I'm at a loss...

AP updated 10/28/2010 4:43:06 PM ET 2010-10-28T20:43:06

Judge: McDonald's must pay obese employee $17,500
Manager says job-related fast-food diet caused him to gain weight

SAO PAULO — A Brazilian court ruled this week that McDonald's must pay a former franchise manager $17,500 because he gained 65 pounds while working there for a dozen years.
The 32-year-old man said he felt forced to sample the food each day to ensure quality standards remained high, because McDonald's hired "mystery clients" to randomly visit restaurants and report on the food, service and cleanliness.

The man also said the company offered free lunches to employees, adding to his caloric intake while on the job. His identity was not released.
The ruling was signed Tuesday by Judge Joao Ghisleni Filho in Porto Alegre.
Filho said McDonald's could appeal the case, and the Brazilian headquarters of the chain said in an e-mailed statement Thursday it was weighing its legal options.
McDonald's also noted that it offers healthier food choices.
"The chain offers a large variety of options and balanced menus to cater (to) the daily dietary needs of its employees," the company said in the statement.

Fanatic

[fuh-nat-ik] –noun
1.
a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.

I'm not a fanatic about anything.

I have over 300 Beanie Babies but I don't know all their names and I still don't get the ''generation" tag thing. I just buy what I like.

I love Alan Jackson's music but I have no idea what his kids names are or when his birthday is.
Same for Brooks and Dunn. I've been listening to them for 20 years but had no idea what their first hit song was until recently.

It's the same for authors, actors, movies, TV shows, dancers etc.

I have a lot of craft type hobbies too. But I don't feel like I'm passionate about any of them. I know that old saying, "liking everything leaves little time for liking anything well" or "jack of all trades, master of none" but I don't agree with them. Why do I have to be a master at just one thing? Why can't I know how to do many things and like them all? Maybe, being a creative person with the attention span of kitten who is interested in everything is better than being a single minded person with just a couple interests.

HA! and you thought this post was going to be about Bill! hahahahahahahaha

Mom and I went to the Titanic Exhibit Saturday. It was a pretty abbreviated version from the one Bill and I saw in Chicago. But there were some different artifacts this time around so that was cool. If you ever get a chance to go see this exhibit, you should. It's a little morbid though. I mean, if there was ever a case of "whatever can go wrong, will" the Titanic was it. The rest of the museum was nice too. It was a good day.

Sunday, Bill and I went to the gun show. I got him all excited after I got my permit and said "I might want to have my own gun" Now he gets to hunt for me!! So funny. We've been to this show before but I am still amazed at how cram packed full of people it is! All kinds of people too ~ surly looking people, old, young, men, women, kids, you name it. I enjoyed it more this time, now that I've actually fired a weapon and have a smidge of knowledge.

Our pleasant Autumn continues and this week we will finally have some much needed rain. It's really nice not to have the heat or AC on and open the windows instead. I like the fresh air.

Lots of big doctor appointments for the family this week. Mom gets her final checkup to keep her spleen and get a clean bill of health. Really looking forward to hearing how that one goes!!!
Bill has a big appointment this week as well but I don't want to jinx it by saying anything worrisome :-) Got my rose colored glasses on.

Whiny me

I try not to be whiny and complain but some days it's just so hard not to. Like today.

First of all, there are far too many stressed out drivers on the road. This morning took the cake though. And because this guy was tailgating everyone, I was extra mean and stopped at every yellow signal when he was behind me. Jerk. Twice he had to swerve to keep from hitting someone. Dude, lighten up!

Second, you know I love to decorate...for everything. Especially at work :-) This month I have lots of Halloween Beanie Babies sitting around my cube. On my counter I have a dancing skeleton and a BIG bowl of candy. I like having visitors at my cube. BUT...if one more person comes to my cube - for free candy - and complains about the choices of (free) candy, I'm taking the bowl home. Some guy just said, "you should have..." I said, "buy your own damn candy. This isn't a candy store and there's no menu." His eyes got real big, he leaned back and said "excuse me" You're not excused. That was rude. Grrrr. I get SO SICK of gimme gimme gimme. Well, I will say though, there are lots of folks who come by, grab a treat and say thank you too. But those rude butt heads ruin it for me sometimes.

My last whiny thing is about odor. Have you ever seen the movie K-Pax? (It's one of my favorites) There's a guy in the nut house who is there because he says everything stinks. Not metaphorically but literally. Today, there are a lot of unpleasant odors around. Maybe I just notice more because my sinuses are a little more open? Maybe the world is just a little smellier today. I should have noticed right off this morning when I thought "you girls smell" when the dogs came to lay on me. They have no idea what tonight means for them...baths!!!

I think I'll take a walk at lunch. Walking to the tunes of Motown always makes me feel good.

