What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
New Year Inspiration
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale wrote, “There are three principles to apply to your life when beginning a new year. First: Determine that with God's help and guidance you are going to make it a wonderful year. Second: Decide that with God's help and presence you are going to live thrillingly and Third: Since the new year will not be any newer than you are, make up your mind that you are going to be new!”
Monday, December 27, 2004
New Boots for the Troops
Beginning in October 2005, the Army will issue state-of-the-art boots that will replace the standard polished black boots.
New Army recruits will receive two pairs of the tan Army combat boots, a hot weather version, and a temperate weather version, said David Nelson, the deputy product manager for Clothing and Individual Equipment at the Program Executive Office Soldier here on Fort Belvoir.
The suede, textured boots will complement the new Army Combat Uniform that is scheduled to replace the Battle Dress Uniform.
They also come with high-tech features to increase durability and comfort.
The temperate weather style is equipped with a GORE-TEX lining, according to Nelson, which prevents water from penetrating through the boot.
It is also waterproof, and has an oil and flame resistant rubber outsole.
The hot weather version, suitable for desert use, is made with a thinner nylon material to allow for circulation.
With the hot weather boot “your foot will be a little cooler,” said Nelson.
Both types of the Army combat boots have a cushioned mid-sole that increases shock attenuation.
Nelson explained that “when you’re walking and your heel strikes the ground, the cushioned mid-sole helps to absorb that shock.”
“It’s less painful on your knees – your whole leg receives the benefit,” he added.
The technological advancements applied to the Army combat boots are a far cry from the standard black boot, which was introduced in the 1970s.
Unlike the new combat boots, air does not ventilate properly in the black boots, because polished leather traps moisture, said Nelson.
Nelson owns a pair of the temperate weather boots and has run as much as five miles in them without developing blisters or injuring his feet.
“They’re significantly more comfortable,” he said. “As soon as you step into them, it’s almost like wearing slippers.”
Nelson has also successfully trekked through wet tunnels without any water seeping into his boots.
With the original black leather boot, “there was nothing that would prevent the boot from getting wet,” he said.
The Army combat boots are currently being issued to deploying Soldiers.
They will be available to all Army service members in April 2006 as part of the new Army Combat Uniform, according to Audrey Herring, manager
of Military Clothing and Sales on Fort Belvoir.
The temperate weather style retails for $95.60, and the hot weather version costs $77.70.
Herring anticipates that the store’s current stock of black boots will eventually dwindle as the military converts to the tan Army combat boots.
“Instead of having nine different versions of a black boot, we’ll have one standard black boot, which will probably be the infantry combat boot,” she said.
New Army recruits will receive two pairs of the tan Army combat boots, a hot weather version, and a temperate weather version, said David Nelson, the deputy product manager for Clothing and Individual Equipment at the Program Executive Office Soldier here on Fort Belvoir.
The suede, textured boots will complement the new Army Combat Uniform that is scheduled to replace the Battle Dress Uniform.
They also come with high-tech features to increase durability and comfort.
The temperate weather style is equipped with a GORE-TEX lining, according to Nelson, which prevents water from penetrating through the boot.
It is also waterproof, and has an oil and flame resistant rubber outsole.
The hot weather version, suitable for desert use, is made with a thinner nylon material to allow for circulation.
With the hot weather boot “your foot will be a little cooler,” said Nelson.
Both types of the Army combat boots have a cushioned mid-sole that increases shock attenuation.
Nelson explained that “when you’re walking and your heel strikes the ground, the cushioned mid-sole helps to absorb that shock.”
“It’s less painful on your knees – your whole leg receives the benefit,” he added.
The technological advancements applied to the Army combat boots are a far cry from the standard black boot, which was introduced in the 1970s.
Unlike the new combat boots, air does not ventilate properly in the black boots, because polished leather traps moisture, said Nelson.
Nelson owns a pair of the temperate weather boots and has run as much as five miles in them without developing blisters or injuring his feet.
“They’re significantly more comfortable,” he said. “As soon as you step into them, it’s almost like wearing slippers.”
Nelson has also successfully trekked through wet tunnels without any water seeping into his boots.
With the original black leather boot, “there was nothing that would prevent the boot from getting wet,” he said.
The Army combat boots are currently being issued to deploying Soldiers.
They will be available to all Army service members in April 2006 as part of the new Army Combat Uniform, according to Audrey Herring, manager
of Military Clothing and Sales on Fort Belvoir.
The temperate weather style retails for $95.60, and the hot weather version costs $77.70.
Herring anticipates that the store’s current stock of black boots will eventually dwindle as the military converts to the tan Army combat boots.
“Instead of having nine different versions of a black boot, we’ll have one standard black boot, which will probably be the infantry combat boot,” she said.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Father Sells Christmas Toys on Ebay
These must have been some really bad kids. According to the news article, the kids were being disrespectful, cursing and refused to clean up so dad told them as a threat that he would sell their toys on EBAY. One of the kids dared him to do it..the oldest of the three boys, so dad did. He put the new toys for sale on EBAY...a nintendo ds and all the games. This might be tough love but is it tooo tough? If your kids are really out of control, then it may be okay to do this. They sound like they are not appreciative of what their parents are doing for them.
HOUSTON Dec 25, 2004 — The kids were naughty, Dad put the presents on eBay instead of under the tree and Mom's been crying ever since. Now, even the tree's down.
Saturday morning was sure not to be very jolly for three brothers 9, 11 and 15 who didn't straighten up when their father told them Santa wasn't too please with their fighting, cuss words and obscene gestures.
Dad and Mom had warned their sons that the Nintendo DS video system and the three games that go with it were headed for the auction block if they didn't get their act together.
"No kidding. Three undeserving boys have crossed the line. Tonight we sat down and showed them what they WILL NOT get for Christmas this year. I'll be taking the tree down tomorrow," the man announced in his eBay posting.
"If you don't buy them, we'll return them to the store," the seller known online as magumbo 2000 reported on the site.
Thursday night, the auction wound down with bidding at $465.01 below the price the man had set. He said he would probably list the items again.
A single day of particularly bad behavior set the Christmas crackdown in motion.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Verb For Shoe is Here!
The newest form of shoes are out: Verb For Shoe. It can be ordered online now at Verb for Shoe.
I am not sure if I really want computerized shoes just yet.....makes me think!
A synthesis of high fashion style and cutting-edge technology, Verb for Shoe provides a completely different way of looking at shoes for style-conscious trend-setters. In an exclusive Hollywood preview, VectraSense took the town by storm with many celebrities calling Verb for Shoe the "next big thing."
I am not sure if I really want computerized shoes just yet.....makes me think!
A synthesis of high fashion style and cutting-edge technology, Verb for Shoe provides a completely different way of looking at shoes for style-conscious trend-setters. In an exclusive Hollywood preview, VectraSense took the town by storm with many celebrities calling Verb for Shoe the "next big thing."
The fashion-forward shoe not only provides computerized shoe adjustments according to the wearer's movements, but also provides a number of new VectraSense innovations including:
-- A wireless link that allow the shoes to link with your PC. Through a new computer peripheral, called a Thinkpod, the shoes can interface with your computer; -- ThinkShare, a new feature that creates an exclusive community of Verb for Shoe users, who can exchange business cards and other information through wireless communication between their shoes; -- ThinkAdjust, a feature that allows the air bladders in the shoe to be independently adjusted by the wearer; -- ShoeDoctor, a software application which continuously monitors the shoe's health and alerts when problems occur. It actively monitors power usage, air bladder system performance, and motion analysis. When a problem does occur, Customer Support at VectraSense can connect to your shoes across the internet to assist in resolving issues; -- Introduction of optional features for building your shoes -- a Sports package, a Rich-Media package, and an Exotic materials package.
"The revolution has begun with this new shoe," said Ronald S. Demon, inventor, and CEO of VectraSense Technologies, Inc. "Our focus is to provide a truly unique customer experience through pain-staking attention to quality, with each shoe handcrafted to order using only the finest materials available."
