Chatbug Karen

I just got home from a great evening with my gal friends. We usually play Euchre but we didn’t have enough people to make two foursomes so we went out to eat instead. I talked so much that I might need to take a sleeping pill to get to sleep tonight. Don’t worry, I won’t need drug rehab for an addiction to one pill. We went back to one gal’s house and had dessert. She served decaffeinated coffee and that keeps me awake. Most people have trouble with regular coffee but decaf makes me wired.

A local boy was in NCSI tonight and we were glued to the TV watching for his scene. He played the pilot towards the end of the show. Another local boy was the writer for tonight’s episode. It is so nice to watch our local kids make it big. When so many stories are about kids involved in drug or alcohol rehab, it is nice when we hear stories of kids doing well in their lives.

I find myself in quandaries sometimes. I made a bag for a little girl and one for my sister. I did a heck of a job on the little princess bag for the little girl, if I may say so myself. After making so many bags, I am getting it down to a science. Well, after I boxed both purses up to mail them, I find out that the little girl doesn’t like Snow White. Doesn’t like Snow White??? Isn’t that against all things Disney or something? Well guess which character the little princess bag had smack dab in the center. Yep, the dwarfs best friend, Snow White. I let that box sit until I could decide what to do. I almost mailed it Saturday since I had to be in town but decided not to take the time.

On Saturday, I made my friend a cute bag with Colts fabric. She didn’t know I was making it for her and she was shocked. I just made it because I knew she would appreciate it. Sometimes, it is fun to do things just for fun. Anyway, I went to put the magnetic clasp on the purse and found out I was missing a part. I had to female parts but no males for the clasp. I searched for a male clasp. I was digging through another pile of sewing stuff when it hit me. Did I put two male parts on my sister’s bag? I took out my handy, dandy box cutter and cut the strapping tape that was holding the box together. I pulled out both bags and sure enough, I had used two male closures on my sister’s bag! It was a good thing I had not mailed it. I had to take the bag apart to get the clasp out and then put the correct part in. It was not easy. Now, do I put the purses back into the box and get them ready to mail again? Should I take a chance that the little girl will like the bag if she sees it in person? What to do. What to do.

I enjoyed watching the Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives premiers. I had never watched Ugly Betty but have heard so many good things about the show from other bloggers that I though I would check it out. It was very funny. I wish I had watched it from the beginning so I understood the relationship between some of the characters. I have no idea what reasons some of the characters have for being so mad at each other.

Desperate Housewives was typical with the flashy, raunchy clothes and pie in the sky child raising ideas. It must be watched tongue in cheek for sure. It bothers me a bit that Gabby’s child is promoted in the story line of how to deal with an overweight child. I hope they give some good tips on the problem and don’t make a big joke about it every week. Lynette’s kids are in for a rude awakening. It seems that the twins have been a bit wild and their parents are reeling in the reins. I’d park their butts in front of a computer with a micro sd and get them doing something productive. They seem smart. They need to help solve world hunger or something.

What is the deal with Bree’s grandson? I must have missed a few episodes. Her daughter is married to a lawyer? Please, someone fill me in.

A friend asked if I enjoyed doing crossword puzzles. I didn’t know what to say. If I have a long car ride ahead of me, then maybe I would enjoy a crossword puzzle. I am too antsy to sit down and work at one during my day. I have to be blogging or sewing. I used to do word searches but now I don’t even work at those. If you enjoy puzzles, you should check out my friend’s blog. Skeet has a puzzle every Tuesday called the Tuesday Teaser. She takes a picture of an ordinary, everyday object, crops it down to a part of said object and asks us to guess what the object is. It could be a wrench, the back of a picture frame or any other crazy thing Skeet thinks up. I have guessed a few times and was correct once. You think you can do it? Give it a whirl.

While visiting, check out Skeet’s post about how grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches are made. Skeet has definite opinions about food. LOL

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My husband was very happy last Sunday when he won some money at the casino. It was his birthday and winning was a terrific birthday present.

I consider myself very lucky. It seems that ever since I gave my husband a smoker, he has been a cooking fiend! He loves to try out different rubs and spices. He has smoked chicken, pork butts, vegetables, and more food than I can remember. Today he smoked ribs. He started them at 9 this morning and we ate them this evening. They were divine. He has smoked ribs before but was not happy with how they tasted. They had been coming out dry. He smoked them longer and at a lower temperature this time and they were perfect. We also had fresh fruit and potato salad.

Hubby’s aunt and uncle were visiting from Arizona and we invited them to help us eat ribs. We had not seen Carol and Dave for a few years and it was fun to get reacquainted. Dave has many of the same interests as my husband and they could have spent hours looking at guns and knives. Carol had been involved in a hand quilting group and enjoyed looking at my quilt projects.

