Accidents Happen

Last night on the way to the gym Jon and I decided to take out the garbage. We were in separate cars because I had to leave early to meet some friends. Jon was in the Integra in front of me. I had the garbage in my trunk. He pulled the e-brake, got out of his car (leaving the door open) and came back to my car to help me unload the garbage (like a nice husband). When we turned around the Integra was rolling down the hill it was "parked" on. Jon took off in a full sprint to try and catch the car. As he made a leap for the opened car door he fell just inches short and slid across the road.

The car rammed right into the side of another parked car. It seemed like it happened in slow motion. The car that was hit was undriveable because the front of the Integra hit the tire and bent the axel. As it sank in what had just happened we decided to call the insurance company. Once we got off the phone with them we called to police. They told me they wouldn't come out because it happened on private property (parking lot of our apartment).

The next task was to try and figure out who owned the car. We figured this would be better than to simply leave a note. The first door we knocked on happened to be the owner. He was shocked as you can imagine but all in all was very nice.

Jon is ok. He has some major scratches and has a hurt wrist. It appears that the high performance brakes we recently put in need some time to warm up to work proberly. What a night...

Jon's Grandma Passed Away

Jon's grandma, his dad's mom, passed away yestday. She is now in Heaven with her son,Jon's dad, Steven.

That has been three deaths in 6 months for my in-laws. I pray the next 6 months will be better than the last.

Back ot the gym

I have been sick with the awful bug that has been going around. I think it has been three weeks since I first got sick. Today I almost feel like normal, all except my neglected muscles. I haven't been to the gym since I have been sick. Yes, it's been three weeks since I ran.

Tonight will be my first day back at the gym. I must say I am not looking forward to getting back into the shape I was before I got sick. I just have to tell myself it will be easier next week.

Jon the Lumber Jack

I thought I would post this picture of Jonny working at my mom's house. Jon and my step-dad, Phil, spent an entire day cutting down trees. Jon was quite the lumber jack.

The Sopranos on A&E

A&E is buying the rights to HBO's hit show The Sopranos for $2.5 million an episode. This is great because now everyone can watch the New Jersey mob family without subscribing to HBO.

I fell in love with The Sopranos when I lived in the Graden State a few years ago. I remeber going to Jon's house on Sunday night to watch the show. There would be tons of Jersey folk at his house all surrounding the TV. His mom would bake cookies and the crowd around the TV would cheer and yell for a full hour. I think everyone should watch The Sopranos with NJ italians. This was like a ritual every Sunday.

Fantasy Apprentice?

Are you a fan of The Apprentice on NBC. I watched the first season religiously but got a bit turned off by the second season when they made each episode an advertisement for a major company.

Anyway, see how business savvy you are by playing Fantasy Apprentice (similar to Fantasy Football) online with a bunch of Microsoft brains.

Embryo adoption?

This is a very interesting article about families who can't conceive a baby naturally and are adopting embryos. I think this is great. It allows people who wouldn't other wise be able to carry a baby in their own womb to experience pregnancy. This is defiantly a glass half full way to look at embryo research.

JibJab's new Song

From JibJab, the creators of the famous parody "This Land is My Land" comes another funny song, Second Term. Not as funny as the first one but still entertaining. Enjoy.

New iPod Shuffle

Last week Apple came out with a new smaller iPod called the iPod Shuffle. This new MP3 player is as small as a pack of Trident. There is already a four week waiting list. The new Shuffle is only $99 which is very reasonable for a MP3 player that holds 120 songs.

Embarrassing pictures of Bill Gates in the 80's

What did Bill Gates look like before he was a millionaire. Check out these funny photos of Billy in 1983.

Muslim Leader Threatens Christian Aid Workers

"A Muslim leader warned against any attempt by Christian aid workers to evangelize among tsunami survivors." I find this rather disterbing.

Jack Hayford is Blogging

Jack Hayford has a blog. Here is one to add to your news aggregate. It looks like he started his blog in September.

Blogger claims he predicted the earthquake in the Inidan Ocean

Did a blogger predict the major earthquake in the Indian Ocean that occurred on December 26 last September? He may have. I just came across this press release that discusses this strange phenomenon. You can also check out the post on his blog where he predicts the earthquake. It could be a scam but it is kind of interesting.

Words from a Soldier

My friend's boyfriend is a special forces officer fighting the tough battle in the Middle East. Here is his recent email update:

"It has not been such a good New Year for the good guys thus far. We ended up losing two guys, one on the 2nd of January and another on the 3rd of January.