Verb for Shoe is a third generation computerized shoe product for VectraSense Technologies. Its first product, the Raven, was the world's first computerized adjustable shoe. The cost of the basic shoe is $499.99, and fully loaded with all the options, the cost would be $1000.
Demon noted that Verb for Shoe will not only impact the footwear industry, but also the emerging wearable computing industry, the mobile and wireless computing industries and to some extent the internet.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Walt Disney Moving into India
The Walt Disney Company plans to explore all businesses in India, including broadband, ventures in mobile services like downloading ringtones and wallpapers, publishing, films, Internet, radio, merchandise and theme parks, besides television broadcasting. However, right now, the $30-billion company is focused on TV, according to executive vice-president and managing director of the company Douglas K Miller. Creativity, technology and international expansion are the three focus areas of Walt Disney, he said. 
Without giving out any investment figures, Mr Miller said the India project would break even in mid to long-term.
Miller was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a conference on the launch of two Disney channels in India. The two channels went on air in India from Friday as part of the Star bouquet.
Even as industry insiders have been talking about Disney theme parks coming to India, officials refused to give any timeframe for setting up a park in the country. Regarding theme parks, the latest project coming up in Hong Kong is significant for the company.
In the Asia-Pacific region, India and China are among the significant markets for Walt Disney, Miller said. But, when asked to compare the two markets, he said China was still quite closed. The viewership of Disney channels in the India market is expected to be the highest, barring the US, he added. (MORE)
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Dr. Zhivago
I was awake last night and could not sleep, so I put on ETV. Masterpiece Theatre was on. I love Materpiece Theatre. It happened to be Dr. Zhivago that was on. It is in 2 episodes with the 2nd coming on tonight at 9:00pm. What I saw last night was a beautiful performance. If you have the chance and you are able to get ETV TV, please watch. You will not be disappointed. FYI: Othello will be running in January.
Boris Pasternak's epic love story set against the turmoil of the Russian Revolution comes to Masterpiece Theatre in a thrilling new adaptation by celebrated screenwriter Andrew Davies.
Scottish actor Hans Matheson (Mists of Avalon) stars as the dreamy poet-physician Yury Zhivago, with Keira Knightley (Love Actually, Pirates of the Caribbean, Bend it Like Beckham) as the love of his life, Lara Antipova and Sam Neill (The Piano, Jurassic Park) as Victor Komarovsky, Lara's seducer and stalker -- a political chameleon who comes out on top no matter who is in power.
Boris Pasternak was a beloved Russian poet trying to steer clear of politics when he wrote Doctor Zhivago, an impressionistic account of the period surrounding the Revolution. Completed in 1955, and based partly on his own experiences, the novel was flatly rejected for publication by Soviet authorities -- for failing "to depict the Revolution as a cream cake," as Pasternak acidly put it.
Defying the government, he allowed the book to be published abroad, where it became an international bestseller. In 1958 Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature -- a tribute he was forced to renounce after a bitter propaganda campaign against him in the Soviet press. He died a broken man in 1960 at age seventy.
In 1988 Doctor Zhivago was finally published in Russia, where it has since earned a revered place in the post-Soviet literary canon.
Boris Pasternak's epic love story set against the turmoil of the Russian Revolution comes to Masterpiece Theatre in a thrilling new adaptation by celebrated screenwriter Andrew Davies.
Scottish actor Hans Matheson (Mists of Avalon) stars as the dreamy poet-physician Yury Zhivago, with Keira Knightley (Love Actually, Pirates of the Caribbean, Bend it Like Beckham) as the love of his life, Lara Antipova and Sam Neill (The Piano, Jurassic Park) as Victor Komarovsky, Lara's seducer and stalker -- a political chameleon who comes out on top no matter who is in power.
Boris Pasternak was a beloved Russian poet trying to steer clear of politics when he wrote Doctor Zhivago, an impressionistic account of the period surrounding the Revolution. Completed in 1955, and based partly on his own experiences, the novel was flatly rejected for publication by Soviet authorities -- for failing "to depict the Revolution as a cream cake," as Pasternak acidly put it.
Defying the government, he allowed the book to be published abroad, where it became an international bestseller. In 1958 Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature -- a tribute he was forced to renounce after a bitter propaganda campaign against him in the Soviet press. He died a broken man in 1960 at age seventy.
In 1988 Doctor Zhivago was finally published in Russia, where it has since earned a revered place in the post-Soviet literary canon.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Christmas was Exhausting
It really takes a lot to make Christmas magical for a child. I am so tired today it is not even funny. I had to stay up til 2:30 AM to be sure dirty Fila was alseep. Then I had to sneak packages down stairs to the tree. I had to stand by her room door...she left it open so she could see Santa...before I actually passed it to be sure she was not faking being asleep. After sneaking past her room, I had to put the presents under the tree in total darkness, fill the stockings, eat the cookies and drink the eggnog dirty Fila put out for Santa. Finally, I was able to sneak back upstairs and finally go to bed.
At the crack of dawn it began....mommie, mommie, mommie, mommie, mommie...WAKE UP! Mommie wake up...let's go open the presents. And so it begins. I did get a chance to go back to bed and sleep till about 1pm. But not until I played Twister Moves. Twister Moves...this is only for the young and not for me. Yes. I did give it to dirty Fila for Christmas. Thank goodness her cousin, my nephew is coming to town on Tuesday. She has to find someone else to do Twister Moves with other than me!
The best things I ate this Christmas were Danish Wedding Cookies, Ferrero Rocher chocolates and white zinfandel wine. And let's not forget apple cider. I have had about 2 cups per day. It has been very cold and is sleeting and rainign frozen ice balls. I did buy a lamb to have for Christmas dinner but, instead I ate at my parents and had turkey and ham. I will save the lamb for New Year's.
My cat has been upset by the Christmas tree. I have gold birds on the tree and she spends a lot of time hunting them. Poor cat! Finally I ahve them up high enough where she will leave them alone. Now with the presents under she spends a lot of time rooting in and out of the boxes trying to get into them to sit and play.
Christmas is exhausting to me...always has been. Fun, worth it, but tiring.
At the crack of dawn it began....mommie, mommie, mommie, mommie, mommie...WAKE UP! Mommie wake up...let's go open the presents. And so it begins. I did get a chance to go back to bed and sleep till about 1pm. But not until I played Twister Moves. Twister Moves...this is only for the young and not for me. Yes. I did give it to dirty Fila for Christmas. Thank goodness her cousin, my nephew is coming to town on Tuesday. She has to find someone else to do Twister Moves with other than me!
The best things I ate this Christmas were Danish Wedding Cookies, Ferrero Rocher chocolates and white zinfandel wine. And let's not forget apple cider. I have had about 2 cups per day. It has been very cold and is sleeting and rainign frozen ice balls. I did buy a lamb to have for Christmas dinner but, instead I ate at my parents and had turkey and ham. I will save the lamb for New Year's.
My cat has been upset by the Christmas tree. I have gold birds on the tree and she spends a lot of time hunting them. Poor cat! Finally I ahve them up high enough where she will leave them alone. Now with the presents under she spends a lot of time rooting in and out of the boxes trying to get into them to sit and play.
Christmas is exhausting to me...always has been. Fun, worth it, but tiring.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Merry Christmas!
I hope everyone had a great holiday! dirty Fila and I did. dirty Fila had a very merry christmas. She thinks she is the cat's meow now in her designer clothes. Today she was in a fashion quandry as to what to wear. She was a very happy girl this christmas day.
I got the printer/scanner/copier that I wanted. No more running to Kinkos's in the middle of night to copy something for a project or presentation. It was a gift from my parents. I had just hinted one day...made a random comment that I needed one....I had no idea they would get it. That was one of the highlights.
