Its been a long long long long long long time!

To answer Mr. Stark's question: I have been to the depths of despair and rose to the surface with only my self to blame. Yet, I am alive with new light, life and purpose. Another year begins and all the bad of the past, slinks away to hide for posterity. I almost lost my job, had trouble with college financing, lost a hope, and regained order from the chaos. I AM BACK ! Look for new posts, soon. I think...don't quote me on this, but I have finally figured out college and am enrolled in classes. I didn't even fail the first assignment. Hope all my cyberspace blogfellows are well, happy, and healthy. I can't wait to check out all the new posts.

Here are some very interesting statistics about how we university students spend our money. The average person drinks 3 cups of coffee. I did a little math to add up what Starbucks brings in from the average Starbuckian a year:
$4 a venti latte(x)
2 times a day(x)
7 days a week(x)
52 weeks a year
=$2912 per year
Now, lets just take it a bit farther:
110 million adult US consumers(x)
$2912
=$320,320,000,000

Lets just say....its no wonder coffee is hot!
By the way...just think of what we could do if we gave up just one of those cups of coffee a day and gave that money to a worthy cause. End childhood cancer? Find a cure for Alzheimer's disease? End the AIDS epidemic? Save Darfur? Bring real equality to people? End poverty?

Holiday Blues

Took a vacation from the computer this Holiday season, to focus more of my time on family. I was disappointed with the outcome. Much of my family found it especially hard to be in the Holiday spirit this year. Finances and Fatigue seem to have turned them as blue as the pacific. Unfortunately, it seems to be catching for as the New Year approaches; I am in a little of a slump. The clouds are closing in. The misty atmosphere is humid and hopelessly depressing. I've made sugar cookies, fudge, Penuche, and numerous other holiday sweets. Unfortunately, none of this has helpped me except made my New Years Resolution be extra exercise and weight loss. No worries though it can't be this impossible for much longer. I hope I will be in the mood to write more in the next few days, when the holiday blues has passed for the New Year celebration. Hope all is well in cyberspace. Wish me luck!

Just Think About What THEY put in the Candy Cane stripes...

A little conspiracy Christmas spirit for those of you out there who don't believe in coincidence, random acts of kindness or selflessness. For the honest few who check all labels, believe that the elves are spies and watch the skies for UFOs...that might be Santa. For anyone that has ever thought they would call the police and report Santa as a burglar. For the naughty and the ones with coal in their stockings...this is for you....you Scrooges!

A Recipe for Christmas Spirit

Ingredients:
A Few good and close friends and family
1 warm fire
A plate of Christmas cookies
2 or 3 Christmas CDs (a mix of old and new: Some Bing Crosby, a little Rosemary Clooney, some Nat King Cole)
1 6ft tall Bushy Noble tree
3 cups. Memories
1 cup painted walnut shells, strung popcorn and cranberries
2 cups candy canes
Pinch of ribbons
Dash of handmade children gifts
Enough Lights in a variety of colors to cover
1 Angel or Star for the topping

Directions: Put Family and Friends in front of fire, add music. Mix in the Christmas tree, set out the memories to reach room temperature. Together put on Lights, walnut shells, popcorn and cranberries. Sprinkle on memories, candy canes, handmades and top with Angel or Star. Finally switch on lights, and turn off the lamp. Bring family and friends to the tree. Grab sugar cookies mix with Friends and Families and enjoy the Tree. Laugh, Remember, Listen and Watch.

