Sorry. I had to.....it's too much fun!

Not Just for Valentine's Anymore

Christmas is fast approaching and through this venue, I'd like to help you out once in awhile by providing you with what I feel is the best in holiday shopping. Many of you men need an alternative suggestion for your sweetheart at the holidays other than Wal-Mart of Safeway to shop. Well I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite locations from several things.

Serendipity/Brides Outlet is not only a wonderful formal dress and all purpose bridal boutique but do not forget it for jewelry and gift items such as lingerie for that special someone. I invite you to check out their new website and see if you can't find something for someone you love you better yet, something wonderful for yourself! Happy shopping!

Anyone See a Pattern Here?

Yesterday I was listening to my favorite morning radio show, Young and Verna in the Morning, and Jeff Young had mentioned a pattern he believed to be true regarding gasoline prices. He felt that the prices would be low until the presidential election and then go up. He, or a listener, felt that it was a political practice to assist the election. Maybe.

It seems to me that over the last several years, that you can count on gas prices going up prior to the Memorial Day holiday, staying high through the travel months and then declining as the summer wanes. Am I the only one who has noticed this trend?

A possible political ploy. More likely oil companies taking advantage of the peak season of travel just like other members of the travel industry such as motels, airlines, buslines and the like. Though I must say I am suprised at the rate of the decline this fall, I think it's something we can count on as winter approaches.

Let's think about this for a second. Big oil is big business (not new news) that has a peak season as well as a low season. You can count on them to rise and fall with supply and demand just like anything else. And...though they are far from having a low profit margin, can be counted on to raise prices when demand is high and lower when demand is lower in order to increase business.

It's been on the news that people got creative over the summer and biked, hiked, hitched and did whatever it took not to drive. Ask those same drivers now if they are still using those alternative methods as much. Not as likely. Makes me wonder how low prices could get if winter permitted those alternative solutions to continue.

Swarovski Crystal Collectors Wanted!

Every once in awhile, someone crosses your path who just needs a little help. I had the priviledge of meeting a lovely lady this evening who needed just such a thing.

My new dear friend has what I have learned to be an extensive collection of Swarovski Crystal figurines. Upon doing a little research myself, I have learned that her pieces are worth anywhere from $800 to over $4,320 for the piece I show here on my site. Many of these pieces are retired or discontinued and nearly priceless in value.

Her concern is simply to have these pieces land in the hands of someone who collects or will appreciate each piece. She is in her golden years and has no one to leave these pieces to. Living in a rural area, the ability to sell such pieces and obtain their value is nearly impossible and, understandably, she is not willing to ship her pieces away without knowing where they are going or without have a tangible transaction in hand.

She is willing to sell by the piece, collection or series. If you are a collector or know someone who is, please email your information to me at Christy.Barber@hotmail.com and I will pass it on to my new friend. She will contact you directly.

Sarah Palin's Debate Flow Chart

Ann Curry's Stand Up Routine FUNNY!

Ann’s stand-up routine

Rest in Peace, Winnie

Examining Bailouts BEFORE the Bailout

Former CEO's of bailed out AIG have accepted millions of dollars in severance pay. Let me say that again.

The government bailed out corporate company AIG at the price tag of $85 BILLION dollars and former CEO's have walked away with millions of dollars. Outraged yet? How about this. After the bailout, AIG executives celebrated their bright and shiny future by treating themselves to wining and dining at an elite resort, treating themselves to manucures, pedicures, massages and other spa treatments again costing in the $500,000. Want to know who paid for it? We did. You and I.

When was the last time you took your family to an exclusive spa for a weekend even where money was no object? I can easily say never.

When going before Congress, former CEO Martin Sullivan who resigned from AIG this past summer received 15 million dollars in severance pay. When asked if he would be giving any of that back to the tax payers, his response was no.

Mad now? How about this financial breakdown from USA Today:

"After the bailout of AIG last month, the United States government effectively bought an 80% share in the company. That should have caused a fundamental change, you would think, in how the company was spending funds on compensation, bonuses and benefits. The committee learned that shortly after the bailout went through, executives from AIG's major U.S. life insurance subsidiary, AIG American General, held a week-long conference at an exclusive resort in California.

The resort is called the St. Regis Monarch Beach. ... It's very impressive. This is an exclusive resort. The rooms start, gentlemen, at $425 a night. Some are more than $1,200 a night.
... We contacted the resort where AIG held this week-long event, and we requested copies of AIG's bills. We learned that AIG spent nearly $500,000 in a single week at the -- at this hotel. Now, this was right after the bailout.

