getting older...

there comes a time in every kid's life when they come home from school with a note from the teacher, p.e. teacher, health teacher, or school nurse - that asks for permission for that child to participate in the upcoming special lesson/unit on "getting older" (if you know what i mean!)...

nina came home from school with that note on friday.

i swear i've never felt so old in my life.

grudges...

so last night nina and i went to see a production of to kill a mockingbird with my pal lindsey. lindsey really is a most awesomest type of friend. you know - the kind that comes over to your house just to carry cases of girl scout cookies for two hours. the kind that smiles even when she's really mad. i don't think i've ever seen her vent about anything without laughing about something at the same time.

she even knows shes awesome. she's dubbed herself the master of the universe after all.

anyway - so we went to see this play and low and behold one of the actors was someone i knew, and lothe so much i refused to applaud for her at the end. nina and lindsey gave me a little grief over this. lindsey said i hold grudges.

and you know what? she's totally right (awesome people like lindsey usually are right). i do hold grudges. i think forgiveness is overrated in some cases. i mean - i can think of about half a dozen people who i've encountered in the past 31 and 1/2 years that i'm still holding a grudge against (i bet some of you can think of who they are too). and when i think about if it's worth letting the grudge go - i decided that the grudges are all worth it.

just the other day i came across someone on facebook who made my life hell when i was 12 and got a sick and twisted feeling of joy to see she never got married. (i also got a sick and twisted feeling of jealousy that she has the most popular boy from our class on her friends list - but then again - i beat her to him in the ladies' choice dance at the graduation dance and he couldn't say no - the dj said. that's right - i have issues people. i'm not ashamed. but that's a whole other blog entry).

so anyway. why won't i let these 6 or 7 grudges go? because i think they make me stronger. i think it's possible that if a person lets go of certain grudges and forgives and stuff - then they run the serious possibility of falling victim to the exact same types of negative energy (if not the same exact vessels of negative energy)all over again. and i think i have serious fears of just how possible that is. literally. i have nightmares that take me back about 11 years relationship wise.

so i just can't let go of these grudges. i need them. they're like security blankets. they keep me strong. and since they are mostly pretty immature - they also keep me young. (perhaps grudges are the answer to the fountain of youth. i'll have to check into it.) it's not like i sit and stew over them every day. i've mostly moved on from it. i just don't applaud or fake excitement or want to see pictures of their kids or have a cup of coffee (or be facebook friends) when i run into one of them.

so as much as i love lindsey (you know i do - oh master of the universe!) - and as positive of an influence she is on me all the time - i've thought about what she said about me holding grudges - and i think i'm gonna keep holding. it's too easy to go from being a door stop to a door mat.

besides - i like being immature sometimes....

sandy again...

well - at least this time she's not on my wrists...

episode one - how not to make it to the hollywood round on american idol...

1. forget the name of the new judge and call her by another name in your interview...

2. cry for no reason...

3. resemble the crazy redhead from "wedding crashers". "let me through - or i'll find you!"

4. SING THE WRONG WORDS!

5. appear insanely desperate...

6. resemble a rock of love contestant. (this is my public way of saying that bikini girl reminded me of megan from rock of love and i don't think she should have advanced - no matter how bouncy she was)...

7. play air guitar.

see???

you all thought i was kidding! again with sandy and her trying to fit into the space on my lap that doesn't have laptop on it...

silly cat...

the real reason my blog has being going without updates for so long...

do you have any idea how hard this makes it to type??

every time i pull out the laptop - bailey is rubbing her head against the screen and sandy's trying to prove she can fit in the tiny space between my stomach and the keyboard.

i'm waiting for her to figure out the little touch pad and it's connection to the arrow on the screen she's always following...

*sigh* young love...

something about this story is so sweet and innocent that i think if i were a parent to either lovebird - i would find it really hard to be angry....

at least i know nina won't be running off with her boyfriend any time soon. she worries about running out to the car to get something if we're not within eye shot of the window....

nina's birthday boots

so nina will be 11 on friday. yeah - i know. i'm not happy about it either.

anyway - she's had me running all over the damn city trying to find a pair of those damn big fluffy boots that all the girls are wearing for fashion and not function. i've been just about everyplace that would sell knockoffs at a reasonable price and keep having issues finding them in her size - a 5 - not all kids shoes go as high as a 5...

anyway, i finally caved and went to famous footware and got her these...

nina's birthday boots

they are so cute i almost want a pair myself.

i know i'm not the first...

to make this connection - but this story reminds me of a certain episode of buffy the vampire slayer...

"i'm looking for warren"...

edited to add - i went to youtube and watched the video and it REALLY weirded me out!

i want that job...

the job of which i type this time is the job of deciding which pictures go where in the sunday ads.

for example: this week, on sale at target is ky yours and mine lubricant. it is strategically placed next to the delsym 12 hour cough syrup and under the tampax and always femine hygene products. i see the picture and i have two questions that come to mind immediately:

1. why next to the cough syrup? is that really appropriate? especially since above the delsym is the children's dimetapp...

2. who sees an add for ky and says "ooh! ky's on sale!! i so have to stock up on THAT." (for the record - i say the same thing when i see that walgreens has pregnancy tests on sale...)

peek a boo!

this story gives totally new meaning to the phrase - "smiling down on you from the heavens"...

black friday...

we started our traditional black friday shopping at 7 a.m. today with a trip to sams - cause they had free breakfast. but it really left a lot to be desired. i really wished i had an extra $500 laying around because they still had about 25 wii's...

the we went to walmart where i bought jeff 2 pairs of $8 jeans and nina 1 pair of $8 jeans, a woman's world magazine that i already had, and a $7 rubbermaid container set.

then it was off to target where i got me a spiffy $30 dirt devil broom (beware remaining fleas - yes i think there are still a few hanging about).

then to k-mart where i got a $13 cordless telephone for the chatterbox who seems to get more calls than i do lately. note - she's not getting her own line - just her own extension in the house. oh. i also got a pack of gum. k-mart was by far the craziest store we experienced today.

then we went to garden ridge where i got nothing. i was proud of myself.

then it was michael's where i got nina a $15 art set (she really wants a "real" art set this year - i have no clue why) and the crayola glow station - $16.50 after a 50% off coupon.

