I'm Turning into A Germophobe

I have a friend who fears bacteria. I would constantly raise my eyebrow at some of the odd things she'd do. It was definitely a case of OCD on her part for how much she would freak out over germs. She carries enough hand sanitizer in her purse to kill a horse if he would drink it. She'll wipe down her steering wheel of her car before driving because she's afraid of transporting germs. Another problem she has is garage sales and thrift stores because it's "other people" germs. I personally like cheap things myself plus it's called a washing machine.

Ever since I started working at the high school I've paid a little more attention to staying healthy by washing my hands more often, cleaning the kiddos desks during passing period with disinfectant wipes, washing down door handles in the house, plus religiously taking my vitamin C vitamin.

Pig flu + Me = bacon in hot grease.

in other words, I refuse to get sick from germs.

Sure, there's the airborne threat, but I think most illnesses comes from sharing things like drinks, chapstick, etc. Of course there is just the touching things other people have touched problem. I found myself spritzing a little hand sanitizer in my hands as I left the mall last weekend. My hands just felt dirty after touching doors, escalader railings, and the occasional hanger. Who knows what someone had touched and what they may have had.

It's like the whole if you've had sex with someone who's had sex with 3 other people, then you've basically slept with 7 people in one booty call. It's the orgy you never thought you'd have. Here's the chart that made me glad I'm on the 1 to 1 ratio, gotta love waiting till the right one. :) >> http://www.wrmcsn.com/images/chart.gif

I'm around a classroom of 30 sneezy, snotty, germy teenagers for about an hour and a half. I see about 130 kids in my class a day. Take that number by how many kids just one kid comes in contact a day with. That 130 kids a day is connected to over 1,000+ germy, sneezy, snotty people. I don't really want to know the ratio of actual contact that is brought into my classroom in just one day. Hence why I'm not a little bit paranoid over the germs.

Let's just say, Lysol is my best friend and please for the love of limp greasy bacon, cover your mouth when you sneeze. Or else Cathleen Syblius (the secretary of the health dept) will chew you out and tell you about Elmo's ability to not spread germs during a press junket with a bunch of adults. Don't be that poor dude.

A New Social Network Worth Following

Move over Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter.

I was listening to the radio last night on my drive home when the DJ was talking about a new social networking site. I was intrigued, because I only need another internet fad to get sucked into. This social networking site is different, very different. I think it's actually a really cool idea from the sounds of it too. It's not some silly high school "I have more friends than you, I update pointless crap on my status because I have no life, I'm more popular, Ur hott, let's she-bang, My tweets are sweeter than beets, looking for love one-night-stand online, or look at my crazy drunken beer bong stripper pictures (I don't have any for the record)."

No, this sounds like the social network utopia on the internets.

This new social networking site will launch in about 26 days according to the website.

Now, you're all wondering, "WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS THIS INTERNET UTOPIA YOU SPEAK OF?!?"

My friends, www.friendagorilla.org (not .com, see it's already better)

In 26 days, when the site launches you will be able to "befriend" a gorilla in the Ugandan Mountains and "follow" your new gorilla friend with GPS and video updates. The site is going to be very similar to Twitter/Facebook where you can keep up with the gorilla of your choice. You'll get updates about their life such as travel patterns, births, and other "gorilla" activities.

You will have to pay a $1 sign up fee to join, but if you think about it, this is a great way to help support and save gorillas in the wild. There are over 200 million people on Facebook, think of all the bananas that friendagorilla.org will be able to provide!

I think it would be a great way for younger kids in elementary schools to "adopt" a gorilla as a class "pet". Maybe even a family "pet" option for families who can't have a real pet due to allergies/living situations.

I might join the site just for shits and giggles, what about you?

Dating Isn't Dead For Serious Relationships

I've been with my boyfriend for over three years. It seems like at times we're stuck in that "old married couple" phase. The "new" feeling has long since passed. When Scott and I first started dating we'd go out for dinner or go do things like art shows, games, etc. It was that phase were we were trying to learn about each other and see if we were "it" for each other.

Three years passed, and every weekend it seemed like I was just going home to live with my significant other and our dog. He'd be in the computer room working on photo editing and I'll be in the living room watching E! channel (he hates it with a passion).

Were was the new? Were was the excitement in that? I think every relationship after a long time gets to that "too comfortable" stage. I remember when I wouldn't dare be in a room of Scott's house without him in that room with me. I'd tell him "I'm going to the bathroom now".

