And while I'm thinking about it....

Real Rank.
WTH is that? it is REAL rank is what it is.
I do not see any plethora of opportunity since it's inception.
I do not see advertisers asking for RR blogs.
I still see opps asking for GOOGLE PAGE RANK, which I got smacked out of.
I see the same freaking $5 stuff popping up at the rate of 2 per day, and graying out within seconds.
So yeah, this whole Real Rank thing? Not working out too well for me, on EITHER blog.
Good thing I'm not in this for the money.

Team Lynda's Hope

If you read my other blog, you know all about my Mother's battle with Pancreatic Cancer. I signed up today for another fundraising event, a 5k walk/run sponsored by PanCan, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Our team, once again, is Lynda's Hope...and please run over here if you can donate a few bucks to find a cure for this horrible disease.

Get your Freebie on!

Free sample of A's Pistachios here.

Free sample of new Chocolate Turtle Chex Mix here.

Free Dove Pro Age body lotion here.

FREE Papa Johns Pizza!

Yes, you heard me correctly! Papa Johns is having a promotion for the Super Bowl where everyone in America who registers can get a FREE pizza, with up to 3 toppings!! It's called TEXTra Points for Pizza, and all you have to do is register at their website..and then watch the Super Bowl and pray for a high scoring game! If the total points scored in the big game is 100 or more, everyone registered gets a 100% off their next large pizza! Now, that's a lot of points.....but- you still have a shot at something cheap, which is the next best thing to free! If the total points scored is 75 or more, all who registered can get 75% off thier next online pizza order! See their website for details and official rules.

Mmmmmmmm

What's better than leftover spaghetti and meatballs, that have been mixed together and stewing in the fridge for a day??? NOTHING I tell you. I LOVE leftover spaghetti. I can eat it cold. It's the best!

Mike Alstott Retires

DId you hear that Mike Alstott, fullback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced his retirement? Yeah, like we didn't already know that when he injured his neck in training camp last year. He waited, sat on IR for the season and collected that big fat paycheck. Don't get me wrong, he's a great player, and has done a lot for the community with his charitable organization......BUT, rumor on the streets around here are that he likes to go out..and meet young ladies..at bars..while his wife is at home taking care of his children. NICE.

Wrap Up

Lots going on this week, between work, everything that's happening with my Mom, and the family...I have been on a progesterone roller coaster waiting to crash! Talked about it on my other blog, my Mom got drained, AGAIN, another 6 liters - and they just took 6 out 2 weeks ago! It seems like the fluid is building a lot faster, and I am wondering how much of this her body can take.

Re-Usable Shopping Bags

So, I see that Target & Walgreens have now jumped on the re-usable shopping bag bandwagon! The ones at Target are Red, with a design on them that looks like trees, only the leaves are little bullseyes. Walgreen's is selling the standard green ones that you see at most grocery stores, with no logo on them. C'Mon people, for 99 cents, I think you need to jump on the bandwagon with us and stop using plastic bags! The re-usable ones hold a LOT more stuff too, so you don't need as many as you think. Do you part, it matters.

Brrrr!

I huge storm blew through here last evening, bringing rain, winds up to 50 mph, and hail! There were tornadoes spotted very close to me, but I haven't seen any damage so not sure if it touched down. The storm had a cold front behind it, so we awoke this morning to temps in the 40's, and the wind is still pretty good out there, so we may even have a "wind chill factor"..! Of course, the folks up north are dealing with snow and temps int he single digits, so we won't complain.

Score!

I have another VS giftcard to spend....! Amazingly, I seem to be at a loss on what to buy, I seem to be pretty stocked on what I need, and got myself a nice fluffy robe that I had been eyeing, too! One thing I do know, I won't be needing any plus size lingerie, do they even sell that? Seems the stress of my Mom and the holidays has caused me to drop a few pounds, I went down a size when I wasn't looking! I think I'll check out the perfume, and see if anything is on clearance...can never have too much of that!

Ouch

So, we're sitting at work doing our thing, just general office noise...papers shuffling, phone ringing....and the guys came to do the alarm system monitoring, since it's a new system we're still working out the bugs. Well, the workers set the thing off, and could not make it stop! This high pitched squeal seemed like it was never ending! Some of us retreated to the dock, to get away from that and stayed out there until they got it to stop! That'll break up the mundane work day!

Free Pretzel Day!

I told you about the free pancakes, now run over to Nephew's blog and find out how you can score free pretzels at Auntie Ann's!

The Show

Warning: Shameless promotion ahead.

