Something fun

Old lady or young woman?

Face or the word "liar"?

Sax or Face?

find these and more optical illusions and mind tricks here

Proud to be a Missourian?

Mo. issues new license plates with error

ASSOCIATED PRESS

06/17/2008

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri is issuing its newly-designed license plates, complete with grammatical error and a state bird that flies south for the winter.

Motorists on Monday were issued the first of the newly-designed plates that show a bluebird perched on a branch along the bottom center of the plate. The bluebird migrates south when Missouri weather turns cold.

The state said it would not correct a grammatical error on the plate -- the missing hyphen in the state's nickname, "Show-Me State."

The snafu came to light in April when The Joplin Globe quoted a Missouri Southern State University English professor as saying the rules of grammar require the hyphen.

The Missouri Department of Revenue said that the mistake wouldn't be fixed because that's how the plate looked when it won an online contest last year.

So I thought all 3 designs they had people vote on last year were crappy, and now this comes out....I can't help but laugh! The best part is that they claim it can't be fixed because it's the design that won - well I just searched for news articles from last year and the winning plate design isn't identical to the design above which is from the department of revenue....so it's not the "actual" plate design that won anyway (notice the words "show me state" are vertical on the winning plate to the left, and the word "Missouri" is in a different font). I liked the old plates and I don't get why we had to change anyway.

So rather than have one of these ugly pieces of junk on my car when I renew next month I will likely be investing in one of Missouri's "nearly 200" vanity plate designs...a small sampling is below. Each requires a donation to the sponsoring organization. I am leaning toward the "pet-friendly" plate.

Florida: Day 8

We started our last day out early - 6:30 am to be exact. We got up to watch the sunrise over the bay. I don't know if I'd ever really sat and watched the sunrise before - very quiet in the bay with just the sea and the round orange ball in the sky slowly making its way into the sky. After about 30 minutes we walked across the street and along the gulf shore in search of shells.

After packing up all our stuff, we headed to Tampa to visit the Lowry Park Zoo. It's a really nice zoo - reminded us somewhat of Grant's Farm in St. Louis. We attended the manatee education session where we learned that the Tampa Zoo can care for up to 15 rescued manatees at a time - and when they return them to the wild they release them in the same place they were found - even if that is pretty far away from the zoo. They had 12 manatees there, including a mother and calf.

Next we got to feed sting rays which was really cool. Their mouths kind of felt like suction cups and sponges. You held a piece of shrimp or frozen fish between your fingers sticking up, then place your hand in their tank and they'd swim over your hand and suck the food into their mouths.


In the children's zoo area Tom's shoes got attacked by budgie birds, I fed some goats, and we both fed the lorikeets nectar from a little cup.

I uploaded all the pics from today to my Tampa Zoo album.

Florida: Day 7

We started the day today at the South Florida Museum, home of Snooty, the oldest manatee in captivity, and likely the oldest manatee in the world (he turns 60 on July 21, 2008!). We spent quite a bit of time observing Snooty and learning more about manatees in general. Snooty is a hoot, as he is totally domesticated - he was born in captivity and bottle fed as a calf. He kept swimming up to where his trainer feeds him and would stick his nose up and lean on the pool side to try and get some carrots (one of his favorite treats). I added a ton of pics of the manatees to my Florida Pics - Album 2.

The museum also features a planetarium and tons of historical items - everything from fossils to clocks to old computer parts!

After the museum we went to the other Smugglers Cove Adventure Mini Golf center in the area - Tom insisted on a rematch and he won this time. We also fed the gators once more. Check out the video below of Tom taunting the gators. I also added some new pics to the Florida Pics album.

Florida: Day 6

Today we took a boat ride around the Sarasota bay on LeBarge Tropical Cruises' Dolphin Watch. Attendees were guaranteed to see dolphins or you'd get another cruise free...well as luck would have it, we rode around the bay for 2 hours and finally saw one little dolphin right at the end. It was neat to see the dolphin in the bay, and they gave us coupons for another cruise, but we opted not to spend another 2 hours riding around the bay.

After the cruise we went back to Turtle Beach and spent a couple hours playing and laying in the sun.

Florida: Day 5

Today we slept in again (big surprise there), then headed to Smugglers Cove Adventure Mini Golf center, where I beat Tom at a round of 18 holes, and even got 2 holes in 1.

After playing mini golf, we opted to feed the baby alligators that they keep at the course (note the photo above of Tom taunting the gators).

After mini golf we went down to Turtle Beach - a little beach a bit past Siesta Beach on Siesta key. It's a less crowded beach, with nice waves. Unfortunately we had a little thunderstorm this afternoon and spent most of the beach time sitting on the shore watching the clouds.

Make sure to check out the pictures I added to the Florida album today - lots of the gators!

