ChasUFarley

AND YES, WE'RE GOING! YIPPEEEEE! I wish I could say we were in like the fifth row... but we do have nosebleed tixs for just above the stage, so that should be interesting, at least! (I refuse to finance concert tickets!) I'm excited - Hubby has seen A-smith in Beantown before and said they pulled out all the stops, as it's their "hometown" (they really got together in NH - not too far from where I live and still come up for the summers.) Anyhow - I'll "report back" (groan) tomorrow to let you know how it was!

Believe me - all of the above would certainly be on my wish list for Christmas. Afterall, Mommy has been very good this year and has gotten up at all hours of the night now for the past 9 months with some little monster... er... I mean.... loving son. And God knows I can't even take a moment to post on GSC because the little angel will get into the cat food... But... for some reason, Hubby thinks I want more jewelry. Silly man!

At the time of the POP, didn't Chri$ Ge@r have HA, Dr. Don, et al sign a paper saying they had killed VPW? Interesting that HA would turn and tell the members of an Adv. Class in 1995 - many years after the POP - that they had done it. I would surmise that many of the students in that class were NOT around at the time of the POP - or even in TWI when VPW was alive. (I was there at that class, too.) I find this so interesting because wasn't CG considered sooooo evil in saying that the upper eschelon of leadership killed VPW - then HA does the same damn thing just years later. How edifying! It's like the Roman Catholic Church saying that we are ALL responsible for the death of Jesus Christ! (Hardly a parallel you can draw with VPW's death.) An poster talked about how VP's chain smoking was a stumbling block to him, but how VPW dismissed his concerns saying he was healed, etc. Well... I could stand in front of an 18-wheeler coming at me, believing I'm "healed" 'til the cows come home, and will still be a greasespot when the damn thing hits me. How is that believing? That isn't even logical! It sounds to me like scripture was twisted to fit their illogic passions in life in more than one way (i.e. "extra-marital or pre-marital sex is no different than me putting my finger in your ear, if you're spiritually mature enough to deal with it" or "I can smoke and drink all I want - I am healed by His stripes.") But could they take ownership for their bad decisions or actions? Heck, no - it was YOUR FAULT!

igotout -- I hear what you're saying becuase you've said it before on other threads. I've given this a lot of thought.... Here's why I want to let my kid use my old computer: 1. The games are as old as the computer. We're talking Blue's Clues, Dora the Explorer, etc. They were bought for that OS years ago. They're in age ranges appropriate for him (and his brother) for a couple of more years, at least. (And he's got the chops to use them without a lot of help from us - he's a sharp cookie on the 'puter!) 2. I don't want him on my computer because I need it for work. (And he will "fight" me for it!) 3. Kiddie websites are loaded with spyware. Fischer-price.com is the worst of them all! (That's why I don't want him on the web.) 3a. Kiddie websites are also loaded with more marketing than a box of cereal and Saturday morning cartoons - he gets the "gimmes" after being on the www - so I want to try to stop that.... 4. I can easily upgrade the old computer, if I want to - I just haven't had the time or $ to do it. 5. I don't want him getting into XBOX, etc., because I would be worse than he is with a game (and hubby, who's a public school teacher, loathes game units - he calls those types of games "mental masterbation") Hell... I get misty eyed about early Atari game units - even the ones with the square joysticks! 6. Since the computer is outdated I'm not going to cry if he tips it over, get jam on the keyboard, or whatever - he's not a rough kid, but stuff happens. If he proves he can take care of it (and other things he's been given) maybe I'll upgrade him in a year or two to something better. 7. He's four years old - he doesn't need the latest and greatest. When he's older and using it for school, then I can see putting more $$$ into it. But for now... no way! Let me put it to you another way... Let's say you have a Dodge Viper with 8 miles on it, and a WOW car... which one are you going to let your 17 year old with a fresh driver's licence drive? ;-)

