Tour For Tuesday

This morning, while Jenny was at work, the kids and I headed out on our own little adventure.

Our first stop was at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Western Currency Facility. There are only two locations in the country where currency is printed. We went on the tour, which was on an elevated walkway, and watched how money was printed from start (blank paper) to finish (real money). It was and interesting process with over lapping ink and finding out that it takes a total of 9 days before the bills are entered into the Federal Reserve Vault - due to drying time.

Our next stop was the police department for a tour to get Lacye a patch for Girl Scouts. We were shown the dispatch office, briefing room and evidence room and the door to the booking room and jail cells. We weren't allowed into the booking room or jail cell area because there were people in there. The lady was very nice considering she had no notice prior to our arrival.

Our third tour was the local firehouse. Again to help Lacye get a patch, but also because Johnnie wants to be a fireman when he grows up. The firemen were extremely friendly. They showed us everything on the firetruck, inside and out. The kids got to turn on the lights and sound the horn. Then we got to go inside and see where they live. They showed us their living area and kitchen and where they sleep. They even turned out the lights to simulate nighttime and had the dispatcher send a test alarm so that we could see how they are awakened at night. Lastly, the kids got to ride in the firetruck as it was pulled out of the building. Once the truck was out side, the fireman raised the ladder all the way up, about 5 stories and explained how it worked.

When all was said and done, Johnnie wants to be a fireman more than ever. I even thought it was cool, but I'm probably too old to try that out. :(

Of course, it was so hot today, the kids and I had to stop at DQ for some ice cream.

And That's What I Think.

Don't Squeeze The Charmin

Do you remember Mr. Whipple from the Charmin commercials? He's always yelling at the customers in his grocery store to not squeeze the Charmin, then he squeezes it because it's so squeezably soft.

I have tried to use other paper products to widen my horizons or save money, but I always come back to Charmin. It's the best of the best for toilet paper. When you get caught away from home and that urge sets in, you are forced to use whatever is available. More times than not, you are stuck with John Wayne paper, rough and tough . . . well, you know how it goes.

Charmin is like resting my hind end on a cloud. It's like a pillow for the under side. Charmin is my friend. Forgive me, Charmin, for ever straying, but alas, I have returned.

Here's a classic commercial for you to enjoy:


WARNING -The following is not for the faint of heart-
A few weeks ago, our 4 year old wasn't spending the proper time wiping his hiney and would then try to pass gas and leave a mark. We were on to him for the next couple of days to be sure he was taking care of business. On this particular night he'd had a BM and suddenly realized that he needed to return to finish the paper work. After about 10 or 15 minutes I called to him and he came into the room with his pants down. I ask him what he was doing and he said that he was wiping. My next mistake was to jokingly ask him how much poop he had in there, to which he promptly turned around, bent over and spread his cheeks for all to see!
We laughed about that for a while.

And That's What I Think.

Little To Report

This past weekend, mom brought the kids back to our house. They really had a good time and was sad to part with Grandma.

Saturday was a friend's birthday party. What a cake! (You had to be there).

Sunday we went to see a new movie.

Pretty low key. Just about too hot to do much of anything else.

On a different note:
American Idol auditions were in Dallas this past week.
Here's a clip from last season that I thought was really cool!



And That's What I Think.

The Ride

A few of you know about this and some of YOU don't, but a few weeks ago I was in an accident.
I was headed home from work one night and a guy came out of no where and T-Boned me! Come to find out, he was not on his meds and therefore shouldn't have even been driving. The guy's just lucky the kids weren't with me! (On a side note: A week or so later, as we are heading to see Wonka, another idiot swerves into our lane coming head on! I had to slam on the brakes and swerve to miss him.) The next guy that hits me because he's not paying attention or shouldn't be behind the wheel to begin with, I won't be responsible for my actions. And you can take that to the bank!

After several weeks of fighting with his insurance company to get things done, they ended up totaling my car. Unbelievable since I had planned to drive my vehicle for another year or two and there was nothing wrong with it.

Now I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. The other guy was in the wrong, he was even ticketed for failure to yield. I was treated poorly by his insurance company, I had to provide them a copy of the police report (at my expense) and a detailed explanation of what happened. I then had to keep on them about getting an appraiser out to look at my vehicle. Once they decided to total it, I had to haggle back and forth about replacement cost so that I could go out and buy another car about the same value. Lastly, they had to have my vehicle before they would issue a check to me. Add two days mail time and two days for the check to clear my bank, I could have been afoot for the better part of a week.
What's worse is that I checked into the Texas Department of Insurance to help protect me and get them moving. Come to find out, they only help you with claims you file against your own insurance company.
~ "Prompt-payment laws do not apply to liability insurance claims against another person’s insurance company."
What kind of crap is that?!?

