What an utterly stupid day!  First, I went to bed last night with a “scratchy” throat which went from scratchy to downright painful during the night.  I was awakened at 6:00 a.m. by the phone ringing.  It was the school system’s automated calling system letting us know that school would start two hours late this morning because of icy roads.  Late starts just screw up the whole day.  Starting late serves no purpose other than screwing up people’s schedules.  Either call school off for the day or have a regular schedule.  

But, hey two free hours are two free hours.  So RT and I had breakfast and enjoyed our coffee, chitchated awhile and watched the news on TV.  Then RT headed off on a one-day business trip, and I headed to the shower.  Just as I was about to step in, the phone rang again.  By now it was 8:30 a.m.  It was the school system again.  They had decided to cancel school after all.  Mind you, at my house there had been no precipitation at all - frozen or otherwise.  However, it’s a big school system, and the schools in the western part of the county tend to get worse weather.  So that was okay.  Except, after the 6:00 a.m. phone call, I hadn’t been able to go back to sleep.  So it’s a snow day, and yet I got up earlier than I normally do.

I already had a dentist appointment for this afternoon, but with my scratchy throat, I decided to call my dentist to see if they still wanted to see me.  No, they wanted to reschedule.  No sense in taking a chance at catching something from me.  That was fine.  I would have done the same.  Who wants to take a chance on getting strep throat or whatever.  I rescheduled the dentist appointment for the middle of March (the first available appointment), and then I decided to take advantage of the free day by getting a massage.  My neck has been hurting a lot lately, and getting a massage always helps.

So, I got an appointment for a massage.  It was wonderful.  I headed home - almost stopping for lunch at a restaurant along the way, but finally choosing to fix myself lunch after I got home.  At home, I decided to make a bagel and scrambled egg for lunch.  Don’t ask me why, but that sounded really good to me.  Mid-way through my bagel, I bit into something very hard.  What the . . . ?  A tooth had broken.  Not a crown, but a tooth.  A bagel and scrambled egg had broken a tooth?  The bagel was chewy, but not THAT chewy.

So now I NEEDED a dentist appointment for this afternoon, even though I had just called a few hours ago to cancel the appointment I already had.   Of course when I called I found that the dentist office is closed for lunch from 1:00 - 2:00.  I called at 1:05.  So I have to wait almost an hour before I can even call and start begging for an appointment today.  Wish me luck.

Update:  It’s 2:04 - and they can see me as soon as I can get there.  So I’m on my way.  Gotta brush my teeth first, though.  I WILL not think of drilling and filling and  the sound  and smell of that drill.  Just give me nitrous oxide - the more the better. 

Later Update: A new crown is now in my mouth.  Fun, fun.  It feels too big.  I wonder why they made the temporary crown so big?  Surely the permanent one I’ll get in a few weeks will be a more normal size. Lord, I hate going to the dentist.  My daughter has to have some dental work done on Monday, and her dentist gave her a valium (a prescription for ONE valium) to take before going in for the work.  The dentist assured her it would make her not care much better than the nitrous oxide.  Of course she has to have someone take her to the dentist and then home later. 

The year 2008 is being called the “Year of Social Media.”  That means that this is the year when social networking online will grow more than at any previous time.  I want to be a part of that growth.  I have a dream of being able to monetize my blog to the point that I’m able to retire early.   However, I don’t want the monetization to affect the quality of my blog.  It’s a big dream, but it’s do-able.  The accomplishment of my dream depends on if I’m willing to work to find the appropriate means of accomplishment my goal.

I found Pay-Per-Play which is part of Net Audio Ads.   I’ll give you a quick description, but you can click the link to find out more.  One piece of advice:  You need to sign up for Pay-Per-Play by February 1st in order to receive maximum benefits.  I’ve signed up for it, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it works. 

Pay-Per-Play is a way to get paid for every visitor to your website.  Your visitors don’t have to click a link in order for you to get credit for their visits.  When someone visits your site, they will hear a 5-second audio ad.  So far 108 million sites have joined.  Pay-Per-Play has been a successful addiliate program for awhile.  Starting February 1st, it will convert to a “host only” model.  that means that you will make money only on the ads placed on your own site.  Any site that signs up now for the AudioAdHosting program now will be able to continue with the affiliate revenue after the February 1st change.

The program has three tiers:  In the first tier, you be paid for ads on your site.  At tier two, you will be paid on ads served on the websites that you personally refer, and at tier three you’ll be paid for ads on the websites of those that your direct referrals refer.  That’s why, if you want to maximize your blog’s revenue, you should register for the FREE affiliate program before February 1st.

Okay, all you news folks and paparazzi - and Dr. Phil!  Let’s give Britney Spears a 3-month break.  You’ve been hounding her unmercifully for years now.  She’s legally an adult, but she’s still young.  Let’s give her a break - a chance to start on the road to recovery without such relentless pursuit.  Take February, March and April off from the Britney patrol.  Come May, you can go at it again.  Is this too much to ask?

 That includes YOU, Dr. Phil.  Stop talking about Britney on TV.  What a jerk!  Dr. Phil is on TV as I write this, trying to justify his actions.  “I had an absolute right to talk about anything that I wanted to talk about because I wasn’t seeing her professionally.”  That’s a direct quote when he was asked, “Is it your place to be speaking about her private matters in public?” And he’s right.  Our country has freedom of speech.  One would hope, however, that a person would be kind and compassionate about what they say - especially a professional person talking about someone who is obviously troubled.   Ethically, Dr. Phil is absolutely wrong.  “I made it [the statement about Brittney] to quell speculation.”  That is such a lie.  He made the statement to drum up business for his talk show - to try to get people to watch what he hoped would be an on-air intervention.