then it was off to the mall where i spent $20 at bath and body works to get my favorite hand lotion - look ma new hands - and a nice sugar scrub hand wash. this is where i started to lose my patience - cause there were 3 ladies in front of me - who were together - but occupying 2 checkers. they had these coupons that were something like "buy $30 get $30 free" and they were splitting up their orders - like - four times each - to get maximum coupon usage. PLUS they were trying to get the "spend $40 get this bag of stuff for $15 more" on each order as well! the one lady kept stepping away from the register, grabbing another bottle of soap or lotion and coming back and saying "what does that put me at now?" hello? only had two small items and just needed to fork over a $20 bill. they made me want to scream cause i was stuck in the same spot for 10 minutes just WAITING for them to get done...

and after that we went home where i fixed leftover pizza, cucumber slices, and leftover mac and cheese from yesterday for dinner. i'll make it up to them tomorrow.

i'm pretty proud of myself - i paid cash for everything. this shopping trip was funded by my pay from jury duty (all $72) and cashing in all of our loose change. and with the exception of the gum, hand lotion, sugar scrub, rubermaid containers, and magazine - i only bought things that were on the list of things i set out to buy today.

i am FAR from being done though. nina has grown 2 full inches since school started so she needs clothes. there are several cd's and movies that she wants. but nina's hard to shop for this year. she's going to be 11 which is a rough age. i'm afraid to buy her bratz or petshops or hannah stuff because i'm afraid in six months she won't want to play with them anymore. and dammit, chastity belts aren't as easy to come by as i had hoped....

my thoughts on this lori drew case...

i've been watching this case kinda closely because i think it's going to set a great precedence for the future regarding cyber laws and terms of usage. i really kinda feel like this federal case is a stretch and the loosest possible interpretation of the crime she is charged with. for example, should she be found guilty, it sets a precedence where, for example, an individual using someone else's username and password to spy on their myspace/email/facebook/ebay etc activity for no reason other than to know what they are doing and saying and what not - could also receive prison time for the act of fraud - not to mention stalking - and hacking and whatever other interpretations they can come up with....

think about that. prison time for reading your ex's email.

it's a stretch - but i think it's true.

and for the record, i just don't really buy the defense of "i didn't read the terms of agreement so how did i know i was violating them" - well you clicked that you read them. it's like saying "i didn't open and read my gas bill so i didn't know i had to pay it".

the whole story is tragic. and unfortunately appropriate cyber laws were not in place for her to be held responsible for the cyber harassment she allegedly inflicted and she can't be charged in retrospect after the laws are created. this case is the only way for justice for the alleged acts and i kinda feel it's really reaching. while i think that the alleged acts are horrible and wish the laws were in place to begin with - i kinda think that this case isn't going to bring any more closure to the situation for anyone. mark my words - no matter the outcome, there's a civil suit down the road. i've been saying that since the story broke a year ago.

the jury begins deliberating tomorrow. the judge is stalling on his decision to dismiss the case. i am putting this in writing now so i can say i was right later. i fully think that judge is going to let that jury decide on a verdict and after it comes down, if they have found her guilty - then he's going to dismiss it.

sigh. i've said this before and still feel this way. we need to teach our kids that they don't have to like someone - but that everyone deserves respect at the very least. and until the people of the world learn to respect each other - this crap will continue to happen.

90210

kelly taylor you will never learn will you? brenda is poison! poison i say!

hmm...

maybe it's the wine i just finished - but i was looking at the cats and wondering if we might have better luck with the flea issue if we could just shave them down like you do with dogs.....................

back from the vet

so i took the little flea farms to the vet and they got happy little deworming shots. and bailey got a butt bath from the vet cause her butt looked icky with worm goo. tmi tmi - i know.

she also said they could be released from solitary confinement - thank goodness cause sandy was okay with it for the first 24 hours but at the start of the next 12 she turned into a pill. kept me up last night crying.

and we brought some pills home for rolen to take - just in case....

i think the shot had some effects on them. sandy - who's the less than clumsy kitty - kinda fell over earlier. she was just standing there and woopsie! she was on her side...

i also picked up some advantage and now we're giving that a try. everyone please cross your fingers....

mavericks owner accused of insider training...

so i just saw this article on fox news. i always knew that mavericks couldn't be trusted...

that's all i'm sayin...

GA!

okay - as if the fact that we've been fighting the flea battle for a month now. now both cats have worms (tapeworm we suspect).

we swear frontline is a crock - it's not working hardly at all. they've both been frontlined twice and bathed in flea shampoo twice and we keep cleaning and vacuming and using flea spray on the furniture and dammit they just keep showing up! only rolen's spot checks for fleas seem to come out clean.

bailey even had a shot that was supposed to kill everything on her at that moment - but if anything jumped back on her when she got home, it wouldn't kill that. that was on election day. and now she and sandy both have worms.

i've locked each of them up in a room with a litter box - because of course these things happen on saturday evening or sunday when the vet is closed. have to call the vet first thing monday, AGAIN!

why me?

wish i could have gotten away with that!

for a concert where cameras that did video weren't supposed to be allowed, there sure was a lot of videos of the nkotb concert monday night on youtube....

see?

kitchen nightmares

so we're flipping between kitchen nightmares and csi. i often wonder if these restaraunts close after chef ramsey has been there. the pr from this show can't be that good.

i mean - this mexican place is really grossing me out - and makes me hate to think what's going on behind the kitchen door at my favorite margarita hang out....

no cliff! don't go!!!

i was really unhappy when marc cheated on cliff. but now he's TOLD cliff - which may have been the right thing to do - but now cliff is all sad and leaving and on the verge of tears! marc and cliff are the cutest gay tv couple EVER!

the writers better find a way to fix this...

nkotb concert photos...

photo album 1

photo album 2

so i didn't run off with the band....

but i did get natasha bedingfield's autograph for nina....







and this is always nice....

so if i don't show up tomorrow...

i've either run off with NKOTB to kansas city for the next show or i got arrested trying to sneak backstage.


this is a really, really, REALLY happy day.

ps. jeffy - i still love you best!

the email i received at 3 a.m. today...

judging by the text of this email below - i'm apparently on a first name basis with the 44th president of the united states of america...

i'm so cool...

"Karen --

I'm about to head to Grant Park to talk to everyone gathered there, but I wanted to write to you first.

We just made history.

And I don't want you to forget how we did it.

You made history every single day during this campaign -- every day you knocked on doors, made a donation, or talked to your family, friends, and neighbors about why you believe it's time for change.

I want to thank all of you who gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign.

We have a lot of work to do to get our country back on track, and I'll be in touch soon about what comes next.

But I want to be very clear about one thing...