We put the dogs in our bedroom because they can be a bit too friendly when someone new comes to visit. We let Brody and Elsie out after dinner and they got to know Dave and Carol in their normal fashion. Our dogs flunked obedience school. They think that making people feel welcome means wallowing all over them and giving plenty of doggie kisses. Ai yi yi. Be warned; when you visit our house you will be loved by dogs.

I love to talk. In fact, I love to talk a lot. That is why I enjoy blogging. I read about all types of things and want to share those things with my readers. I have a few hobbies that I enjoy talking about on my blog. The only problem with writing down all these things is that my fingers don’t move as quickly as my brain. There has to be a better way to get my thoughts out. How many times have we as bloggers wished we could get together to engage in conversation? I have had in real life meetings with my blogging buddies. It is an amazing experience. We have blogged together for many years and when we get together it is as if we are family. If only we could get our words down and entered into our blogs the way we have conversations together, life would be grand.

There is an amazing program out there that allows us to speak just as if we were having a conversation while our words are entered into our computers. You can see this new software program featured in the NYT on Dragon article. When I looked at Dragon Naturally Speaking’s features, I could see that as many words as can spill out of my mouth can be texted into the program! I would need to add punctuation to enable the written word to be typed into the program in an easily understood manner. The text can be edited to correct errors but I am not sure I would even want to make corrections. It would be awesome to have people read my words as they spilled out of me. They can get to know the real me!

Dragon Naturally Speaking, DNS10 is the newest, latest, greatest software. It is going to take blogging to new heights. Dragon Naturally Speaking can be used to blog about things as I am experiencing them. I can be in a traffic jam when something hits me that I want to say. I can use DNS10 to get my thoughts out at that moment. It sounds like this software will be my cup of tea.

The software is already available in two versions; the Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Standard version that allows you to talk to your computer and watch your spoken words instantly appear in documents, e-mail and instant messages; and the Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Preferred version which is preferred by small businesses and advanced PC users.

Did you know that some universities allow their students to have animals in their dorm rooms? Several universities, including MIT, have now added some pets to the “acceptable” list of dorm possessions. Students at MIT who reside in four of the school’s 11 undergraduate dormitories can bring cats with them to school, thanks to a policy implemented several years ago in an effort to curb students from housing forbidden animals. The story at CNN online, goes on to say that other schools have jumped on the four-footed bandwagon: Stephen’s College, a woman’s college in Columbia, Montana, allows for many household pets, including dogs, provided that they are vaccinated and under forty pounds.

And the SUNY at Canton in New York has provided a designated “pet wing,” home to a variety of small caged animals and cats since 1996.

While animal companionship is largely viewed as a welcome addition to family homes, there are many roadblocks that have deterred Tufts from altering its pet policy.

One reason is that many people are allergic to animals. The other is the cleanliness of animals in dorm rooms. I know for a fact that dorm rooms are not the cleanest place on earth. Put an animal into that setting and it can only get worse. We have all heard the stories in the news where animal control was called to a home where pets ran amuck. Think of that in a dorm setting. I don’t want to imagine it.

If you want a fun way to relax, you should try playing computer-simulated world games. These games allow you to live in a virtual world in much the same way as the real world; building your life, home and community. Playing in a virtual world is exciting and fun. These games are a challenge as you earn currency just as you would in the real world. MetaRL allows you to earn meta points for in-world currency in games such as Second Life, Entropia and IMVU. You can earn free habbo credits for Habbo.com.

If you are wondering how to have MetaRL points sent to you, you need not worry. They can be set up to be sent to your account in SecondLife, Entropia, or IMVU. MetaPoints can be transfered into any virtual world account you like. Exchanges are set up to receive Second Life Lindens directly from LindenLabs as well as from members of SecondLife through the Linden Exchange.

I was wondering what the draw is to use MetaRL. I discoverd that companys offer incentives (free virtual currency) for trying out products/websites. This makes MetaRL the best virtual site to use because you find new products you enjoy in your “real” life and earn virtual currency for your virtual life. You can also participate in games and contests! Fun!

Don’t forget that the season premier for Grey’s Anatomy is on tonight. I cannot wait to see how things are resolved and continued.

I watched Ugly Betty as she tried to become the person she aspires. It is fun to watch the predicaments she gets into and the oddities of the people around her. I laugh at the villains and cringe at the stupidity of the innocent. It is a great show. Lindsay Lohan was on the show tonight! It was a great part for her. She could, or I should say should learn something from the role she played.