My favorite gift was my Louis Vuitton city bag. That was a gift from a blast from the past...an old boyfriend from the 1990's who I have kept in phone contact with all these years. I have not physically seen him since about 1990. He calls and tries to get together...he is married now...so please---NO! So we talk about once a month or maybe even every 2 months. I send him a christmas card every year but that is all. He lives in another state and often suggests I meet him for lunch or he will fly me to Atlanta or Chicago for a pro game.....NO! NO!!
So he calls on Wednesday and says he is sending me something. What? I am thinking a card. We have never exchanged gifts before...in all these years. He does not tell me what it is...just says that it is something I will like. He sends it overnight and makes me call him to let him know if I like it. It arrived Thursday.
What can I say... it is a beautiful Louis Vuitton bag and it is authentic. I know real shoes and purses like the back of my hand. I went on line to look up the price of a Louis Vuitton bag as I knew it was expensive. That bag is right at $775.00. I have spent a lot of time over the past few says searching the web to determine if it is fake or not and from all I have read it is real.
I did ask him where he got it. He has a brother who works as a plant manager overseas where these purses are made. This I have know...that his brother worked overseas at a plant..for many years...I did not know what kind of plant. He said that due to good production, they were allowed to take some purses as they came off the assembly line so he called his brother, mother, sister and asked what they wanted and shipped multiple purses home to them. My friend asked for 2 and sent one to me and gave one to his wife. He said he gave her the same bag as I got.
It is a lovely bag, but you know how men are . It may mean something else to him other than a gift. I think I will send him a nice thank you card and let that be it. He wants more but I simply cannot go there. He is married. I was even thinking I needed to return the purse to him. What to do? Thank god he lives in another state and is not close enough to just drop by. Now if only he would stop offering to fly me to Atlanta, Chicago and other places to meet him when he goes on business trips. He works as a human resource manager at a major corporation and flies all over as part of his job visiting plants in various locations around the Unites States.
I got the printer/scanner/copier that I wanted. No more running to Kinkos's in the middle of night to copy something for a project or presentation. It was a gift from my parents. I had just hinted one day...made a random comment that I needed one....I had no idea they would get it. That was one of the highlights.
My favorite gift was my Louis Vuitton city bag. That was a gift from a blast from the past...an old boyfriend from the 1990's who I have kept in phone contact with all these years. I have not physically seen him since about 1990. He calls and tries to get together...he is married now...so please---NO! So we talk about once a month or maybe even every 2 months. I send him a christmas card every year but that is all. He lives in another state and often suggests I meet him for lunch or he will fly me to Atlanta or Chicago for a pro game.....NO! NO!!
So he calls on Wednesday and says he is sending me something. What? I am thinking a card. We have never exchanged gifts before...in all these years. He does not tell me what it is...just says that it is something I will like. He sends it overnight and makes me call him to let him know if I like it. It arrived Thursday.
What can I say... it is a beautiful Louis Vuitton bag and it is authentic. I know real shoes and purses like the back of my hand. I went on line to look up the price of a Louis Vuitton bag as I knew it was expensive. That bag is right at $775.00. I have spent a lot of time over the past few says searching the web to determine if it is fake or not and from all I have read it is real.
I did ask him where he got it. He has a brother who works as a plant manager overseas where these purses are made. This I have know...that his brother worked overseas at a plant..for many years...I did not know what kind of plant. He said that due to good production, they were allowed to take some purses as they came off the assembly line so he called his brother, mother, sister and asked what they wanted and shipped multiple purses home to them. My friend asked for 2 and sent one to me and gave one to his wife. He said he gave her the same bag as I got.
It is a lovely bag, but you know how men are . It may mean something else to him other than a gift. I think I will send him a nice thank you card and let that be it. He wants more but I simply cannot go there. He is married. I was even thinking I needed to return the purse to him. What to do? Thank god he lives in another state and is not close enough to just drop by. Now if only he would stop offering to fly me to Atlanta, Chicago and other places to meet him when he goes on business trips. He works as a human resource manager at a major corporation and flies all over as part of his job visiting plants in various locations around the Unites States.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Chirac inaugurates world's tallest bridge in France
Biggest Bridge in the World
MILLAU, France (AFP) - As air force jets screamed overhead, French President Jacques Chirac inaugurated the world's tallest bridge, a stunning masterpiece of engineering that will carry drivers 270 metres (885 feet) above ground.
He spoke of the viaduct, whose highest point soars to 343 metres -- higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris -- over the river Tarn in southern France, as a monument to French daring and enterprise.
Built to schedule in three years, it was commissioned in order to open up a new north-south route and ease pressure on one of the nation's most notorious motorway bottlenecks.
Before an audience of around 1,000 people, including the viaduct's British architect Norman Foster, Chirac unveiled a plaque by the largest of its seven pillars.
"The Millau viaduct takes its place among our most shining works of civil engineering. It brilliantly embodies the verve of our research and technology," he said.
"The French people are rightly proud of the feats accomplished here -- feats which speak for France. A modern France; an enterprising, successful France; a France which invests in its future."
The bridge, stretching 2.46 kilometres (1.6 miles) between two plateaux in the Massif Central mountain range, opens to traffic Thursday, easing pressure on the saturated Rhone valley to the east, used by lorry drivers and tourists bound for the Mediterranean and Spain.
Like a taut thread pierced by a line of needles, the silhouette dominates the countryside for miles around and has been praised as a classic marriage of aesthetics and science.
"A work of man must fuse with nature. The pillars had to look almost organic, like they had grown from the earth," said Foster, whose other works include the renovation of the Reichstag in Berlin and Chek Lap Kok airport in Hong Kong.
"The bridge could not look as if it had been tacked onto the scenery. It had to rise out of the landscape with the delicacy of a butterfly."
The viaduct is not only the world's tallest -- outstripping the 282-metre towers of Japan's Akashi Kaikyo bridge -- but is also the longest multi-span cable-stayed bridge.
The Tatara Ohashi bridge, also in Japan, is 1.48 kilometres long.
The highest bridge in the world -- measured by distance from ground to deck -- remains the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, United States, at 320 metres above the river Arkansas.
Unusually for such a large infrastructure project in France, its 390 million euro (520 million dollar) cost was financed entirely by the private sector, with the construction giant Eiffage getting the right to collect tolls for 75 years in return.
Until now, drivers on the A75 motorway between Clermont-Ferrand and Beziers have been forced to a crawl as they descended to the town of Millau.
Now they will have to pay a fee of 4.9 euros (6.5 dollars) to speed above the town, while truckers will be charged about four times as much.
Eiffage is predicting an average of 10,000 vehicles per day, with a peak of 25,000 during the summer season when tariffs will be increased.
If the bridge proves unexpectedly profitable, the French state has the right to take possession from 2044.
Weighing some 36,000 tonnes, the bridge was assembled as much as possible off-site. Large sections were lifted by giant crane and slid onto the pillars, with the two ends meeting in May.
It has been built to withstand wind-speeds of up to 250 kilometres per hour.
"In our civilisation infrastructure is fundamental. Public spaces, avenues, bridges over rivers -- these are what bring men together and condition our quality of life. But there are also needs which one cannot measure, which are more spiritual," Foster said.
"Ideally passing over the bridge should allow one to 'elevate oneself'," he added.
"Looking at it should provoke an emotion. Its purpose is to allow people to cross the valley without damaging the town of Millau. But it goes far beyond that."
It has been good for Eiffage too. Last week, its shares were trading at 83 euros, a record high and up 137 percent since 2001.
Saturday, December 18, 2004
The "Three" Quiz
I got a request to do this quiz --or was in an order? :) At the end I will be naming 3 other unsuspecting victims to do this quiz...don't be mad it happened to me too!
Three names you go by:
Three names you go by:
- Mayway
- Mary
- Little Red
Three screennames you have:
- woozle34
- tink2bell
- tinkerbell*
Three things you like about yourself:
- My shoe collection
- Ability to be easy going in the face of chaos
- I'm a devoted mom
Three things you hate/dislike about yourself:
- Sometimes being too quiet...I have found people think I am stuck up and I am not. I am just a quiet person.
