The Pond

I just now have begun to read a book that my daughter gave me for Christmas a few years ago. It is an odd book. The title, Stiff, should tell you something. It is about cadavers. Yep, a story about dead bodies. The author, Mary Roach, offers witty, albeit irreverent humor as she tells how cadavers are used in medical experimentation to applications in transportation safety research. She describes how “beating-heart” cadavers are used in organ transplants. I read when I go to bed and so I hope I don’t have nightmares. It has been interesting so far but I am only on chapter two. I read information at Amazon that said that this book is enlightening if you are interested in find out what really happens to a body that is donated to the scientific community. I have a question. When eyes are donated to a living person, is that person able to see through those eyes? I hope someone knows the answer to that question.

There is a new game on the scene that is going to thrill gamers young and old. ScreenLife’s Banzai is going to become a household name. You will find it hard to believe but Sushi is involved in this game! Don’t worry. It isn’t the real thing. The object of the new Banzai game is to win all the Sushi by betting on the outcome of Banzai DVD stunts.

The game is designed to play on any device that supports DVD play. One player is chosen to be in charge of the remote. He/she is given the title of Shogun. After the Shogun puts in the game’s DVD, everyone is able to read the instructions. When everyone is ready, the Shogun selects PLAY and the fun begins. The stunt to be presented will appear on the screen and from two to five outcomes will be listed. Players will bet on which of the outcomes they think will happen when the stunt is played out. Players bet with the pieces of Sushi! Remember, you can only use chopsticks to move your Sushi pieces and you only have 15 seconds to get the Sushi into the betting bowl. Having more Sushi in the betting bowl increases your odds of winning so you want to become proficient with those chopsticks. LOL The stunts are performed by Tako, of the hit TV show, Banzai Stunts.

It is a super simple game to play and a whole lot of fun. It gets crazy as everyone tries to get their Sushi into the bowl. I can see this as a fun game to play at a Bachelor party. It would be a great game to play at a sorority party. It would be a great ice breaker when meeting new people.

Watch this video to get a feel for this fun game.
ScreenLife Games is at it again. They launched a new Banzai game. Check it out:

This game is available for purchase online. You can even check out Tako on his Myspace page. Put on your headband, errr I mean, your Hachimaki and get those chopsticks ready!

The Harley Davidson motorcycle company is celebrating its 105th Anniversary. Wow. That is an old company by US standards. Bruce Springsteen will be the headlining act at the Milwaukee-based company’s 105th anniversary celebration to be held in Milwaukee. Harley-Davidson expects more than 100,000 people from around the nation and world to participate in the four-day celebration that officially started Thursday in Milwaukee and its suburbs. It includes a parade through the city, a party along the lake, activities at the new Harley-Davidson Museum, a special exhibit at Discovery World and other big-name bands.

Most of the motorcycle enthusiasts will be arriving on their Harleys by traveling the open road. More than 1,500 riders are traveling over water on the Lake Express High Speed Ferry that runs between Milwaukee and Muskegon, Michigan. Those riders have chosen the ferry as a way to avoid Chicago traffic.

How do you feel about McCain’s choice for his running mate? Sen. John McCain today announced Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate. Palin, 44, has been governor of Alaska since 2006. I like the fact that she entered a beauty contest to win a scholarship. No acne problems were going to keep this gal from going to college and moving up in the world. She studied journalism and worked as a sports journalist until deciding to get into politics. She became a city council woman and went on to become mayor of her hometown. Eliminating taxes was her main goal as mayor. She is well versed in the field of oil and gas resources. Palin held the position of chairman of the Alaska’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. I hope that gives her the tools to help our country get out of this oil crisis. Palin is the mother of five, of which the youngest was diagnosed in utero with downs syndrome.

The week has once again flown by and here we are doing the fun meme, Four Foods on Friday. Here are the questions Val has picked for this week.

#1. Potato Chips. What kind of chips are your favorite?
How did you know I was eating chips today?

My favorite chips are

#2. What’s your favorite thing to dip chips in?
I love to dip chips into salsa. Dipping Fritos into bean dip is yummy too.

#3. What’s your favorite way to eat a baked potato? slathered with butter and sour cream with salsa or chili over the top

#4. How do you make mashed potatoes?
I peel the potatoes, quarter them and boil for about 20 minutes. I pour the water off and add a little milk and butter right into the pan in which I boiled the potatoes. That warms up the milk and melts the butter a little. Then I stick my hand mixer in and beat away.

If you own your own business, you are probably feeling the economic crunch. We love owning our own business and being our own boss. There are things to think about when you are responsible for your own livelihood.

