Today Booking Through Thursday is all about why we bookworms buy books instead of simply checking them out of the library: Ive asked, in the past, about whether you more often buy your books, or get them from libraries... Even if you are a die-hard fan of the public library system, Im betting you have at least ONE permanent resident of your bookshelves in your house... Im betting that no real book-lover can go through life without owning at least one book... If the price is right, I will even pick up a spare copy of favorite books to share... I don ' t mind to lend as long as they come home... I grab a romance novel off the shelf... Books are beautiful, practical, and good installation (why pay to heat empty space?)... … View Post »

Why don ' t I play Four Foods on Friday every single week?... As it turns out, I don ' t like maple syrup... Do you make garlic bread from scratch or buy frozen?... … View Post »

A household name, they make consumer products , both over the counter and prescription drugs , and medical devices and diagnostic tools... The list of brand names under their banner includes lots of products I ' ve used... Band-aid brand is pretty much the gold standard for first-aid... I used Neutrogena body wash for the acne in my teens... They make all kinds of things doctors choose every day... Right or wrong, we collectively assume big business only cares about the bottom line, whatever the consequence to the little guy... The good news is all the bad news has made companies aware of the necessity of both cooperate responsibility and transparency... Two categories of action are worth looking into; both programs to help people and polices for protecting the environment ... … View Post »

I carved pumpkins tonight with my best friend Kate and her nearly four year old Sabrina... Sadly, I need to invest in new rechargable batteries for my camera more then I need fitness equipment , so I have no photographic evidence of the evening... Last year, I blogged about my Halloween kinship with Linus ... I did a shadowy cat on a tall thin pumpkin first... Kate was vastly more ambitious with a raven (the book may have said it was a crow, but it ' s got to be a raven, don ' t you think?)... She took the cut out piece and proudly put it back in the hole for me... It was so adorable how she didn ' t exactly understand the point of our little project... She was chanting "fire."... … View Post »

Like this cat, I am pretty board... While I admit my job taking customer care calls is about the best job I can get having without a college degree... In need enough money to pay the rent, put food on the table and have an occasional treat like new Sector watches ... I even like talking to people... I like using my grasp of language and human nature to made callers see things from my point of view... It ' s my job to act as though you are the center of the universe for the duration of our interaction... … View Post »

Do I need to tell you, I had the best day ever?... It ' s what they call in the medical business "unproductive" - I ' m always thankful to not be coughing up glob of gunk... I have, however, coughed to the point of red faced and breathless... In the three years we have lived in this apartment, we have experienced something I have never dealt with in a lifetime of living in apartments and duplexes... When I tell people, I swear they don ' t believe me... It ' s worse in the bathroom, leading me to believe it has something to do with the ventilation system... He listens to me breath with the stethoscope, then orders chest x-rays and a whooping cough test... If you ' ve never had any of the lab tests where they stick a wire with a little cotton swab up your nose, nearly into your brain, don ' t... … View Post »

I never posted this picture for Self Portrait Sunday... Hopefully Cass won ' t be too disappointed that I broke the picture in the last week rule... I think the bonus cat butt makes up for it... … View Post »

My blog friend Cynthia of Luna Tail recently posted her results to the following political spectrum test... In a perfect world, taxes would be low and freedom of the "mind your own business" variety... I ' m happy to explain what I believe in either area... I will not argue, fight, or otherwise forcefully attempt to persuade anyone to my point... On the topics in which I have had a change of heart, it has come from listening to various philosophies then observe the world in relation to those ideas... Which ever opinion squares with my observations tends to be the viewpoint I take... This is the first election in American history where the average man can easily put forth a personal platform... But here is my thing: I wouldn ' t put a political banner on my lawn or sticker on my car... … View Post »

During my workday, I have no choice about answering calls that beep in on my headset... It ' s the totality of my job to talk to the callers about their wireless phones, bills, ect... Even when I complain, and I do, I admit I ' m suited best to job with lots of interaction with people... At home, I want peace... Call me anti-social, but I screen calls... My best friend and Mom are pretty much the only people I talk with on the phone... When the phone rings if it ' s not Kate, Mom or someone from Chris ' family, more than likely we ' re going to let it go to voice mail... I love voice mail, because unlike an answering machine, I don ' t even have to hear the message, let alone respond to the caller, until we pick up the message... … View Post »