I made this for Chark’s Mini Kit Swap at SBB. Hope you enjoy!

Leave me a comment if you download it.

You can download it here.

Freebies | 13 Comments »

Is there anything better than a great rivalry? Ours used to be Purdue vs. Indiana. Indiana has been out of contention as far as football is concerned for too many years to count (at least 8). They are no longer considered a rivalry game since there really is no competition. Our big rivalry game, now, is Notre Dame. Today is the day.

I grew up in South Bend, home of the Fighting Irish. There are only 2 kinds of people who live in SB; those who love ND, and those who hate it. I am of the latter. So many people ask me how I can hate ND having grown up in South Bend. I tell them it’s easy. People in SB eat, sleep, drink and breath Notre Dame. It’s sickening. The city stops for ND football. Businesses around the campus close on Fridays due to the traffic. Some are closed on Mondays to allow their employees to celebrate one more day (or mourn…take your pick). There is no good will in sight for people who aren’t rooting for the beloved Irish.

There is no gray area there, either. Telling them that you don’t really care either way or that you aren’t a football fan, well, you will be bannished forever. You MUST be a football fan to live in SB (a ND football fan, to boot). It’s a requirement.

I can’t put a finger on why I hate them so much. I used to never use that word to describe my feelings toward them…God tells us not to hate anyone or anything, but to love our enemies. Upon talking to my pastor one day about the upcoming game (last year) he assured me God makes an exception for Notre Dame (He’s a Pitt graduate….need I say more?). I had to laugh. He and I share the same abhorrence for Notre Dame.

I fully expect that the nation will watch my Alma Mater lose today. DH is predicting at least a 21 point loss. I won’t go so far as to say how badly I think they’ll lose. I just know they will.

p.s. I tried to find a picture of the Shillelagh Trophy, but it appears no one knows what it looks like, lol. I could not find a picture anywhere.

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Purdue | 2 Comments »

Feel free to copy and paste this letter, make appropriate edits, print, and mail to Senator Specter.

The Honorable Arlen Specter
711 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC, 20510

Dear Senator Specter,

As a transplanted Pennsylvanian and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance.

I have contacted the Immigration and Naturalization Service in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.

My reasons for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen to illegal alien stem from the bill which was recently passed by the Senate and for which you voted.

If my understanding of this bill’s provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five years, what I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years.

I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out. Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year so I’m excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine.

Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively?

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my sons would receive preferential treatment relative to their college applications.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative.

Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent,

Mrs. Neudorff

**************

Dear Mrs. Neudorff :           

 Thank you for contacting my office regarding immigration and border control. I appreciate your concern on this important matter.

Our immigration system is broken and requires reform. As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I have held several hearings focusing on comprehensive immigration reform and heard from a number of expert witnesses on the subject. I led the Senate in finding a sensible solution and on May 25th the Senate passed S.2611, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006.          

  This legislation is strong on border security. It increases the number of border personnel by adding 500 port-of-entry inspectors, expands the number of border patrol agents by 2,400 per year over the next five years and utilizes the latest technology to create a “virtual fence” with sophisticated cameras, sensors and unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor activity along our borders. The bill also ends the practice of “catch and release,” which was intended to free up detention space but instead has become a free pass into the United States . The bill also provides 370 miles of fencing through major urban areas and adds 700 miles of vehicle barriers along the U.S. and Mexico border.

Unfortunately, an enforcement only approach does not address the immigration problem to its fullest extent. Currently, there are 11 million people who are undocumented in the United States , and we must avoid enacting a short-sighted enforcement-only bill that will only create a larger fugitive class. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 is a practical approach to an increasingly significant problem.

Despite the passage of this bill, I am aware concerns remain from those who continue to insist this legislation is amnesty. I am against amnesty, which means forgiveness. S.2611 includes provisions that require undocumented immigrants who have been here for a protracted period of time and who are contributing to our society to undergo a rigorous process to earn their place in line for citizenship. This process includes: paying a fine, undergoing a criminal background check, paying back taxes, learning English, and working for 6 years. After completion of this process they are then placed at the end of the line for citizenship consideration. Those who do not meet those requirements will likely leave on their own or will leave when they cannot find employment because of effective employer verification. Others may be identified by state and local police on criminal or minor infractions and be deported. While there will be no instantaneous solution to the 11 million undocumented immigrants, this policy is best calculated to result in attrition.           

 Thank you again for writing and expressing your concerns. The input of my constituents is of great importance to me, and I am honored to represent you. If you have any additional questions on this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to contact my office or visit my website at www.specter.senate.gov.

 

Sincerely,

Arlen Specter  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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National | 1 Comment »

Oh, it is SO on! Brendan Loy, THIS is for you!

 

Purdue | 2 Comments »

We made the walking club today, sans Alex. He has a cold with a nasty cough (thanks to him having pneumonia and bronchitis at the same time 2 yrs ago) so I left him at home tucked in bed with daddy watching cartoons.