- I seem to be unlucky in love
- I have a coffee addiction--starbucks frappuccinos
Three parts of your heritage:
- Swedish
- Caucasian
- African
Three things that scare you:
- spiders
- praying mantis
- Fear of not being able to provide all for my family
Three of your everyday essentials:
- shoes
- flavored coffee
- good wine and sushi
Three things you are wearing right now:
- red pooh turtle neck
- red pants
- underwire bra
Three of your favorite bands/artists (at the moment):
- Vivaldi
- EST
Three of your favorite songs at present:
- Four Seasons-Vivaldi
- Pavane-Regina Carter
- Somewhere Else Before-EST
Three new things you want to try in the next 12 months:
- go to the gym 3 times a week consistently!
- learn to play the recorder
- become a contestant on Survivor!
Three things you want in a relationship (love is a given):
- respect
- honesty
- longevity
Two truths and a lie:
- I have the soul of a dead fisherman living in a gourd in my living room
- I have eaten chocolate covered roaches
- My first cat was cremated and she lives now in the kitchen on top of the microwave because the kitchen was her favorite room in the house
Three physical things about the opposite sex (or same) that appeal to you:
- good diction
- nice abs
- good hygiene
Three things you just can't do:
- stop buying shoes
- engage in the corporate back biting and politics at work
- do drugs
Three of your favorite hobbies:
- going to the beach
- listening to music
- drinking good wine
Three things you want to do really badly right now:
- stop sneezing
- eat some smoked oysters...i am out and forget to buy some at the store
- eat cheese
Three careers you're considering:
- going back to school for a masters in public administration
- writing
- being a stay at home mom if I EVER hit the lottery
Three places you want to go on vacation:
- Navis
- Japan
- Australia
Three kids names:
- Zoe
- Sienna
- Randall
Three things you want to do before you die:
- go scuba diving again..that is amazing being under the water!
- swim with dolphins
- Visit Alaska
Three people who have to take this quiz now or die painfully:
Okay you three above...do the three quiz and pass it on! Thanks!
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Friday, December 17, 2004
A Guitar
dirty Fila wants a guitar for christmas...that was just one of the list of 60 items she wrote in a letter to Santa. (CRAZY) I have told her that she was not getting all those things and told her that Santa's sleigh would not be able to get off the ground if he got her all that stuff....one of which was a pony. I told her she needed to go thru the list and revise and pick realistic things and to shorten the list. She did. It got down to about 30 items. I think I got about 20 of the items she wanted. The guitar I did not get.
She said she really wants that. I told her she is now in her second year of the violin and she needs to really get the violin down to an art and do alot more practicing. Then, I would consider the guitar once she mastered the violin. She is excited about the violin and asks for new music and tried to play new music all the time. That is a good thing. I am thinking of getting her some private violin lessons to enhance what she is learnign in school. One on one is so much better.
I play the violin as well. I played from 4th grade till I got into college and my parents payed for private lessons as well. I was in the city string orchestra in college, the youth string orchestra and did countless performances. Now I am like dirty Filas private teacher at home when she has problems. I have not played with any consistency since college but you do not really forget. I am very out of practice for complicated songs. I can play all of dirty Filas song books like a pro...they are easy so it helps her when she is stuck with her notes at home.
If she really sticks with the violin and does well, I most likely will get the guitar with the next year or so. She might just be the next Regina Carter. I teased her about that tonight and she just laughed. I told her again she could be the next Regina Carter if she practiced hard. She just looked at me. Regina Carter is my all time favorite violinist. She may be tied with the violinist who plays for Yanni.
dirty Fila is jsut getting started with music so we shall see....if she sticks with it and practices and gets really good...I guess I will have to break down and get that guitar.
She said she really wants that. I told her she is now in her second year of the violin and she needs to really get the violin down to an art and do alot more practicing. Then, I would consider the guitar once she mastered the violin. She is excited about the violin and asks for new music and tried to play new music all the time. That is a good thing. I am thinking of getting her some private violin lessons to enhance what she is learnign in school. One on one is so much better.
I play the violin as well. I played from 4th grade till I got into college and my parents payed for private lessons as well. I was in the city string orchestra in college, the youth string orchestra and did countless performances. Now I am like dirty Filas private teacher at home when she has problems. I have not played with any consistency since college but you do not really forget. I am very out of practice for complicated songs. I can play all of dirty Filas song books like a pro...they are easy so it helps her when she is stuck with her notes at home.
If she really sticks with the violin and does well, I most likely will get the guitar with the next year or so. She might just be the next Regina Carter. I teased her about that tonight and she just laughed. I told her again she could be the next Regina Carter if she practiced hard. She just looked at me. Regina Carter is my all time favorite violinist. She may be tied with the violinist who plays for Yanni.
REGINA CARTER
She became the first jazz musician and first African American artist to play the legendary violin owned by classical music virtuoso and composer Niccolò Paganini. Paganini's Dream is the best CD ever. I have worn it out and have now even put it in my MP3 player so I can listen to her when I go walking.I took dirty fila to see Yanni about 6 months ago. LOVE YANNI! Fabulous performance! I was most impressed the famous "woman in the red dress" Karen Briggs (and Yanni in his tight black leather pants). She plays that violin like no other I have seen in person. That whole show was orgasmic!
Karen and Yanni go back 13 years, and most of Yanni’s fans know her as “the woman in the red dress” from his famous “Live At The Acropolis” video. She’s also featured in Yanni's Live At Royal Albert Hall and Tribute videos. Karen’s solos are recognized in a wide variety of musical arenas, and when she gets going in one of her improvisations it can only be described as “spontaneous combustion.” Her live performances include such venues as Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. She’s been asked to record and perform with Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Wu Tang Clan, Soul II Soul, En Vogue, Chaka Khan, and Kenny Loggins. Karen also had a cameo appearance in the 1999 motion picture Music Of The Heart. Karen enjoys working with Yanni because he encourages her to express herself in her own unique style. Karen has recently signed a solo recording deal with Hidden Beach/Sony.
dirty Fila is jsut getting started with music so we shall see....if she sticks with it and practices and gets really good...I guess I will have to break down and get that guitar.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
The Evils of Hiphop Shoes Concluded!
Yeah! Funally it is over. There were the first two posts about the shoes that dirty Fila is sying to have.
Evil HipHop Shoes
The Evils of HipHop Shoes Continued
Well it is over! I went to the mall earlier this week..must have been Tuesday. I checked the price of those PhatFarm Shoes and they were on sale...down to $50.00 on sale. I do not call that a sale on athletic shoes as it is all about the name and not what they can do for your feet. I kept looking because maybe I could find them lower someplace else with the christmas sales and all. Well lo and behold, good ole TJ MAXX and Marshalls was where I ended up and guess what, they had them!
I did not have to deal with the "mini" Nino Browns shopping in the other stores and looking at me like I did not belong there. Hell, it looked like some "nino browns" worked there for that matter. All that "bling bling" on their hands and around their necks and "yo what's up" to others shopping. My money spends just a good as those "nino brown types" money...maybe even better...because my money is from a legitimate source. A "J-O-B!"
I got the blue PhatFarms and the end to that shoe quest is finally over! Thank god. I did not want to give what looked like a street thug to me my money for shoes with them looking down at me because I am not down with the homeys!
dirty Fila better be happy or I will have learned my lesson. She better just be ecstatic on Christmas day when she opens that box. If not.....it will be plain old AVIAS or FILA or NIKES for her from now on. Those are shoes that actually do something for your feet when you wear them.
In addition the big thing now is Converse. When I was growing up converse were the cheapest shoes around and we used to call the bobo tennis shoes. Now they have become a hot item again due to Snoop Dog? I think? dirty Fila asked for a pair of those and guess what. TJ Maxx and Marshalls came to the rescue. On sale for $8.00. dirty Filas "shoe" christmas will be fulfilled this year. What can I say? When she asks for shoes I just have to comply. She sees my shoes and says I have too many. She has ample shoes herself for a little girl. I guess I cannot deprive her of wanted shoes either.