Gather around fellow bloggers and dear readers, as I introduce you to …

THE LEEBO SHOW

Leebo is a Scorpio, his hobbies are western movies, comic books, and porn. He loves his Dolphins, even when they only win 1 game, and loves Dan Marino in a Non-Fag way.
His Mommy has been known to pack him a lunch and leave it on the hood of his car with a $5 bill! (We all secretly wish we had Leebo’s Mommy.)

While not new to the world of both comic and adult bookstores in Polk County, Leebo is new to the blogosphere - so go over there and say hello….I can guarantee you will get a laugh out of his daily banter, either that or you will find yourself repulsed to the point of vomiting in your mouth.

Either way, it’s pure comedy.

FREE Pancake Day at I Hop!

Mark your calendars for February 12th, it's I Hop's annual FREE PANCAKE DAY! FREE short stack of their yummy pancakes to all customers, to raise money & awareness for Childrens Miracle Network! Drop some money on the bucket for the kids, and get your belly full of pancakes! Don't forget to tip your server, they still had to go in the kitchen and fetch your FREE pancakes!

Probation

My 90 day probationary period is officially over tomorrow, I got my insurance cards in the mail, am now eligibale for paid time off, and will start raking in the company match on my 401k as of the 1st! It's a good thing this company has a succession plan in place, because our operations manager is going to be out for a few days very soon, the wife is going to have a baby and he is just waiting for the call! It would all work out fine anyway, we all know each other from our previous employer and work well together when things get tight in one department, we all jump in.

FREE!!

Get a free sample of my favorite movie candy, chocolate non pariels (AKA , Snow Caps!) here.

My fellow coffee drinkers can get a free bottle of Coffee Mate here !

Knitters, get yourself a free sample of Alpaca Wool here.

Free sample of Hamburger Helper Microwave singles here.

How CVS ticked me off today.

So, I went over to CVS today, as they had a lot of things on sale that I needed. Note that I do not recommend shopping at drugstores, as they are overpriced, I only shop there for sale items, and by using the sale price, and combining it with manufacturer's coupons and CVS Extra Care Bucks (ECB, as they call them) through their FREE rewards program, you can get some very good deals. So, I went in there today with the sale flyer, my list, my coupons and ECB's...with the intent on getting 5 things, for extra cheap. Well, I got 3 of those things.
NOTE TO ALL STORE MANAGERS: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING IN STOCK THAT IS IN THE SALE FLYER, SHOPPERS WILL BE COMING TO YOUR STORE FOR THOSE SPECIFIC ITEMS!
I found a Manager and asked for some of the specific items that I was looking for and were in the flyer, and was told that they did not have them, BUT THE TRUCK WAS COMING TUESDAY.
Ummm.
Yeah.
THE SALE STARTED TODAY!
I'll have to hit the location by my office to get the rest of the things on my list, before the sale is over.

31 Days of Oscar

In preparation for the real thing, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is once again doing their annual 31 days of Oscar in February! This year, not only are they covering a different decade each night during primetime, during the day they are showcasing different genres! I love this, as it gives me a chance to see some good classic films, and more recent favorites. You can check their website for the schedule, and set your DVR!

Hate that Truck

I was writing on my other blog about my Mother wanting a new car, and that I felt they were too deep on their current loan to get into a smaller, cheaper car. And, I was right. Even though their truck is fairly new, and has some added truck accessories, they still won't get anywhere without paying on the loan a few more years. It's really a shame, at their age, they should have a completely paid for car and house. I NEVER want to be paying on a car and a house when I am retired, I feel you should be done with that nonsense at that stage of your life so you can relax and enjoy your golden years, instead of worrying about money.

Cha-Ching!

Escrow refund check from the mortgage company in the mail today! I love unexpected windfalls! Woot!

Work

Work has been crazy, which is a good thing. BUSY = CUSTOMERS= WORK = MONEY! Next week we have a bunch of Corporate mucky mucks coming down, which means we all have to dress up all week (because we are a small office and violate the dress code on a daily basis!), and act like we know what we are doing (HA!), and there will be many hours sitting around the conference table listening to a bunch of corporate noise.

NFL Playoffs

I Love the playoffs, even if my team isn't in it. There's football on Saturday AND SUnday...and I love watching the teams play, and seeing who wants it bad enough. Looks like the big game this week is the Jaguars and the Patriots, I hear a lot of whispering of the word "upset", and that the Jags are the team to beat. I haven't really watched them much this season, so I'm not sure how they stack up to the Pat's, but I think it's anyone's game , and it boils down to who wants it more. I will definitley be watching this game Saturday night, I'm thinking it would be a good one to catch at the sports bar with wings and cold beer!