So, here was today’s workout:

• 15 minutes of walking
• 18 minutes cardio
• 8 minutes strength
• 4 minutes stretching

 

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Exercise/Weight loss | No Comments »

This is banned book week. How many of these books have you read? I am very surprised to see some of these on here. Many of them were required reading when I was in school, and many I currently own. My favorite book of all time is even on this list! And why on earth would anyone ban Judy Blume books?

Here’s what I have read from that list:

1. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
2. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
3. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
4. Forever by Judy Blume
5. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
6. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
7. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
8. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
9. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
11. Blubber by Judy Blume
12. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
13. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes  
14. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
15. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
16. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
17. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
18. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
19. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
20. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
21. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
22. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

My friend Susan said it best: “I really detest book banning. Literary censorship forced onto me by an outside source leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

I could not agree more.

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Books, General | 3 Comments »

DALLAS – 7-Eleven Inc. is dropping Venezuela-backed Citgo as its gasoline supplier after more than 20 years as part of a previously announced plan by the convenience store operator to launch its own brand of fuel.7-Eleven officials said Wednesday that the company’s decision was partly motivated by politics.Citgo Petroleum Corp. is a Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-run oil company and 7-Eleven is worried that anti-American comments made by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez might prompt motorists to fill-up elsewhere.

Chavez has called President George W. Bush the devil and an alcoholic. The U.S. government has warned that Chavez is a destabilizing force in Latin America.

“Regardless of politics, we sympathize with many Americans’ concern over derogatory comments about our country and its leadership recently made by Venezuela’s president,” said 7-Eleven spokeswoman Margaret Chabris.

“Certainly Chavez’s position and statements over the past year or so didn’t tempt us to stay with Citgo,” she added.

Instead, 7-Eleven, which sells gasoline at 2,100 of its 5,300 U.S. stores, will now purchase fuel from several distributors, including Tower Energy Group of Torrance, Calif., Sinclair Oil of Salt Lake City, and Houston-based Frontier Oil Corp.

Chabris said 7-Eleven’s decision to sell its own brand was based on many factors, including Citgo’s decision this summer to stop supplying stations in parts of Texas and other states to focus on retailers closer to its refineries in Corpus Christi, Lake Charles, La., and Lemont, Ill.

But 7-Eleven had been considering creating its own brand of fuel since at least early last year, and some analysts suggested 7-Eleven may now be hyping the political angle a way to curry favor with U.S. consumers.

“This has nothing to do with Chavez,” said Oil Price Information Service director Tom Kloza. “They (7-Eleven) just didn’t want to be tied to one supplier.”

Kloza said all 7-Eleven did was seek out suppliers who could sell it the cheapest fuel and “that was not Citgo.”

Citgo spokesman Fernando Garay declined to comment on whether Chavez’s comments had a bearing on 7-Eleven’s change in suppliers. He said the break was “a mutual agreement of the two companies.”

Garay said 7-Eleven was a “significant” part of Citgo’s retail presence in Texas and Florida. “It was a valued relationship,” he said.

In fact, a source familiar with the talks said the companies to end their gasoline supply relationship about two months ago, well before Chavez’s “devil” comment.

The on-going war of words between Chavez and Bush may have played a role in 7-Eleven’s decision to end the contract, which expires next week, but the Chavez speech was not the cause, the source said.

In July, Citgo decided to stop distributing gasoline to 1,800 independently owned U.S. stations because it was a lackluster segment of its business.

In order to meet service contracts at 13,100 Citgo-branded stations across the U.S., Citgo had to purchase 130,000 barrels a day from third parties — a less profitable business model than selling gasoline directly from its refineries.

Citgo was founded in 1910 as the Cities Service Co., according to the company Web site, and 7-Eleven’s predecessor, The Southland Corp., bought Citgo from Occidental Petroleum in 1983.

7-Eleven sold half its interest in Citgo in 1986 and the remaining stake in 1990 to Petroleos de Venezuela SA.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

source

 *Country Fair has Citgo gas. I encourage you to buy your gas at GetGo (Giant Eagle’s gas station), Kwikfill, Sunoco stations, orShell stations. For a listing, click here.

Looks like Country Fair is off my list. I’ll start going to GetGo from now on!

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News | 3 Comments »

Well, we didn’t make it to the walking club at school today, but we’ll try again tomorrow.

Today’s routine was:

• 5 minutes stretching
• 15 minutes cardio
• 5 mintes strength
• 5 minutes stretching

A pretty good workout, I think

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Exercise/Weight loss | No Comments »

Today’s blog prompt: What gift do you wish you could give (if reality was not a factor) to the most important person in your life?
I think I would most likely buy Brian a brand new Honda Accord. He sacrificed his so we could get our van when Alex came along.

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General | 1 Comment »

The boys’ school has started a walking club. Every morning at 7:45, the kids who want to participate (and their parents, if they choose to participate, too) walk around the entire school. Today was our first day for doing this (it started yesterday). It was a lot of fun. The boys had a good time, and so did I.

So, add this to today’s workout.

15 minutes of walking

15 minutes of cardio

10 minutes of strength training

5 minutes of stretching

Not bad for one day, huh?

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Exercise/Weight loss | No Comments »