My shoes addiction might just be passed down for another generation.
Evil HipHop Shoes
The Evils of HipHop Shoes Continued
Well it is over! I went to the mall earlier this week..must have been Tuesday. I checked the price of those PhatFarm Shoes and they were on sale...down to $50.00 on sale. I do not call that a sale on athletic shoes as it is all about the name and not what they can do for your feet. I kept looking because maybe I could find them lower someplace else with the christmas sales and all. Well lo and behold, good ole TJ MAXX and Marshalls was where I ended up and guess what, they had them!
I did not have to deal with the "mini" Nino Browns shopping in the other stores and looking at me like I did not belong there. Hell, it looked like some "nino browns" worked there for that matter. All that "bling bling" on their hands and around their necks and "yo what's up" to others shopping. My money spends just a good as those "nino brown types" money...maybe even better...because my money is from a legitimate source. A "J-O-B!"
I got the blue PhatFarms and the end to that shoe quest is finally over! Thank god. I did not want to give what looked like a street thug to me my money for shoes with them looking down at me because I am not down with the homeys!
dirty Fila better be happy or I will have learned my lesson. She better just be ecstatic on Christmas day when she opens that box. If not.....it will be plain old AVIAS or FILA or NIKES for her from now on. Those are shoes that actually do something for your feet when you wear them.
In addition the big thing now is Converse. When I was growing up converse were the cheapest shoes around and we used to call the bobo tennis shoes. Now they have become a hot item again due to Snoop Dog? I think? dirty Fila asked for a pair of those and guess what. TJ Maxx and Marshalls came to the rescue. On sale for $8.00. dirty Filas "shoe" christmas will be fulfilled this year. What can I say? When she asks for shoes I just have to comply. She sees my shoes and says I have too many. She has ample shoes herself for a little girl. I guess I cannot deprive her of wanted shoes either.
My shoes addiction might just be passed down for another generation.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Nanny Leaves Baby to go Shopping!
EASTCHESTER, N.Y. - A nanny left a year-old toddler home alone while she went Christmas shopping in the family Mercedes, not expecting the little girl's mother to pop into the house while she was out, police said Thursday.
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"She said the baby was a good sleeper," said Eastchester police Lt. William Curran. "I guess she was gambling nothing would go wrong."
Victoria Braithwaite, 27, was arrested upon her return Wednesday and charged with reckless endangerment, endangering a child and using a car without permission, Curran said.
He said police were called at about 11:30 a.m. by the girl's mother, Vivian Lem, who had left her with the nanny at about 8:40 a.m. The baby was safe in her crib when the mother returned to the home in the New York suburb.
"We figured she was coming back because she left her own car in the driveway when she took the Mercedes," Curran said. "She wanted to go fancy, I suppose."
He said Braithwaite did not have a lawyer when she was arraigned Wednesday night in Town Court.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
A Cannibal in Mexico
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican man killed his lover in a drunken, drugged fight then cooked the man's body in tomato and onion sauce and ate it over three days.
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Police found Gumaro de Dios Arias grilling rotting human flesh for his breakfast, including part of a heart, when they raided a shack he lived in near the Caribbean beach resort of Playa del Carmen, a police chief said on Wednesday.
"He was preparing stews. There was a grill where he was cooking part of the heart and bits he had cut off the body. It was terrible, terrible," said local police chief Martin Estrada, who was among a dozen police who raided the shack.
Arias told police the victim, a young man, arrived at his cardboard hut in a wasteland area with a mutual friend who then left the two of them drinking and taking drugs.
The pair had sex and afterward a fight broke out during which he killed the man with blows to the head, police said.
Police arrested Arias, 25, on Tuesday after a tip off.
"They said there was a person eating a person," Estrada said.
"We found him lying on a folding bed and to one side was the corpse which had been torn apart and which it seems he had been eating for three days," he told Reuters.
The corpse, which had its back ripped open and its innards pulled out, was missing various parts, like a thigh, he said.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Thursday, December 16, 2004
6 GMAIL Invites for a Link!
If interested please link to me-permanent- and I will send you a GMAIL invite. Please provide your full name and email and I will send it to you. Also leave you site so I can check the link. I will link to you as well. One good link deserves another!
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Taxi Driver Shoots Man in Bin Laden Mask
Taxi Driver Shoots Man in Bin Laden Mask
| Tue Dec 14, 6:46 PM
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SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) take note: You wouldn't be safe in Costa Rica. A startled taxi driver shot and wounded a jokester wearing a plastic mask of the al-Qaida leader, police said Tuesday.
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Leonel Arias, 47, told police he was playing a practical joke by donning the Bin Laden mask, toting his pellet rifle and jumping out to scare drivers on a narrow street in his hometown, Carrizal de Alajuela, about 20 miles north of San Jose.
Arias had startled several drivers that way on Monday afternoon. But when he jumped out in front of taxi driver Juan Pablo Sandoval, the motorist reached for a gun and shot him twice in the stomach. He was hospitalized in stable condition.
"For me and I think for anybody else at a time like that one thinks the worst and so I fired my gun," Sandoval told Channel 7 television.
Police declined to detain Sandoval, saying he had believed he was acting in self-defense.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Makeover for the Three Wise Men
A 'magi' makeover for Three Wise Men
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Church officials yesterday agreed to drop the term "Three Wise Men" from a newly approved prayer book because there's no proof the trio of visitors to the infant Jesus were male or even learned.
"Magi" is now the word of choice.
"The possibility that one or more of the magi were female cannot be excluded completely," said a governing committee that has tweaked 68 other prayers included in the revised book of worship. The committee retained 'magi' on the grounds that the visitors were not necessarily wise, and not necessarily men."
The decision to adopt what a spokesman calls a more "gender-neutral" term has riled those who say the 27.5 million-member church the mother church of Episcopal congregations in the United States is bowing to feminists in the name of political correctness, and altogether misinterpreting the account of Matthew 2:1, as translated in the King James Version of the New Testament:
"There came wise men from the east to Jerusalem."
The committee is nevertheless sticking by its decision, citing "recent scholarship" which they say proves original translations of Matthew used "magi" to denote an official in the Persian court, and someone "exotic" in nature.
To simply translate the term as "men" is "to miss the point," the committee said.
"The word in the scripture is 'magi.' It is completely silent about whether they are men or women. The gender of the magi is completely unimportant," said Church of England spokesman Arun Kataria.
The decision gave rise to much merriment yesterday in British newspapers and television broadcasts.
"Magi may have been queens," noted Sky News.
"The Three Fairly Sagacious Persons," headlined the Daily Telegraph.
"There were three but were they wise, or even men?" asked the Times of London.
The Church of England's General Synod, which is meeting in London this week on a variety of other topics, is debating "sexist language" and may well drop the term "chairman" from use as well in favor of the neutral "chair."
Until now, academicians have debated whether the "three kings" in question were actual kings, astrologers, priests, magicians or whether there were even three of them. Their sex has not come under much serious discussion, since women of 2,000 years ago were rarely educated or held public positions in anything. Proponents of feminist theology, however, have not been deterred by history.
Still, a popular puzzle has surfaced in recent years in congregations with a sense of humor and among T-shirt makers, women's clubs and others eager to address the sex question.
Q: "What if the three wise men were women?"
A: "They would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, brought practical gifts, and there would be peace on earth."
Educated or not, three wise women are cited in the Scripture.
"There were three wise women: Mary, Elizabeth and Anna," says Christin Ditchfield, a New Mexico talk-radio host who writes for Focus on the Family magazine and other publications. They were the mother of Jesus, the mother of John the Baptist, and a devout prophetess. All are mentioned in dispatches, in the book of Luke, Chapters 1 and 2.
"Just as the wise men followed the star, we can follow the shining examples of these women who lived lives 'holy and pleasing to God.'" Miss Ditchfield says.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Christmas Has Come!
