DMV Fees Oh My

According to the Polk County, Florida Tax Collector website, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) has more than doubled the fees for vehicle registrations and renewals, beginning September 1, 2009. In some cases, the fees increased by 125%. The DHSMV Fee Schedule shows the cost to get a replacement driver license is going up from $10 to $25.

The Tax Collector advises residents; "Vehicle owners with registrations that expire no later than November 30, 2009 may save money by renewing their registrations on or before August 31, 2009 and pay the lower fee amounts one more year."

Why would Legislature approve a 125% rate increase?

Check out the Florida Budget Online and make your own assumptions. Yes, the DHSMV lost nearly $27 million in the new budget and had to make it up somewhere, but the Executive Office of the Governor GAINED over $72 million dollars! Salaries and Benefits saw an increase of over $82,000 with a decrease of one position. I don't have an accounting degree, but I think that might mean that although they are eliminating one position (probably one that hasn't been filled in quite some time) they're getting more money for salaries... In laymens terms: A PAY RAISE.

Something just isn't right about Governor's employees getting a pay raise while the rest of the state is falling apart. And that's just one, tiny example of where money could have been saved, in my opinion.

Take a look at "The People's Budget" and see where the state says our money is going while they're making us pay more for their services. There are some scary numbers there.

ALPR for Lakeland

Automated License Plate Recognition (A.L.P.R.) is software available to law enforcement agencies, which reads vehicle license plates and checks them against a database. The database is loaded with license plate numbers of vehicles reported as:

• Stolen vehicles
• Uninsured vehicles
• Unlicensed drivers
• Uninsured drivers

When the software finds a match, an alarm is sounded, alerting the officer to investigate. The computer screen displays a photograph of the vehicle, the license plate, how the camera read the license plate number, the vehicle owner's information, and why the number is in the database.

The video below is a Canadian officer providing a demonstration of the system. Please take a moment to see how it works.




Everyone has their own opinions about "Big Brother" and I respect their opinions. To a point. I have a friend who is literally paranoid when it comes to "Big Brother". But that's another story.

Sure, I agree that there can be a fine line between protecting the community and invasion of privacy. However, I must argue that if you're not doing anything illegal, why should you be worried? I don't think "America, the Land of the Free" was intended to mean "where you can break the law and get away with it".

Traffic cameras are an excellent example. They take a photograph IF you run a red light. They're not 24 hour video cameras recording every single second of the day. They're not there to catch you picking your nose. Yes, it's true that they are making the city, county and/or state money that they probably wouldn't have made otherwise. However, I can tell you from personal experience that I am much more attentive to red lights than I was before, just because I know the cameras are there. I can't afford a traffic citation for anything right now; it's just not in my budget. So, I am a more cautious driver as a result. The cameras only reinforce that need for caution. Where's the crime in making drivers more attentive?

The ALPR system sounds like a wonderful tool to me and I hope Lakeland Police will be able to purchase it. I would feel safer knowing they had this software available to them. All I have to do is make sure I keep my insurance paid and keep my license valid and there's no invasion of my privacy. After all, the only records they're going to be searching are the plate numbers that need to be searched. I'm all for it. Where do I sign up for a fundraiser to help pay for it?

Adorable Faces

All of these pictures make it impossible not to fall in love. Just look at these faces!

Name: Heidi
Sex: Female
Age: 6 years, 1 month
Species: Dog
Breed: Border Collie
Orphaned Since: 5/26/2009

Heidi is a sweet girl who gets along with other dogs, cats, and is already house-trained! She has excellent leash manners and is ready to go to her fur-ever home!

Name: Prince
Sex: Male
Age: 9 months
Species: Dog
Breed: Dalmatian Mix
Orphaned Since: 6/1/2009

Hi I'm Prince. I have lived with children, other dogs, and I'm already housebroken. I'm able to jump a fence but I would love to play outside with you! Won't you come meet me today?

