birthday, deathday

for some reason, i was interested to find out people who died on the same day they were born [different years]. google helped me out:

Betty Friedan
William Shakespeare
Ingrid Bergman
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr.
Raphael [painter]

and possibly moses.

i see an interesting story idea here. a serial killer who offs people on their birthday. stay tuned, i'm writing this one.

wackiest street names

mitsubishi sponsored a poll on their website to find the wildest, wackiest street name in the US. the winner is: Psycho Path in MI.

runners up included:
Divorce Court in PA.
Farfrompoopen Road in TN
The intersection of Clinton and Fidelity in TX
Bucket of Blood Street in AR.
Unexpected Road in NJ

here monkey

we saw curious george yesterday. it was very cute. of course, we have had the soundtrack for a couple of weeks now.

celebrity news i could care less about

mandy moore and zach braff [scrubs] are getting married. here's the wedding registry. and macaulay culkin and mila kunis [that 70s show], too.

paris hilton makes a new sex tape. with a playboy bunny. and apparently, kid rock and scott stapp [creed] made a tape years ago [with girls]. i thought he was all religious and stuff. or am i confusing him with someone else?

[via]

look familiar?

oh, and i don't know why, but my hello program [for uploading pictures] isn't working anymore. i can still upload these pics with blogger, but i liked that program!

unrelated: i have no idea what made me want sausage balls. but they are good.

how do you spell hodgepodge?

this is great: gmail has added smart-replies. if you don't know what this means, it may be that you don't need to. but this rules since i manage my odu account with gmail.

oh, and you can create you own free webpages with google. here's my 5-second rendition. it's a very easy WYSIWYG editor.

this couple stole $87 million, the largest amount in british history.

hammertime: i'll let you decide on this. beware of the pants.

[quiz] How Evil Are You?: You Are 34% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well.
In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

this article in rolling stone made me happy. long live classic rock.

and finally, on a personal note, i made tons of sausage balls last night. mmmm. the ones with sweet potato in them are especially good.

dick cheney was smoking weed?

fooled ya. two interesting stories from talkleft today, though.

dick cheney was drunk when he shot that man in the hunting 'accident':

Secret Service agents guarding Vice President Dick Cheney when he shot Texas lawyer Harry Whittington on a hunting outing two weeks ago say Cheney was "clearly inebriated" at the time of the shooting.

and marijuana is actually good for you:

Whereas prohibitionist claims that pot use damages the brain continue to litter the debate regarding marijuana and health, scientific research now suggests what many cannabis enthusiasts have speculated all along: ganja is good for you.

In ways many of us could have never previously imagined, research now indicates that cannabinoids can promote the growth of neurons (nerve cells), protect the brain from trauma and cancer, and perhaps slow the progression of certain neurodegenerative diseases, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, and Lou Gehrig's Disease. At the same time, clinical investigations have also put to rest the "stoner stupid" stereotype.

then cheney was definitely not smoking weed.

A Word to Husbands

by Ogden Nash

To keep your marriage brimming
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it;
Whenever you’re right, shut up.

6-6-06

have you heard about this movie? the beast:

The cast and crew are legally sworn to secrecy.

The theory that Jesus Christ never existed, while largely unknown to most lay Christians, is gaining credibility among scholars. Historians do not consider the Gospels to be historically accurate accounts. The authors of the Gospels, writing 40 to 90 years after the supposed life of Christ, never intended for their works to be read as biographies. There are no credible non-Christian references to Christ during the period in which he is said to have lived.*

word is The Omen is to open that day as well.

* wanna know something creepy? what is displayed above is what i highlighted to copy and paste here. only when i hit paste, this also came up with it:

Many early Christians did not consider the central character of their religious myth to have ever been a living human. Most of the key elements of today's Christianity--virgin birth, resurrection, Christ as the son of God--were clearly invented by later church figures.

An obsession with death has marked Christianity almost from its start. Christian martyrs first drew attention to the religion, the Catholic Church tortured and killed untold numbers of "heretics," and entire populations were slaughtered in crusades. Recent examples include the Branch Davidians, who burned alive in 1993, and U.S. right-wing terrorist groups, most of which subscribe to fundamentalist Christianity. Evangelist leader Pat Robertson has spoken twice of blowing up U.S. government buildings.

and i don't know where it came from.

pizza anyone

my daughter is selling the joe corbi frozen pizzas and cookie dough as a fundraiser for her school. anyone wanna order some of these delicious goodies?

free association #26

time for silliness:

Right time:: waiting
Funeral:: home
Calculate:: math
Believe me:: when i say...
Chat:: converse
Anniversary:: present
Let you down:: disappoint
Shout:: it out
Sweatsock:: ewww
Prayer:: verse

more news about increasing local crime

[i've said similiar things regarding increases in local crime before.] now, official stats have been released.

