoot a dramatic Pulitzer Prize winning photo, documenting the death of one of the world's most powerful women.

So here's the question, and please give an honest answer:

Would you select high contrast color film, or would you go with the classic simplicity of black and white?

Flo

Happy 2007!

After serious & cautious consideration.....your contract of friendship has been renewed for the New Year 2007!

It was a very hard decision to make. So try not to screw it up!!!

My Wish for You in 2007

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet of $200 bills. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy. May the problems you had forget your home address! In simple words ............

May 2007 be the best year of your life!!!

Flo