Ha!

Did I do anything productive last weekend? NO. did I get the bulbs planted? NO. I had all these great intentions...oh, well I did help Bill rake and bag some leaves. I went to CostCo. Yep, that about covers it.

This weekend will be different though. Saturday we're going to the Titanic Exhibition. We went to the one in Chicago about 8 years ago. Plus, even though we've lived here for 16 years, we've never been to the State Museum ~ that's where the exhibit is. So afterwards, we can check it out. Oh, and there's a gun show on Sunday. I made the mistake of telling my other 1/2, "maybe I would like to have my own gun" Hahahaha. Now he's all excited to help me pick one out. Do guns come in lime green?

And downtown this week is the FFA convention. 30,000 FFA's. By Friday you won't be able to walk anywhere downtown with seeing scads of navy blazers and kids! I had no idea there were so many of them! (That's 'future farmers of America' to you city folk)

Halloween is right around the corner too! This year I'll be over at Moms. I hope she gets more kids than we do. I got Play-Doh to pass out. How cool is that?!?!?!

Ahhhh

Autumn is back! 70's during the day and low 50's at night. It's awesome. I love driving a street covered with leaves. I love the smell of Autumn. I love it when it's breezy and it looks like it's raining leaves. Yep, definitely my favorite season.

On the west coast they have something called swap meets. We don't have those here. I used to like to go to the swap meet once or twice a year, they were kinda fun. Last weekend we discovered what we have...instead of a swap meet it's something held at the fairgrounds called a "liquidation sale" I see those commercials all the time and always wanted to check one out. What a bust. Nowhere near as good as a swap meet. Really, I think they make all their money with $7 admission fee. It was worse than the starving artist sale for sure. Well, at least now I know. :-)

Also, it just occurred to me about 1/2 an hour ago...I think I wore slippers to work today? I didn't buy them in the slipper section, but they have a very flexible sole and faux fur in the inside. The box says moccasins but...I think I'll keep them for around the house from now on.

Here today, gone tomorrow

Our Autumn weather is crazy. It's been perfectly wonderful outside, sunny, breezy, mid 70's. Downright Autumn like! Tomorrows high is 80, Sunday is 84. The humidity will be nice and low so that's a plus but I like the cooler days.


I have a nice 3 day weekend to look forward too. Why you ask? Well because it's Columbus day of course! Doesn't everybody get that day off??!! I get 13 paid holidays this year. But I'm NOT complaining :-)


Tomorrow morning we are headed to the mama's to finish up spreading all the dirt. It's going to be a nice morning to work outside. I think Sunday morning I'll plant all the flower bulbs I bought.

I got some tulips and some Hyacinth. They smell sooooo good in the spring. Both of them in purple.

Other than that, I have nothing on the calendar. Woohoo!

I forgot to mention a couple other things...the guitar masters concert we went to? It was awesome! I loved it and I really wasn't expecting to so that was a huge bonus. Of course Bill loved it. He hadn't listened to Andy McKee much but now he is a real fan.

And...I won't say I'm a fan of the Neti pot...yet. It's only been a week but I don't really notice any kind of difference in my sinuses. It was really weird the first time though. But after you do once it's a piece of cake. I will say that your nose feels nice right after you're done but as for any lasting effects, I can't say. I'll keep using it though. I want to give it a chance.

I love shoes...

...especially when they're retro. Clogs are making a big come back this Fall. I love clogs.

I used to own a pair like this;

They were the cheap ones that everybody had!

I also had a pair similar to these;

Real wooden soles. Man those babies were heavy! But they made a great clopity sound when you walked down the halls at school.

But clogs have a back now...they're still cute, but they aren't real clogs;

And I don't like that they are just stapled together.



These are stapled but at least they are true clogs :-) My brother might say that these come from a "good looking cow". lol

Unbelievable

Firefighters in rural Tennessee let a home burn to the ground last week because the homeowner hadn't paid a $75 fee.
Gene Cranick of Obion County and his family lost all of their possessions in the fire, along with three dogs and a cat.
"They could have been saved if they had put water on it, but they didn't do it," Cranick told MSNBC's Keith Olbermann.
The fire department from the nearby city of South Fulton would not respond because Cranick lives outside of the city limits. The FD provides service to those residents for an annual fee of $75. They showed up to stop the fire from spreading to the neighbors house, who had paid the fee but stood by and watched as Cranick's house burned to the ground.

Let me get this straight - The city of South Fulton is not a socialist community in a foreign land, but they charge for emergency services? The people living outside of the city limits pay the same taxes as the people inside the city limits. I don't get it. Wow.

October is...