All of this happened because of you.

Thank you,

Barack"

as of 10:07 pm ...

you know - i kinda feel like i've effected change today...

judging by this photo...

they work with some really sophisticated equipment in arizona - just check out that sophisticated ballot reader they have for mccain...

http://www.charter.net/news/read.php?id=15104773&ps=938&cat=&cps=0&show=big&lang=en

gonna have to run down to target and get me one of them...

i voted today!

i know what you're thinking.

yeah. so. what's your point - so did, like, a hundred million other people.

but you see, this was my first time ever voting. ever. ever ever. like, as in never having done it before 8:30 this morning.

i know what you're thinking - and just read me out before you start judging the fact that i've been old enough to vote for 13 years without ever exercising my right to do so.

when i turned 18, i didn't feel like i was smart enough to make well educated decisions on the issues at play when the time came to vote. think about it - the internet wasn't around back then. i didn't read the paper. there just wasn't a lot for an 18 year old girl like myself to go on with this stuff.

i thought it would be irresponsible to vote just because i could. that's like taking the driver's test because you are now 16 - but never studying or spending time practicing or even paying attention as a passenger in the car.

"because i could" or "because i was old enough to do so" didn't seem like a good enough reason and i thought it would be more responsible to just wait until i was more mature and had more of a clue.

and perhaps, just a tiny bit, i felt kinda like my one vote didn't really matter.

so what took me so long? i don't know. i don't have a good argument for that. for awhile, i guess, the issues just weren't very important to me. and all that "hanging chad" nonsense was discouraging.

i kinda started paying attention around 2004. i was starting to get the itch - but i didn't act on it. then again in 2006, i seriously considered registering - but i debated the issue in my head for far too long and missed the deadline for the issue i was concerned about.

it was also rough for me because i felt like i was surrounded by people who's views were the opposite of mine. i kinda had it shoved down my throat quite a bit, in settings where it really wasn't appropriate. settings where politics really shouldn't be discussed and people really shouldn't be judging others based on political views. but there were times that i almost started to think that my views were wrong based on the environment i was in. i loved when i was able to get together with friends from college and have the opportunity to hear the other side of the coin for awhile...

so anyway, fast forward to 2007 when i finally made the decision to vote. i've spent all of 2008 trying to pay attention. i had some delays getting my registration in - so i missed all of the other voting opportunities - but made sure to make the deadline for today. i had my ideas of who i liked, but i did actually do research between the two to make sure i was comfortable with my gut decision. hell - i even visited the missouri GOP webpage and the missouri democrats webpage - so if that's not doing extensive research - i don't know what is.

and that brings me to 8:30 this morning when in only 10 minutes or less (because there was no line at my polling place) - i voted for the first time. and then i went to starbucks and got free coffee.

i'm not going to go too much into who i voted for and why. my cartoon for today only gives enough of a clue.

if you're reading this after i took the cartoon down - and you worked with me at WU and think you know who i voted for - you're probably wrong.

and if you went to college with me and think you know who i voted for - you're probably right.

and if you are of a blood relation to me - i'm most likely the political family outcast. i admit it. end of discussion. let's move on now.

wishing everyone a happy election day - no matter if you choose blue or red...

finally...

they have identified bones found at steve fossett's crash site as being that of steve fossett. finally - some closure for mrs. fossett and the rest of the family.

and a way to put a cork in all those people who cried conspiracy and claimed he parachuted out of the plane and planted some personal effects to make it look like he died and was living the high life someplace else under a new name - like cliff.

again - the number of people who believe in conspiracy theories really surprise me...

why dancing in mcdonalds is never a good idea...

i've been meaning to upload this for a while now - but just now got to it as i was uploading nina's halloween pictures. this is her dance group dancing in the local mcdonalds. where a dance like this should never be done. however - i am proud to say that the first thing they did when they finished was head straight to the bathroom to wash their hands...

halloween 08

i present the army girl-y girl....

nina 08 halloween pictures...

my nephew

my 20 year old nephew has been moonlighting as a cast member at a local haunted house.

click here to see his pic from stltoday....

jeff's so mean...

he won't let me get one of these 6 inch photo buttons of jordan knight to wear to the concert on the 10th and then keep next to the bed on the night stand like when i was 13.

he said as much as i don't want to believe it, i'm not 13 anymore. and if i am - then he's in deep legal trouble...

can you believe him? he's so no fun...

woman commits virtual murder...

okay - so - um - yeah. i got nothin....

p.s.a....

this is a public service announcement...

i have just returned from taking bailey (kitty #2) to the vet. we've been going about every 6 weeks since march to get steroid shots because she has some crazy skin allergy to we don't know what because allergy tests are too expensive.

well, about a week ago, we realized that all of the meyer critters were infested with fleas - something we've never had issues with before - i blame the neighbors who don't cut their grass. it was a sunday and the vet was closed - so we went to petsmart and bought a bunch of shampoo and came home and washed all three critters (let me tell you, me in the tub in my swimming suit with the cats was a sight to behold - i'm sure). you would have thought we were killing them.

the next day i went to the vet and spent a small fortune on frontline and dosed up all the critters.

well - this whole flea infestation thing has made bailey's skin issue REALLY bad. and the first dose of frontline didn't work quite as well as the lady in the demonstration video said it would. it worked - they aren't itching as bad. but i've still found living/thriving fleas on at least two out of three of them. so today it was back to the vet for another steroid shot and more frontline - the vet said giving them a second dose wouldn't hurt and might be good - especially the way bailey is reacting.

while bailey's post steroid stupor can be somewhat entertaining - this flea thing is getting pricey. and annoying. especially to jeff who is the only human in the house that the fleas like.

so here's the p.s.a. the vet said that the fleas are especially bad this year. something about all of the excess moisture from the rains and flooding. like the mold counts. bailey was her 5th flea irritation visit today and when i stopped in last week to buy the frontline they were talking to someone who was having flea issues on the phone.

so save yourselves all some pain and just buy the frontline now and dose your pets before the fleas have a chance to take up residence in their fur (and your furniture).

this p.s.a. has not been brought to you by the makers of frontline. in fact, i'm paying them. they should be doing advertisements for me and my blog...

true as true can be...

i don't recall the last time i read an installment of comic that was quite as true as this one...

what they don't tell you...

is that after this guy finished this burger, his arteries sent up a white flag of surrender....

see! see! see!!!

my fear of clowns is totally legit!

crazy stalker clown story!

talk about your showcase showdown....

i know i know. it's a groaner. but someone was going to say it sooner or later....