Now I do as I please and even keep all my stuff at his house. I have a key too. Where is the discovery in that?

But I like it, that we have moved past the awkward "Do I like you?" stage. We're now at the point of no return.

But last night, it felt like dating once again. He drove to dinner, paid for a nice sit down dinner, lots of conversation, and then he took me to the movies. This is something we RARELY do anymore. It was a nice little spice up.

I hear of all my friends talk about their boring relationships, and it's nice to know Scott and I can go back to the "dating" phase and spoil each other with a nice night out. It doesn't have to always be chores, tv, feed the puppy, fast food/cooking at home, then bed time.

I encourage all couples to at least once every three months, splurge on a nice night out.

Fork in the Road

In big moments and decisions in our adult life we come to forks in the road. We have to decide what road we want to take.

The smooth paved road with straight paths is the easiest and more boring of a drive. I sometimes feel that my friends get to take the easy road in life. Everything falls right into place for them. They don't have to worry "if" or "when", things just happen. They cruise with the top down, sun shining, and gas is a $1.50 a gallon. They don't have a care in the world, and the speed limit is unlimited.

The other road is the one with the bumps, curves, and road construction detours. Nobody wants to find themselves on Route FML. (frick my life). It seems like I'm constantly on this road holding on tightly to the steering wheel going 10 mph under the speed limit hoping a deer doesn't jump out in the dark from the trees. You're on this road when the GPS system batteries die and your driving in the middle of the night through a downpour.

It doesn't help when your passenger in the car of life doesn't want to stop and ask for directions to get to the Easy highway. So you continue on that curvy, potholed, shitty road of life not knowing where you're going as you keep driving. You hope all the while that the car doesn't run out of gas and you make it to the next town.

When the passenger doesn't want to take the same route that you want, you find yourself unhappy, worried, and constantly questioning "why?" Do you turn back and drop them off and start all over again on your journey? Or do you keep going hoping that the clearing and "end of road construction" sign is just around the bend? I'm not the type of person to start all over when I have an outlook that it might get better. And besides, it's better to have company when the drive is scary.

Trying to get to the destination on time though, never seems to be my thing. And I'm a punctual person, I want things to start happening in my life when I'm ready. I don't want to wait on the passenger in the car to make up their mind which route to take. It'd just be a lot easier if they were using the same map as everyone else.

Too bad Geico can't save me heartache with that money.

Cash for Clunkers. Clunker of an Idea?

I'm sure if you've watched TV you've seen the "Cash for Clunkers" commercials for every Ford, Chevy, and Dodge dealership in your area. While the idea may seem pretty good, there's other factors that I don't see as a benefit to the program, or that it will even boost the sale of new cars.

For one example, my grandparents have a 1994 Dodge pick up. My grandparents recently purchased a new Ford Focus when they traded in their large Lincoln Town Car. Papa needed a smaller car due to the fact he's older and honestly shouldn't be driving in my opinion. I suggested a smaller car would be better. So now they have the Focus and the pick up. The Cash for Clunkers would work for my grandparents for their truck, but my grandparents already bought their small fuel efficient car. My grandpa is the only one that drives, so to buy another small car would be pointless.

Example two. My mom has a 1996 Crown Victoria that she has refused to get rid off. She has a brand new Lincoln Town Car that my dad bought for her birthday last year. My sister and I both have small sedan cars. My dad has a truck. If my parents were to trade in the 1996 Vic, why would we need another car? I told my dad that the 2010 Camaro was on the list for purchase, we considered the trade till my mom said no. So, my parents are keeping Old Vicky instead of bringing home a shiny new Camaro to go next to my Camaro. :( Grr.

Then there is example three. The person that drives a clunker bought the clunker at a cheap price. Clunkers or nicely termed, "Late Models" are cheaper. If a person who drives a late model bought a late model for a couple thousand dollars from a newspaper ad or Larry's Auto Mart, then how can they afford a brand NEW car?

People driving 2001 models and up aren't driving around in clunkers, they're decent body styles now. My sister's car is an 01 Grand Am that looks practically new (minus the few scraps I added when I hit a concrete cylinder in a parking lot). People that drive newer cars have a higher sell back rate than $4,500. If my parents wanted to buy a 2010 Camaro, they don't need an incentive to get rid of their old car to buy one, they have the means to do it.