Birth Flower - Marigold
Birthstone - Opal


Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Apple Month
National Caramel Month isn't that handy how apples and caramel go together?
National Cookie Month
National Pasta Month
National Pickled Peppers Month
National Pizza Month I know someone who will bee happy about this!
National Pork Month
National Pretzel Month
National Seafood Month

October 2 World Habitat Day
October 4 National Taco Day I'm in!
October 5 National Apple Betty Day
October 6 National Noodle Day
October 9 National Dessert Day
October 10 National Children's Day I think children have way too many days dedicated to them.
October 10 National Angel Food Cake Day would it be bad to eat a whole one by myself?
October 11 National Sausage Pizza Day
October 13 National Peanut Festival Did Jimmy have something to do with this??
October 13 National Pumpkin Festival coincidence? I think not
October 15 National Mushroom Day
October 16 Sweetest Day
October 16 National Boss's Day I only had one boss that actually deserved his own day.
October 17 National Pasta Day
October 18 National Chocolate Cupcake Day
October 20 National Brandied Fruit Day
October 22 National Nut Day I like how fruit day and nut day happen in the same month
October 23 National Boston Cream Pie Day
October 23 National Mole Day are you kidding me? Is it be kind to a mole day or go ahead and kill one day?
October 24 National Bologna Day ewwwww
October 24 International Forgiveness Day yeah, that's gonna happen
October 24 United Nations Day
October 28 National Chocolate Day
October 27 National Music Day
October 29 National Oatmeal Day
October 30 National Candy Corn Day HOOORAY
October 31 Halloween!

Hot and cold

I know the west coast is suffering a major heat wave right now, but here in my hometown it's down right chilly out! 48 when I woke up yesterday morning. Today's high is 75 but come Sunday, it 'might' make it up to 60.

Yesterday I got pre-sale tickets to Lord of the Dance ~ 2nd row center! Woohoo!! It's not until March though. Can't wait...soooo much better than River Dance.

This weekend it the guitarist concert. It's being billed as Guitar Masters. Eric Johnson, Andy McKee and Peppino D'Agostino. Bill is really looking forward to it.

Aaaaand, we can go to the range this weekend! Yep, we both have our gun license now. I was kind of excited when mine came. I'm now an officially licensed gun owner...I can carry a gun...whoa...I'm a bad ass!!!!! hahahahahahahahaha

The last unusual thing I'm going to do this weekend is clean my sinuses. I bought a neti pot. Since I am a year round allergy sufferer and tons of people swear by the neti pot, I'm gonna give it a try. I'm a little nervous. I'll let you know what I think about it though.

Wild Hogs re-cap

The wild hogs road trip was sort of a bust this year. They had to change the dates several times and after the initial planning, couldn't decide where to go. They ended up going back to the Smoky Mountains. They left Saturday morning at 6:30 and arrived about 3:00 so they made pretty good time ~ it's about 400 miles.
Sunday, it rained all day so they were stuck inside. Monday, it rained all day but they went out anyway. Six hours of riding...in the rain. They were pretty miserable by the time they go back to the hotel. Tuesday was cool and overcast but at least it didn't rain! They got about 200 miles in. Today, they are headed home. I guess it can't be great every year and I bet next time they have a plan B.

TGIF!!

Woohoo!

Tomorrow morning the guys leave for their ride at 6:00AM and will be back on Wednesday.

Tomorrow morning I will be free of marital responsibilities. I can eat what I want, when I want. I can watch what I want, when I want. I can listen to whatever music I feel like. OK, YES, I'll miss him. He's my buddy. But sometimes less responsibility is really, really great!! I have too many things I want to do so I guess I'll pick the ones that seem like the most fun :-)

Saturday is the Art Festival and it's free museum day. (go to http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/ ) I got free tickets to the Miniature House Museum. It's going to be a beautiful day out too.

I was thinking about raking up some leaves in the front, but since Bill saw the big snake out there I don't want to be startled by myself. I mean, it's not poisonous but still. I don't want to be all freaked out without my buddy. So I already scratched that off my list. And just let me say, while we're on the subject, I love nature and all God's creatures ~ but do they all have to hang out at our house? Moles, squirrels, chipmunks, woodchucks, foxes, snakes, freaky bugs. Dear God, maybe next year we could just have birds and butterflies?

I want to paint a skull on the wall in the garage. One of those Day of the Dead skulls. Bill loves those. You know me, I love to color so one of those would bee lots of fun.

I would also like to paint my own tote bag...and there's quilling to do...and...

It's going to be a great weekend!

mmm mmm!

In honor of the first day of Autumn, someone here at work brought in some Candy Kisses;

PUMPKIN SPICE

CANDY CORN

CARAMEL APPLE

All of them are incredibly sweet. Whoa! But I liked the pumpkin the best.

It's here, it's here

Happy Fall Y'all !!