Expenses ---------Category $ 4,600.00 .......ABS from annual income of husband/wife $ 600.00 ......gas money for twi activities $ 1,200.00 ......Adv Cl special in Dallas (travel/hotel/etc) $ 3,000.00 .....loss in wages/overtime $ 300.00 .....magazine/tapes/bookstore $ 150.00 .....wear/tear/utilities/supplies for hhf $ 80.00 .....refreshments/cards/extras $ 70.00 .....coffee tab (instead of witnessing Smile ) __________________ "Annual Ballpark Totals" = $10,000.00 This reminds me of those Visa commercials.... And the cost of Freedom....... PRICELESS! ================================== Some things I don't see in here for expenses: Dress clothes (Best Dress or Casually Nice, if you don't work an office job) Car repairs (since there's no warranty left on the damn thing, it's breaking down all the time!) Baby sitter money - for when you can't bring the rug rat(s) with you. Gifts for leadership - since they do nothing all day, don't they deserve a big, fat, Thank you?! Sponsoring someone in the Way Corps Fast food - because who has time to pack a lunch or cook with this schedule? And on, and on.... It's a wonder that Joe and Jane Believer are able to stay out of debt at all - most of the people who I knew worked entry-level jobs, many of them in a blue-collar line of work. How the hell could they afford it? Soooooooooooo happy not to be a part of that blood sucking organization!

In this area soy candles are pretty popular - I think it's because there's no animal products (oils or whatever) that go into them. They also feel super silky to the touch and supposedly burn longer and cleaner. The trade off is that I would assume that the supplies are more expensive. Anyhow, I simply LOVE the way they feel. Soy soaps and hand butters are also popular. When you get ready for your web page - let me know. Im pretty much a stay-at-home mom now and have a small graphic design business going. I can link you so that it's an ecommerce site, in a pretty simple fashion. My business is growing all the time and I have great rates. (I also have wonderful references). I've kicked off my own eBay business and it's going well - pays the oil bill, at least (and a couple of happy meals during the month...) Best wishes to you in your new business!

Kristopher did pretty well this year - we just got back from his first real Trick-Or-Treat run. He was the red Power Ranger this year. Since we live in a very small town, we were able to get all the hot spots in about 30 mins. Then we did the friends and family run and that was it. His favorite part? Carrying the flashlight! The baby was going to be Garfield - we got a really cute costume that I thought could double as a sleeper... Well, it seems bubble-butt outgrew it already! I couldn't zip it past his thighs... oh, well! I'll post pictures of the little guys later on - they still had a great time!

HA - I got ratted out by my x-hubby on more than one occasion! Yes, that sucked because if I tried to tell "my side" of the story, then I was told I wasn't submitting. If I didn't offer any input, then I was being "aloof". He also had a knack of turning molehills into mountians. If I had a couple of hours and limitless posting space, I could tell you some stories that would curl your hair about how sick things could get. Thank God I'm not a part of that mess anymore - I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather NOT be more!

Dennis - I'd like to host him next... I've PM'ed you with my addy (but you already know me from eBay, anyhow...) Thanks!

I have a PC and the OS is Windows 98, I believe - it's one of our old computers that's just gathering dust, at the moment. I've run a google looking for how to run Win 98 in kiosk mode. It's not looking too promising at the moment. It seems that CE is the best version for doing that, and XP seems to work, but it seems to slow down performance on Win 98.... I'll do some more checking around... It also seems that you can run Explorer in kiosk mode, but again, I'd think the tool bar, etc. would still be accessable... :blink:

I always love a clever costume and this one is really cool -- This is the link to a website where a guy posts about how he went as an iPod for Halloween - http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~jwinick/Halloween2004/ Now, here's the most pathetic site for costumes: http://www.retrocrush.com/costumes/ TRUE STORY: See the Lavergn & Shirley costume, about half-way down the page on the above link? Well... that was me back in 1976 - I thought that was a cool costume... but then I was 6... What do you know at 6? B)

Maybe I need to rephrase my question: The Start menu, tool bars, etc. were not visible - the ONLY things on the screen were the icons for the installed games - that was it! I want to know how I can get that same look.... ============== WordWolf - No, I don't use a kid-specific browser at this time because I am in the room with him - we have a 19" monitor and I can see (and hear) what he's up to at all times. Part of why I want to take him offline where he can only play installed games (software) is because I'm finding it hard to stay in the same room with him - as the baby is now starting to explore the house more. We also have an open concept house, so I can keep an eye on Kristopher from about anywhere (except the bathroom!).... :D ============= Thanks!