Florida: Day 4

Today we visited the Mote Aquarium. It wasn't the best aquarium for the money, but at least the money was going toward their research - which seems more exciting than the aquarium. We got to see baby seahorse, some small sharks, sea turtles, manatees and dolphins. And of course I came home with "Mr. Manatee", a new stuffed animal (Fipsy will be excited). I added some photos from the aquarium to my Florida Pics album.

We picked up some subway for dinner and ate on the beach while watching the sunset. I added tonights gorgeous sunset photos to my new Florida Sunset album.

Florida: Day 3

Today we ventured south, first to Lido Beach, then to Siesta Key Beach. Lido Beach was alright, but nothing special really. Siesta Key Beach on the other hand was amazing. The Travel Channel ranked it #2 best beach in Florida, because of how soft the sand is - and they weren't kidding!

We returned to the resort and discovered that our sun screen is way past the expired date (we don't get out in the sun much), and we both got a bit sunburned on our shoulders. That prompted a trip to walgreens for a fresh bottle.

We had dinner at a little Italian place and then watched the sunset over the gulf from the private resort beach.

Florida: Day 2

We celebrated our second anniversary by sleeping in late, then visiting our resorts private beach, witnessing a traffic accident on the way back from swimming, then took a dip in the pool, and finally enjoying the sunset from the acclaimed Beach Bistro.

The private beach at the resort is nice, it's shared with another resort owned by the same company, and is just across the main drag from the resort. It's a pretty small beach, but there are no fences or dividers to distinguish the various private beach sections so it looks like you've got the whole area.

The Beach Bistro, where we had dinner, is acclaimed by Zagat’s as the “Best food on the Gulf Coast.” While the food was decent, I wouldn’t go so far as saying it’s the best. I think the Sun House restaurant where we ate the first night was better – and much cheaper too!

Florida: Day 1

We are here in Florida! We got to the resort around 7:15 pm this evening, in time to see our first gulf sunset. Tomorrow we hit the beach.

Chinchilla Photo Shoot

I did a photo shoot with the chinchillas last week ... they were not very happy with me ... but I got some great pics of them!

Kudos to MoDot

(photo from http://stlmissouri.com/river.htm)

Kudos to MoDot! They got all the water (and mud and debris washed up by the waters, plus the stoplights working again) from the flood over the weekend removed and the intersection of hwy 141 and interstate 44 open by Monday morning's rush hour! I had to back up and hear it again on the news (with our handy DVR) to make sure I heard right!

Something to pass the time...

31

(Plus 5 more that I couldn't spell!)

29

Signs of Spring - if only for a moment

Yesterday's high hit 65 degrees - what a welcome change from the cold, nasty weather we've had recently! Tom brewed a batch of beer, and we both walked around outside without coats and while wearing sandals.

Sadly, it looks like the nice weather isn't going to last - at least right now. Apparently we're supposed to get more snow this week:

Snow could shatter early spring

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

03/02/2008

Enjoy the warm temperatures today, because winter could come roaring back into the St. Louis area Monday night.

A high of 70 or more is predicted for today -- but then watch out. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the region for Monday evening through Tuesday afternoon, with a return of nasty weather possible in two separate waves.

The first could develop Monday night, bringing more sleet and snow, with possibly heavy accumulations of sleet. Then on Tuesday, as cold air settles over the St. Louis area, a second round of winter is expected with heavy snow.

Forecasters say the weather system that will be approaching the area could change quickly, so the outlook is uncertain.

Click to feed animals

Received in an email today:

All you animal lovers-this is pretty simple... Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals.

It takes less than a minute (How about 20 seconds) to go to their site and click on the purple box 'fund food for animals' for free. This doesn't cost you a thing.

Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.

Here's the web site!
www.theanimalrescuesite.com

(verified by snopes.com)

Happy Valentines Day

(from the chinchillas!)
They each made their own valentine for "Daddy."

"The Storm of the Season"

Here are a few pictures from the "Storm of the Season" as Fox News called it:

Our backyard the morning after the snow - I didn't actually measure the snow, but the news said we got 7ish inches.

Our street (views of both directions from our house) - since we live in unincorporated county, they don't bother to plow our street or subdivision.


The cleared street is the main street after you leave our subdivision. It also happens to be an incorporated municipality.

Chili Dusting

Super Mario Galaxy

I just beat Super Mario Galaxy!!!!! I got all 120 stars!!!!!

New year's resolutions

I have several New Year's resolutions that I've been tossing around in my head the last couple weeks and decided I should write down...

1. Lose weight - I'm participating in the "Biggest Loser" contest at work to help motivate myself - I created a separate blog to monitor my progress - http://jk-weight2008.blogspot.com/
2. Finish the master bathroom - and all the other house projects that are "in progress"
3. Make it to church on a regular basis
4. Do more community service things - currently I'm working on teddy bears for the Victory Junction Gang Camp
   

I hate...

