ChasUFarley

I love it - and the kids will really dig it! He had a very tight class - all the kids coming were in his Kindergarten class this year - and it's boys and girls coming, so that's gonna be just the ticket!

Okay, before Hammeroni starts posting about nuts in his mouth, this is for a SIX YEAR OLD... okay? I had planned a pool party for Kristopher's b-day on Sunday, but it's not looking good. It's only supposed to get up to about 73 that day - might be too cold for a pool party. We're expecting about 8 kids plus parents. I bought some of those pool noodle things - the ones made of foam - and they came with markers so kids could personalize them. I've considered a make-your-own sundae thing, as an alternative to cake. Maybe a treasure hunt... Maybe freeze dancing? Any ideas on whatelse we could do?

OMG - my music soul mate! I never would have admitted to listening to those groups when I was in TWI - sorta a closet alternative music person... So, let's see... REM, Talking Heads... Meat Puppets? Violent Femmes?

WOW, interesting timing, this thread. I frequent two churches in my area. Church #1 - A Community Church: Older crowd and very refined - lots of money in that church. Lots of ministry stuff for the kids and very good activities. The service is a little "stuffy" and lacks any real emotion - sorta pasturized. But the fellowship afterwards is warm. People always chat, exchange names, etc. I feel I could talk about doctorine issues with the pastor there - might not get far, but I think he'd be okay about it... They are trinitarian Church #2 - Non-Denom: Lots of young couples and young families. The worship service is very outgoing for New England - lots of singing and prayer - very soulful. The fellowship afterwards is not outgoing - people seem to be in a hurry to leave and never really chat, other than in their cliques. Not much for the kids - Sunday school is more like babysitting/play group. I have also noticed that the same five or six names come up all the time in the program - they don't let others serve much. I wouldn't dare approach them on doctorine - they are uber-trinitarian and the teachers often miss the point of scriptures - take them out of context totally. I'm not dissatisfied with how I am treated by the worshippers or the pastors at either of the two churches. I hop between the two because I keep thinking one might get better and I'll settle down - but both are consistant in their strengths and weaknesses. There's not much more that isn't RC in my area, I'm afraid... so... this is as good as it gets. Could be better... but I've definiately seen WORSE! To sum it up - the beliefs in the two are very similar but one is more "blantant" than the other... it just depends on what you can stomach, but it's all the same really...

You're welcome... And one more thing... Just like this place, there's a forum out there for about everything under the sun. Try a Google search for a Honda Pilot forum. Look for what people are lovin' and not lovin' about the car. You'll be amazed at what you find - and it will help hearing it from real people - not fancy reviewers who get paid for their remarks.

AWESOME song! Did you know that Red Rider's vocalist was Tom Cochrane - the same who sang the hit "Life Is A Highway" One of my favorite albums - one that every cut is GOOD - is "Brand New Day" by Sting. Excellent stuff. I bet you're probably into The Cure and Kate Bush, if you like Gabriel and Sting. How about Siouxsie and the Banshees?

ROTFPIMP! Oh man... I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time... but oh... geez... that's pretty rich!

I started working - real paycheck - when I was 13 years old. I worked 20 hours a week, as an employee for the town, at the nursing home my parents managed. I was basically an assistant to a CNA and dispensed medications, setup/cooked/cleaned up supper, basic cleaning duties, etc. - there were between 20-25 residents there. Thinking back on it now, I'm amazed at how young I was and how much responsibility I really had. I was a very good worker - my parents taught me how to have good work ethics - and I'm trying now to pass that on to my boys.

Why doesn't your friend just pre-pay his funeral upfront? YEARS ago, my dad bought up about 12 or so plots when he became the DPOA for his sisters. Now he is buried near them and it's likely that the rest of us, when it's our time, will be there too. It's a little eerie to think about but then again... it's not something the rest of the family will have to think about. Another factor is that putting money towards your funeral expenses, out of your savings, is money well spent - ESPECIALLY - after you are on Medicare. It can't be considered an asset! You can't be asked to sell it and it's something already taken care of - smart planning.