Name: Deeny
Sex: Female
Age: 1 year, 5 months
Species: Cat
Breed: Tabby/Dom. Shorthair
Orphaned Since: 5/5/2009

This is Deeny, and she is a real sweetheart. She is a little shy at first, but she would love to get to know you. Come in and visit with her today at the SPCA.

Name: Bangles
Sex: Male
Age: 3 months
Species: Cat
Breed: Domestic Med. Hair
Orphaned Since: 6/1/2009

Hi! I am called Bangles. As you can see I am an adorable little tabby with a white chest and white paws. I am super-sweet and love attention! Come by today and take me home with you---I will be your FOREVER friend!

Visit us at the SPCA
NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

5850 Brannen Rd S
Lakeland Call 863/646-7722
lovemyspca.com

All pets are spayed/neutered and vaccinations are up to date

Want to volunteer? Click here to find out how!

Adopt A Cat Month

June is Adopt a Cat Month at the Lakeland SPCA. Take advantage of month-long specials during the month of June.

June 1 - 7
All feline adoption fees only $60
June 8 - 14
The first 5 cats adopted each day - Only $20
June 15 - 21
Adopt Two Cats for the Price of One
June 22 - 30
All feline adoptions only $60

• Cats will keep you entertained with their playful antics.
• Cats are very affectionate and love to cuddle with you.
• Having a cat can reduce your blood pressure and prevent heart disease.
• Cats are very clean -- they bathe themselves!
• Cats are independent and can be left alone while you are at work.
• Cats do not need to be housebroken -- using the litter box comes naturally to them.
• Cats do not need a lot of space. They are perfect pets for apartments and smaller homes.
• Taking care of a cat can help teach a child responsibility and humane values.
• Cats get plenty of exercise living indoors. Just 15 minutes of playtime each day will satisfy a cat.
• Approximately 4 million homeless cats end up in animal shelters every year in the United States. By adopting, you’ll be saving a life.

5850 Brannen Road South
Lakeland, FL 33813
863-646-7722
lovemyspca.com

Roblox

My kids are ADDICTED to Roblox! In case you aren't familiar with it, it's a cool kids' site where you can build places with Lego type blocks and then invite your friends to visit your places. There's games and all types of interactive things to do.

You can check out my kids' places at: Free Games at ROBLOX. Check out what I have been building lately!

Polk County Man Making Movie

Kevin Brown was laid off from his job as a warehouse manager. Instead of worrying about what he was going to do - he had a plan.

Brown wrote the script for the film Unexpected last year. The loss of his job made him decide to buy a camera and start production of the film. He found a local cast and crew and is currently working on the film.

More and more we tend to read about the bad news; the economy, the cost of living, bankruptcy, crime, etc. It's refreshing to hear that someone, especially some LOCAL, took the lemons he was given and is making lemonade. (pardon the cliche)

The entire film will be shot on location in Polk County. Be sure to watch for places and people you might recognize. Kevin expects to release the independent film to film festivals by the end of this year.

A Bay News 9 story about the film can be read here.

Wish List for SPCA

The SPCA of Lakeland has a wish list of items they need. Please take a look at the following and see if there's anything you can help with. (I've highlighted some common, ordinary, every day things you may have never thought of)

Please contact the shelter if you can donate any of the following items or if you would like to make a cash donation toward their purchase. Please Call 863.646.7722.

New or gently used items gratefully accepted!

18” Commercial Scrubber with Brush
3 – 10’ x 10’ Canopy Tents
Aluminum Cans
Avery Labels (5160 & 5163)
Batteries (All Sizes)
Benches
Bleach
Campus Size Refrigerators
Distilled Water
Dog/Cat Breed ID Books
Dry Puppy & Kitten Food
Gift Cards to Various Stores
Glass Cleaner
Heating Pads
Heavy Duty Trash Bags (13 or 55 Gallon)
Household Rubber Gloves (Med/Large)
Kitty Litter
Kitty Toys & Treats
Kuranda Beds – 30x20 or 40x25 (You can
donate to the “SPCA of Polk County”
at www.kurandabed.com)
Latex Gloves (Med/Large)
Liquid Soap
Martingale Collars
Nyla Kongs for Our Dogs
Paper Towels
Peanut Butter for the Nyla Kongs
Peroxide
Postage Stamps
Rubbing Alcohol
Science Diet A/D Available at Vet’s Offices
Simple Green
Stainless Steel Cat Bowls (4 Oz)
Stainless Steel Dog Bowls (5 Qt)
Towels & Blankets
Training Treats & Dog Biscuits
Used Ink/Toner or Cell Phones for Recycling
White Copy Paper
XM Radio