<font> tags. If you don't know what I'm talking about, consider yourself lucky.

You can count on Fox 2...

At this very moment....

2007 in review

Some key events in 2007:

February: We welcomed a new furry friend into our home. Chili came to us from the humane society, and is the friendliest chinchilla we’ve ever met.

March: Started a new job as a web designer at American Express Incentive Services

April: Sadly, we lost our friend Sully in April.

June: Our first wedding anniversary (wow the year went fast!) which we celebrated quietly by tasting year-old wedding cake and having our picture taken at the same stone bridge in Forest Park where our wedding photos were taken.

September: We took a 12 day road trip to Yellowstone National Park at the beginning of September. It was the perfect time of year to experience the park, as the weather had not yet turned, but the park was not as crowded as it is in the summertime.

October: Tom started a new job at the beginning of October as a contractor.

So, as we wrap up the last couple hours of 2007, I wish all of my family and friends a wonderful, safe, prosperous and happy New Year.

Midnight: 1990-2007

My parents kitty, Midnight, passed away sometime last week while they were out of town visiting relatives. They knew it was probably good-bye when they left as she couldn't eat solid food, only could drink water.

We got her when I was in 1st grade, and we celebrated many of her birthdays (August 13). We got her from the Central Missouri Humaine Society when she was a little 8 month old kitten. We picked out her name in the car on the way home - I suggested Midnight and everyone loved it immediately. She was an outside cat and would roam around the woods surrounding our home at her leisure but always came back home when it was time to eat. She'd usually meet me about half way down the driveway when I was in high school since I was the first one home in the afternoons and she was ready to be fed. In recent years she discovered her love of Whisker Lickin's cat treats after I started bringing them home for her when we'd come to visit every few months.

She lived a long life and I'm sure she's enjoying galloping around kitty heaven with all the other kitties who have passed before her.

Merry Christmas!!!

Old School Fipsy

From this little picture comes......ASCII Fipsy......

courtesy of www.typorganism.com/asciiomatic/

First snow of the season

Obviously these people don't live in unincorporated St. Louis county....only 7% rated "it was pretty poor" and 5% rated "it was terrible."

My street/subdivision is a mess. I slid turning onto the highway 44 outer road. Yesterday when I was shoveling snow in the driveway a salt truck/snow plow went by and didn't even have his plow down on the pavement and wasn't leaving a salt trail behind him.

Snow is only "fun" when it means you get a bonus day off of work.

Vincent Linnebur, 1933-2007

Published Sunday, December 2, 2007 in the Columbia Daily Tribune
A follow up to my blog post from March 20, 2007

The Rev. Vincent Anthony Linnebur, 73, died on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007, at Boone Hospital Center.

At his request, a private family prayer service will be held at a later date.

He was born Dec. 4, 1933, in Tipton, the son of Edward and Leona Kramer Linnebur. He had four brothers and six sisters.

He attended St. Andrew’s Elementary School. In 1948, he entered St. John’s Seminary in Kansas City, where he graduated in 1954. He then entered the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, where he was ordained into the priesthood on May 21, 1960. His first appointment in the Diocese of Jefferson City was as an instructor and director of students at St. Thomas Seminary in Hannibal.

In 1963, he went to Peru to work in the missions of the Jefferson City Diocese. He worked in Nazca and San Juan until 1975, when he returned to the United States and became pastor in Perry and Paris until 1978. He then became pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Columbia until 1984. He then studied at the University of Missouri, earning a master’s degree in social work in 1987. He worked as a counselor at Positive Motivation and Charter Hospital until being employed by the state of Missouri as director of the Moniteau County Counseling Center in California, Mo. He retired from state employment in 1994. He then lived in Columbia and Tipton.

Online condolences may be left for the Rev. Linnebur’s family at www.heartlandcremation.com.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Heartland Cremation & Burial Society of Columbia, 442-7850.

For gosh sake people...one holiday at a time!

News Flash....

Just because all of the stores have their holiday merchandise out and are playing Christmas carols doesn't mean that you have to too. At least wait until after Thanksgiving to start decorating.

There is a house I drive by on my way home from work that has had their Christmas lights on outside their house for the last week or so, and today when I left work, the building I work in had all the Christmas lights on outside.

It drives me nuts that everyone is so focused on the holidays before they even get here.

"Don't Get Stuck"

That's metrolink/metro bus's new slogan. They are trying to get people to ride metrolink or buses instead of driving when hwy 40 is closed for construction.

Just for the heck of it, I typed in our home address and my work address in their tripfinder feature to see what it would come up with. Keep in mind that my usual morning commute is 5.52 miles and takes 15-20 minutes.

Here are the options that metro's tripfinder provided: