Freaky Friday Rants & Raves, Feb. 4th
 

Rant: My car is on the fritz and it is costing me way too much money.

Rave: The temps have been fantastic lately.

Rave: Thank You to all of you who did not dwell on my personal loss last week, and thank you to those who made a small mention of it but didn't dwell on it. People can be supportive even when they say nothing but just want to correspond. Thank you.

You aren't reading my name wrong. I added an additional r because of a new computer switch-over and a password which I didn't remember including the password clue.

Jor

You have a new computer too!
Rave: Slick new computer.
Rant: Figuring out glitches, adjusting settings, etc.

Rant: Death of two friends a week apart. (Agree with you - nothing needs to be said.)

Rave: The beautiful springlike day yesterday. A pink rhodo is blooming in the yard.

Rant: I need to put on weight!

Rave: My funny younger brother is visiting next week. My stomach will ache from laughter.

Wow, I've never even been in the top 20 on the FF posts!

Rave- Punahou School Carnival starts tomorrow. today we helped the Seniors with their variety show rehearsal, then chopped tomatoes for lomi salmon and made haku lei. They should gross about 1.7 million dollars (for scholarships) in the next two days.

Rant: After 13 years of Carnivals, this is my last one as a parent.

Rave: I was so sick at this time last year, my doctors weren't sure I would live, much less get to the carnival. This year I'm doing great!! What a difference a year makes!

Rants: Sore mouth due to 2 temporary crowns I had put in AND the ground hog saw his shadow.

Rave: I learned how to use the smileys AND my rants are quite insignificant 8-)

Have a good weekend everyone!

Rants: Great steak dinner at Hy's in Toronto with a very old friend last week.

Rant: Finally went to the FlatIron Lounge in NYC last night. Great place for a cocktail.

Rave: Why in the name of all things that are good and decent is there a LINE at an Olive Garden in Chelsea? Bad enough there is an Olive Garden (and an Outback) in Chelsea - but for people to actually wait in line for mediocre Italian in the culinary center of our country is just plain wrong!

Rant: Leveraged buyouts have a place in our economy and it is still a good way for companies who are generate substantial cash to maximize how that cash is valued. Leveraged buyouts are an insane notion when it comes to a system designed to provide retirees with security. A certain plan that's been put forth is nothing more than a leveraged buyout of existing shareholders and EVERY leveraged buyout shares one thing in common - WALL STREET will make a bundle.

jorr? Where did the extra "r" come from? ((b))

Rave: It's Friday. ((b))

Rave: Finally someone will do something about Social Security.

Rave: Howard Dean DNC chair. ROFLMAO.
They're done for the next 12 years.

Go Patriots!

RANT: The Social Sercuity proposal by this Administation.

RAVE: FFR&R's

Rant: People that are critical of a proposal, yet neglect to offer an alternative solution.

Rave: lucy's continued good health
Rant: Those who have lost friends and loved ones
Rave: My husband and I are off to NY this weekend and the weather is supposed to be decent. We'll spend one night in the city and then go out to the 'burbs to see my family.
Rant: Kids who are mistreated. I have a kid in my class who is emotionally abused and there is only so much I can do. The system stinks...

First, you don't need an alternate plan to know that when you bang your head into a wall and ignore the pain until you're done - that you probably shouldn't have started banging your head into a wall in the first place.

Here's a thought, give people a calculator. Start with $1 Trillion. Multiply that by 4.25%. Divide the answer of $42.5 Billion by 115 million. Take that number, $369.57 and divide it by $1,500. You should come up with 24.6%. Know what that is?

That's the rate of return someone will need in their account to "cover" the interest on the debt that will be borrowed to fund out those born before 1949. I've worked on Wall Street 17 years, unless you plan on letting people run their own personal hedge funds and invest is speculative distressed securities, those return levels are, shall we say, optimistic.

rant: the death and maiming of our military in Iraq continues to rise. Over 1400 now.
Forty years ago the KIA in Viet Nam was 1400 and look what it escalated to.
Take the money from Iraq and put into social security.

Rave: Going to Baton Rouge in three months.

It is also optimistic to assume that SS will work the issues out on it's own. If the system does bankrupt itself, will they say" gee, we should have done something years ago"?

If retired folks get $.70 on the $1.00, they will not be supported in retirement. These are the numbers and change is a reality if quality of life and "COLA" is to be maintained.

Rant: Turned in my two week notice at work--they decided to let me go that day (I was hired by a competitor).

Rave: An unexpected two weeks off! I will try to plant a garden.

Rant: I have a black thumb--anything I plant will die.

Rave: Awesome weather in the Bay Area!

Rave--Snowshoeing tomorrow!!!

Rave--Getting ne picture for my military ID card today. Then will meet DH and go to lunch.

Rave--We all have political opinions and it is ok if they differ.

Rave: flying to Tucson early tomorrow morning -- and really looking forward to it
Rave: only a few things to do tonight
Rave: favorite cat sitter was available for daily checks

Rant: another night of waking up at 3:20 a.m. and not sleeping again. (Sometimes it's 1:30 or 2:30.) I've got to start "letting go" because work stress is hurting me in several ways.

Rave: good health and a good checkup at the dentist this week

it's friday!!! :)
here's to a lighter freaky friday!!

rave: gossip fest over coffee with my best friend this week. it's been too long. :">

rave: 2nd annual girls night out planned for march. we have to plan that far ahead i guess. ((D))
rave: nice weekend coming up, no plans! just hanging w/the man. :->

rave: my mom had a great trip to ecuador. she was gardening as we were shoveling! she said they had great coffee. ~o)

rave: it's official. trip paris in april! so i'll tack on a trip after the conference...maybe budapest? ((?))

rant: with the slush this a.m the parking lot at the train station looks like the moon! spring has to come some time! ((R))

:D

Rave: Western Illinois weather for a few days. 56 tomorrow!
Rave: Heading for Bangkok on Sunday.
Rave: Won $250 on a slot in Vegas last Monday... and then stopped playing!
Rant: The whole groundhog/shadow thing.
Rant: Those who think social security is supposed to be their sole source of income at retirement. It was never to meant to be that way!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Rant: So the assisted living facility where my mother just left says to come pick up all her meds (she's now in a rehab facility to go into long term skilled nursing). I go get about $2000 worth of meds (paid for by medicaid--by you and I) all in individual tamper-proof blister packs, factory labeled. I take them to her rehab center. Can they be used? Nope. All must be discarded and all new must be purchased, even though each one is clearly marked and labeled, and she is still on all these same meds. This includes nearly $600 with of daily pain patches that are totally sealed. "Don't worry. Medicaid will pay for the new ones!". Is that the point?

Rave: The Alzheimer's Support Group will take them and use them for their in-home patients.

Rant: My dad had a heart attack! Two weeks ago my mom was in the hosital. She came home, and dad went in!!!!

Rave: Dad's surgery went well and he's going home today.

Rave: It's going to be around 50 degrees all weekend. February in Buffalo and it will be 50 degrees!!! This has been the mildest winter I remember in a long time.

Rave: We're going to see the Harlem Globetrotters tonight!

Have a great weekend everyone.

OMG BuffaloGirl! Thoughts and prayers to you and your family!

Rave: Going to NYC to see Gates!

WAIT A MINUTE!!!

jor, you don't spell your name with two 'r's. Is it you or is it bucket?

RAVE: Great 12-day trip to Florida! Fell in love with St. Petersburg/Clearwater area. Can't believe I never got down there before! :-)

RAVE: Only gained one and a half pounds back on trip; back on the program and into the water as of last night.

RAVE: UNC Tar Heel basketball team! Keep mowing 'em down, guys! :-d

RAVE: Philadelphia Eagles - go, go, go! (I'm still mad at the Pats for beating my Panthers last year!)

Have a great weekend, all!

BuffaloGirl, my very best wishes are with your parents!

Rave: Less than 6 weeks until San Francisco trip, have gotten some great advice here and other sites. One exceptional person in SF went and personally checked out the hotel I chose because I couldn't find much info about it. The extreme kindness that can be found on the internet is amazing!

Rant: The extreme rudeness that can be found is equally as amazing.

Rave: It's Friday and spring is on it's way finally!

Glad your dad is coming home BuffaloGirl.

Rant: All those who are suffering from friend's deaths and ill family members.

Rave: South swells have brought more beach to this island than I have ever seen! ((#))

Rant: Now north swells are causing all sorts of odd trouble, including smashing my good friend's catamaran into my other good friend's dive shop overnight. $70,000 down the toilet for the boat. The dive shop should be okay. What is going on with the freaky worldwide weather? :-O

Rave: Nice cool breezes for the winter season. Have even been cold while wearing a jacket on our scooter at night! ((S))

Rave: Listening to the ocean surf from my bedroom window at 1 a.m. this morning while gazing at a sky filled with more stars than black space. Isn't creation wonderful? I-)

Rave: It's Friday and things have finally slowed down at work. \:D/

Have a great weekenend everyone! >:D<

Rave: My husband and I have signed up for the Master Gardeners course to begin late this month. It will be 40 hours of course work, then 40 hours of community service--working with our town's horticulturist in beautification projects.