http://lovemyspca.com/donate/wishList.aspx

Paranormal Activity

I finished my lunch so I put the lid on my bowl and slid it to the back of my desk. I put my fork on top of the bowl until I could get to the kitchen to take care of the dishes. I reached for my can of soda and as I was bringing it toward me, my bowl MOVED like 4 or 5 inches toward me! I froze completely still, looking around the bowl for some explanation. I thought of condensation, maybe I set it on a paperclip, etc. Nothing. I shrugged it off as seeing things. I continued to drink my soda and... yep! IT MOVED AGAIN!!! I'm not kidding! My bowl moved toward me all by itself! I was seriously freaking out at this point. I looked all around me to see if my co-workers were playing a trick on me (not likely). I wondered if food poisoning was so fast acting and could cause hallucinations, I even considered a paranormal event! I mean I was freaking out! I was just about to hit the floor on my knees and start praying for protection, when...

I saw it. One end of a stray hair (24" long) got caught on the pull tab of my soda can. The other end was caught under the edge of my bowl! What a HOOT! I chuckled, shook my head at how crazy I am, I gotta tell you...it was comical! I told my co-workers about it and told them if the bowl had achieved lift off I would have ran out of the office screaming "I quit" and would have never looked back!

First Friday Lakeland - May

I've lived in Lakeland for twenty years and prior to this evening, I had never been to a "Downtown Lakeland First Friday". I received an email notification from the Downtown Lakeland Partnership, where I saw mention of an art display titled "One Man's Trash". Well, if you follow this or my other blog, you know I am into recycling and re-purposing items that would have otherwise gone to the landfill. Needless to say, this got my attention!
I arrived at "First Friday" at 6pm. I found the city parking garage was open to guests at no charge. (Thanks, city of Lakeland). I walked into Munn Park and found the various Public Works stations set up.

These friendly fellows from Lakeland's Engineering were asking guests some "Jeopardy" questions.The attention at the Parking System booth was pointed more toward the dog in the rolling luggabe/backpack.
There were lots of displays educating Lakelanders about how their public works 'works' for them. I couldn't get the nice lady in the photo below, but she said she travels to the schools to show the kids how the water runs off into our streams and lakes.The "One Man's Trash" exhibit was held at Arts on The Park at 115 N Kentucky Avenue. I didn't take pictures of every item on exhibit, only the ones that 'grabbed me'. I hope none of the artists will be offended if their work is not shown here. There are some very talented artists there, you should definitely stop by. This exhibit will be on display through the third week of May.

The Rat Race

I haven't figured out what the metal item is, but I did recognize headless Barbie doll bodies and a hamster wheel.

Junk Mail Bowl
The card states that this bowl is made out of "Ground Paper, Junk Mail". I stood there looking at it for a long time (no touching) trying to figure out how on earth this was made. I've already warned my family I'll be the mad scientist in the kitchen tomorrow!

Rock Garden
Now this one took me straight back to 60's/70's art! The rocks are shiny and pretty to look at, but the burlap and dried foliage, wow! What a blast from the past!

Recycle Bling
Glass bottle lids, aluminum soda cans, pull tabs, nails, aluminum netting, and a few things I just don't know! I save pull tabs to make belts that can be worn, but wow! What a dress!

Circuit Anyone?
This was interesting because I honestly just could never think of any way to use old circuit boards. Oh, I wouldn't throw them away, but I just couldn't think of a way to use them!