The number of homicides surged locally last year, according to newly released crime statistics. The numbers rose in every city except Chesapeake.

Last year, there was a homicide roughly every three days, on average, somewhere in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk or Virginia Beach.

Overall, the number of homicides jumped about 58 percent: from 82 in 2004 to 130 last year. By number, the biggest increases were in Norfolk and Portsmouth.

spcifically, there were 61 homicides in norfolk in 2005, up 74% from 2004 when there were 35. but it isn't just homicides, aggravated assault are up in all five cities, a 49% increase in norfolk. robberies have also increased across the board. these increases have [unofficially] been attributed to a rise in drugs and youth gangs.

the good news: auto thefts are down. i guess criminals are less petty now, just more violent.

The Right Hand of Evil is John Saul

(well, that title was better than saying the John was "Unwanted" or "Unloved")

Hmm...where to start. John Saul is my favorite author!! Okay, now that that is out... His novels are real page-turners, the kind of book you can't put down until it is finished. As far as categorizing his genre, he writes thrillers or horror. John is Dean Koontz or Stephen King-esque, but he is THE master of terror! His writing style is amazing. John uses just enough detail to keep you in the story, but not too much so that you are bored. He is the author of 28 books.

The new book, In the Dark of the Night, is expected July 2006!

Read his biography from the Official John Saul Website.

Articles/Interviews:
Author Profile (with an interview) from The Book Reporter. July, 1999
A Conversation with John Saul from Writers Write. September, 1999
An Interview with John Saul from January Magazine
Horror novelist keeps successful trend rolling from News-Press.com. April 5, 2004

John Saul at Wikipedia.

science project 2006

in progress...



et finalement...

All the World's a Stage

by William Shakespeare

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

new study: criminals are ugly

no comment from me, this one speaks for itself:

"'We find that unattractive individuals commit more crime in comparison to average-looking ones, and very attractive individuals commit less crime in comparison to those who are average-looking' ...

Mocan and Tekin analyzed data from a federally sponsored survey of 15,000 high-schoolers who were interviewed in 1994 and again in 1996 and 2002. One question asked interviewers to rate the physical appearance of the student on a five-point scale ranging from "very attractive" to "very unattractive ...

Cute guys were uniformly less likely than averages would indicate to have committed seven crimes including burglary and selling drugs, while the unhandsome were consistently more likely to have broken the law.

Very attractive high school girls were less likely to commit six of the seven crimes, while those rated unattractive were more likely to have done six of seven, controlling for personal and family characteristics known to be associated with criminal behavior ...

Mocan and Tekin aren't sure why criminals tend to be ugly. Other studies have shown that unattractive men and women are less likely to be hired, and that they earn less money, than the better-looking. Such inferior circumstances may steer some to crime, Mocan and Tekin suggest. They also report that more attractive students have better grades and more polished social skills, which means they graduate with a greater chance of staying out of trouble."

for writing reminders

and leaving messages on the bathroom mirror, i MUST have these Crayola Washable Window Markers.

let's face it, the sticky notes always fall down.

i don't know why

but for some reason, i have a major inkling to visit Savannah, GA. from what i understand, it's a 7-8 hour drive. what would posses me?

adorable photo of the day #2

it's a good thing PETA doesn't sink

this low anymore. oh, wait. they do. i don't care much if this is sexist, it's just in poor taste.

panera bread is LOADED with fat

it's the PSA for today. because of a co-workers comment [that her favorite Panera sandwhich, the Turkey Artichoke Panini, had 37 grams of fat], i took a gander at their website to see how my lunch measured up. when at Panera, i always get the Broccoli Cheddar Soup, 17 grams of fat, and Smokehouse Turkey Panini, 23 grams of fat. even their Tuna Salad Sandwich has 42g!

that's not something they advertise. for that, i mind as well go to McDonalds, it's cheaper anyway.

Ernest Withers

in honor of black history month, i am sharing my favorite photographer: Ernest Withers.

take a look at his work at Panopticon Gallery. Withers tells the story of the Civil Right's Movement through amazing photographs.

"I look for things of time and value. None of my images deal in violence - they deal in time," he says.