When customers come into our store, they see a beautiful showroom. We have worked hard to keep our displays updated and sample the most current styles and trends of floor covering. We also stock rolls of carpet and vinyl flooring. Displays and samples are expensive. It takes money to buy inventory. It is important to have funding to maintain a successful business.

Merchant Advisors provides business loans that are unlike traditional bank loans. They have less stringent requirements, faster approval, and no closing cost or fees. They make repayment affordable for even the newest entrepreneur. We have all heard the saying, you can’t sell from an empty wagon. It is true. If you do not have inventory in your store, your customers will turn around and go down the street to find what they want. Merchant Advisors offers first class support and education to help your business become profitable.

Merchant Advisors offers other features to make your business successful.

*Business Cash Advance
*Invoice Factoring
*Credit Card Processing
*ACH Processing
*Check Processing

They also offer information on credit repair and are motivated to help you repair your credit. They want you to succeed.

Merchant Advisors also offer important advice on why your business should incorporate and how to go about the process of protecting your personal assets and business assets by establishing a corporation.
They cover the choices given when incorporating such as:

* Limited Liability Company (LLC)
* S-Corporation
* C-Corporation
* General Partnership
* Limited Partnership
* Limited Liability Limited Partnership (LLLP)

As you can see, Merchant Advisors is interested in getting you the funding to let your business thrive and allow you to earn a living. They also have the resources needed to protect you and your business.

Last night we went for a walk on the trail that has been planned for our community. It is amazing how beautiful it is because it has been left in its natural state. Weeds grow up along the paved path so you can see them in their simplistic beauty. I love the little fruit type blossoms. They are so perfect that it looks like you could just have lunch. I don’t think I would though because they are probably poisonous or would give a person a terrific stomach ache. I think the deer have a great feast on them. We passed a friend on the trail who said she always notices deer along the walk. Now, I am watching for their heads to pop up in the weeds. I think I might scream if I see a huge animal that close. I hope I don’t though. I would hate to scare it away and ruin the enjoyment for others.

I don’t know about you but with gasoline prices increasing, I have to be careful with how I spend my money. When it costs over $60 to fill my gas tank, I don’t have as much fun money as I used to. I have noticed that the price of everything has been going up. The little things I never paid attention to, suddenly seem to cost more. When I sew, I look at the price of fabric but don’t really look at the price of ribbon, buttons and the other things for my project. I look at the prices now! Holy smokes. Buttons are expensive.

I hate to think of how kids graduating from college are going to manage a household when prices of everything have skyrocketed. Until salaries match the cost of living, they will need to plan budgets and watch their spending until all their school loans are paid. One important tool to managing their finances is to consolidate debt so they don’t pay higher interest rates on many loans. By consolidating their student loans they may pay a lower interest rate. Bills.com gives excellent information on how the process works. They state that it is not possible to consolidate their other loans with the student loans but offer information on how to deal with student loan companies to see if they offer a consolidation program. By consolidating, they may be able to lower their monthly payment which would enable them to use the money saved on other bills like rent and car payments. Bills.com offers information that states how debt consolidation is a good process for those with good to perfect credit. Debt settlement or debt negotiation is a better option for those who have poor credit. That is good to note. The information given at Bills.com is important to those with all types of credit history.

photo from Mickey Depre’s website

Last night, I attended quilt guild for this month. I almost didn’t go because I was tired but hubby convinced me that I needed to get out and have some fun so off I went. I am so glad I went. My neighbor picked me up and we got caught up on what has been happening with all of our quilting projects. She is retired and I am so jealous of the time she can commit to quilting and other sewing projects.

Mickey Depre was the speaker at our guild meeting. She is not your ordinary quilter. She has an imagination the allows her to see every day things and turn them into beautiful quilts. She is known for her dancing olive designs. They are so cute. Her work is beautiful and looks very intricate. The truth is that her quilts are very easy to make. She uses a technique that makes machine applique very easy and fun to do. I cannot wait to try out her ideas. I bought a pattern and a book with instructions and patterns in it. I am ready to get started!

Did you know that debt is one of the major reasons for a high divorce rate here in the United States? Debt causes stress which causes buying which causes stress. It is a vicious circle that can be stopped. NetDebt has the tools to help you become debt free. NetDebt has introduced something that other debt solution companies should have thought about. They offer online enrollment for their services. By utilizing online services you avoid the embarrassment of facing a counselor not to mention the time you save not having to drive to an appointment. You will not have to ask for time off from your job to get the help you need. Check out NetDebt and get on the road to being debt free.