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,437961,00.html

o.j. says "that wasn't fair"!!!

okay - if you didn't see this coming - then you need to go back to college and take logic 101. i knew it from the moment the case started. if he was found guilty, he was going to whine like a baby and say it wasn't fair because the jury was all white and because he can't catch a fair break because everyone thinks he's a murderer.

wah o.j. wah!

power ranger murder

you know what really just makes me laugh about this story? not that it's a funny story - cause it's totally not.

but it's the way they keep talking about him as an actor from the power rangers and a child star. if you look him up on imdb - he was in - like - exactly one episode of the power rangers and hasn't done anything since...

public thank you!

a public thank you to my buddy kristine for getting us nosebleed but cheap tickets to the blues/blackhawks game for our anniversary next week.

thanks kristine!

study says...

8 out of 10 people are stressed out because of the economy.


gee. ya think???

in the meantime, all of the pictures about the stock market keep showing the reactions of this one man. each picture is different - but i swear that it's the same guy. i think he's a hired actor/model who did a series of shots for the AP photographer and not really a stock market guy. that number on his jacket is a prop....

12 days and counting...

till the five year anniversary of our wedding. as of right now, we have no plans. can't come up with anything to do. there's not a single movie that sounds appealing. blues/blackhawks tickets are too expensive. the guy at funny bone doesn't sound good. nothing appealing at any of the casinos or other entertainment venues and i refuse to go see monster trucks or motorcycles or whatever it is that jeff was trying to talk me into seeing earlier.

that and the five year anniversary traditional and modern gifts are wood and silverware. just what exactly am i supposed to do with that???

and furthermore - jeff's being a butthead. keeps being a smart butt and saying it's nothing special to irritate me. and i even let him watch wrestling twice last week - without interupting!!!

meanwhile - this year's fright night at six flags is very disappointing. they have very little "talent" wandering the park. the guy on the terror train was carrying his script with him during the explosion part and he still sucked. the whole ride consisted of "everyone stay calm" over and over. he never even gave the back story. i will say that at least i was delighted not to be followed by clowns...

sometimes...

...when i go to bed at night, i get this nagging feeling. kind of like a weight on my shoulders. it makes it really hard to sleep....

debate...

so we're watching the debate (not at all what one would expect from us - i know).

so far sarah palin has said "betcha" and winked at the camera...

and i seriously think she is too skinny...

edited to add "darn right". is that really appropriate rhetoric?

edited again to add - i think the red heels were an interesting choice. maybe she was trying to appeal to the kellie pickler demographic...

r.i.p. steve fossett

it's so sad. we all knew this was the inevitable outcome. but it's still so sad. at least now mrs. fossett will have some closure.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/02/steve.fossett.search/index.html

um. okay.

yeah. i've got nothin on this one...

crazy conspiracy theory story

in case you are living under a rock...

tonite is the vp debate at wash u. and can i just say how very happy i am to not work there anymore? i took a vacation day on the days of the last two debates just so i wouldn't have to deal with traffic, parking, and secret service clearance. given that the b-school's graduate reunion is this weekend, i know i wouldn't have been so lucky today.

and for the record - last night's criminal minds was EXCELLENT!

GAAA!

george bush is interupting the season premiere of criminal minds! i wanna know who blows up (i think it's the blonde fbi chick and hotchner - and that they aren't IN the suv - but NEAR the suv when it explodes) and dubbya is standin in my way!!!!

i'm adding this to my list mr. president!

edited to add: omg. that was stressful to watch. i think i yelled at the tv about seven times. and i was right. and i knew that guy who was first on the sceen couldn't be trusted. he looked too much like the free credit report .com guy. and i knew that ambulance driver couldn't be trusted either. and by the time we got to the secret service guys - i was starting to wonder about them too. and dammit - that derek! don't they know he's the warrick without the drug addiction? we need him and reid and garcia to make the show worth watching. how dare they scare us like that when we have to watch warrick die in two weeks....

so far the best season premier though. we'll see what ugly betty brings tomorrow where i predict she won't go to rome with gio OR marry henry....

house...

as someone who has the concept of transplant cross my desk daily - even i have to say that tonite's episode of house really grossed me out. eww eww eww

so looking forward to finally finding out who is in the exploding suv on criminal minds tomorrow nite...

more from nina dancing at homecoming...

these videos take some time to upload - but here's another one of nina's dance numbers from this past weekend. the tap number...

do you ever get that feeling....

like you just can't win?

i do. especially lately. and gosh darnit all to haties - i just can't take anymore of it!

nina dancing - epiphany homecoming

nina danced today at epiphany's homecoming. this would be their "diamonds are a girl's best friend...

us transplant games - promo video

this is the video our national office put together from the games. we're putting together a st. louis one as well. i want to share it all with you. get your kleenex ready....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5n9Rf1bGBY

90210 review - part deux...

• is it just me, or does naomi earily similar and remind anyone else of nomi in showgirls?
• i bet kelly's kid's daddy isn't dylan OR brandon. it's too obvious. i bet it's someone totally random. like steve. or the gay guy from the volleyball team. or the guy she lost her virginity to who pushed her in the bushes...
• i think navid is kinda cute...
• i think lori laughlin's character is toooooooo naive. i don't like her. aunt becky needs some edge.
• still love silver but am concerned that they played out the "jackie/alcoholic/bad mom/pta fashion show embarassment/rehab/falling off the wagon" storyline the first time around. what's next, she's going to mary the father of silver's friend and have HIS baby?

btw - for those counting - 61 days left to the nkotb concert. i'm trying to remember how to tease my hair...

r.i.p. monica

monica, a woman i used to work with, passed away today. she had given birth in the last week to a baby 6 weeks prematurely. i never saw her happier than when she met and feel in love with her husband. she glowed in his presence.

i know keith won't ever read this, but i'm thinking about him and his little baby in the nicu. there are really no words.

i'm so very sad for them. they didn't have enough time together. not keith and monica or monica and her baby...

i'll miss you monica.

the new 90210 - a review

so i just watched the pilot for the new 90210. here are my thoughts:

• shannon dohroty can't act. it's like she's going through the motions. jennie garth at least can fall in and out of the kelly character in her sleep. but dohroty was just painful. and when do we find out about this kid kelly has??
• if i do the math right, andrea's daughter should only be 13 or 14 - she was born somewhere between 1994 and 1995 seasons. so i can't see how she's old enough to be at west beverly and hosting the student news - a position that never goes to freshmen unless they are the main characters. the math for silver is about right though. she was born around 92 i think.
• find it funny that rob estes was on melrose place for 3 seasons as kyle. not as mr. principal guy. do they think we never notice these things??
• overall, it wasn't terrible. and it will be competing with house and it will have to be taped. so it better come up with some fabu plotlines quick to keep me hooked...

now. i need to find time to listen to the new nkotb cd so i can review it (and fully be 13 again)...

ps - are any of you still reading? you've all been so quiet!