Ernest Withers presents a most compelling and wonderful story. he also documented black faces in music and baseball. there's more here and here.

look at what works again

the camera, not the computer.

had a $391 temporary crown put on today. we were at the dentist until almost six. i don't think that was quite right.

the odometer hit 29,000 yesterday.

valentine's day wasn't the greatest.

i guess that is all.

new local laws

nothing has passed for sure, yet, but it looks as if tattoos are in, smoking is out, and bridge/tunnel tolls are back.

this explains who can buy all the million-dollar condos they are building in town

news channel 3 ran a story last night of hampton roads' richest people. apparently there are quite a few millionaires locally.

those that made the most money:
David Sasser (Dollar Tree) $1.7 million
David Goode (Norfolk Southern) $10.6 million
Joseph Luter (Smithfield Foods) $13.2 million

and those that have the most:
Pat Robertson (CBN) $190 million
Frank Batten Jr. and Sr. (Virginian-Pilot) $2 billion
and a local, little known woman who inherited $1.5 billion from her Johnson & Johnson family

interestingly, j-walk reports today that $14 million in federal faith-based money goes to Pat Robertson. like he needs it.

at otb.

happy valentine's day

Wendy Boswell has posted 'How to avoid sleeping on the couch tomorrow night' for valentine's day. to anyone who needs the help, take a look. it's an entertaining article that includes:

Lack of gifts is not an option.
The thought really does count.
You are capable of being a romantic stud-muffin.
ItÂ’s not about you.

80s tv

i learned from this site that wikipedia has a list of Very Special Episode plots from the 80s. ah, remember those? take a look, it will bring back memories.

thinking about those very special episodes made me also remember the after school special. via wikipedia, i found out what happened to after school specials :

'the popularity of syndicated talk shows (especially The Oprah Winfrey Show) airing in the same time slots had made the after school special unprofitable. A more realistic treatment of teenage issues in movies and prime time television of the 1990s is also cited as ending the era of after school specials.'

that makes sense.

cheney shoots his friend

Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a fellow hunter in Texas.

this is not funny. not funny.

uh, eh...this post for adults only

i never thought i would see something like this. i don't want to talk about it. but here it is.

education gets cut bad

surprise. surprise. here's the LONG list of programs bush wants to cut in the 07 budget.

this does not surprise me at all

'American Idol' Crushes Grammys in Ratings

i didn't watch either.

will the beach be sued

by the Justice Department and the NAACP?

"The U.S. Justice Department has found that the math portion of the Virginia Beach Police Department’s entrance exam discriminates against black and Hispanic applicants.

The hiring practices of the city’s police and fire departments were called into question in 2004 after a study showed a disparity between the racial composition of its population and its police and fire departments.

'We want to increase our minority representation,' Jacocks said Wednesday. “It is important for us to do that. I am not convinced that a simple math test is the cause of our problem.'”

update 02/10/06: it appears that three other cities use this same test: Chesapeake, Hampton and Newport News.

also, the pilotonline site has five sample questions asked on the test here. as my boyfriend told me last night (from when he took the test) they are very easy. i got all five correct. someone please tell me what is discriminatory about this?

how cool is that?

i read this article stating that the word 'cool' stands the test of time. ['keen' did not.]

then this guy says that he's got word that 'cool' is out.

so is saying 'cool' still cool?

invitation overload

there are so many things to do on the internet. and those of you who know me, know that i love it all. but i cannot keep up with everyone's 'friends' lists. my buddies send me invitations to everything: myspace, WAYN,* and yahoo 360, for example.

* WAYN logs your travels. considering how much i travel, what am i supposed to do with this?

a sales tax break for VA

this is awesome:

The [Virginia] House of Delegates unanimously approved legislation today to suspend the state sales tax on school supplies, clothing and computers for three days each August ... It now goes to the Senate, where similar legislation to establish a seven-day sales tax holiday is pending in the Finance Committee.

i've never heard of this before, but thirteen other states and DC have similiar back-to-school sales tax breaks.

cruising for sex in public

i saw a surprising story on the local news last night. the topic wasn't strange, but it's something i didn't think i would see on television.

Your NewsChannel 3 Finds People Having Sex In Public Places

A worldwide Internet site lists more than 20 places here in Hampton Roads where people are hooking up for public sex. It is a pornographic website, therefore, we are withholding the name ... Men who do it call it cruising. Police call it a crime.

the station didn't release the name of the website, but it did give specific places in hampton roads to be on the lookout for. as a PSA, here's the list in norfolk:

Spots in the Gym and the Recreation Center at the Norfolk Naval Station. Old Dominion University Library, Waterside Marriott Hotel and the YMCA Downtown.

i found the website. it's not difficult.

adorable photo of the day - best of the web

this one's for you, mom.

just playing around

free association #25

Taking sides:: alliance
Couples:: unite
Marla:: maples
Multiple:: quadruple*
Trinity:: three
Sneeze:: and cough
Sweatpants:: comfy
Fabulous:: dee

* my daughter likes this word. she says it a lot.

cliffsnotes for all

i guess students now read John Grisham in school. not sure how i feel about that. i would love to know the specifics of how these novels are used in the classroom.

i am deriving this point from the referral logs to this page. peoople are finding my site by searches such as: Cliff notes The Testament John Grisham. i've noticed 'cliffsnotes searches' to my site for about a year. it's almost always a Grisham book.

one that surprised me a lot was someone looking for the cliffsnotes for Bleachers. the book is very brief and one of the easiest to read.

medium, as in average

[quiz] The Five Factor Personality Test: Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion:

You have medium extroversion.
You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party.
Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences.
But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time."