One soldier got hit in an ambush and caught some rounds in his femeral artery (Big one in the leg) and bled out while getting MEDEVACed out, and another was killed in a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED).

Along with the soldier that was killed by the VBIED (2) other soldiers were wounded including their Captain..Lucky for Jay (my ex-roommate) that he is studying to be a dentist because it was his team that got hit and the Captain that got wounded was the one that replaced him...so again not good news for the home team, but I guess a blessing for Jay.

I havn't written Jay yet, but I figure Shane (his ex-team sergeant), who was with me when I got wounded in the PI, will drop him a note.

Feel really bad for Shane because he worked with Mark and I when we got hit by the VBIED in the PI, and now he lost another soldier, and had two more wounded.

Anyway, on a good note Seahawks managed to beat the Falcons, won the NFC West Division, and play the Rams on Sunday in Seattle, so hopefully they can beat the Rams at their home stadium and continue on to the 2nd round of playoffs.

Hope all of you guys had a good Christmas and a Happy New Year. I will write more when I get the chance."

My time in New Jersey

It is always interesting spending time back in New Jersey with the in-laws. I feel like I am in the twilight zone mixed with Desperate House Wife's. I did have a great time and really had a chance to relax, which I desperately needed. For those who have never been to New Jersey just watch the Sopranos on HBO and you will get a feel for the culture of the Garden State.

My sister in-law bought herself a real Burberry Bag for Christmas. For those of you who have never heard of Burberry (everyone from the west coast) it is a designer hand bag with a price point of $300-$500 or more. I know you crazy left coaster are thinking "who would spend $500 on a purse?" The answer is a lot of people. This is normal for New Jersey. I have never seen more designer hand bags in my life than when I was at TGI Friday's bar in New Jersey. It is a different world and I always love visiting the Jersey folk.

Blogs for Marketing

When I try and explain to people what my job is no one really understands. It is like having the only car dealership in the country and explaining to people why they need a car. Here is a good article in Fortune Magazine that explains why and how blogs can be used for marketing your business.

A tidal wave survivor

The tidal wave that hit many Eastern countries is devastating. A fellow blogger, Evelyn Rodriguez, survived the horrible event and writes about it in her blog.

Words from a Soldier

My friends boyfriend is in the special forces fighting for our freedom over sees while we are at home save at home with our families and friends. He sends out email updates and I thought I would share his email.

"Dec. 17

Figure I would drop you a quick line before you guys start reading the papers or watching CNN...with that..we got hit twice today south of where I am at. Bad guys set up an ambush with a Improvised ExplosiveDevice (IED) and then opened up with Rocket Propelled Genades (RPGs),and machine guns. Bad guys ended up wounded a special forces captain..It wasn't me...but it was still not good for the home team...although we did get some badguys..still a casualty for us is never good, especially with the way papers back home write their stories about us. Always captitalize on the negative and have a tendacy to forget about writing about the goodstuff we are accomplishing over here.

When we were Medavacing him back to the the MASH (Mobile Army SurgicalHospital), it looked like he might lose his foot...but then again ourmodern medicine is a great thing..so hopefully they will be able to save it. On a more positive note, got mail today after the incident. So to all of you guys that are writing me, thank-you very much for the care packages and the letters, they are much appreciated over here. Especially after a day like today. It is definitly good to hear from family and friends back home and know that all of you guys are thinking about us and that we are in your prayers. Well I am going to get some rest while I can, gonna be busy in the next few days. Take care, again, please let everyone know I am very grateful for the words of encouragement and packages from home. And as always miss of you guys much, and looking forward to see everyone when I get back to the states."

Thanks to all the soliders fighting for our freedom.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

My first Christmas in New Jersey went well. I got great presents: a message, Coach bag, clothes, jewelry... and lots more. I was hoping for a puppy but I guess it is for the best, at least until we get a house.

I did miss my family back in Washington today. It is weird spending Christmas without them.

Other bloggers in the family

Ok, the blogging bug has hit the family. Look who's blogging now:
Philly wills http://omnidivers.blogspot.com
Chaun dog http://diggerchronicles.blogspot.com
Jonny pooh http://spaces.msn.com/members/jarthur/

Now the next thing you need to do is go to Feedburner to get an rss feed for your site. This will enable you to register your blog on all the blog search engines, so other people can find your blog site. Once you register at Feedburner they will give you HTML text that you will put in your blog template.

After that register your blog at all the blog search engins so the internet "spiders" will start to recognize your blog as an actual website. This blog has most of the blog search engines and the link to register your new blog.

I can help you if you have questions. Good luck!