Things I Learned This Week (That I Didn't Want to Know) Chapter 2

1. Your morals can be in question based on the book you are currently reading.

2. People suck. (See #1)

3. Lionfish can do a backflip and get out of a collection cup and sting the person holding the cup.

4. Lionfish can do a number on one's hand.

5. Speakers turned low in the evening may not seem low in the morning.

6. Just because your hand slides IN easily, doesn't mean it will slide OUT easily.

7. A drill can go right through a fingernail in record time.

8. Spiders are NOT my friends. Bit 4 freakin times.















9. Trying to explain anything about salt water fish vs. fresh water fish to a drunk person is not a good time.

10. Just because you finally get one urchin's spine outta your hand, doesn't mean you won't immediately get another.

11. There are a lot more critters in the store than I thought. Eww...

12. Under no circumstances should you hang your hand out the window of your car while driving in the country at night.

13. There are worms in the ocean that get 50 feet long. FIFTY!

14. There are crabs large enough to kick the worm's ass and eat it. (The whole worm, not just his ass.) ;)

15. If a parent screams at a child for shoving ALL the M & M's he got out of the machine into his mouth at once, the child will promptly spit them out onto the floor.

Birthday Wishes

Try as I might, I still can't post pictures with any consistancy. (Curses) I should choose my trial picture a little wiser. Ah, well. Just imagine many birthday balloons with a festive banner poking out of it. :)

Happy Birthday to:

Stacey - 5th
Dad - 10th
Robert - 13th

Hope you all have/had a great day. I love you.

Who's Ready for a Trip?

Shark Adventures: The Farallons

Photo Gallery

Great White Shark Adventures in San Francisco

Cage dive with great white sharks in the Farrallon Islands. You don't have to be a certified shark diver to climb into our cage and come face to face with sharks bigger than your automobile.

The Gulf of the Farrallones Marine Sanctuary is home to some of the world's largest great white sharks. These islands (Southest Farallon and Maintop Island) off the coast of San Francisco are the winter water playground of adult great white sharks measuring 15 to 20 feet long. (4.5 meters to 6.1 meters). The sharks come to the Farrallons to dine on the local population of Northern Elephant Seals. You'll find yourself rooting for the seals as they compete in a race for their lives against some of the planet's most incredible marine predators. Watching this natural great white feeding event is an experience you'll never forget.

The Incredible Great White Shark Adventures

Cage Diver Adventure - $875
You'll board our boat at sunrise, prepared for a day filled with excitement. Our expert shark diver team will accompany you to the best viewing areas within the Marine Sanctuary. There, we'll drop our cage and prepare to provide you with a view you'll never forget.

The Tamalpais - Our Giant Shark Boat

No dive experience is necessary. Our boat is equipped with a hookah system. You'll be able to breathe comfortably from an air hose while you move about the cage, taking photos and having fun.

There's no need for you to pack your dive gear. We'll provide a wet suit for you to wear during your dives and meals and refreshments on board. The waters near the Farallons may be icy and murky but you'll be nice and toasty when the shark action heats up.

Top Shark Adventure - $375
If you want to see great white sharks but prefer them a little further away, we offer great top-side shark viewing from our observation deck. Help scan the horizon for fins and watch for breaching sharks attacking their prey.

The Details
Dives are currently offered select Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, during the months of September, October and November. (We've picked the prime months for shark viewing.) Our boat can comfortably accommodate 8 or more cage divers and up to 50 top-siders.

Ocean Outreach Incredible Adventures offers incredible great white shark adventures in cooperation with Ocean Outreach, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving marine life.

Shark Guarantee
Although we go to the best places at the best time of year, we cannot guarantee you'll see sharks. We've been very successful in past shark seasons and expect another incredible year. However, if we see no sharks, there is no refund. The best we can do is offer you a complimentary top-side adventure, based on availability. If we are unable to deliver your adventure due to weather or unforeseen mechanical problems, there is no refund. We will work with you to reschedule your cage dive or top-side experience for a future date.

Great News

Ace will be going home Thursday. It's about time, too. He'll get to see his room
and the rest of his house. His momma is feeling something between euphoria and
panic. I think she'll do just fine.
It's an amazing thing becoming a grandma at thirty-something. I would imagine
becoming a grandma at any age is pretty amazing. I have turned into a sappy girl. I
look at the pictures that are posted of him and I can't begin to express the emotions
that are there. Little sucker isn't even two months old and I am already whipped.
What ever will I do when he can talk?

Soapbox

My Soapbox

Will we still be the Country of choice and still be America if we

continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other

countries that came to live in America because it is the Country of

Choice??

I celebrate Christmas, but because it isn't celebrated by

everyone, we can no longer say Merry Christmas. Now it has

to be Season's Greetings.

It's not Christmas vacation, it's Winter Break. Isn't it amazing

how this winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas holiday?

We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend

anyone, that I am now being offended. But it seems that no one has a

problem with that. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we

are offending some individual or their culture.

Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge

in patriotism by the majority of Americans. However...... the dust from

the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct! " crowd began

complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.

I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against

anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America. I am about as Liberal as

they come. My dad loves that. :) Seriously, if people come here for a better way of life

than they had, why would they want to change the country they decided was better

than the one in which they were living? Our population is almost entirely made up of

descendants of immigrants. However, there are a few things that those who have

recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand.

As Americans, we have our own culture,

our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture

has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by

millions of men and women who have sought freedom. Many have even died.

We speak ENGLISH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or

any other language.

"In God We Trust" is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political

slogan.. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women, on Christian principles,

founded this nation. This is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it

on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of

the world as your new home because God is part of our culture.