... Let me describe some of the -- the charges that -- that the shareholders who are now U.S. taxpayers had to pay. Check this out.

AIG spent $200,000 for hotel rooms, and almost $150,000 for catered banquets. AIG spent -- listen to this one -- $23,000 at the hotel spa and another $1,400 at the salon. They were getting their manicures, their facials, their pedicures and their massages while the American people were -- were footing the bill.

And they spent another $10,000 for -- I don't know what this is -- leisure dining."

When going before Congress, former CEO Martin Sullivan who resigned from AIG this past summer received 15 million dollars in severance pay. When asked if he would be giving any of that back to the tax payers, his response was no.

According to KOKC talk radio, the bailout is now under investigation:

"Congress is looking into the government bailout of American Insurance Group today. New York State Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo will appear before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Dinallo is expected to tell the House committee the bailout was unavoidable. The federal government stepped in after the insurance giant's mortgage business suffered huge losses. However, Dinallo will testify that AIG's insurance business is still strong and profitable. "

Maybe the investigation should have happened PRIOR to the bailout. Stop panicking and do what's right for the country.

And Pittsburgh!

How 'bout those Steelers! Once again with an amazing game that went to the wire, my Steelers have pulled out yet another win despite being riddled with injuries. I am a firm believer that as Ben goes, so go my Steelers. When Big Ben pulls the numbers, this team seems unstoppable. One thing that I did notice tonight however was the absurd amount of taunting calls.

Well two but the two that their were seemed ridiculous. If you recall, several years ago they started calling the NFL the NO FUN LEAGUE. I think they are almost on the brink of that one again. The original no fun league started when celebrating in the end zone and "sack dances" became a so called problem. No fun was longer allowed in the end zone and then the league seemed to lighten up on that a little.

Tonight a Jag got called for a 15 yard taunting penalty for saying something over a Steeler receiver after making the catch. Good for us but I had a hard time imagining what could have been said in the NFL that would warrant a penalty like that. Trash talking goes to the extreme but I didn't see the point for the call. Later in the same game, Nate Washington got called for taunting when after making a catch on the Jag sideline, showed the ball to the Jags and went about his way. Again....15 yards.

Hmmmm....Now in a game where you get penalized 15 yards for grabbing some poor sucker by the face mask and yanking his head around 90 degrees I guess I feel like talking a little smack might not warrant the same punishment. Maybe making the crime fit the punishment seems a little more appropriate. Call his mother. Make him serve in a soup kitchen or maybe make the offender take a grammar class or a lesson in charm school but I'm thinking a 15 yard penalty puts the NFL at risk of once again becoming the No Fun League.

I Can't Take It....

She learned about 3 things and she learned them well. In case you didn't notice, whenever Palin got in over her pretty little head she went back to what she knew and had engraved in to a T.

In watching the debate in comes down to one thing and it WAS asked. Who would you rather have in the White House if the unthinkable did indeed occur. Bringing up things such as "we need a little more of Wasilla Street in Washington DC "....uh....no. The first thing that came to my mind was flashing back to Jimmy Carter's only too public brother Billy. Relying on Reagan's old "there you go again" ... nothing about her is original. Nothing about what she had to say explained any plan by this Republican ticket. The entire election for the Republican party is based on what they can derogitorily say about the opposition rather than what this ticket stands for. Nothing changed in this debate.

If she said "soccer mom" or "maverick" one more time anyone could have put together a good drinking game with those buzz words. I am a soccer mom. I live in a rural community. I struggle to put food on the table from time to time. I do not make the income Sarah Palin makes. I will vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden. If the unthinkable were to happen, I would grieve my heart out and then I would also rest assured knowing that my country had someone in the White House who had experience and integrity and the know how to run this country. With their respective ticket nominees in the house, they each have their own stances. But when you look at the VP candidacy, you have to look at not only what they bring to the table but what they are a heart beat away from.

I am so proud of Joe Biden for answering the questions and particularly for addressing Palin's repeated "maverick" statement. I don't capitalize that because it doesn't warrant it. He is not a maverick for the people and not for anything that has mattered to the American people. The smear campaign that the McCain Palin ticket runs on is a desperate cry for power and to continue with W politics that have gotten this country nowhere but further behind in the things that matter to the American people.

After than this debate more than any other time the lines have firmly been drawn. Based on the FACTS....the FACTS.....you have to vote for the change that will do the most good.