GAAA!

i just remembered that it's NKOTB NEW CD RELEASE DAY!

i must run to target!

sad...

i think it's really sad that the movie trailer guy died...

he was my favorite gieco commercial....

i can't sleep...

it's 12:44 am and i can't sleep. i haven't thought about work all weekend until i tried to go to bed tonite. now i'm suffering from wicked insomnia...

it kinda sucks...

how lame am i?

i'm totally looking forward to the new 90210 show and full intend to watch the first episode next week. that and my nkotb tickets have probably branded me as a loser for the rest of my life...

pictures from manda's wedding....

i stole all of these pictures from amanda's facebook profile to share with all of you...

amanda's photos

and we took these pictures ourselves...

my photos

enjoy!

i bowled my first 500 series! and i'm not happy about it!

so i've been trying to hit a 500 series for about 2 years or so. everytime i bowl the really well the first two games - i do the math to deterimine what i need in the third game to get a 500 series - and then i end up totally tanking.

so tonight i bowled my very first 500 series. i didn't even think about it until the ninth frame of the last game when i was sitting there with a 184 game. final series was a 531.

i should be totally ecstatic, right? last season i achieved my first 200 game and i had two goals left - a 500 series and a clean game. and now i've hit the 500.

i'm not happy about it because tonight was the first night of bowling and you are supposed to bowl really bad the first night so you start off the season with a lower average and a higher handycap and you can work upwards. but i did it all wrong cause i finished up last season with a 137 average. i'm starting off this season with a 177 average. that's leaves a 33 pin handycap verses the 77 pin handycap i ended with last season.

not to mention living up to the 177 i'm starting with is going to be really tough....

that lazy ass neighbor...

so you all remember that lazy ass neighbor who leaves her car in front of our house for days at a time when there's room in front of her own? well check out these pictures.

first - her house is on the left. that is her car behind the red blazer.



notice the space available in front of her house.



and notice the space behind her car.



now look again and notice the amount of space between her car and the blazer - which belongs to the nephew of the lady who used to live in the house it's parked directly in front of.

i rest my case.

the bestest matron of honor speech ever!

when i gave my toast at amanda's wedding - i did it from memory and didn't have a word written down. i had been drafting it in my head for a year and i kept it very guarded because i wanted everyone to experience the speech for the first time at the same time.

now that it's over - i wrote it out for postarity's sake so that amanda can have it for later. so here it is!

are you ready for this? she said "no". i told amanda a year ago that i knew exactly what i wanted to say at this moment and i think she's been really frightened ever since.

i met amanda 13 years ago when her family moved to st. louis. she and i spent almost every saturday and sunday for two years working together at subway slinging sandwhiches. even though there was about 3 years difference between us in age, we quickly developed this crazy bond that to this day can't be put into words. easiest to say that she could make me giggle like no one else in the world. it would only take one word and there were giggles.

(macarena, mayo, cologne, bzzz - at this point amanda threw out the word macarena as an example and it was the only word mentioned at this point in the actual speech - but you get the picture. this is also where i cut the line about how as the youngest of three children, i had quickly adopted her as the little sister i always wanted and never had - the one who was fun but didn't take my toys. reason it was cut is long and not worth going into right now. i had told amanda before the wedding that that line had been in the original draft but cut for certain reasons and she understood - again - long story.)

so you can imagine that having become so attached to amanda, i was pretty disappointed when i found out she would be moving to carrol, iowa for a year. i knew i was powerless to stop it and the idea of throwing myself in front of the moving van and begging her parents to make me her legal guardian wasn't going to work. so i decided i was going to make sure amanda always knew she would have a reason to come back to st. louis - and i decided i was going to throw her a party. it was going to be a surprise and i planned it literally under her nose with her standing two feet away. the plans were all going well until about 2 days before the party when during what turned out to be her last shift at subway, in classic amanda fashion, she was attacked by the lid from a tin can of olives. long story short, she ended up with about a hundred stitches in her leg, unable to walk, and completely unable to pack - which was great for me, but kinda stunk for her parents.

the first thing i said when i heard this was "i can't believe she did that."

second thing was "yeah. yeah, i can believe she did that."

third thing was "and just what am i going to do now??"

so after a brief panic moment, i rearranged some things and made some phone calls. i made sure her mom was still on board - i knew the hardest part was going to be getting her out of the house. and at the time i was pregnant with my now 10 1/2 year old daughter so i did what any crazy, pregnant best friend would do. i called her and i said "amanda, i need you. i have a doctor's appointment. no one can go with me. i think they're going to do an ultrasound and i can't do that alone. i need you to go with me - i'll push you in a wheelchair if i have to."

i had her hook. line. sinker. and she was super shocked when her mom actually LET HER GO.

so i picked her up and fibbed to her about how i forgot something at my house. then i fibbed again about why i had to park in back of my house where i never parked. and when she walked into my back yard and saw a half dozen of her closest friends - none of which she still talks to other than me, i might add - she was really surprised.

now i share this story with you today because i learned two very important things about amanda that day.

1. she is SO gullible.

and

2. no matter what was going on in her own life or where she was, if i needed her, she would be there for me and she would always be my best friend. and i'm happy to say that she has been a part of every happy and every sad moment i have had ever since.

i was really honored five years ago when she stood next to me on my wedding day - or attempted to stand anyway - and i'm really proud of your performance today. and i was even more honored to be able to stand next to her today.

on that day five years ago, amanda publicly informed my husband that he got a two-for-one package deal when he married me. she would always be there for him as well. so chris, i say to you today - you're stuck with me. it's too late. there's no going back. and if you see jeff later, i'm sure he can give you a few pointers on how to cope with it.

in all seriousness though, i want you two to know that there really aren't words to express just how happy i am for you today and i want to wish you both the best as i see you happy together today, happy together tomorrow, and happy together for the rest of your lives.

