Miss Teen USA South Carolina

Some things are just too good to not share. Lauren Caitlin Upton (aka Miss Teen USA South Carolina) will probably forever regret her 'like such as' confused answer to a simple question one week ago today.

The Question:

Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can’t locate the US on a world map. Why do you think this is?

The Answer:

"I personally believe that US Americans are unable to do so because uh, some uh, people out there in our nation don’t have maps and uh, I believe that our ad-education like such as in South Africa and uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as and I believe that they should uh, our education over here in the US should help the US or, or should help South Africa, it should help Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for our children.”

First, I would like to say this is one hell of a run-on sentence. Secondly, Lauren says "like such as" only two times, but somehow it feels like many more. She never once says the most forbidden "um", but she has no hesitation at all in saying "uh". That is counted five times. I am a bit confused about her reference to "US Americans". I'm not sure what a US American is. Maybe an American that does not live in South America, Central America or Canada? Somehow I don't think she was going there. I'm not sure where she was going. Maybe to "the Iraq".

Lauren was given another opportunity to answer the same question when she was later interviewed on the Today Show.

Her new answer:

"Well personally, my friends and I, we know exactly where the United States is on our map. I don't know anyone else who doesn't. And if the statistics are correct, I believe there should be more emphasis on geography."

Please tell me that she knows her new answer only made her look slightly more intelligible. Probably not, but I do have to give her a little bit of a compliment. At least this time, she actually stated something related to maps and finding the United States on one. Oh, and she threw in that 'big word' in the end: geography.

I want to know which map she is referring to when she says "our map". Would that be a map of the United States? Yeah, it would be hard to not find the US on that map, eh!

I also want to know who it is that she does know that can't find the US on a map since she refers to not knowing "anyone else who doesn't".

Lastly, I have to give her accolades for not believing every statistic that is published. At least she has a mind to be skeptical.

So, Lauren Caitlin Upton, three cheers for entertaining the U.S. Americans. Oh, and don't forget the Iraq and South Africa and the Asian countries.

To memorialize her famous words:
http://tinyurl.com/2fs54o

The Jones Soda Company

So, I am now one of the thousands of people who are in line hoping to have a photograph appear on a Jones Soda bottle. I have entered their landmark contest.
See (and please vote for) my entry here:
http://www.jonessoda.com/gallery/view.php?ID=846687&offset=1

I have drunk Jones soda on a few occassions. I think Green Apple is my favorite flavor. My least favorite? Probably Fufu Berry. Not sure what a fufu is and I thought it was a bit strange. My kids liked it though. Well Little T did anyway.

But, what Jones flavor isn't a bit strange? I mean, come on. Turkey and gravy soda? I haven't tried that flavor yet. Not enough courage. Or maybe not enough alcohol right before an opportunity to enhance my soda taste buds. Could also be due to the fact that they only made it in 2004 (a recent discovery of mine - like just now). Guess I'll have to check out ebay and see if anyone is selling a bottle for 5 grand so I can give it a try (when I have a spare 5 grand). HA!

Okay, so root beer is not a strange flavor and they make a damn good root beer (I think). Hmm, have I tried their root beer?

Speaking of not being able to recall something:
Did you know that recent research states that Qualitative decreases in maternal brain size have been observed late in pregnancy? That is, according to a paper submitted to a scientific journal and now readily available for review on the NIH website. Of course, there were only nine women in the study. But, you know, since it is a published paper, it has to be true. Right?

Anyway, since I happen to have four children, my brain has decreased in size four times according to this research. Luckily, it also apparently returned to its original size within six months after delivery of the offspring. Whew! Oh, wait, I can't say whew yet...my youngest is still under six months old!

Oh well. Now off to see if someone has posted Jones Turkey and Gravy soda on ebay....

Had to come back to add that I found it on ebay (what can't you find on ebay) and it is listed with a few other odd flavors for a total of $39.99. Damn, I wish I had a spare 40 bucks (plus shipping) laying around, I would totally buy it just for kicks and grins!

A tribute to my friends

I met a group of ladies online when we were all pregnant. It has now been over 9 months since we started chatting with each other daily or nearly daily. All our babies are growing like crazy and each and every one is more beautiful every time I see new pictures.

I have never met any of these women in real life. I have communicated with them in an online forum, emailed, texted, called several of them and had conversations in online chats. We are a diverse group of women ranging in everything you could imagine except that we are all women and we all have young babies. We also all live in the US albeit all across the country.

I never imagined I would find such a close relationship with anyone online, let alone a group of women I would call friends.