If Stars and Stripes offend you, or you don't like Uncle Sam, then you

should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We

are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really

don't care how you did things where you came from. It wasn't that great or you

wouldn't be here.

This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle. I hope you become a productive part of it.

I really do. Our First Amendment gives every citizen the right to express his opinion and we

will allow you every opportunity to do so! Once you are done complaining, whining and

griping about our flag, our pledge, our national motto or our way of life, I highly encourage

you to take advantage of one other Great American Freedom.......


THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.

My Precious Grandchild

I recently took a picture of Ace with me to work
to give to my sister. That'd be Great Aunt Laurie.
It was Ace dressed in a cute Tigger outfit. I
would love to  post it here but Blogger still isn't
allowing that. Anyway.... Someone asked me who
it was in the picture. I said it was my grandson.
Then, it hit me like a smack in the face. That WAS
my grandchild. MY grandchild. Hee hee.
I'm still smiling.



My Precious Grandchild

Small and sweet with eyes that shine

Blessed be this precious gift of mine

Ten tiny fingers,  Ten such tiny toes

You shall never know a life of woes

Your life I will hold as I do my own

A new life you have given though too small to comprehend

Scars from the past you have accomplished to mend

Smiles with hope to be carried on shoulders so small and fragile

Never to worry,  for I will carry them for you my Precious Grandchild.

This is Getting IRRITATING

Does anyone have any advice on how to get the picture function to work properly? Blogger has been "aware" of the problem and fixed it. Then two days later, I can't post pictures again. This has been going on for about a month now. Error page says "The blogger you are looking for can't be found". We know that's hooie. That's all I know. I can't even find a place to send them a note. There is always a message after the error page that claims a report has been sent to a technician and they will look into the problem. Anyone else having this problem???

Wise Words

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.

The Husband

I just finished the greatest book. (Thanks, Mom) It's called The Husband by Dean Koontz. "We have your wife. For two million dollars you can have her back." He's a gardener. What would you do to get that 2 million? Great book. Read it. You'll be glad you did.

Oh, Brother! Here's Another.

If you don't know what a filter sock is, you should look at this picture before reading any further. Blogger still won't let me post freakin' pictures. What are you people doing? Fix this!

http://www.marinedepot.com/IMD/berlin_sump_replacement_filter_sock.jpg

Again, may I say, the ignorance of people is astounding! We sell filter socks. They are a sort of prefilter for the sump. Water from the main aquarium pours into the sump via gravity. The filter sock is what "catches" the water and strains some of the junk from it.

A lady picks one up and asks me what one does with it.
I said,"It is for your sump."
"To clean it?" she asks.
"Yes".
"Do they make smaller ones? My hand won't fit in there. It's too big".
(Apparently she thought it was to be used as an oven mitt scratch pad.)
"Yes, they do make smaller ones but it is not for your hand. It goes inside the sump as a prefilter." (To myself: "Hold on, ya got to hold on!")
"Well, people sure make some useful things for aquariums these days, don't they?"
"Yes, ma'am, they do."
"Who would have ever thought to make something to put around the pump to keep it from getting greasy? "
"It doesn't go around the pump, it hangs inside to filter the water going to the sump. Let me show you."
So I take her to an existing sump and show her the way it is used. Now, study this for a minute. Even if you have never owned a tank nor have any idea what a sump is, would you wrap a flammable piece of cotton fiber around a pump that is pushing 1500 gallons of water an hour? I think not. Unless you were fond of fires. And what the Hell would a GREASY pump be doing in your aquarium water? Other than killing everything, of course. Sheesh!

The Twins are here

Welcome to the world Olivia Lynn and Savannah Rose. Robert's sister has become the proud mama of two more darling little girls. Congrats Julie and Brian!

The Coolest Thing Happened

While at work today, a series of storms came rolling through E-ville. In between the first and the second, I went outside to see what I could see. Since the storm was coming from the back side of the building, I had to walk out into the parking lot to see the lightning show. A co-worker and I were watching the lightning getting closer and closer. There were very impressive displays, I must say. So we are standing there watching when a flash of lightning struck so close, I felt it. I was blinded by the flash of light. It seemed that everywhere in my line of vision was lit up. Imagine a camera flash directly in your face multiplied by 1000. Yeah, really bright. WOW!! We said (censored) and went back to the sidewalk. I've never been so close to be struck by lightning. Shortly there after, the fire department showed up two houses away. Apparently the lightning struck that building. Three trucks and the chief came to the scene.

Withing moments of their arrival, all Hell broke loose. The wind and rain went crazy. It started to hail. The rain was coming down so hard, it flooded the street almost immediately. Cars were pulling over in the street 'cause they couldn't see to drive. I've got video. Now I just have to figure out how to put it on here. While video taping, we heard a really loud roaring noise. We decided it could be a tornado or something like it and went back into the store. No tornadoes were reported, but what a noise. Su-weet!

Dad with Ace

Mom with Ace

Meet the New Addition

Meet my first grandson, Andrew IV. We'll fondly be calling him Ace. Because of obvious reasons, I am not posting his full name. I took a road trip to go see him. What a doll. I got to visit him, touch him, and take many a picture of him. I even got a video. How sweet that boy is. He weighed in at 3 pounds and is 15 1/2 inches long. (Yes, he was early). He was born June 4 at 9:46 pm.

Because Blogger is being contrary, I am unable to post many pictures. I think two made it through. I will keep trying and hope that the Blogger people get it together and fix me Blog! Grrr.

Sweet Boy

Look! It's an Angel

Test

Testing...good old Blogger hasn't been working for me - and thousands of others - this last week. Pity... I have a bunch to talk about. We'll see how it goes. Come on Blogger; get it together. :)

Testing

Killer Bee