I'm sure many of you have seen the movie Scent of a Women, right? All I could think of when I was reading some of the posts on this thread was the scene where LtCol. Slade and Charlie were sitting in front of the council because Charlie wouldn't snitch on his classmates who had pulled a prank on the dean. The dean calls Charlie a liar and a cover-up artist, but LtCol. Slade says, "But not a snitch!" In light of Belle's initial post it seems from her experience, and my own experiences as well, that if you were willing to pucker-up, snitch on your fellow believer, or whatever to make yourself look like you were "walking" - nevermind that it was twisted words or assumptions that were made up - then you were considered to be valuable to leadership. I was in a living situation with a WC person who decided to develop an agenda about getting me out of her way. I was her assistant but the fellowship perferred to contact me with their questions and problems because I almost never took anything up the way tree unless I asked them if it was okay with them first - (the exception was when someone was getting ready to do something totally stupid - even from a 5-senses point of view). I didn't squeal on them or get them in trouble - it seems she had burned them over the years and they just didn't trust her anymore. When she caught wind of this, she decided to try to burn me a few times - I didn't take it sitting down. I was the bottom of my sneakers is brown - words were twisted, things I had told her just girl-to-girl were taken out of context and blabbed to upper leadership - I'm talking stuff that I didn't or wouldn't have shared with an LC or RC - just a girlfriend, you know. This woman really had no ethics left for keeping anything in her heart. Maybe that's because she didn't have one left! Then, when I tried to defend myself or explain what was really said to leadership, I was told I was being defensive - well, upset! What do you expect when you sit there telling me I said x-y-z, when I KNOW that I DID NO SUCH THING? Nope. I couldn't say squat - not that that stopped me from doing it anyhow :D - but I didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of setting the record straight. It was really frustrating - but it also showed me how ungodly things had become - all I could think of was a snake pit! I've seen this same sort of thing in the corporate world - but you know what? People who do that in the work place are soon labeled troublemakers. In TWI, they get ordained or promoted or whatever - GO FIGURE!

My oldest son (4 years old) is really getting into using the computer and although I have allowed him to go on the internet with my supervision, I would still like to limit his use of the computer to educational games that are not internet based, as it's not always easy to closly watch him (I'm afraid he'll go to hillaryduff.com or something). He's great with a mouse and starting to use a keyboard more and more. (I think his first sentence was "I want pbskids.org!") Recently, at our local library, he played some games on the computer but it was set up so that the start menu, etc. were not accessable - only the icons for the installed games were visible on the screen - it wasn't internet based. I liked this because he wasn't able to set up his favorites or type in alternate URLs. I am considering using one of our old computers for him and setting it up in this fashion. Does anyone know how to do this? Thanks!

That "station wagon" is one of those new cross-over cars - you know, not quite an SUV, not quite a station wagon, and not quite a mini van - like the Chrysler Pacifica or the Dodge Magnum. They're very hip now - at least in my area where frontwheel drive or allwheel drive vehicles are a must-have because of the winter (read: NH livin'!) And welcome to Karateka - can I give you a light? (Yes, I've smoke those, too.)

Belle - At least you didn't leave your windows OPEN - now THAT would have landed you a winning qualification as DOTY! (Dork Of The Year) :D But I'd still love you! Raf... Did he have the "safety" on? (Sorry... couldn't resist....) (BTW - is that really your pic?)