A person who has enough money to buy a $20,000 car will buy a brand NEW car. I person in a lower income level who is strapped for cash wouldn't even begin to look at NEW cars. $4,500 for a car that is worth $2,000 is a nice offer. But that's only $4,500 off a car that is marked up in sticker price higher for $15,000-$20,000 when you originally could only pay $2,000.

It just doesn't work out.

Whether or not the "Cash for Clunkers" program works to "save" the American auto industry, I doubt the outcomes will be high.

Are you or anyone you know going to trade in your old car for a brand NEW car based on this "sweet, once in a lifetime" offer? Or are you sticking to your cheap, paid for, reliable A to B car?

Every Kid Needs A Hobby

I screwed up in life. Lemonade stand? Oh Steph, seriously, how lame!

I could have made more profit as a kid to go towards Pogs, Barbies, and Hot Wheels. Maybe I could have done better in science if I had the right skills and training starting at a young age. I might have had a little more appreciation for the hard earned dollar if I had made a product that was in high demand and respected on the streets.

Lemonade for 25 cents is not profitable. I thought below the line, I thought like a good little blonde girl. I should have known better when the police would patrol my neighborhood and stop to buy lemonade from me. Although, it really would have been a good cover up.

Maybe if I hadn't spent time as a kid being unproductive, I could have been making meth.

Now that seriously is a pretty good idea. I mean, it not only teaches kids the art of science, but drug dealing is a science in itself. Kids learn the aspects of economics with supply and demand. There's a big demand, small supply. Therefore kids can have 22in spinner chrome wheels on their Big Wheels or tricycles. Kids also learn that safety when using chemistry is important. Always wear googles and make sure you use the right measurements!

Kids also learn that physical fitness is important. They have to be able to run fast and take the punches in case something bad goes down on the deal. So boxing classes would have been more valueable than ballet.

I could have been a pint sized drug dealer, hitting the clubs at the age of 7. Rollin up in my pink Barbie Jeep. I could have ruled recess sitting on the swings while my classmates got high off of my product and Sharpies.

Why was I so...average?

Now we all know, I'm being hugely sarcastic here, so don't say I'm a horrible person for supporting meth. I don't. I just want to be a wise ass and make a joke.

Cameras vs No Cameras at Concerts

Last night I was at the Neko Case concert. She is one of my absolute favorite singer/songwriters. I was so excited when Scott bought me tickets for the concert. So, as usual I took my camera to the concert. When we got there, the security at the front door said no cameras. Well, of course, no Professional cameras, ticket stubs always say that. But no, my cheap Kodak was denied entry, I was so bummed. This had been the first concerts I had been to that you couldn't take pictures at.

There are pros and cons to having cameras at concerts, and I figured it would be best to break this down.

The POSITIVES of Cameras at Concerts.

1. You paid good money to see your favorite act, you're supporting their music. You should be able to take a picture of that artist since you paid to get into the show.

2. It's a keepsake, you document events in your life.

3. It's free publicity for an artist. Someone sees that you went to said artists show, they might be interested in checking out the artist.

4. It keeps fans happy.


The NEGATIVES to Cameras at Concerts

1. Some stupid person thinks they need a picture of each word out of the artist's mouth, hence 5000 flashes are produced in one song by just that one person.

-You go to the concert to enjoy the music, not watch it through a viewfinder of your camera.

2. The artists/musicians don't want to be blinded by hundreds of flashes going of constantly.

-My back up to this is, well, you picked the profession. Fame comes with cameras.

3. Bad pictures.

-Most cameras (including mine) are shitty for concerts. It's too dark and the flash doesn't really help, especially if you're in the last row. Why waste the effort?

4. Embarrassing pictures.

- In the day and age of running celebrities or artists through the dirt, a picture could hurt an artists reputation based on a bad angle or bad timing.


Some artists don't want cameras at their shows because of the "blinding" factor. Some have their own photographers who don't want others to be taking pictures while they're trying to. Copyright issues are also a factor.



What do you think about cameras at concerts? Are you for it or against it?

Would You Give Your Personal Information To A Rapist?

There is one thing that really erks me about Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or other blogging sites such as blogger or Xanga.

Innocent stupidity.

Some people are too trusting that nothing bad will ever happen to them. I have seen on Facebook walls and Myspace comments where people will leave their phone number for that friend. Little do they know that maybe their friend's site is not protected with a privacy lock so anyone can access your phone number.

People give out too much information about their personal lives. Say you talk about living on your own, in an apartment, and post pictures of your new car. Well, automatically someone could figure out what state you live in and even the city. They could then search apartment complexes in your town and drive around if they really wanted to find you. Spot your car, and bingo, they have you.