*toast toast toast - applause cause i totally rock and the best man tells me that he's glad he got to go first and not follow that which made amanda respond with "don't fell bad - she was an english major - she loves this stuff!"*

and now after spending almost every waking hour together for four straight days - she's been in myrtle beach since monday and i haven't talked to her since sunday and MAN IS IT KILLING ME!

totally m.i.a.

i know i've been missing in action for a month and all. and i've probably lost all my readers.

things have just been crazy.

since returning from pittsburgh, i've been working from home/bread co. our new office location still isn't ready for occupation so we're the foudnation without a home.

and my bestest friend amanda got married this weekend. i was matron of honor. i've been doing a lot to help her with last minute wedding stuff. i drove up to iowa last wednesday to be her brain for the three days before the wedding. drove her everywhere. helped her decorate her cake. let her use my hotel room as a wedding holding tank until we could give things to the hotel for the reception. it was a good time. and i gave the most awsome toast. the best man said he was glad he didn't have to follow that. that education as an english major paid off.

now she's all married.

i have no clue where my summer went. yes i do. it went to detroit. then to iowa. then to pittsburgh. then to iowa. and now nina starts school the day after tomorrow.

not sure who all i've told - but nina is going to a new school this year. she was picked in a lottery for a charter school. she's pretty excited. it will be a new start. new friends. new opportunities for her education.

anyway. i'm sorry i've been m.i.a. it's just been too crazy. i'm hoping to return to a normal schedule soon so things will seem more normal.

and i'll try to annoy you all with my babbling again...

us transplant games - day 1

for those of you who don't know, i left this morning for the u.s. transplant games in pittsburgh. the day started with a flight on a tiny little plane that only sat 50 people. it was mostly smooth - bumpy on the landing and take off. but it was short and pretty painless and i think i kept the hyperventilating to a minimum....

there was only one seat on my side of the aisle so at least i didn't have to share or anything.

anyway - we're staying at the doubletree and it's a pretty nice hotel. gotta love anyplace that keeps tossing fresh baked cookies in your face when you go to the front desk. we ventured over to the strip district for lunch. we ate at this little place (name escaping me - i'll try to figure it out and get back to you) that had an outdoor balcony - very french quarterish. they have this lobster roll that is basically a giant roll that is like a roll slash garlic bread filled with lobster claw meat that has butter and garlic and nom nom nom nom. and they had excellent seasoned fries. it was sooooo good. and the area was cool. kinda the loop meets soulard meets the french quarter in new orleans. we didn't actually have lunch until 4 or so. and it kinda freaked us out that as 5 pm approached - all the stores were rolling up the street vending and locking up the doors. like the place tunned into a vampire haunt or something at 5:15.

most of the night was spent trying to figure out tomorrow - which is going to be the first real day of craziness. we have a hospitality suite for the team and we have to get all the shopping done for it and get it set up. then it's the cards/pirates game tomorrow night.

the real games start saturday with swimming and the opening ceremonies - which i'm told is quite the emotional experience. i can't wait to really get going.

we just finished dinner an hour ago - we ordered in pizza. it's now midnight and i'm totally exhausted. i've been told that dinner this late is the norm - so i'm sure my system is going to love that.

this is going to be quite the experience and i'm going to try to update every day - provided i don't colapse into my kingsize bed and sleep for a year.

i'm going to try to crash now. this will be my first stay in a hotel room by myself. i survived my first flight without jeff - so i think i'll manage this okay too...

nite nite.

i don't get it...

i just don't get gas (except after eating white castles - ba dum bum - but seriously) - i just don't get gas. i passed 4 gas stations on my way to work. one was $3.98. two were $3.94. one was $3.89.

guess where i stopped? and not just for my 64 oz diet mountain dew with cherry syrup fountain drink...

but can someone just make up their mind and be consistant?

*rocks gently repeating "make up your mind, make up your mind, make up your mind"*

i'm not dealing well with indicision and limbo in my life lately...

detroit zoo, doubles and singles, side trip on the way home, and all the stuff in between...

so last night we started bowling our doubles and singles events at about 7:30 (an hour late). six straight games, no break. no amount of gatorade and oj could keep my blood sugar up. doubles came first, and i bowled a 145, 178, 127. singles i bowled a 166, 129, and a 92. in my own defense - by the time we got to that 92 game - it was about 1:30 in the morning and all the steam was totally gone. i'm not placed very well in any of the events so i probably won't win prize money this year. but i did bet $40 in brackets and turned that $40 into $85 - so that was kinda cool at least...

anyway. we also went to the detroit zoo yestereday. big place.

and on our way home today we took a side trip to warren dunes state park to visit the beach and lake michigan ocean (as we always affectionately called it).

and then i have all these photos - which don't fit into any other categories.

i'm pooped. yesterday was a long day with a short night of sleep followed by a lot of time in the car where i dozed off several times - but didn't actually get any substantial sleep. i'm sore and stiff - between bowling my brains out and sitting in a car all day. i have to take a shower and get some sleep and then try to function at work tomorrow. plus - the cats are still waiting to have a word with me about leaving for four days - so i have to give them their face time...

night!

team event

in this evening's team event i bowled a 158, a 152 and a 100. series a 410. i guess i choked in that last game huh?

tomorrow we have doubles and singles. we start at 9:30 pm and it can take 4-6 hours to bowl all 6 games. gonna be one late night...

in the meantime, enjoy these pictures and these pictures.

and we're off...

leaving first thing friday morning for the women's national bowling tournament in exotic detroit. jealous?

stay tuned...

all in a day's work?

morning got off to a fine start.

everything went to pot at noon when our phones went dead. weren't sure what the problem was. turned out to be some miscommunication someplace about our office move next month. someone thought the phones were to transfer over june 16th - not july 16th.

left for lunch at 1. came back at two to discover four fire trucks, five police cars, to fire chief vans, 3 first response vehicles parked in front of our building. we pulled over to a lot where two of our coworkers also just happened to land on their way back from lunch. the guys working outside our building digging a trench for the sewer hit a gas line.

2:30 - get the all clear to go back inside. smells kinda funky but they assure us it's not dangerous. but we find out that we can send emails out - but nothing can be sent in to us due to problems in new york.

3:00 - the trench diggers start playing with paving the spot they dug. tar and gas fumes combined with something that smelled like paint thinner starts giving everyone headaches but the gas guys can't detect any harmful gases in our building.

3:30 - call for a ride home cause my stomach is turning and my head is starting to ache.