Finally the tree is up and it looks beautiful. I have just about gotten the rest of the christmas decorations out. The wreath will go on the door in about an hour. In addition I have just about gotten all the decorations for the office together. I think instead of going during the day to set up, I will go after hours so I will be like an elf who made magic appear overnight in the office. We hd better win that contest. I got some very cool stuff together! Things I know some of the other units will not have.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
2nd Level OF HELL--My FATE
The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Second Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
| Level | Score |
|---|---|
| Purgatory (Repenting Believers) | High |
| Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers) | Low |
| Level 2 (Lustful) | High |
| Level 3 (Gluttonous) | High |
| Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious) | Low |
| Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy) | Low |
| Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics) | Very Low |
| Level 7 (Violent) | Moderate |
| Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers) | Moderate |
| Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous) | Low |
Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Monday, December 13, 2004
Flip Flops, Slippers, Mary Janes and Sneakers
Woohoooooo! That is me for the next week. Those are my vacation shoes! No more high heeled nine west pumps, the high heeled nine west clogs, the bandolinos, the pointy toed high heeled roach killing pumps. My feet will have a break from dress shoes.
You would think it would be an easy thing to leave work on a friday for vacation but is it not. In my business you have to prepare to go on vacation so that things run smoothly while you are gone. I went to work on yesterday and worked from 11:30am-8:00 last night just to "get ready" to go on vacation. My philosophy is whatever happens when I am gone, happens full knowing that there will be a slew of things in the inbox called "I did not know what to do so I waited till you got back ." My desk was spotless. I know I am tempting fate. I have just made more room for all those notes, files, problems for people to pile on it for me to deal with when I come back. I am putting work out of my mind now and am sending me to a place mentally very far from work. Ready...get set...GO!
Well so far on day one after getting dirty Fila off to school, I spent a very restful morning doing ABSOLUTELY nothing! I put up just the Christmas tree on Saturday night so today I guess I will pull out all the ornaments and start the final decorating process.
Why is nothing on day time tv but shoes like court tv, infomercials and Jerry Springer? All the housewives of the world need to unite and stop that madness from being shown. Or is that what the typical housewife wants to see? That is a scary thought. Today he announced that if you are a prostitute with a story to tell to call him to be on the show. Now are prostitutes really going to call in and admit that? Crazy! This screen shot shows that he is calling for prostitutes to be on the show. It is right there in living color. (They just not have better shoes than I do!)
Dick Clark will unable to host New Years Rockin' Eve this year due to his stroke. Wow! I have been watching him for about 10 years now. Guess I never go to any parties anymore. (Can we say booooring?!) With him gone it will not be the same. He will be replaced by Regis this year.
The next door neighbor has been extremely loud today. After today I know she must have dropped out of school. She is a wayward teen and she is not old enough to be out of school. I see her smoking now when her mother is at work. And that stringy blonde hair looks like a rat's nest all the time. It is always pinned up in some crazy do! "Mom" must have given totally up on her. She is constantly roaming the neighborhood in the afternoon and late evenings. In addition she seems to be "growing in the wrong direction." This I have stolen from Wingtips. He says his wife tells him this all the time when he is gaining weight..he is growing in the wrong direction. Out and not up! She is getting very fat. No...she is now very fat when she was never fat before. I am concerned because I do not want dirty Fila to think that what she is doing is okay. Whenever I see her and dirty Fila is with me, I have to point out all the bad attributes I can and that her life will be taking a different direction. Bad influences can be anywhere.
Well off to the sea salt scrubs and mask!
You would think it would be an easy thing to leave work on a friday for vacation but is it not. In my business you have to prepare to go on vacation so that things run smoothly while you are gone. I went to work on yesterday and worked from 11:30am-8:00 last night just to "get ready" to go on vacation. My philosophy is whatever happens when I am gone, happens full knowing that there will be a slew of things in the inbox called "I did not know what to do so I waited till you got back ." My desk was spotless. I know I am tempting fate. I have just made more room for all those notes, files, problems for people to pile on it for me to deal with when I come back. I am putting work out of my mind now and am sending me to a place mentally very far from work. Ready...get set...GO!
Well so far on day one after getting dirty Fila off to school, I spent a very restful morning doing ABSOLUTELY nothing! I put up just the Christmas tree on Saturday night so today I guess I will pull out all the ornaments and start the final decorating process.
I digress now for the last time. We are having a Christmas decorating contest at work that noone in my unit wanted to participate in. Those office scrooges! So me like a dummy volunteered to do the decorating for my unit. What will we win? A lunch that will take place in January. When I volunteered--open mouth and insert shoe--I did not check the calendar and guess what....it is this week..so I will be going back to work to decorate. I may have people who do not want to participate in everything but I will not let my unit not do anything at all. It was the same at halloween when I was robbed of my win. On well....team spirit and all that teamwork stuff that counts when raise time comes.
Why is nothing on day time tv but shoes like court tv, infomercials and Jerry Springer? All the housewives of the world need to unite and stop that madness from being shown. Or is that what the typical housewife wants to see? That is a scary thought. Today he announced that if you are a prostitute with a story to tell to call him to be on the show. Now are prostitutes really going to call in and admit that? Crazy! This screen shot shows that he is calling for prostitutes to be on the show. It is right there in living color. (They just not have better shoes than I do!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My face is breaking out! I would think I am too old to get acne but I guess I am not. I mask, I exfoliate almost every day and in the past month nothing seems to help. Every hour it seems I find a new bump . (Stress!) I even use alpha hydroxy. My cosmetic line is Estee Lauder. I have been using it for years. What is up with my face!? I will soon have to put a paper bag over my head. Can you imagine that...just a paper bag and shoes? I plan to go mask again and have a spa day...scrubbing down with sea salts from Bath and Body Works.
Dick Clark will unable to host New Years Rockin' Eve this year due to his stroke. Wow! I have been watching him for about 10 years now. Guess I never go to any parties anymore. (Can we say booooring?!) With him gone it will not be the same. He will be replaced by Regis this year.
The next door neighbor has been extremely loud today. After today I know she must have dropped out of school. She is a wayward teen and she is not old enough to be out of school. I see her smoking now when her mother is at work. And that stringy blonde hair looks like a rat's nest all the time. It is always pinned up in some crazy do! "Mom" must have given totally up on her. She is constantly roaming the neighborhood in the afternoon and late evenings. In addition she seems to be "growing in the wrong direction." This I have stolen from Wingtips. He says his wife tells him this all the time when he is gaining weight..he is growing in the wrong direction. Out and not up! She is getting very fat. No...she is now very fat when she was never fat before. I am concerned because I do not want dirty Fila to think that what she is doing is okay. Whenever I see her and dirty Fila is with me, I have to point out all the bad attributes I can and that her life will be taking a different direction. Bad influences can be anywhere.
Well off to the sea salt scrubs and mask!
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
National Odd Shoe Exchange
NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is a source of footwear for those requiring single shoes or pairs of differing sizes. Many have this need due to injury, disease or genetic disorders.
NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE is made possible by financial donations and in-kind support. The History . . .
The Purpose . . .
NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE is made possible by financial donations and in-kind support.
NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE was founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1943. The late Ruth Rubin-Feldman created the organization as a support for polio survivors. Herself a survivor of polio, Ms. Feldman had feet of significantly different sizes. When wartime rationing made buying two sizes even more difficult, she conceived the idea of a service whereby people with similar problems could register their names and sizes. The registry served as a clearing-house that put people with similar interests and tastes, but opposite foot sizes, in touch with one another. Together the new friends could buy footwear and share the cost. No shoes were wasted and they saved money!
With many veterans coming home from the war as amputees, the service grew and broadened its scope. First Lady Elenor Roosevelt gave NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE nationwide recognition for providing such a valuable service.
Today, NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE is no longer disease-specific, but assists people with a variety of conditions and life-styles. NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE ships new, quality footwear to children, adults and seniors across the United States and Canada from its distribution center in Arizona.
NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE is a resource for new, quality single shoes and pairs of significantly different sizes. Many have this need due to injury, disease and genetic disorders. However, NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE is not just about footwear. It is about people. NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE is about quality of life, dignity and respect.
