Stories of a grown up...

"Your garage smells like my grandma's," he said this Sunday morning.

I thought to myself: what does his grandma's garage smell like? I replied, "That's interesting."

He and his mom were visiting for the first time. Maybe this kid could smell the unique odor of our family... toys & balls, rim repair equipment, yard supplies, sea shells... Maybe his grandma lives by the beach, too!

A while later, I walk out through the garage. "It smells like dead animal!" I exclaimed.

"Ya, that's what I said. It smells like my grandma's garage!"

I looked around and found an empty Palace Saloon plastic mug next to a bowl with dried star fish in it. Jake had poured water into the bowl and every dormant organism blossomed its most stank stankness into the garage.

Should someone tell his grandma that her garage smells like dead animal?

Dax is here!

Dax was born at home in Ponce Inlet

@ 7:27pm on Sunday, January 2, 2011

8lbs 2ozs and 20.75"

I'll be back to real life as soon as possible!

NASCAR going green?

There was a story published today in my local rag about NASCAR going green... because they'll be using an ethanol-blended gasoline!

I can only assume that this change has been in the works for years because it has to be one of the most asinine things I've heard in that amount of time.

Ethanol is not green. It takes 70% more energy to MAKE ethanol than it actually provides! Much of ethanol is made with coal, so yes, it saves gasoline, but it still uses natural resources and pollutes the environment in the process. That's the funny thing about "green" cars running on ethanol or on electricity - both are made with coal! Natural gas is also a big energy source for electricity.

And how much new technology will be needed to convert race cars to properly burn ethanol-blended gas?

On top of it, ethanol producers (corn producers) are highly subsidized by our Federal Government. Because ethanol has no real market value, it's being mixed into our gasoline, requiring Americans to purchase less efficient gas. This raises the actual cost of energy to run a car on top of the subsidies our tax dollars are funding.

Starting soon, ethanol-free gas will be illegal! Because of poor choices made by the government and the EPA, Americans will no longer have the choice to purchase pure gasoline. Not only is the ethanol gas less efficient, it can cause damage to motors and leave a residue. Now our vehicles will have a shorter life-cycle... how green is that?

Even Al Gore came out a couple weeks ago and said that the ethanol subsidies he put into place were a mistake. If an industry can't stand on it's own, should it be propped up by the government (or, in reality, by the tax payers who pay double for it?).

So, NASCAR, please back off this green joke. Just let the sport be what it is... and if you want to go green, think about tires or tracks that last longer.

Ethanol is not green.

You and Me? or You and I?

My grandmother, Mimi, was an English teacher; grammar was taught by her in our home. It was so engrained in my everyday being that I can't help but secretly correct people. I do, however, attempt to keep the corrections to myself (unless, of course, it's my child or husband committing the infraction).

With the prevalance of social networking, grammatical mistakes are in plain view. Whether it be ignorance or deliberate attempts at sounding "social", people all over the internet commit my biggest pet peeve: whether to use "you and me" or "you and I" or, heaven forbid, "me and you".

English teachers will be quick to tell you the rules of sentence structure, but Mimi explained it much easier.

"Mason and I went on a walk in the woods."

"Mason and me went on a walk in the woods."

Which one is correct? Well, just drop Mason and read the sentence, "I went on a walk in the woods." It's that easy!

"A picture of Cassie and I at the football game."

"A picture of Cassie and me at the football game."

Again, drop Cassie and who is in the picture? That would be me! "A picture of me at the football game."

And so I offer this as a little public service. As with many things, ignorance is bliss, so unless you know these simple rules, you were probably never bothered by it! Hope I didn't shatter your glass...

Ethics in politics?

Not many politicians are known for being ethical. It wasn't a huge surprise to most of us when Charlie Rangel was accused and convicted of some major ethics violations (taking vacations from donors, cheating on his taxes, using a rent-controlled apartnment for his campaign...) since we assume most politicians just haven't been caught yet.

What I found most interesting about this situation is that he then stole money from his campaign to pay for his defense lawyers! Then, when the money ran out and the lawyers quit, he complained that he was denied due-process and the right to an attorney. The man paid $2m for those attorneys and they didn't even stay for the trial! Sounds like someone got boondoggled.

Finally, Charlie Rangel decided to just walk out of the hearing and later stated that the results shouldn't be trusted because he wasn't even there.

We now have a new line of legal defense - I wasn't there to hear the verdict and therefore it can't be trusted! It is really that easy? I mean, I never heard in traffic court before that someone could just not show up and consider the judgement flawed. Or what if our violent offenders were somehow able to leave the court room during the trial, is the trial then invalid?

Poor Charlie - 40 years in government, making $174,000 in 2010, and he can't afford a lawyer. Man, times are tough.

Post-election: remember to keep them in line.

Well before the moment that President Bush enacted the TARP bill, many of us knew that our country needed change. We tried to educate our friends and family during the 2008 primaries, but they were drinking the anti-Bush kool-ade. Unfortunately, our research and insight were met with Hope & Change, and the Republicans did nothing to promote a Constitutionally oriented candidate.

Back in 2008, the TEA Party emerged. It didn't matter who signed that TARP bill, TEA Party supporters knew that it would stimulate our country as much as The New Deal. After TARP came the Stimulus and then Cash for Clunkers, all of which only deepened our national debt and increased job-loss.

So we set our sights on the 2010 election knowing full-well that between 2008 and 2010, many of the Hopey/Changey crowd would open their eyes to see what was really happening in America... our government was digging a hole so deep that even our grandchildren have a price on their heads. We've now sent that message that was so easily ignored - it's time to get back to our roots! Our roots would be in the Constitution with FREEDOM as its foundation.

Let's all remember that this election is not the end. This historic election is just the beginning and we must focus on keeping our elected officials in-line. It isn't the Democrat's fault that we're in this situation today - and it isn't the Republican's either.

Check out this video: the Story of Spending.

It's OUR fault, as citizens of this great country, for not keeping tabs on our government. We are the ones who take voting for granted, who glaze over when politics are mentioned, who beg for social services and gladly take our "refundable" tax credits. It is WE THE PEOPLE who must be in charge.

Keep in touch with your new Congressman or Senator. It's vital that we put this country back on track.

Killer tries to kill himself

Last month, Christopher Jodon car-chased his girlfriend on I-4 in Volusia County, rammed her off the road and then stabbed her to death. Then he stabbed himself at the scene but didn't die. He was AIRLIFTED to Orlando to save his rotten life.

Over the weekend, he tried to kill himself again and failed. He was rushed to the ER in critical condition and saved by a medical team.

Okay, call me cold-hearted, but let the man kill himself! What is the point in saving this jerk's life? How many thousands of dollars have we spent saving him when he ought to be put to death anyway?

He's going to live and then he'll get psychological treatment so that he's prepared for trial. Then he can have up to 7 appeals of his heinous crime before he's truly convicted for life. If he's not sentenced to death, the tax-payers will take care of him for the rest of his worthless time on earth.

Let the killer kill himself!