Do you link your Myspace to your Facebook? Bingo, they have your last name. Having someone's full name is like giving away your social security number online. This means they can search you on Google to find a phone number and home address. Maybe you're under 18, they can find your parents information to find your home address. Google Maps even has a satellite image of your house so they know what it looks like. Google Maps even has a feature called "Street View" with pictures of your house (in some areas). You may have posted pictures of your bedroom with curtains that could be identified from outside. Now the stalker knows where you sleep.

Predators have a different mentality, if they want YOU, they will find you based on the information that you give.

I was stalked online by a creep in my town when I was 17. He found me on Myspace and started a conversation with me. I gave out too much info than I should have, such as where I went to high school and what neighborhood I lived in, I was gullible and naive. He clicked a link I had to my Xanga that detailed what I did during the day. Back then, I was a journal blogger. He knew about my vacation to Louisiana and where I went to church based on a blogring I belonged to on Xanga. He called my house and spoke to my mom telling her, "Is she back from Louisiana?" and then hung up. That night I went to youth group and a suspicious car was in the parking lot of the church driving around, I knew that was the stalker. The police officer said that he probably looked up my phone number in the telephone book and found my address in there too. It was because I had given him my last name.

I deleted my sites and vanished from online in hopes to elude the guy from getting anymore information. Thankfully my family was planning on moving and I graduated high school and went to college. I learned my lesson and advocate to anyone to REALLY be careful what you say, bits and pieces can be strung together over time to create a profile on you and then the predator can find you.

I advise people really to not link your Facebooks to your social networking sites and do not use your last name for anything online. You can go and do all the privacy blocking you want, but that information can get out to anyone just on accident.

In Smokey the Bear fashion, Only you can prevent predators.

Fan Pages on Facebook - Human Stupidity

If there was a fan page (and there probably is if I looked hard enough) for human stupidity, I'd consider being a "fan". Ever since Facebook created their new page design I am bombarded with "Suggestions" for pages that I should join.

Thankfully Facebook allows me to ignore application invites from those certain friends that have 347 applications on their page. I can ignore those group invites too. What I find annoying not only is all the requests for the Fan pages, but what my friends are becoming fans of!

Here's a few goodies that my friends right now are clicking on to become a part of the fan base. Apparently, they feel that if they do not express their fan-ship, you won't have a clue what your friend is like.

My friends are fans of:

Food
Sleeping
Cuddling
Naps
Jesus


Ugh. Really? I put in my status feed this disclaimer : "The next person who becomes a Facebook friend of AIR automatically gets deleted."

Food, sleeping, and cuddling are a given. It's a survival instinct. OF COURSE I'M A FAN OF FOOD, I NEED IT TO LIVE!

The Jesus fan page to me just says sacrilegious. Do you honestly think Jesus would have Facebook? Eh...I'm thinking no.

But anyway, the Facebook fan pages have gotten out of control. They're really pointless. I could see becoming a fan to a celebrity or music artist. But basic needs? Seriously.

I think the Facebook groups are slowly being replaced by fan pages.

Why Jesus Would Have Been a PC user, Satan a Mac

The argument that we've seen in commercials on TV is whether PC or Macs are better. I'm a PC user, and honestly a Mac would probably be a better computer, although for the 18+ years I've used a computer I know how to diagnose problems on my PC and fix it. Macs, well, I feel like they take care of themselves. They're odd in doing this.

I got to thinking about what kind of computer Jesus would have picked up from Best Buy if he was a computer user. Instantly PC stood out. Jesus just doesn't seem like he'd be a trendy Mac user sipping lattes in a Starbucks with a soul patch on his chin and black rimmed glasses.

Jesus represents the basic person who likes affordable, functional things. Enter PC. Sure, the PC has glitches, Vista sucked, but at the event of a fire, I'd grab my PC laptop because it's my prized possession. I loved my PC. Sure, it doesn't have an flashy apple icon, nor the price tag of a Mac. It doesn't have cool features like a Mac, but it gets the job done. It's a faithful computer that turns on and gets me online.



Satan would have used a Mac. Hello, apple = sinful fruit. DUH. Macs represent a fashion statement. You are cool and hip if you have a Mac. It's expensive and beautiful. People act like crazed greedy animals standing in line for Apple products like the iPhone or newest iPod. Besides, Mac thinks PC owners are fat, boring, stupid, and poor. They think they are better than anyone else.