Quality Of Life
Properly fitted footwear is critical to general health and well-being. Proper footwear can often prevent worsening conditions, including amputation.
Dignity
No one should have to endure the indignity and embarrassment of wearing ill-fitting footwear.
Respect
No one should have to pay for footwear that is unneeded and unwanted simply to get the footwear they require.
Throughout its long history, people have been referred to NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE by professionals in the health care industry, footwear industry, support groups, human service organizations, community service organizations and by media coverage.
The Need . . . NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE is not disease-specific. A wide range of disease, injury and genetic disorders cause people to require one shoe or pairs of different sizes.
People from all walks of life, with all life-styles register with
NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE . . .
Toddlers
NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE assists people due to a variety of causes. NOSE is unsullied by socio-economic, geographic, gender, political, religious, racial, and moral constraints. NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE addresses a universal problem that transcends all of these divisions.
Varying causes and conditions include . . .
Amputation Stroke Missing Toes Club Foot Drop Foot Charcot's Joint Polio Brain Trauma Lymphedema Diabetes Partial Amputation Leg Braces Cerebral Palsy Hemi-Hypertrophy K-T Syndrome Multiple Sclerosis Extra Toes Cancer Just Because
While NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE does ship internationally, currently its primary focus is in the United States and Canada.
To Contribute . . . No one should be deprived of the properly-fitted footwear that most of us take for granted. To tackle this, NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE needs your help.
NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE seeks monetary donations and donations in-kind from corporations, small businesses and individuals just like you.
Support of NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE is unsullied by political, geographic, racial, social, economic, religious and moral constraints. NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE addresses a universal problem that transcends all of these common divisions.
Monetary Donation . . . Monetary donations make this service possible and enable its continued growth and outreach. Donations of all sizes are appreciated. NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE proudly accepts financial contributions from corporations, small businesses and individuals just like you. Please contact NOSE today to show your support.
In-Kind Donation . . . Donations in-kind include footwear items (shoes, boots, socks, inserts, laces), office supplies, packaging supplies, promotional items, warehouse equipment, and office equipment. Feel free to contact NOSE for any clarification of these, or other, needs.
Footwear items must be new, unworn and undamaged. NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE accepts matched pairs, mis-mated pairs, singles and bulk footwear items. All styles and sizes are needed.
For health and safety reasons, NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE cannot accept worn or damaged items.
Donations and contributions may be mailed to:
NATIONAL ODD SHOE EXCHANGE
POB 1120
Chandler, Arizona USA
85244-1120
As this is a US Postal Service P.O. Box, do not use this address for UPS, FedEx and other private carriers. To ship freight and larger deliveries, phone (480) 892-3484.
As a 501(c)(3) organization, donations are tax-deductible.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Tea Anyone???
Saturday, December 11, 2004
I Thought Men Had Stronger Shoes!
Now it is holiday time and men should know their purpose when shopping with women. What is it? Why to carry the bags, to sit and wait why we try on clothes and to carry our purses when asked. They should also look uncomfortable while we shop for bras in the underwear section of the store. That is what men are supposed to do when shopping...none of this British stuff below for American men. American men have more shopping stamina! :)
When I get back to work I will have to ask Classic Court about this! It is a shame! Playpen for men! Indeed!
British Store Offers Playpen for Men
LONDON - The British department store chain Marks & Spencer is offering men a chance to enjoy Christmas shopping: sofas, soccer and "boys' toys." The "Men's Creche" has been installed in six big-city stores around the country, including London.
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Large brown leather sofas, a TV set playing the world's greatest soccer matches and newspapers are on offer to distract men while their women shop.
Men can also enjoy free candy and an array of boys' toys like remote control bikes and a Starsky and Hutch racing car track.
"This is very satisfying," said Arindam Thakur, 31, a management consultant, who was relaxing at a Marks & Spencer store in London Friday. He said he could not shop for more than 30 minutes without growing frustrated.
Sitting on a neighboring couch, Derek Patterson seemed perfectly content to watch a video of England's conquest of German in the 1966 World Cup soccer final.
The 61-year-old window cleaner from Lincolnshire said he had come to London to attend a Christmas carol concert with his wife, Jean, and a brother and sister-in-law. "We've got six hours of free time, so they've all gone shopping," he said, "but I really can't stick it."
He said this was the best shopping experience he could recall. "Men are more focused on what they're getting, and the sooner it's done, the better," he concluded, "Whereas women float around forever."
It was the first time Marks & Spencer had opened a recreational area for frazzled shoppers. It's Christmas manager, Andy Ferguson, explained he knew from personal experience that "shopping doesn't come naturally to some men."
The company also said it would extend the experience to more of its 380 stores in Great Britain if this year's Christmas offer proves a success with male shoppers.
Most of the women at the store on Friday didn't seem to mind the shop's new gimmick for keeping men happy.
"I think it's a great idea," said 26-year-old Rachel Glen, who like many other women passing by had swiftly grabbed some free candy. "But they should put the creche nearer to the women's' wear," she said, so that men were closer to their partners.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Kicking off my Shoes!
Thank god! The week if over and I am on vacation next week! I do have to go into the office this weekend to tie up few loose ends. I had planned to go today but since it is now 2:18 in the afternoon and I am still in my cow print flannel pajamas, I guess it will be tomorrow. Then a week of freedom. Classic Court will have to hold the fort down until I get back. I have lots to do at home.
- finish christmas shopping
- finish decorating
- clean
- paint and put up a border
- steam clean the carpets
- blog
- buy new boots I saw in the mall
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Friday, December 10, 2004
The Carol Quiz!
Have fun with these. What are the names of the common christmas carols for each carol's literal name? Put your thinking caps on as well as your shoes for these. Leave you answers in the comments. I will post the answers in the comments in a couple of days or so!
1. Bleached Yule
2. Castaneous-colored Seed Vesicated in a Conflagration
3. Singular Yearning for the Twin Anterior Incisors
4. Righteous Darkness
5. Arrival Time: 2400 hrs -- Weather: Cloudless
6. Loyal Followers Advance
7. Far Off in a Feeder
8. Array the Corridor
9. Bantam Male Percussionist
10. Monarchial Triad
11. Nocturnal Noiselessness
12. Jehovah Deactivate Blithe Chevaliers
13. Red Man En Route to Borough
14. Frozen Precipitation Commence
15. Proceed and Enlighten on the Pinnacle
16. The Quadruped with the Vermillion Probiscis
17. Query Regarding Identity of Descendant
18. Delight for this Planet
19. Give Attention to the Melodious Celestial Beings
20. The Dozen Festive 24 Hour Intervals
1. Bleached Yule
2. Castaneous-colored Seed Vesicated in a Conflagration
3. Singular Yearning for the Twin Anterior Incisors
4. Righteous Darkness
5. Arrival Time: 2400 hrs -- Weather: Cloudless
6. Loyal Followers Advance
7. Far Off in a Feeder
8. Array the Corridor
9. Bantam Male Percussionist
10. Monarchial Triad
11. Nocturnal Noiselessness
12. Jehovah Deactivate Blithe Chevaliers
13. Red Man En Route to Borough
14. Frozen Precipitation Commence
15. Proceed and Enlighten on the Pinnacle
16. The Quadruped with the Vermillion Probiscis
17. Query Regarding Identity of Descendant
18. Delight for this Planet
19. Give Attention to the Melodious Celestial Beings
20. The Dozen Festive 24 Hour Intervals
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Christmas Disappointment
What was the one thing for christmas that you always wanted but never got and it still haunts you to this day? Tell it to me here in a comment.
I will tell you mine. There were 2 things. When I was a child, I wanted a Light Brite. For about 3 years I asked for a Light Brite and I just knew that I would get it the following year. It never came and I never got one. Everytime I see one in Walmart I think I should break down and buy one just for me. I would be able to get it out of my stystem. It is something I also let hang over my mothers' head...that she never got me a Light Brite. I just have to bring that up to her if we are in Walmart in the toy section.