4:00 - go home. where i am now, and working on work things to make up for the time lost by not having phones, emails, or a building with breathable air...

happy monday!

i've corrupted my child

we spent 45 minutes tonite watching nkotb videos on youtube (btw - i'm liking their new video more and more!) she's placing nkotb on her list after the jonas brothers - but i think it's only to please me. she wants me to put in the movie and see if i can still do the dances - somehow i think i wanna skip that part...

but we did find this father daughter wedding dance video and it cracked us up. you have to get through the first 45 seconds to get to the funny part though...

i so happy!

7 am - watched new nkotb video on vh1. it wasn't as bad as i thought it might be - but they have come a long way from chasing the girls around the carnival and locking eyes across the tilt-o-whirl.

6 pm - come home from a long ass day at work to find happy happy nkotb tickets in the mail. life is good.

6:30 pm - nina finds this in the depths of her closet (where it landed after we moved - along with her teletubbies videos). i'm gonna sneak out of bed at 2 am one night this week and watch it....



oh jordan. i can totally overlook your lameass stint on the surreal life where you came off looking like a weirdo with that whole boxes in the doorway o.c.d. thing. just give me one quality rendition of i'll be loving you (forever) - high notes in tact. i'll forget it ever happened...

i am the proud owner...

of 2 tickets to see New Kids on the Block on November 10 at Scottrade Center.

Section 117 - Row GG - seats 1&2

that's the right stuff all right!

ever since i got my laptop

bailey hates it. she's jealous of it. she's been trying to find a way to get around it to her favorite place in the world - my lap.

she finally said "screw it" and found a way...

you have no idea how hard this makes it to play solitare...

there's still time!

visit my kidney walk page to learn more about how you can help in the fight against kidney disease!

this week on "why you won't be my next american idol"....

welcome to a very special episode of "why you won't be my next american idol". i'm your very smart, talented, clairvoyant karen seacrest. i apologize for not getting this to you sooner - but i was celebrating the night away because i - for once - ACCURATELY PICKED DAVID COOK AS THE WINNER!!! yeah me!

honestly - i don't know what everyone is so suprised about. it seemed like a no brainer to me.

so - let's not beat around the bush. david archuletta - you won't be my next american idol for the following reasons:
1. you have no range. you can only sing the powerful ballads that people sing on telethons. every song you sing sounds exactly the same.
2. you may be young - but you are by no means hip or marketable.
3. your daddy spent too much time training you on stage presence - and not enough time training you to have a personality.
4. and because lindsey's husband is right and you do sound like vera di milo (performed by jim carrey on in living color) when you talk - and it's freaky!!!

and that means that DAVID COOK - YOU ARE MY NEXT AMERICAN IDOL! and nina already wants your first cd. so that's one cd sold...

and your from missouri - so that's a bonus. i will have to work on you being a royals fan though....

until next year - this is karen seacrest - out...

idol finale...

nina won't shut up about the jonas brothers. nick jonas is oh so dreamy...

and that archletta performace on "it's too late to pologise" sucked. i hate that song. anyone notice how he didn't even sing real words? just aaaahhhhs.

and i guess jordan sparks is feeling better...

edit - digging the jack black, ben stiller, robert downy, gladis knight thing way more than celine and elvis last year. lmao...

edit - george michael looks terrible. he looks like a george michael impersonator...

edit - and now we're waiting. you know - i appreciate george michael music more than i used too. but i couldn't watch him perform..

david cook's guitar hero was better than david archuletta. david wasn't even a sperm when that movie came out...

waiting. fluffy comments. can we just get to the results. wait - did simon just admit wrongness?? david cook must be winning because simon wouldn't take it back otherwise...

there's the envelope...

certified blah blah blah...

here we go.

winner

is

YES!!!!!!!!!!!

woot woot!

nkotb - nov. 10 at scottrade center!

idol thoughts...

round one. david cook. singing u2. still haven't found what i'm looking for. i always hated u2 back in the day. have a better appreciation for them now. this guy is such a rock star. i'd pay to see him concert. that was good. i liked that. vote for david cook!

wait, did randy just say that this is the duel of 2007??

edited to add.

round one. david archuletta. don't let the son go down on me. is his daddy aware that this was an elton john song? and it was performed with george michael?? i bet if they had let him backstage - he would have thrown a fit. this kid's a 50 year old man in a 17 year old body. i don't like him. he's dancing like he has to go potty.

round one winner. cook. clearly.

edited again. are the judges clearly on something. that wasn't unbelievable. or flawless. or the best he's done so far. ick. and simon's speaking bullshit. oh look. he's crying. BE A MAN ARCHULETTA!!!

edited AGAIN.

spelling "sun" - S-O-N in my archuletta commentary and then talking about his daddy - was totally an accidental freudian slip. i swear.

more editing.

round two - david cook rocked AGAIN. and the judges are on smack.

david archuletta sounds weird. aaaaaahhhhhhaahhhahhhhh. what is that?? he has no range. none. has he managed to successfully do an upbeat song all season? NO.

and that song kinda reminded me of "don't cry out loud" for some reason. ICK.

i'm going to add randy mentioning "singing the phone book" to my drinking game. he's used that about 30 times this season.

round 2 - VOTE FOR DAVID COOK. ARCHIE SUCKS!

editing again...

david cook. collective soul. i love this song. i literally have chills right now. how can you deny that this man has an abundance of talent? he's far more marketable. have we not learned anything from the success of daughtry? that was beautiful. now he's crying. aw. how sweet. at least that was an emotional performance. i FELT that. so his crying is justified.

paula's standing again. someone clue her to her seat please. and i think simon's a stupid head...

edit again.

okay - we had to take a break to go get nina from girl scouts. we're back with archuletta doing imagine. haven't we seen this before? he's kinda all over the place. and once again. totally not upbeat. this kid has zero range. he's not a pop star. he's a "very special episode telethon performance" performer. and his mouth is kinda shaped funny. and he has pig nostrils.

and i felt zero chills.

randy's on drugs. he was pointing in the wrong direction when he said the best singer in the season was right there. oh man. he's crying again. he has zero personality or originality. and have you seen the mayor of the town he comes from???

if david cook doesn't win - i'm losing faith in america...

bet you guys are wishing i never got this laptop...