Yeah, what he said. And while I'm at it... What are you smoking?

Oh, gawd... I'm the person who called in about getting sprayed by the skunk! I'm not kidding... I was living in a small house in Maine, sorta in the woods, it was sorta spring time, and it was around the time I was going through my divorce, etc. I was awoken in the wee hours of the morning one day thinking the damn house was on fire. There was this horrible burning smell - like nothing I've experienced in my life. I couldn't believe the smoke detectors didn't catch it. I jumped out of bed and ran like hell to the front of the house - it was a small ranch-style house. But the further I got from the bedroom, the more it didn't smell like fire anymore... It was.... SKUNK! Holy cow! There was nothing like this ever! My eyes were watering, my nose was running - it was like one of the little buggers had mated with pepper spray and exploded outside of my bedroom windows - which were OPEN - thankyouverymuch. The smell permiated EVERYTHING - my clothes, my skin, younameit. Yes, I called in sick that day! I couldn't stand the smell of me! I spent the day doing laundry, cleaning, and trying to air out the house. A caseload of Febreeze couldn't have helped this case! The smell lasted for over a week - my coworkers complained but what could I do? (I worked in a cubicle - they loved me for this!) Life in Maine - what can I say? So yes, if someone calls in sick because they got sprayed by a skunk I would certainly let them have the day!

And when you hit Boston, gimme a call. I can take you to some of the best places - shops, museums, restaurants, historical tours, etc., that aren't on the glossy web sites. There's a new bridge there that you have to see - the tappen z bridge - which is the latest in suspension bridges - it won't be like anything you've seen before. Then there's the Constitution - not the papers, but the ship - and the aquarium, and Paul Revere's house, and all the Italian restaurants in the north end, and some of the most incredible art museums - I love Boston!

Mo - Linda's right about D.C. - also the Mormon temple there is incredible - worth the trip alone. There's so much to see and do in D.C. - and then when you're done there, head to Virginia Beach for a ruben sandwich at the Jewish Mother!

Holy cow - I'd be looking at almost 3 hours.... I think this is a no-go for me this time. If you're going to be coming through southern Maine, like Sanford, or Wells, or something, let me know - maybe we can meet somewhere... but otherwise it would just be me and the two boys and six hours total driving... I sure would love to meet some other Spotters!

Oh, man! I gotta work Saturday - what the web site for this again? Are y'all gonna be there Sunday? I need to take a road trip with the kiddies - I'd love to see y'all if it isn't that far... Tag me - let me know! -Chaz

Okay, I'm the daughter of a Freemason and was raised Mormon. So what? Right? Well.... I look at it this way.... TWI only had a few thousand followers and tons of negitive publicity, dwindling numbers, and nothing really all that close to the "more than abundant life" they were promoting. The Mormons had only a few million, not a heck of a lot of negitive publicity, growing numbers, and are known for their prosperity. You do the math. In TWI we were taught to be on guard, to try to quickly bait and hook newbies, and to NOT GIVE to those who weren't in the household. So, perhaps to some of us who still have "Waybrain" or whatever we're calling it these days, some cute dude in a shirt and tie from SLC, Utah offering to help you out and mow your lawn for free must not really be "free"... right? I'd venture to say that the worst thing that will come from your encounter with the Mormons is that they'll do a baptism for you by proxy after you've kicked the bucket, because they believe that will give you the chance to choose heaven, if you wish. And so what... is that bad?

After some more snooping - gawd I love a good mystery - I came up with this: http://www.familytables.net/ Seems this is the owner's other website. Make it a point to check out the guest book - some oldies but goodies in there! I wish I knew who this guy was... (he's cute!) (I used to know a group of them from NJ... sigh...)

This dude has done a lot to make sure that his name or whatever isn't easily found. Even his blog links fail to disclose much info. He's really going to a lot of lengths to make sure that no one can really track him, other than the fact he's in NJ.... Never mind if RFR gets her paws on him... what about Chel@r? YIKES!