Bovine
This little guy caught my attention, having come from beef farm country in Michigan. I recognized the old farming disc immediately. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be a tie between this cow and the following fish:

Sorry, no title
I'm sorry, I didn't realize until I'd gotten home that the title card for this piece was obstructed by the fish's mouth. If it were my piece (and I wish I'd have thought of this!) I would title it "Oven Baked Bass" or something like that - because... This was made out of an oven rack!

I must urge you to go visit "One Man's Trash" at Arts on the Park. Their number is 863-680-2787, if you have any questions about these, or any of the other art pieces.

I must also urge you to check out "First Friday" if you've never been. It's a great thing that Downtown Lakeland Development is doing, to promote our downtown businesses. I just can't imagine Lakeland without our downtown. Here's a list of the upcoming themes.

I grabbed this shot as I was leaving, of a musician entertaining the guests:

Lots Of Love Needed

I've gotten behind on posting the pets needing adoption at the Lakeland SPCA. Below are all the dogs and cats I missed. This will catch me up. Sorry, guys! (dogs and cats)

Name: Dutchess
Breed: Shepherd/Retriever mix
Sex: Female
Age: 9 months
Weight: 24 pounds


This sweet little girl is quite the heart stealer! She’s a cute pup looking for the perfect family to bring her home and take care of her. Could you be the one?








Name: Hunter
Breed: Siberian Husky mix
Sex: Male
Age: 1 year, 8 months
Weight: 56 pounds


Hunter has a beautiful brown coat, but his best feature might be his cute curled-over fuzzy tail! Better yet, this smart boy is already housetrained. He’d make a great buddy for kids, too!






Name: Angel
Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Sex: Female
Age: 4 years, 1 month
Weight: 11 pounds



Angel is a sweet and loving kitty who can melt your heart with her big wide eyes. She can’t wait to go home with you as soon as possible.








Name: Hazel
Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Sex: Female
Age: 2 years, 7 months
Weight: 7 pounds


This cute girl is petite and sweet! She’s always ready to be showered with affection. She promises to be your best cuddle partner ever. Will you adopt her today?






Name: Sonny
Breed: Siberian Husky/ Terrier/ Pit Bull mix
Sex: Male
Age: 1 year, 8 months
Weight: 63 pounds


Sonny is a hearty, strong boy who lives for running and playing with toys! He grew up with children, and he already knows some tricks too! Could you be his forever family?








Name: Teddy
Breed: German Shepherd/ Australian Shepherd mix
Sex: Male
Age: 1 year
Weight: 56 pounds


Teddy’s a bit of a shy guy at first, but he’s always super-sweet. He is already housetrained, and he walks wonderfully on a leash. He’s needy for love, so he’d be happiest as your one and only.








Name: Dennis
Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Sex: Male
Age: 1 year, 1 month
Weight: 11 pounds


Dennis is a sweet, laid-back kitty who can’t wait for you to take him home. As you can see in his picture, he loves to sit in his Spoiled Throne, but he’s really just trying to tell you that he wants to spoil YOU!





Name: Romeo
Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Sex: Male
Age: 6 months
Weight: 7 pounds


This rambunctious little boy is full of fun energy, but he’s also definitely ready to settle down with the love of his life. Could you be Romeo’s Juliet?








Name: Bitbit
Breed: Lakeland Terrier/ mix
Sex: Male
Age: 1 year, 6 months
Weight: 18 pounds


Bitbit is looking for a good home, people that will love him forever, and a good belly rub too, of course! Is that too much to ask? Come and visit this little sweetheart today and take him home with you.





Name: Neptune
Breed: French Bulldog/ mix
Sex: Female
Age: 1 year, 1 month
Weight: 24 pounds


This spunky little girl will rock your world! Neptune is a pup looking for her forever home. Won’t you come in and meet her today?






Name: Leelo
Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Sex: Female
Age: 1 year
Weight: 11 pounds


Leelo is quite the little charmer. She loves to be smothered in attention, and she gets along well with other pets too. She loves to be held and to be played with. Let Leelo steal your heart today!