Well, I'm just glad it's all over with. I got my father-in-law's car (that's why we drove to Midland/Odessa) for a song and all is good now.
And That's What I Think.

Hodge Podge

No More Stamps
Am I the only one that is frustrated with the post office raising the price of stamps every two years? They say they are losing revenue to e-mail, etc. I think they are just getting greedy. Enough is enough, already! In an effort to ease the pain, they've added a forever stamp. This stamp is good from now on, no matter how much they raise the price in the future. The problem is that people are using said stamp now and not taking advantage of the future savings. I'm sure somewhere in a large plush office, someone is laughing their hind end off.

Well, I've had enough. I bought a book of the forever stamps and I signed up for online banking. My stamp usage has plummeted about 97%. USPS - you're puting yourself out of business!

BB8
How many of you out there are watching Big Brother 8? We never miss a show. It is so intriguing to watch a bunch of strangers live together. This season is one of the best yet. The twist is America's player. America votes on tasks for him to complete and he does our will.

This year they have also found two of the most annoying people on the planet. The first is a guy named Dick. Was he ever named right! He lives up to his name on a daily basis. The second is a girl named Amber who literally cries at the drop of a hat. I'm not joking, someone dropped a hat and she cried, seriously though, this girl cries like she has tear duct problems.

Two In A Row
Well, if you'll recall, I'm selling cars for a living now. I got started one week into May and have gotten Salesman of the Month for June and July! Yea, me.

Courtesy
Lately I've noticed that lack of professionalism in the work place. Not mine, but those that I visit. When checking out at a register or placing an order, if the cashier is standing in front of me and I'm looking at them, we should conduct our business. Instead, they feel the need to be part of the conversation of their co-workers. How aggravating is that?!? It's as disrespectful as the person who won't hang up the cell phone when checking out at the register. We've become a society of ME.

Bye, Bye, White Trash
A couple of weeks ago, Jenny called to tell me that there was a U-Haul in the neighbor's driveway. Woo, Hoo! I guess they got the tax bill. Whatever the reason they decided to move on, I couldn't be happier to see them gone.

Paper Or Coin
The U.S. Mint has started manufacturing new dollar coins to commemorate the Presidents of the United States. A grand effort and nice looking coins. They had to promise to continue making Sacajawea coins even though they are not circulated because of public outcry.

The problem is that the new dollar coins will soon be out of circulation like the Sacajawea because American's refuse to use them. The average paper dollar last only a matter of days versus the life of a coin which will last years. The over all savings to our nation would be in the millions if not billions of dollars. Do you think we would stop making the paper dollars and force people to use the coin dollars like Canada has done in an effort to lower costs? Of course not, the public would hate it and there's no one in power that can be a man and stand up for what is best.

And That's What I Think.

Road Trip x 2

This past weekend, Jenny took the kids down to my Mom's house. They are enjoying a week with grandma and although we miss them very much, we are getting a child free week.

Upon Jenny's return, we headed West to Midland / Odessa. Why, you ask, would we go to Midland or Odessa? Because it's there, silly . . .

Actually, it was to pick up my new (to me) car. 'Nuff said . . .

No really, now you're wondering why I got a car that was in Midland / Odessa. Surely I could have found one in the vicinity where I live and not driven 300+ miles to pick it up.

Well, more to that story coming soon, HA, HA!

On the way back, we stopped in Abilene to check some things out. I'm cooking up a road trip for the kids in the near future.

All said and done, Jenny clocked 1,100 miles from Friday to Sunday! (What a trooper) I'll make a truck driver out of her yet.

And That's What I Think.

Stockyards

Well last weekend we went to the Stockyards.
It was a lot of fun. They had several things going on there.

We arrived just in time to see the cattle drive. They heard Texas long horn cattle right up the main street of the Stockyards. Afterwards we watched a gunfight show. Kind of silly acting, but fun nonetheless.
From there we went into the museum where they had lots of old relics and artifacts from the time the Stockyards were the livestock mecca of the Old West.

We also watched a short film about the Stockyards during it's hey day. I found it to be very informative.
There were also things for the kids to do. They had calf roping and stick horse races and out front there were period singers. We also toured the cattle pens on an elevated walkway.

The Stockyards is a must see for visitors and residents alike.

And That's What I Think.