For the last company picnic, management had decided that, due to liability issues, we could have alcohol, but only one (1) drink per person.
I was fired for ordering the cups:
Thanks for the hearty laugh Jeri!!
C'ya!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Funniest email EVER!
I got this email from my sister-in-law this morning and I would say it ranks right up there with one of the funniest emails EVER:
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
20 Easy Ways to Be Happier
Hi all!
So check out this article from Inside Tech with the 20 Easy Ways to Be Happier.
I like #11 so I want to share with you the photographs that I like to gaze at for my mid- morning/day moment of Zen:
Ah....now I am relaxed...
C'ya!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day!
Love to all!
So don't tell my husband, but I think this was the BEST Valentine's Day EVER (yeah - even tops the horse)!!
Last evening, I had rented a hotel room for us in Colorado Springs. When we arrived in the middle of the afternoon, while he parked the car, I ran in and set up his gifts:
A bear and a bottle of wine that I custom-labeled.
The label I created for it.
Chilling the wine in the sink.
It wouldn't be time for us to spend together if we didn't go to a pool hall!
We went to dinner at a German restaurant in The Springs. Best EVER!!
When we got back to the room, I was welcomed by a handmade card by my husband; fantastic!! Unfortunately, I crashed and burned at about 10:00 PM and that was how the night ended...sad, I know!
This morning we were up a little early and decided that we would go down and sit in the hot tub and enjoy the pool (since the night before the pool was crawling with hockey kids). After, we had a HUGE breakfast and then headed up the mountain. After stopping for Starbucks and gas, we were heading home when Mike turned off the road. That was it; we were going 4-wheeling!
We saw elk...
It was a great time! We enjoyed a nice dinner at home this evening and now we are going to find a 'chick flick' to watch!
Love you all but my husband I love the most!!
C'ya!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Triangle of Life
A friend of mine emailed this to me and I thought it was interesting. Being from the Midwest, this is definitely not something we practice but we hear all the time that you should go to a doorway. I guess that is not true. Read on:
EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE'
My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.
I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries.
I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world sinc e 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.
The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under something. I am amazed that even today schools are still using the "Duck and Cover" instructions- telling the children to squat under their desks with their heads bowed and covered with their hands. This was the technique used in the Mexico City school.
Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the 'triangle of life'. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the 'triangles' you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.
TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
1) Almost everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' when buildings collapse ARE CRUSHED TO DEATH. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.
2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. That position helps you survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.
3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexib le and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created.. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs. Concrete slab buildings are the most dangerous during an earthquake.
4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.
6) Almost everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse i s kill ed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!
7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of frequency (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads ? horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.
9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and lying in the fetal position next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.
10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offi ces wi th a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul , University of Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside.. Ten mannequins did 'duck and cover,' and ten mannequins I used in my 'triangle of life' survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results.
The film, in which I practiced my survival techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions, relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover.
There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people using my method of the 'triangle of life.' This film has been seen by millions of viewers on television inTurkey and the rest of Europe, and it was seen in the USA , Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV.
Spread the word and save someone's life... The entire world is experiencing natural calamities so be prepared!
EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE'
My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.
I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries.
I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world sinc e 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.
The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under something. I am amazed that even today schools are still using the "Duck and Cover" instructions- telling the children to squat under their desks with their heads bowed and covered with their hands. This was the technique used in the Mexico City school.
Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the 'triangle of life'. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the 'triangles' you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.
TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
1) Almost everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' when buildings collapse ARE CRUSHED TO DEATH. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.
2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. That position helps you survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.
3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexib le and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created.. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs. Concrete slab buildings are the most dangerous during an earthquake.
4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.
6) Almost everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse i s kill ed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!
7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of frequency (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads ? horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.
9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and lying in the fetal position next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.
10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offi ces wi th a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul , University of Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside.. Ten mannequins did 'duck and cover,' and ten mannequins I used in my 'triangle of life' survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results.
The film, in which I practiced my survival techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions, relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover.
There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people using my method of the 'triangle of life.' This film has been seen by millions of viewers on television inTurkey and the rest of Europe, and it was seen in the USA , Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV.
Spread the word and save someone's life... The entire world is experiencing natural calamities so be prepared!
Saturday, February 06, 2010
The Colorado Trail
I woke up this morning and decided that Mike and I had not been out Geocaching for quite some time and that today would be a great day to head down the road in the valley to do just that. We decided we would head to the Colorado Trail and hike a small portion of the trail and pick up the caches along the way. The photos will tell the story:
After our second cache, Mike suddenly stops and points to the eagle in the top of the tree. He stayed there just long enough for Mike to get out of the Exterra for this photo.
While at one of the caches sites, we happened upon a frozen stream. Well, at least the surface was frozen; under, you could hear the gurgle of the creek as it continued to move along underneath. Not sure if you can hear it in this video or not:
The water is running down in between two ice 'walls'.
The elevation gain was really not that much but it sure seemed like it as we hiked up and up and up the series of switchbacks. If you look, you should be able to see the road way down below!
I have names this mountain you see here, "Kitty Ears Mountain". Need I say more?
We were hiking to an old quartz quarry. The area was used at one time as a dumping ground for all sorts of items (including this old mattress frame).
Mike was climbing around on the quartz. He made it up to the top somehow.
There was an old truck in the quarry and Sedona was standing above while I was below taking pictures.
The door handle on the truck.
A large quartz boulder in front of the crusher.
Mike at the top...
"Seriously Mom - can we go?"
"I'm very tired"
We climbed to the summit of Pt. Cloud - this marker was at the top.
A nice leaf piece...
You can see the road in the background.
We left when it started to get dark and headed for home. When we arrived, I sat down to upload the photos and realized the camera was missing. The last I remember is it being on the back of the Exterra. I got in the car and drove back to the trailhead. Luckily, I found the camera just down the road and unharmed. If I hadn't found it, there would be NO photos!! I better be careful...
C'ya!
Friday, February 05, 2010
Aging...
I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.
I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.
They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.
So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it)!!
C'ya!
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Can I Borrow a Few Bucks?
Living up in the mountains, we have one bill that just kills me when I see it; the propane bill. I opened it up yesterday and I just about died when I saw the total is just over $300. That's INSANE! Electric heaters HAVE to be less expensive than the propane, right? I mean, in retrospect, if you average the amount out over the course of the year (since the summer bills are under $20), then it's only like $100 a month. But the sticker shock; wow!!
I have to go to work now so I can afford to pay it...
C'ya!
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Advertising is a Full Time Job
Wow! I had no idea what exactly is involved in starting up a business of your very own! I knew that it would take time and I probably wouldn't realize a big profit right away (if ever). But to get the word out is certainly a big task. I thought about just moving forward with my Super Bowl ad because the $3 million 30 second spot would probably drive some people to my Etsy Store. However, I'm afraid I just spent my last $3 million dollars...
So basically what I'm saying is please feel free to share the word with everyone you know and drive them to my Etsy store for a look. I'm going to continue to try and get the word out but I also have to be able to create the product or the store really isn't going to do me much good!
Well, I have to get to my real job for today.
C'ya!
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