Name: Butterfly
Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Sex: Female
Age: 3 years
Weight: 10 pounds


I’m a sleek, beautiful solid white kitty. Everyone says I have the softest fur ever! Why don’t you come by to pet me and feel it for yourself? Make Butterfly part of your family.








Name: Jaydee
Breed: American Staffordshire Terrier/ mix
Sex: Male
Age: 4 months
Orphaned since: 3/18/2009


Ready to play? This energetic pup is ready for action! He’s absolutely adorable too. Come and meet Jaydee today!





Name: Macy
Breed: Pointer, Beagle mix
Sex: Female
Age: 2 years, 7 months
Orphaned since: 2/11/2009

Macy is a southern sweetheart who came to the SPCA all the way from Marietta , Georgia , just so she could find a forever home with you! She would make a great companion who would always be your little shadow. She loves to be petted and cuddled. Who says lap dogs have to be tiny anyway?




Name: Breakfast
Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Sex: Female
Age: 1 year, 6 months
Orphaned since: 3/6/2009

Breakfast is a fun-loving, playful sweetie. Of course, she loves catching up on all the latest gossip, so she’s pretty inquisitive and has to know everything that’s going on! You know you can’t start your day without breakfast, so don’t start another day without Breakfast the kitty in your home!




Name: Fonzie
Breed: Domestic Medium Hair
Sex: Male
Age: 3 years
Orphaned since: 3/20/2009

Whoa!!! What’s up? I’m Fonzie. I don’t wear a black leather coat all the time, but I’m still the coolest cat in town. Even though I’m super cool, I’m still very affectionate too. Come and adopt me today, okay? AAAAYYYYY!!!




Name: Phoebe
Breed: Spaniel mix
Sex: Female
Age: 4 years, 1 month
Orphaned since: March 21, 2009


This adorable girl is a total sweetheart! She can’t wait to find a home with a loving family. Come and visit Phoebe today—you won’t be able to leave without this beautiful lady!






Name: Lucky
Breed: Terrier mix
Sex: Male
Age: 7 months
Orphaned since: March 30, 2009


Lucky is quite the affectionate guy! He might be little, but he has a big heart! He would love to find a home with older children. Could you give him the second chance he needs?






Name: Gunnar
Breed: Persian/Manx
Sex: Male
Age: 3 years, 1 month
Orphaned since: March 21, 2009


Meet Gunnar, one of the most handsome cats you’ll ever meet! He’s a blue-eyed blondie who’s sweet and gentle too. Take Gunnar home with you today!








Name: Leon
Breed: Domestic shorthair
Sex: Male
Age: 1 year, 7 months
Orphaned since: March 21, 2009


Pet me! Love me! It’s what I live for! My name is Leon, and I’m just dying to have your attention and love! I’ll be your best soft and cuddly buddy. Adopt me now!

Upside Down Tomatoes Month One

On March 26th, I posted my first upside down tomato article. Here's an update.

They're doing GREAT!

We did have an incident where the Early Girl plant became infested with tomato hornworms. They had just started to spread to the Sophya, so I went to Home Depot and got some Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) and sprayed the plants. It took care of the worms just fine, but it shocked the plants for about a week. Now they're showing signs of coming back to their previous, healthy state.

The picture below shows all four hanging plants, on the south side of our apartment. When we got them one month ago, they were only hanging about a foot below the bottom of the pot. You can see here they're about 4 feet long. I bought some stakes to place under them, just to help with the swaying in the wind, to preven the main shoots from getting snapped off.

This next picture is of the dark green tomatoes that the Sophya is producing. They're much darker than the other three varieties.The picture below is of the tomatoes on the Early Girl. She's true to her name: First to blossom, first to mature and the fastest growing. Too bad she's the first to get worms!
This is the fruit that's on the Bush Champion.These pics don't do the plants justice. The plastic strips you see are strips cut from grocery bags, which I use to make my plarn purses. They're great for tying plants to stakes!