VOTE FOR DAVID COOK!

if anyone needs me...

i'll be in morris, illinois...

nina's dance recital - hip hop

i wish i had got this yesterday - it was better then...

nina dance recital - tap

nina dance recital - ballet

nkotb reunion

so i watched one of the performances from the today show today. something about 30-35 year old women screaming like 13 year olds is kinda scary...

i'm still bitter about their lack of coming to st. louis....

and just out of curiousity...

is anyone still reading my babble? i know i let this thing go for awhile - but i'm back now. at an almost annoying state. but i feel like i'm talking to myself...

csi season finale

i saw that coming when i heard it was warrick's last episode. but that ending kinda turned my stomach. i found it very disturbing for some reason.

now i realize that there was a strike that disrupted the season and all - but i found this season to be, overall, quite diappointing. from the beginning. even before the strike. the conclusion to the sarah story. revisiting the child prodogy storyline. the green blood people. last week's episode with the comedy show (i bailed halfway through that one. and the warrick/mob storyline. all not their best stuff.

dear writers of csi - you better do a better job next season. i've been a faithful viewer for 8 seasons now. don't make me regret it by throwing it all away with a second bad season in a row...

this week on "why you won't be my next american idol"...

welcome to why you won't be my next american idol. i'm your host - an almost perfectly punctual karen seacrest.

it's finally the time we've all been waiting for. the night where the prediction i made oh so many weeks ago has come to past. it is - the season - of the davids. but before we go there - we have business to address first....

this week on "why you won't be my next american idol" we say so long to someone who in all honestly shouldn't have been in the top three in the first place. that's right. hit the road syesha mercado. syesha - you won't be my next american idol because the cycle 9 winner of america's next top model was saleisha stowers. it's too easy to confuse the two of you. you kinda look a little alike. you both have that rihanna thing going on. and we don't even need to mention how similar your names are. you can't both win reality shows where the theme is finding the best "insert talent here" in america. it's just too weird!

so that leaves david. and david. i really hope david wins. david cook of course. he rocks. and he's from missouri. and there has yet to be any weird news hit about david cook. or his dad. and he's just plain better!

vote for david cook!!!!

until next week when we crown david cook the next american idol and i take the cake in my idol bracket by accurately predicting the winner for the first time - this is karen seacrest. out.

all i have to say is...

i would hate to be the cookie mom of this girl's troop! my car isn't big enough!

r.i.p. greg

this post in memory of greg koerner.

greg was a good man. he was always there whenever he was needed. a friend to everyone.

in the world of WU b-school - greg was olin.

rest in peace greg.

you will be missed. you will not be forgotten.

earthquakes

i will no longer complain about feeling the little quakes we continue to have since last month's bigger quake. what happened in china is horrible. and since the first 7.9 this morning, they have had a dozen aftershocks that were all more than 5.0 - one that was over 6.0.

our 2's, 3's, and 4's are nothing...

ps, i love you

last nite i watched ps i love you with hillary swank. it was pretty good. not as good as the book. but not horrible either.

anyway - i never realized how much hillary swank and jennifer garner looked alike!! it's almost freaky. especially when you compare the performances in ps i love you with catch and release. as a matter of fact, i was watching catch and release yesterday morning and when nina walked into the room last night, she thought it was the same movie i had watched earlier that day and wondered why i was watching it again...

irony can be defined...

by flipping channels and finding dora the explorer on the spanish channel. it was completely transplated into spanish. except for the parts were dora normally tries to teach the viewers simple spanish words and phrases - those parts were in english....

it's quite possible...

that i may never have to go down into the basement again. everything i need to do can now be done from my bed in my jammies...

jeff claims to be a laptop widow and bailey is jealous that she can't get to my lap to sit anymore.

now - if i can just figure out how to use my powers for good - and maybe get the laundry and dishes to do themselves...

day off...

i have the day off today.

there's tons of things i could be doing.

but this laptop stuff is just way too much fun. the tv's on. i've got some pizza. with pineapple. i didn't even have to get out of bed if i didn't want to.

now that i have my laptop and wireless access and i don't have to go to the cold basement to babble about nothing. isn't this cool???

now - you may remember that i was convinced i was going to be the next j.k. rowlings - all i needed was a laptop.

i suppose i should get going on that...

testing. testing. 123

i'm, like, totally sitting in front of my tv right now watching ugly betty.

charlie's water just broke. i don't like her. i hope they find a way to make her go away....

the return of "why you won't be my next american idol"!!!

So, bringing everyone up to speed – the following people won’t be my next American Idol for the following reasons.

Michael – you were robbed. I have to say it once every season. And even though I never thought you would win – or even make the final 2 – or maybe I did – I haven’t reviewed my bracket choices in awhile – you were still robbed. But since it’s my job to insert something witty at this point – you won’t be my next American Idol because it’s AMERICAN idol and not AUSSIE idol. Maybe you can get a second chance over there.

Kristy – you won’t be my next American idol because you appear to be perfect. Perhaps a little toooo perfect. I’m certain you have a flaw (other than being less than entertaining on stage). And one of these days, TMZ is going to find it.

Carley – you too were robbed. Again – I never thought you would win – but thought you would go farther. And since I’ve already used the “American not Irish” reasoning on Michael – you won’t be my next American Idol because that tattoo on your arm kinda looks like Amy Whinehouse. And they tried to make her go to rehab but she said no no no….

Brooke – you won’t be my next American Idol because I like just a little more edge to my idols. And you’re kinda folkish. And I’m not buying that you can’t play piano with your shoes on…

And finally, we have Jason Castro. Jason, you won’t be my next American Idol because after all these weeks I’m still not 100% certain that your awkwardness in just shy nervousness. Although I really hope it is. I just can’t help but wonder if there’s some “all natural herbal supplements” – if you know what I mean – contributing to that silly little grin and bad interviewing skills.

But my condolences to Lindsey on the loss of her Idol…

Coming to you live (and yet slightly prerecorded) on my new dell laptop, this is Karen Seacrest, promising to try and be a better Seacrest and saying “OUT” – just hopefully not for five weeks….

GoodSearch.com

The local NKF office has created an account with "GoodSearch.com". Good Search is a search engine (powered by yahoo). You select your charity (in our case "National Kidney Foundation (NKF) - Metro East and Eastern Missouri"). Then you use either the webpage or their toolbar option (like the popular google toolbar) to search for whatever floats your boat.

The NKF will earn a penny for every search conducted.

You can also shop there at any number of stores and a portion of your purchase will go to the NKF.

Now - if your anything like me, you and your google toolbar practically have an intimate relationship. So why not do some good with your searches and help the NKF at the same time! It's easy as google!

You'll see a little animated box on the right under my cartoon. Give it a shot!