Krys - I always admired your handle and avatar - it's so feminine. I've looked for some new avatars for you, and offer the following: http://www.avatarist.com/avatars/Animals/B...-Butterfly.html http://www.avatarity.com/avatar.php?aid=3395 http://avatars.jurko.net/pic/756/ I really like this one: http://www.avatarsdb.com/animated/butterfly-avatar-5548.htm And this one: http://www.avatarity.com/avatars/3/33/3397.gif And lots here: http://www.avatarity.com/category/114/

You know what's probably ruined me when it comes to spelling and punctuation? MS Word. Word has a function you can turn on that will auto-correct spelling. It will tell you when your sentence structure is off or you've made a punctuation error. I've gotten, well... LAZY because of it. I trust it too much. But on the other hand, it is easy to check things there and trust it than to try to remember what to do...

Don't you think that could have been said via a PM? Honestly... ?

I remember - and your was always one my favorites... Didn't you have a pastel-colored cat cup before that? If I remember correctly, you had said that you got your handle from a Laurel Burch (sp?) cup you had - and I think I have one like it.

Belle - I respect your opinion. Personally, I've never had encounters or witnessed any negitive things with other posters, as you mentioned, but that's my POV. I just avoid those who seem to be caught up in legalilsm - I just don't care to bother with them. Guess I reached my saturation point there, YEARS ago... :)

Nope.

George Carlin... But it sorta freaks me out that he also narrates stories for Thomas the Tank Engine videos that my kids watch...

Mo - You're in my prayers, as always. One thing... I'm a little concerned about the time it is taking for them to get you in the hospital for a definitive diagnosis. Is there anyway you can get them to expidite things? Does your hospital or healthcare system have any kind of patient advocate you could contact that would work with the MD's office to push things along?

I'm very fond of the Pilot design. It used to look more like an SUV but now seems to be fetching the crossover vehicle market, as it's new design resembles more of the Ford Freestyle or the Subaru Outback. Honda has overall good ratings in reliability and has been more on the cutting edge for newer innovations - such as hybrid designs that aren't aenemic. I believe the fuel economy in the non-hybrid Hondas is generally very good. In short, it's a lot of bang for the buck. Personally, I'm loyal to Mopar - our driveway looks like a Mopar commercial, with a Dodge, a Chrysler, and a Jeep. I like the plushness of the Chrysler and the power Dodge offers. The Jeep is hubby's and it's a great utility vehicle but I don't drive it at all. Some advice: Shop around via the internet for prices and look up what's available in rebates, etc. Get familiar with the Kelly Blue Book listings for the vehicle (if you're going used) and what the MSRPs are (if you're going new). Never be in a hurry for the car and always be ready to WALK off the lot if the deal isn't as sweet as you need it to be... And with a dog - try to get leather. It's way easier to keep clean and hairs don't get embedded in it!

And that... my friend... is why there is a need for minivans! You take those inches enough, you get kids. You get kids, you need a way to haul them around. :blink: That's why god invented minivans... Now the question is... WHICH god? :)

Does anyone else, besides me, find it interesting and ironic that those posters who have been "Grammar Nazis" have yet to post on this thread? <_<

Downloading and installing iTunes is FREE. If you buy music via iTunes, then you can expect to pay $0.99/song - about $9.99 for an album. Videos are $1.99. Movies are about $12.99. You can rip your entire CD collection to iTunes, put photos on it, etc. iTunes works with the iPod - there's no other drivers to install - nothing. Plug it in and off you go. It's very intuitive. Think of the iPod like a big thumb drive - you know those keychain-sized USB drives that people use for file storage. Only the iPod (depending on the model) has between 1-gig of memory to 80 gigs of memory. iPods work great with PCs or with Macs - doesn't matter - no diff there. The battery of the iPod lasts a very long time (depends on the model) and it charges off the USB connection to the computer or via a wall charger - or car charger (like you would with your cell phone.) For a 12 year old, I highly recommend the Nano iPod - it's durable, small, and comes in flashy colors that kids love. Just make sure she doesn't bring it to school - those are targeted to get stolen for sure!

... you left out the "woody"...

Laughed their @$$es off... My question to you was a serious one - would a donation to charity make a difference in this case??

no no no no - a MILLION TIMES - NO!! (I love Andreas... but if we'd had him first, we wouldn't have had a second one! He IS birth control!) We bought the Cruiser just before Andreas was a "thought"...

ROR - great to cyber see ya! Your post made me think of a dinner my dad used to cook for me when I was a kid. Dad was born in 1915 - grew up during the Great Depression. He could make meals out of scraps - and they were all GOOD. My favorite was fried salt pork with boiled potatoes and white gravy. Yeah, that's some serious artery hardening going on there, but YUM!