Conscientiousness:

You have medium conscientiousness.
You're generally good at balancing work and play.
When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.
But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:

You have medium agreeableness.
You're generally a friendly and trusting person.
But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism.
You get along well with others, as long as they play fair.

Neuroticism:

You have low neuroticism.
You are very emotionally stable and mentally together.
Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly.
Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is medium.
You are generally broad minded when it come to new things.
But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it.
You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

three things i wanted to be

when i grew up: a psychologist, an editor, a parole officer.

class today: crime at ODU

my intro to criminology class never even got around to taking notes today.* the entire class was spent discussing a recent "crime spree" on campus. there was an ODU basketball player shot in campus apartments last week. that was on the news. but then there were a bunch of things i was unaware of. two home invasions by young men brandishing shotguns [and taking the usual video equipment, etc.] in on-campus apartments and several notable thefts in the dorms in just this past week. this was not on the news.

my goal after discussing this today was to incite my students into action. i just may have succeeded.

* i was fine with this. we spent the time discussing crime, possible explanations and reasons, law enforcement response, and some reasonable solutions.

report card #2

it's report card time. and we got all As.

remember her, from Full House?

it seems that Jodie Sweetin now has a meth problem, adding herself to the list of drug-addicted child stars. she said she has had trouble finding work and had 'trouble figuring out how to adjust to a regular childhood existence after Full House ended its run in 1995.' i like the way this guy sums it up:

So a beautiful young woman with a college degree can only get bit parts in the most competitive industry on the planet? Boo frickin' hoo.

since i was out yesterday, i have to make up for it

and the state of the union stuff on the net. i started to watch it. i wanted to. but then he made me so mad...

j-walk delivers the SOTU news i had been waiting to hear.

For the record, the president's first mention of 9/11 came at 9:15, only about eight minutes into the speech, which had begun, following the usual preliminaries, at 9:07.

State of the Union By the Numbers. this guy analyzed words, applauses, etc. from the last few SOTU speeches.

So the real news here is that things haven't changed much. Despite 2,200+ dead soldiers, the price of gasoline nearly doubling, the national debt skyrocketing, the number of disenfranchised growing, his own poll data plummeting, Bush's speeches show consistency.

interestingly, applauses are down.

this is what i did yesterday

Regional Conference on Ending Homelessness

new study: obesity caused by a virus

read it here.

At least three viruses may cause humans to gain weight, a finding that could explain why obesity can affect many people in the same region over relatively short periods.

that means there could be a vaccine.

but i didn't find the link

as i was poking around for a past post, i came across some gems posted in october 2004. coincidental because many of them involved the election (because of the speech tonight) and a good philadelphia football team. the big game is sunday. unfortunately, i've heard more about jessica simpson's pizza ad than the game.

going postal

again. this time it's a woman. wonder what happened?

when sunday doesn't really feel like sunday

what happens on sunday when there's no football?

well, you can always shave a mowhawk into a friend's head.

remember her from the well?

baby jessica, now 19, gets married.

you'll never guess what i'm doing right now

i'm drinking CIB.

update at 8:32: i couldn't control myself. it tasted so good. i indulged in a second cup. oh man. too much. too fast. on an empty stomach. it hurts.

just wanted to point out

the 20th anniversary of the day Challenger lifted off and then blew apart 73 seconds later.

Remembering Challenger

Steeler, PA

talk about supporting a football team. this is strange:

WASHINGTON, Pennsylvania - Just to make sure there's no confusion about which team they are supporting in the Super Bowl XL, the mayor and council voted unanimously to change this city's name.

Welcome to Steeler, Pennsylvania.

The name change for the city of about 15,000 people south of Pittsburgh will last through Feb. 5, the day of the football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks in Detroit.

"I know the folks in the state of Washington are rooting for the Seahawks, so we wanted to make sure everyone knows the city of Washington is fully in support of the Steelers," Mayor Kenneth J. Westcott told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

yippee, extra large superbowl!