Visual proof, Bernie Madoff uses a Mac. Bernie Madoff = Satan to some people.

While my theory maybe far fetched, there are some points that direct you to link Jesus to PC, Mac to Satan. It's a generalization, but an interesting one to think about.

Now, the question is, what would Buddha use?

Are You Planning Your Wedding or Your Marriage?

Since I was a little girl playing with my Barbies, I always thought about the wedding day. Barbie wore her big white virginal wedding gown; Ken in his dashing black tux. And they of course lived happily ever after.

When I was in junior high I remember making wedding planners. I had known for years what my colors would be, the kind of cake, I even had the ideas of where I wanted the grand event to be. I knew I wanted black tuxs for the groomsmen and lilac purple dresses for the bridesmaids. No ice sculptures.

Once I was in college, I noticed that while I had some silly rough draft plan for the wedding day, I started thinking about the married life and what I should be planning for after the wedding day. Unfortunately, the people in my age group weren't looking for a life partner, they were looking for a groom to give them that wedding day.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but dating ends once you slip the ring on the finger. You're stuck and now married life is something on a whole different level. If you're like me, divorce is NOT going to happen, so pick wisely.

Somethings that you and the significant other need to talk deeply about and not over a football game are as followed:

Budget - Are you in debt? Is your partner a cheap ass? Do either of you have savings or checking accounts? Do you plan to have joint accounts, do you trust your partner with your hard earned money? Money is a huge issue that causes divorce. Discuss what luxuries and necessities are. I need new clothes...often, and he needs an open tab at a bar all the time. He may find your shopoholic ways at the mall to not be important where you find his bar nights to be a waste of money (example, not really true in my life). Are you going to have a pre-nuptial agreement?

Investments - Sure the stock market sucks, but in 50-60 years you WILL retire and you will probably send your children to college. Where will that money come from? You and future Mr./Mrs. need to talk about how much you think you will need once you're back in diapers and removing your teeth every night. For the record, if you really love someone, you'd change their diaper at 80.

Children - On average, every girl also has the baby names and nursery ideas planned before the wedding ring. Maybe you want one kid (or none at all) but your spouse to be wants to be like the Duggers with 18. Houston we have a problem. You're setting yourself up for fights, "I want a baby! Don't you love me! Give me a baby!" Children also can really test the commitment of a relationship, for some guys a baby is the factor that makes them run. Thankfully, two children is already in agreement for me and my significant other. My uterus is pleased. Going back to the money thing, are you going to be financially ready to spawn your seed? This is a whole other blog post...

Buying a home: This is the most difficult decision which needs a lot of planning before you take the plunge. Everything from trivial to major has to be decided before hand. So, right from the number of kids you want to whether your parents will be moving in with you or not; everything has to be planned before you even start looking for houses. Next, after analyzing the approximate you’d need to own a house, start saving accordingly. It is always better to have a joint ownership of the house since it has a lot of tax benefits. Maybe you and your signifcant other already own a house. Who's will you live in, will you be added to their title?

Insurance : Getting life time insurance becomes very important, especially when the whole family is dependent on the spouse’s earnings. Make sure your insurance cover increases with every child. Get a health insurance for yourself and find out if there are provisions for family’s health insurance by your company. Are you marrying your spouse for their benefits?

There are other issues that are important to the married life that you and your partner need to discuss, such as religion, eating out/dinner at home, how will be in charge of paying the bills, who will clean, and my personal favorite, who gets the remote for the big screen TV.

Another important issue is medical emergencies, do you unplug your partner or do they want to be cremated/buried?

Some people are already living with their boyfriend/girlfriend, but have they even taken into account the bigger questions?

Hey YOU! Turn off your lights!

Every year in Spring on a certain day at 8:30 PM during your time zone is Earth Hour.

You are asked to turn off all your lights for one hour starting at 8:30pm to help conserve energy.

Check out www.earthhour.org for more information.

In recent news, light pollution has become a serious issue. Take a look at this map:



Hum. I see a problem United States. Let's turn off the lights and head outside and look at the stars. There's nothing better than laying out on a blanket in the dark with a bottle of wine and some stars. Even if it's raining, you can always reenact some "Notebook" fun (just if it's lightning, don't stand under a tree).

Get creative!

(yea, the possibilities for this working are slim, but hey, you can give it a try and feel good that you are doing something.)

Are you going to commit to doing this? Pass it on to your friends.

Momma Earth thanks you kindly.