New Year, New You?

Lately all you see on the TV, or hear on the radio are ads for tampa weight loss clinics, diets, and workout equipment! Everyone takes the New Year as a reason to get healthy and fit, work off some of those holiday pounds. I have seen more ads for Jenny Craig and Nutri SYstem than I care to admit, and all the excerise equipment? Yeesh.
You know, if you eat right and excerise all year, you won't have to jump on the January weight loss bandwagon!

Bubba is Back!

For those of you in the Tampa and Jacksonville area, the big news around here is that Bubba the Love Sponge is back on terrestrial radio! He's been gone for 4 years, after being fired by Clearchannel for getting the highest FCC fine in history, to the tune of $750 G's. So, after that he got picked up by Sirius, where he can do and say whatever he wants....he's on afternoons as part of the Howard Stern Network. It's been 4 long years here in Tampa, with NOTHING to listen to in the morning but inane chatter and antics. I am SO happy Bubba is back, on 102.5 The Bone here in Tampa, and Real Rock 105 in Jacksonville - it's like having an old friend in the car with me on the commute to work. FINALLY, something worth listening to from 6-10am! THANK YOU COX RADIO!

Biker Babe

How does your girl look on a Harley? They really vibrate when they get going....ROWR!

Sell or Not?

I was going back and forth with the realtor today on whether to put my Mom's house back on the market, after talking to her and then my Sister - I decided it would not be a good idea at this time. We need for the market to get better. We need for their to be more equity in the home. The question came up, if it did sell, where would Mom & Husband live in their condition? Well, my first response has been some sort of facility where they can get 24 hour care & supervision. Did you know that there is assisted living software? I had no idea.

How to look good Naked!

I watched this new show on Lifetime Friday night, well, actually I watched it yesterday because I DVR'ed it - too many 9pm TV shows on Friday for me to watch them all! If you haven't seen it, you can watch it on the website, but set your DVR for future Friday episodes!
Hosted by Carson Kressley from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (I love him, he's funny!) - he takes women who have a bad body image because they are not a size 4, and turns them into confident beauties not only with a makeover, but by showing them how to wear the right underwear (FOUNDATION GARMETS), and clothes that excentuate the positive things on their body.
Did you know that 80% of women wear the wrong size bra? Have you ever been measured for a bra? If you have not, go to Victoria's Secret and DO IT NOW. Why do you think the saleswomen wear those measuring tapes around their neck? As an accessory? NO. To measure you for bra size. When I was measured about 5 years ago I was more than thrilled to find I was an entire CUP SIZE LARGER than I thought! HA!!
I really enjoyed the show, I already knew I was wearing the right undergarments, and I try to wear clothes that accentuate my good parts....it still taught me a few things about being more comfortable and confident with the body I have. Not everyone is a size 4, we all need to be proud of what God gave us, and flaunt it!

Gamers

I have never been much into video or online games, I prefer to play my games in a real casino, with free drinks and that sweet chinga ching of the slots! I do have a friend who loves to play online games, but I am not sure if he plays the gambling kind. My neighbors? Fuggetaboutit, they are some gambling fools! They're retired, they play that instead of bingo! They go to the real casino a few times a month, and she is always online playing casino games! In fact, they knocked on my door in kind of a panic one day, their computer was acting up and she could not get online and play! I need to tell her about this online casino site. a site that reviews all the online casinos and rates them in advance for you! They have it sorted by individual game, or game type - and they also have it sorted by binuses given, so you can jump right to the games giving out the most cash!

Re-Use!

My friend D had a good post about re-usable grocery bags. You all know your girl here is a tree hugging canvas bag carrying hippie! I keep them in my car so they are handy when I go shopping, and after I unload groceries at home, I put them with my purse so I don't forget to get them back into the car!
I gave these out at Christmas in an effort to encourage my family members to start using them and stop taking plastic at the stores! They were a big hit for the small 99 cent per bag investment.
I encourage all of you to get some re-usable bags at your local grocer, Wal Mart, thrift store and stop using all those paper and plastic bags....if more people did it, we can make a difference!

Happy New Year!

I rang in the new year very low key, with a movie, some cold beer..and watching the ball drop on TV. Speaking of that, I really think it is time for Dick Clark to retire....he's been doing the gig for years, it's not the same after his stroke. Retire with style Dick, you have to know when to pass on the torch.

Today, I watched Invincible (good movie), and now watching the Gators play Michigan in the Citurs bowl. I have some beans cooking in the crock pot, which I will eat later with some ham - for good luck in the new year. My first attempt at cooking "dry" beans, they sure smell good, so I must've done something right!