Among all four plants there are roughly 45 tomatoes growing!

Side Job Ideas

A friend referred me to a blog with a list of 50 ideas for side jobs you can try to make extra money.

Some of the ideas include:

Antique Refurbishing
Card Making
Furniture Making
Garage Sale Manager
Personal Shopping
Produce Selling

Check out the entire list at this blog.

Home Made Laundry Soap

I stumbled across this blog post about how to make your own laundry soap and I was absolutely intrigued.


I can't wait to try it! As soon as I can get to Wal-Mart to get a 5-gallon bucket with a lid, I'm doing it. I'll let you know how it works out.

Here's the article for step by step instructions.

Shooting at Lakeside Village

My emailed crime alert today indicated that there was a shooting at Lakeside Village Mall on Saturday, March 14th...more specifically at 16xx Town Center Drive.

2009-03-14

PERSON SHOT

Case number: 90019869

I can't find anything online anywhere. I checked the Ledger, the LPD blog, other local blogs, Google in general, Polk County Sheriff, Polk County Courts, and there is NOTHING.

What's the secret? Why hasn't the Ledger reported on this?

If anyone knows anything, please leave a comment. This is one mile from my home and concerns me and many of my readers.

Thanks!

Blog Catalog Recent Viewers

I use my Blogcatalog recent viewers widget to return the favor to my visitors. Tonight when I tried to visit some of my blogging buddies, I got this message:


It happened on all of the blogcatalog users who had visited my site. I clicked on the button to see why I was getting this message and it said:

Safe Browsing
Diagnostic page for blogcatalog.com/user

What is the current listing status for blogcatalog.com/user?

Site is listed as suspicious - visiting this web site may harm your computer.

Part of this site was listed for suspicious activity 1 time(s) over the past 90 days.

What happened when Google visited this site?

Of the 403 pages we tested on the site over the past 90 days, 19 page(s) resulted in malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent. The last time Google visited this site was on 2009-03-11, and the last time suspicious content was found on this site was on 2009-03-11.

Malicious software includes 19 trojan(s). Successful infection resulted in an average of 1 new processes on the target machine.

Malicious software is hosted on 1 domain(s), including 82.98.193.0/.

2 domain(s) appear to be functioning as intermediaries for distributing malware to visitors of this site, including winkeychecker.com/, brilliantweather.com/.

This site was hosted on 7 network(s) including AS33070 (RMH), AS22822 (LLNW), AS8075 (MICROSOFT).

Has this site acted as an intermediary resulting in further distribution of malware?

Over the past 90 days, blogcatalog.com/user did not appear to function as an intermediary for the infection of any sites.

Has this site hosted malware?

No, this site has not hosted malicious software over the past 90 days.

How did this happen?

In some cases, third parties can add malicious code to legitimate sites, which would cause us to show the warning message.

Next steps:

* Return to the previous page.
* If you are the owner of this web site, you can request a review of your site using Google Webmaster Tools. More information about the review process is available in Google's Webmaster Help Center.

Well isn't that just lovely? It's not me or my bloggers' profiles that are infectious, it's BLOGCATALOG! I certainly hope they get this taken care of and FAST, or else everyone just might leave them!

Anyone else experiencing this?

Pets on Parade

It's time for Pets on Parade!

The SPCA's 30th annual walk for the animals will take place on Saturday, April 18th from 8 a.m. until noon on Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland.

Click here for more information.

AOLics Anonymous

This all started when my boss, a website developer, had a report that a site he'd built was not displaying properly in AOL. Well, his first reaction was "Who the heck still uses AOL?" He was searching for some stats on AOL usage and any known issues with displaying css and other codes, when he came across this blog.

He asked me if I knew anyone who still used it and I replied that I did, as a matter of fact; one close friend and I had just had this discussion, and I was trying to convince her to get away from AOL. He asked what her reason for staying was and I told him she was just afraid of change.