Let’s just give it a rest when it comes to Britney

Here are thirteen things I like about mornings.

(1)  I like the “new” feeling of everything

(2) The sun shining through the trees in the yard is pretty

(3) I feel really energetic in the mornings

(4) I can get a lot of work done in the mornings

(5) Breafast - the best meal of the day

(6) Before I get out of bed, it feels so cozy and comfortable

(7) Saturday mornings are the best - no work, no responsibilities

(8) Coffee (with no-fat creamer and Splenda)

(9) The smell of bacon cooking (once or twice a week)

(10) Oatmeal (my favorite breakfast)

(11) Wild animals (deer, turkeys) wandering through our yard

(12) Lots of birds on the bird feeders

(13) On cold mornings, a fire in the fireplace - adding to the coziness of the house.

I’ve never really understood what title insurance is.  Well sure, it’s insurance for a home’s title, but what does that mean?  Insurance against what? For what?  If you check the Yellow Pages, you’ll find that there are lots of title insurance companies, but what services do a  title insurance company provide for us?

Each time a land title transaction takes place, It is recorded with the local government.  Typically that is with the county government.  The transaction is then indexed by the names of the grantor (transferor) and the grantee( transferee).  In order to determine who owns the title to the property, those indexes must be examined.  Title insurance is simply protection against loss that arises from any problem that might arise connected to the property’s title.

For example, your home and/or the land it stands on might have gone through some ownership changes.  Somewhere along that chain of ownership, there may be a weak link that could potentially cause trouble.  There could be a problem with authenticating signatures or there might be unpaid taxes.  Title insurance covers you for any claims and legal fees that might arise from those issues.

Title insurance is necessary if you need a mortgage.  All mortgage lenders require mortgage insurance equal to the amount of the loan.  The insurance continues until the loan is paid.  The title insurance is paid upfront when you take out your mortgage.  While title insurance protects the lender up to the amount of the mortgage, it doesn’t protect your equity.  For that, you would purchase an owners’ title policy for the full value of your home.

Electile Dysfunction:    the inability to become aroused over any of the choices for president put forth by either party in the 2008 election year.

 tiara tip to Fausta

I saw this video at Hot Air, and I had to share it.  Just put the footage of two loose cannons together, and you get this:

Video: Hillary Linked To Scientology!

Today, after church and after a pot luck dinner, many from our little church gathered to pack over 30 boxes to send to soldiers fighting in Iraq.  It was a really good time.  Before starting, our pastor led us in prayer that each package would find its way to the soldier who most needed it.  We are sending most of the packages to the leader of a unit who will distribute them to his soldiers.  Several of the packages went to soldiers who are related or somehow associated with members of the church.  We sent packages to two friends of my nephew, a nephew of a church member, the niece of another church member, and the friend of the son of another church member.

Each box contained magazines, writing tablets, pens, toiletries, snacks, CDs, candy, batteries, and assorted other items.   We made sure each package included something “fun”  a game, a toy, some cards.  The last thing placed in each package was a letter from someone in the church. 

Sweet Stuff came to church with us today.  Sweet Stuff had helped us pack boxes once before, and she enjoyed doing something concrete for our soldiers.  So she was anxious to help get the packages ready to send to the soldiers again.  She wrote two of the letters herself today, and she probably filled at least three of the boxes - with RT’s help.

If you’d like to send packages to service personnel fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan, you can contact Soldiers’ Angels to get the name of a soldier.  Be aware, though, that they don’t give out names to just anybody.  There are too many kooks out there who would misuse that information.  You have to provide information about yourself, and you have to make a commitment to support your soldier with letters and packages.  It is a great organization that is doing a lot of good for military men and women.

I’m such a sucker for stuff like this. I used to dream when I was little that I could breath underwater - and that I could fly. I’ve often thought it would be cool to be invisible - see what’s going on and what people say when I’m not around. So I guess my results for this quiz fit in with my personality. You can click the link to find out your super-powers

Your Superpower Should Be Invisibility

You are stealth, complex, and creative.You never face problems head on. Instead, you rely on your craftiness to get your way. A mystery to others, you thrive on being a little misunderstood. You happily work behind the scenes… because there’s nothing better than a sneak attack!Why you would be a good superhero: You’re so sly, no one would notice… not even your best friends Your biggest problem as a superhero: Missing out on all of the glory that visible superheroes get

What Should Your Superpower Be?

Tiara-tip to CalTechGirl at Not Exactly Rocket Science - I saw this at her place first.

It’s going to be a long, long wait for the election to be over in November.  RT and I’ve been watching CNN and their coverage of the South Caroline Democratic Primary.  Lord help us!  They’re bringing in every Tom, Dick, Harry and Soledad to give their opinions and analysis of what’s going on. 

They’re giving us information/opinions on:

How the black vote might go.

How the white vote might go.

How the female vote might go.

How the Hispanic vote might go.

How the lower income vote might go.

How the affluent vote might go.

What the racial break down might be.

Whether a particular candidate might “over-perform” or “under-perform.”

They explain what they mean by “exit polls.”  It’s such a difficult concept, you know.

They have a countdown clock for when the polls will close and they will start getting numbers to put on the boards.

They tell us about each of the candidates - about their goals, their dreams, their tactics, their biographies.

The worst folks to give opinions couched in “reporting” are Roland Martin, Gloria Borger, Candy Crowley, Donna Brazile and Jeffrey Toobin. 

Jeffrey Toobin had the ultimate patronizing and inane comment:  ”Let’s not forget that John Edwards is a human being with a distinct story. . .  This IS his life - to be a presidential candidate.”  What an idiot!