We have only known each other for a little over nine months, yet we have already been through so much together.
One of us recently bought a new house.
One of us had a husband lose a job and then find a new one a week later.
One of us is struggling with an ex who won't allow visitation with her older children.
One of us is newly pregnant again.
One of us just lost a deal on a new house.
One of us chose to move half way across the country to be with her baby's dad.
One of us had to have gallbladder surgery just weeks after giving birth.
One of us is stuck in a marriage that has fallen apart.
One of us is a single mom with twins.
One of us is trying to figure out how to be a good wife and mother and still have herself.
One of us just got married.
One of us is planning a wedding next year.
Two of us actually met each other in real life about a month ago.

We regularly share pictures with each other so we know what all our families look like. We have shared intimate details of our lives with each other and we have sent gifts to each other. We have shared elation, grief and uncertainty with each other.

We have inside jokes and we even tell each other when we are getting out of line. We are all strong in our own ways. We have all provided a shoulder to lean on when needed or leaned on a shoulder in a time of need.

All put together, we have 31 children. When we finally meet up, it promises to be wild and crazy even before we all start mixing drinks!

I can't wait to finally meet my girlfriends in person.

Post for today...

I have been so busy today I have barely had time to breathe! I got my youngest daughter off to her in home day care and then it was off to work. I was at work for half an hour and it was off to a four hour class. A little more work after my class and then a bite to eat and right back to work.
I am in the process of editing a document and it is really a bear! I am having to use online tutorials to figure it all out, but I'm getting there!

Have to add this ... I just learned something new; well two things actually. Both were accidentally which, in my opinion, is the best way to obtain new information.

So, the first one was when I was editing an MS Word document and I needed to undo the last action. Of course, I held down the Ctrl key and hit 'z'. For some reason, my finger continued to hold down the Ctrl key when I was needing to view the next page and I moved my mouse roller button. I found out that this changes your view of the document so that you can see larger font or view something like 20 pages on the same screen... a very helpful thing to be able to do when you have a document that is nearly a hundred pages. You can check formatting in the blink of an eye!

The second one was when I told a coworker about my new found talent and he told me that he was delighted when he found out you could change the size of the font on a web page screen using the same action: Ctrl and roller mouse!

What a fantastically wonderful day! Okay, now I feel very geeky. LOL

Did you know Adobe Acrobat is an aphrodisiac?

Know how you felt when you were a kid and you ran to the x-mas tree to see what you might find underneath with your name on it? Well, that is how I just now felt when a coworker (we'll call her M) brought me a copy of Adobe Acrobat to install on my machine. Giddy as all hell, I was; clapping my hands together in quick little taps with a big 'ol grin on my face while bouncing up and down in my dapper office chair. Damn good thing no one happened by with a camcorder on them! M stood there with a sweet smile on her face and looked at me like I was just released from a padded cell.

I got all excited as it was reading 6% then 23% then finally 99%.
Why does it never say 100%? Sorry, minor digression to be followed up on a later date.
Anyway, I now have Adobe Acrobat... off to PDF some .doc documents! YES! YES!! YES!!!

Wanna zazzle with me?

You can change the style and color of the shirt. The sayings stay the way I designed them and if you order from my gallery, I get a (very small) chink of the proceeds. So, happy shopping!

One more thing to note:
mugs for the endangered leftys of the world are also available.

A few key search words:
onesie onesies for baby t-shirt t-shirts toddler mom to be maternity funny humorous laughable lefty lefties left-handed coffee cup tea mug it's a boy it's a girl

Now for the real post...

So, I have a very odd habit of reading the ingredients on everything. I mean, everything! Don't ask why. I have no idea why I do this or where it all started.

Combine this habit with the intense desire to read something (anything) while sitting on the porcelain throne and you get someone who obsessively reads the ingredients list on shampoo and conditioner bottles. (Some psychiatrist is going to have a hay day with this one.)

Anyway, back to where I was... Shampoo ingredients. WTH is in shampoo anyway and why does it need to be in there? Something tells me that Cocomide DEA and Cocomidopropyl Betaine have nothing to do with hard, round, hairy plants that grow in the tops of tropical trees and produce a delectable white juice and pulp.

I am certain that the reasons for these ingredients is readily available on Wikipedia or Google or an environmentalists blog somewhere (assuming that they are generally not good for our health in some way or they probably cause cancer in the state of California).

I just relish in wondering some things. This is one thing in which I continue to wonder. I am sure some good hearted soul will look it up for me and so generously inform me of the intention of the ingredients. If that person is you; bless your heart!

Hi. I'm new here.

Well, I finally joined the bloggers. Here I am blog world; hit me with all you've got!
Well, that's all I have time for right now. Tune in later for a real post. :)