I forwarded the above mentioned blog post to this particular friend and this is how she responded: Here picture this: (I'm standing) "My name is (friend) and I'm an AOL addict." There, that's the start! See, you two planted a seed!! It will grow!! LOL and...... I will make the commitment to change. My husband has tried to bring me into the present and I'm making progress, but as with any addiction, it takes time and patience. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Well, that prompted me to come up with some type of intervention for this friend of mine. I took a look at the AA 12 steps and came up with my own version of steps for what I like to call "AOLics Anonymous" (people addicted to AOL instead of to alcohol).

I hope you will share this list of steps with all the AOLics you know:

AOL Steps

1. We admitted we were powerless over AOL - that our lives had become dependent upon their service.

2. Came to believe that a browser greater than AOL could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our web usage and our internet experience over to the care of IE or Firefox as we understood them.

4. Made a searching and fearless browser inventory of our what’s currently available on the web.

5. Admitted to AOL, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have AOL removed from our computer.

7. Humbly asked AOL to cancel our paid subscriptions.

8. Made a list of all bad habits acquired, and became willing to make amends for them all.

9. Made direct amends to such habits wherever possible.

10. Continued to inquire into new, updated browsers and when we considered AOL promptly admitted it.

11. Sought through Google and Yahoo to improve our internet browsing experience as we understood it, visiting only non-AOL sites.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to AOLics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.


This post is intended to be humorous. It is in no way intended to make fun of the actual AA 12 steps. The author has a healthy respect for AA. It is not intended to be used as sound moral or medical advice. It is simply a blogger's personal sense of humor.

When I opened my email today from the SPCA with new pets to post, my sweet tooth started tingling! With names like "Butterscotch" and "Hershey", you just can't wait to see what they look like. Check out the animals below, all whom need a sweet home to go to.

Name: Prince Charming
Breed: Cur, Black-mouth mix
Sex: Male
Age: 2 years
Weight: 34 pounds

My name certainly fits my game! I’ll melt your heart as soon as you meet me. I’m a charmer with lots of energy and love to spare. Come see Prince Charming, and don’t forget to bring some toys too!

Name: Hershey
Breed: Cur, Black-mouth/ Rottweiler mix
Sex: Female
Age: 8 months
Weight: 49 pounds

Hershey is the sweetest girl ever! I love to be smothered in attention! I already “sit” on command too. I’m a great gal on the leash. Come take me for a walk and I’ll show you!

Name: Butterscotch

Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Sex: Male
Age: 1 year, 2 months
Weight: 11 pounds

I’m a beautiful golden-orange kitty who seems a little shy at first, but is still affectionate. I really need a forever home. Could you be the one for Butterscotch?

Name: Lou Lou and Scout
Breed: Domestic Shorthair
Sex: Female
Age: 5 years, 4 months
Weight: 5 pounds

These grey and tan sisters are looking for a new home together. They’re sweet, cuddly girls who also get along great with kids. Double the love, and share your home with these girls forever!

Visit us at the SPCA

NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK.

5850 Brannen Rd S

Lakeland Call 646.SPCA (7722)

www.lovemyspca.com

All pets are spayed/neutered and vaccinations are up to date.

Wash Your Hands

My kids always thought I was just being a pain in their behind when I would nag them about washing their hands every time they left the bathroom. Until now. I showed them this news story video and guess what? THEY WASH THEIR HANDS WITHOUT BEING TOLD!!!

Now don't get me wrong, I feel sorry for Rosemary Alvarez who suffered so much. But her story seems to be reaching millions and that is a very good thing!

I had heard that not washing your hands after using the restroom could cause yucky viruses and things, but never, until seeing this video did I really know just how serious the effects could be! Of course, it can also come from under-cooked pork, too, but I personally feel that under-cooked pork is way less common than poor hygiene!

Please take a moment to watch the following FOXNews.com video about what could happen if your kids don't wash their hands: (it's serious, no humor here)

Clean Computer Screen

This is a link to easy instructions on how to clean your computer screen:

Screen Clean

Forwarded to me in an email, origination unknown