The Mystery of Music

Some of my favorite bands have very odd names 'Canned Haggis,' 'Tears for Beers,' or 'Celticburn.'
While some bands...not my favorites of lesser repute...are oddities of the profane and ridiculous : A Box of Fish with Tartar Sauce
A Boy Named Gomer
Above Average Weight Band
A Cat Born In An Oven Isn't a Cake
Adickdid
Adult Children of Heterosexuals
Afghanistan Banana Stand
Agnes Morehead
Albino Toilet Boys
Cookie Mould and the Smegmettes
The Couch Slugs
Cortizone 5
Crappy the Clown and the Punch Drunk Monkies
Craven Morehead

Let us not forget the Famous Limp Bizkit...who has an album called Chocolate Starfish and Hotdog Flavored Water. Really where do these things come from. Some bands provide us with a nutshell explaining their name choice, others are a cute twist, oxymoron, attention getter or simply a mystery. Some are down right disgusting and offensive...others belong in the black lagoon.
Chris Harwood the author of 'Life as I know it blog'...introduced a very interesting game I'd like to share with you...a little parody on band name choices:
1) Go to wikipedia.org and click "Random article." That's your band name.
2) Click "Random article" again. That is the album name.
3) Click "Random article" 15 more times. Those are the names of the songs on that album.

Here was my Choice
Band name:MITES
Band Album:Vous êtes toujours là
Songs:
1. Conservation of energy
2. Walthamstow Central station
3. Alfred Pink
4. Moloko Temo
5. List of asteroids
6. Crash Crew
7. Sister Angelica
8. The Kennedys of Castleross
9. Ogbomosho
10. Painkiller
11. Iles
12. Halle, Saxony-Anhalt

To gift or regift? That is the Question

Through out the year we walk to and fro along crowded sidewalks, with hardly enough space to breathe. People focusing on nothing more than the next cup of coffee, work, or their finances. In today's world when credit cards are a dime a dozen. Receiving enough fake plastic in the mail to decorate a Christmas tree. Temptations creeping into the mind like nuts in a peanut cluster. Why is it so strange that gifts have become so important? Whether to buy name brand...how much to spend, are you spending enough, is that too cheap? Curiously questions arise of what to do with those totally needless terrible gifts you receive from Aunt Laudie or Uncle Claud. Should one regift? Isn't regifting a form of free commerce and capitalism? Or is regifting an ungrateful extension of materialism. Affluenza symptom: regifting those gifts that just don't jive with your tastes. Rude? Or Enterprising? Look to the wisdom of your Elders: My Grandmother Juanita was an avid regifter. She literally regifted everything she was ever given. She only kept what she bought herself...but the trick was in her old age, was not regifting the same gift to the person who gave it to her. Now that was a mighty tough task when you are 83 and have 6 children, and numerous grand and great grand children with a slight bit of senility. I on the other hand often forget what I have for breakfast and have to write all birthdays and anniversaries on the calendar know the answer to that question is: No regifting. Yet all the papers, bows, ribbons, buttons and tissues of bright ruby and emerald....I reuse so that I can call my self a Green Elf....so that all our future generations my enjoy the Holidays.

Richie Rich? Investment in Entertainment or Stupidity on the Rocks?

Guinness World Records held a special ceremony to crown an original Trader Vic’s Mai Tai as the most expensive cocktail in the world. At $1480 per cocktail at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast in Northern Ireland you can sip this sweet confection. This Mai Tai is made from 17-year-old Wray and Nephew Rum used by trader Vic Bergeron to create the original Mai Tai over sixty years ago. Even though the 750ml bottle of rum looks plain but it costs £26,000 per bottle. A rare batch of the 17-year-old rum was recently acquired with one bottle being purchased by Merchant’s Bar. There are only three of the world’s most expensive cocktails have been made. Can you believe it? Honestly....the more money the less worry over what is done with it, but the more worry over making it? I wouldn't know, I don't even have enough for the toothpick afterward. Take a look, I dare you!
http://www.forbes.com/wineandfood/2007/04/05/cocktail-expensive-decadent-forbeslife-cx_pl_0406cocktail_slide.html
For me its impossible to imagine spending that much on a cocktail. Definitely not what I would do with that much money. Can anyone explain to me how you can rationalize spending more than 5 bucks on a cocktail? Maybe at a wedding, anniversary or birthday, but still more than 20 dollars is ridiculous.