The 2nd thing I never got and look back on with great regret is a pair of SHOES! Yes...shoes. When I was in college in 1978-1979 freshman year, Candies were in. I was a poor college student and just loved them. Candies were made in every color and they were high heeled. Boy I wanted some Candies. But I did not have the money for them. I did have a boyfriend that year and I hinted to him...no I told him...I wanted some Candies for christmas. Just those. He did not get them for me and the Candies wave came and went without me riding it.
So tell me...what was the thing you always wanted but never got?
I will tell you mine. There were 2 things. When I was a child, I wanted a Light Brite. For about 3 years I asked for a Light Brite and I just knew that I would get it the following year. It never came and I never got one. Everytime I see one in Walmart I think I should break down and buy one just for me. I would be able to get it out of my stystem. It is something I also let hang over my mothers' head...that she never got me a Light Brite. I just have to bring that up to her if we are in Walmart in the toy section.
The 2nd thing I never got and look back on with great regret is a pair of SHOES! Yes...shoes. When I was in college in 1978-1979 freshman year, Candies were in. I was a poor college student and just loved them. Candies were made in every color and they were high heeled. Boy I wanted some Candies. But I did not have the money for them. I did have a boyfriend that year and I hinted to him...no I told him...I wanted some Candies for christmas. Just those. He did not get them for me and the Candies wave came and went without me riding it.
So tell me...what was the thing you always wanted but never got?
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Custom of the Shoes- St. Nick's Day
FYI ALL: St. Nick's Day is celebrated on December 6. I forgot all about it and was reminded of it today by Wingtips at lunch.
Custom of the Shoes
Here is an adaptation of the worldwide St. Nicholas custom of leaving shoes outside bedroom doors and waiting for them to be filled with surprises on St. Nicholas Eve.
Custom of the Shoes
by Margaret Ehlen-Miller, Robert Miller, Loretta VanderVeen & Carol VanderVeen
Postcard, Belgium St Nicholas Center Collection |
Early in the evening one family member dresses as St. Nicholas and appears before the gathered family. To each one he speaks personally (waving a wrapped gift in one hand and a stick in the other) and reminds them of the judgment of their conduct for the year. To each he asks:
"Tell me now, in what great ways have you grown to deserve the praise and presents of St. Nicholas?"
"And what bad habits have you tried to overcome?"
And to all the others he turns to ask "Shall I surprise him/her tonight with gifts or the stick?" (To which, of course, they answer, "GIFTS!")
The ceremony can be elaborated on if so desired. St. Nicholas can request from those present and questioned a song, a story, a tribute, or some words about the meaning of Christmas.
He can admonish us to wait with patience in the coming days, and tell us his own special wishes for the Christmas season.
As all retire, they place a shoe beside their bedroom doors. According to ancient custom, a bit of grain or a carrot is left in the shoe for the good saint's horse to eat. St. Nick fills the shoes with gifts during the night.
From The Gift of Time by Margaret Ehlen-Miller, Robert Miller, Loretta VanderVeen & Carol VanderVeen. Copyright © 1977 Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Used by permission.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
46 pairs and counting
I cleaned out my closet on sunday night and I counted 46 pairs of shoes in the closet. That does not account for the 20 or so that may be scattered around the house..under the computer upstairs, under the computer downstairs, left near the back door near the garden because they had mud on them, near the sofa where I collapsed after work. There must be another 20 pairs of shoes not in the closet. Those will not fit in the closet either. The closet floor on both sides have 2 rows of shoes lined up. On the back of the door there is a hanging shoe rack that is completely filled. I will have to do something to get the remaining shoes in the closet?! (EEK!)
I just saw 2 pairs of boots in the mall, I am thinking about getting. Will the addiction end? I think not...not any time soon. Spring is coming and so are spring shoes.
So many shoes, so little time!
I just saw 2 pairs of boots in the mall, I am thinking about getting. Will the addiction end? I think not...not any time soon. Spring is coming and so are spring shoes.
So many shoes, so little time!
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
Friday, December 03, 2004
TGIF
Friday at last. What a day this has been. To begin with I woke up late. I have to be at work at 8:15. I woke up at 8am. So I did not get in until 9:15. dirty Fila has to catch the bus at 8. She missed the bus as well. She did not get up either. She woke up with the sniffles and said her stomach hurt. I know what that means.....a cold or a virus complete with throwing up. I pumped her up with applesauce, orange juice and tylenol for breakfast and prayed she made it thru the day.
Around 1:45pm I got the call from the school nurse to come and get dirty Fila. She had a fever of 102 degrees. That was the end of my work day for me. I went to the school, picked her up and have been dealing with a whiny child ever since. Deliver me from the madness.
Before coming home, I stopped at the store and picked up chicken noodle soup, chicken broth and gatorade for dirty Fila. For me, I decided I was not going to cook. So I would eat for dinner whatever I could find in the cabinets. Right now, I am feasting on smoked oysters, kalamata olive and rosemary bread slattered in butter, Dubliner irish cheese and the last of the merlot. These are some of my favorite foods so it is all good! The dubliner irsh cheese is the best. Sweet, hard and creamy! Unlike any common cheeses we are all familiar with like the cheddars and the swiss...you know. If you have the chance to find some, buy some. The block I have now is 1.75 lbs and it cost over 8 dollars for that. It is kind of pricey but it is really worth it.
Smoked oysters to me are a staple food. My cabinet is never without them. They go with everything. I can make salads with them for lunch, I can eat them for dinner tossed with pasta and feta or they are great for breakfast. Some people eat shrimp and grits...well I have extended that to smoked oysters and grits.
The bread I got from Costco. They had a booth set up last weekend with gourmet breads--5 different types. I got 3--the olive, harvest and fruit and nut. I have cut 2 and so far I like them equally. The olive is very good. There are large pieces of olive all throughout the bread. The harvest and fruit and nut are both a little sweet.
Tomorrow I have a christmas party to go to. I found a great formal dress to wear today when I went to lunch. It is a black evening gown with a short jacket. The jacket has mauve sparkles/sequins all over. Very holiday-ish. My shoes? My shoes will be my brand new black nine west pumps! Very high heeled.
TTFN!
Around 1:45pm I got the call from the school nurse to come and get dirty Fila. She had a fever of 102 degrees. That was the end of my work day for me. I went to the school, picked her up and have been dealing with a whiny child ever since. Deliver me from the madness.
Before coming home, I stopped at the store and picked up chicken noodle soup, chicken broth and gatorade for dirty Fila. For me, I decided I was not going to cook. So I would eat for dinner whatever I could find in the cabinets. Right now, I am feasting on smoked oysters, kalamata olive and rosemary bread slattered in butter, Dubliner irish cheese and the last of the merlot. These are some of my favorite foods so it is all good! The dubliner irsh cheese is the best. Sweet, hard and creamy! Unlike any common cheeses we are all familiar with like the cheddars and the swiss...you know. If you have the chance to find some, buy some. The block I have now is 1.75 lbs and it cost over 8 dollars for that. It is kind of pricey but it is really worth it.
Smoked oysters to me are a staple food. My cabinet is never without them. They go with everything. I can make salads with them for lunch, I can eat them for dinner tossed with pasta and feta or they are great for breakfast. Some people eat shrimp and grits...well I have extended that to smoked oysters and grits.
The bread I got from Costco. They had a booth set up last weekend with gourmet breads--5 different types. I got 3--the olive, harvest and fruit and nut. I have cut 2 and so far I like them equally. The olive is very good. There are large pieces of olive all throughout the bread. The harvest and fruit and nut are both a little sweet.
Tomorrow I have a christmas party to go to. I found a great formal dress to wear today when I went to lunch. It is a black evening gown with a short jacket. The jacket has mauve sparkles/sequins all over. Very holiday-ish. My shoes? My shoes will be my brand new black nine west pumps! Very high heeled.
TTFN!
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
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