Rave: Our group of "traveling friends"-five couples- are trying to make a final decision on next fall's trip. We had almost decided on London-Paris-Amsterdam, but now we are considering China!

Rave: Sunshine in South Alabama!

Byrd

My heart goes out to all of you with loved ones who are sick.

Also, April, I'm willing to give you some of my weight if you want it.

Rave to Patrick for finding a use for Mom's medicine

Rant/Rave: it's Friday and I'm here

Rant: coworker is leaving (rave for her, and I mentioned it last week) wants a different type of farewell celebration instead of the usual luncheon. I have nothing against the type of celebration, I just would rather not participate (it would involve giving up most of a Saturday). So I need a good excuse for not participating without killing off a relative.

Rave: Had a job interview this past week.
Rant: Not sure if I'm the best candidate for the position.

Rave: good weather predicted for the weekend.

ncgrrl: Don't you have a trip planned for that particular weekend?

:S-

Rave:KQED aired Buster's trip to Vermont on Wednesday right before the State of the Union address. It was an antidote of sorts.

Rant: the state of the union and the address. If we need to preserve the sanctity of anything, let it be food, shelter,education and health care.

Rave:It's been in the 70's here in SF Bay Area.

Rave: short day at the office today then time to enjoy the weather.

A good Friday to all and an even better weekend.

GoTravel, I know exactly what you mean. Its not "The Bucket Woman". I added the extra r. She's probably busy causing problems at the neighbor's instead of here.

I would sooooo like to ring in on this social security thing but I will keep my fingers shut. Aaaarrgg. The local stations were airing it live yesterday morning and it did Not get Tivo'ed.

Rave: Patriots about to win their next Super Bowl. It will be fun to watch knowing that win or lose it doesn't mean a darn thing.

Rant: Just hoping the idiot fans behave themselves this year and no one gets killed. Boston has seen two deaths ( including a neighbor of mine) in the last year from rioting fans and its just a colossal waste of life.

Rave: My kids elementary school raised over $18,000 for Save the Children Tsunami relief through a read a thon. Their goal was $5000 and the principal thought it might be asking too much. But lots of dedicated kids and supportative family made it possible. In return for their hard work the kids have been awarded 2 days of no homework.

Rave: My brother unexpectedly decided to come home for a visit. Usually just see him once a year but with the Pats in the Super Bowl he wanted to watch the game with the rest of the family. He lives in Ireland.

Rave: Super Bowl Lunch Party about to start here at work. Raising money for Muscular Dystrophy - pay to wear jeans to work today, pay to vote on the best chicken wings, pay to eat a hot dog, pay to wear Patriots paraphenalia. Lots of fun. My job is a pain at times but I work with a good group of people so it makes it okay.

Rant:Ossie Davis died.

rant: I turned on the radio station this morning I always keep on for my pets during the day and overnight it turned in a Spanish station.

rave: maybe my parrot will learn how to speak español.

Rave: The deep freeze is thawing !

Rave: Got a new car last night, and it was a great deal.

Rant: Melting snow and ice, along with the salt, makes my new dark blue car dirty ,dirty, dirty.

Rant: Corporate re-structuring sucks.

Rave: Leaving for Curacao tomorrow! Yes!
Totally agree with Bennnie's rant re: idiot fans. Hopefully nothing bad will happen.
Have a good one everyone.

April, can I give you the 3 pounds I've gained since Christmas? ;;)

Rave: We've changed our travel plans, we are now sailing the Sun Princess RT Southampton instead of the QM2 so we can visit the foreign ports of Spain, Portual, St. Peter Port, and St. Rochelle. One more Princess cruise & we're Platinum members!

Rant: We won't know my spouse's schedule for another 1 1/2 weeks. I don't want to switch travel dates as many ships are already sold out.

Rant: My oldest childhood friend is having very bad marital discourse. They have 2 kids and are both nice people. I am praying hard things will work out. Makes me realize how fortunate I am with my other half.

Rave: When my neighbor's overweight cat comes running over to visit when we open our garage door ((@))

Rave: The weather is nice, about 60 degrees, and the sun is shining ((#)) it's the weekend((r))((r))

Rant: Yuck, traveling on business again tomorrow for another week! Second time in 10 days. I'm getting very tired.... :@

Rave: Well, it's not that cold out...

Rave: I have my health?!?

RAVE:

Beautiful weather with clear skies and and the flowers are starting to bloom.

We are leaving for Thailand on Tuesday.

RANT: Nothing significant.

Patrick: I empathasize with you. :-B

Rave: Great to be alive and enjoying the warm and balmy breezes

Rave: Hope it's nice where you are.

Rave: For people who care about other people and don't always talk about themselves.