Redbox rocks!!!

"Who likes Redbox?" "I do, I do!!!!"

Since I've moved into this house, I don't have TV or internet and my life 'at home' is very very quiet. I do have a radio but rarely think to turn it on. I'm the kind of person who enjoys that background noise so I started renting from Redbox. I love that you don't have to have a membership and the rentals are only $1 each for the night. I usually only rent when I know I have the time to watch them so there's no need to spend more for a longer rental time anyway.

If you follow my link, we can both get free rental codes for new customers!!! So if you haven't tried it yet, why not try it on their dime? LOL I've been able to rent for free a few times in their various promotions and it's always appreciated. So follow my link to get your free rental code and they will send me one as well! Be sure to check out 'Going the Distance', it's so flippin' funny!!!

Make my heart happy and support my walk!

I've decided to walk in the American Heart Association's Heart walk held here in St. Louis on May 14, 2011. It is a 5k walk (3.1 miles) and I need all the support I can get! Not only physically getting conditioned to complete the walk (which I WILL do!) but also you can show your support by donating to the efforts with a cash donation on my walk page.

I will be posting my progress in training for the event as I go. Last night was my first workout in such a long time, we won't mention it. I walked all of .30 miles LOL We will just focus our attentions to all future efforts since that's all I can do anything about at this point :) Please support me in any way you can. I set a very low goal of $100 and I know we can beat that to a pulp LOL

I got robbed in Brooklyn, NY...

while I was in St. Louis! That's right, some crafty hacker got away with $215 worth of liquor in Brooklyn, NY on my dime. It's a good thing there are companies paid to monitor account activity. A local transaction I did here on Saturday prompted a raised eyebrow when a card transaction also was initiated from the East Coast at the same time.

Thanks to Google Maps, this is the actual liquor store in Brooklyn.

Of course, the $215 transaction has to actually post and be deducted in order to be disputed as fraudulent. I will get my money back, not too worried about that. It will just be a hassle until it gets straightened out. Of course, I had no choice but to put off Christmas shopping until the last week due to other circumstances & now because of this, it might mean I won't be able to get anything at all until later. Christmas shopping is not like shopping for cheap auto insurance, you have to actually have *something* to wrap up. It'll all work out, I'm not worried about it, to be honest. If I can't get anything else right now, that's that then. I'm sure everyone will understand. Except the kiddos :(

It's that time of year again

Time for the men-folk to venture out into the wilderness and rustle up some proper game! Get your ATV Parts installed and your tree stands out of the garage. Get your guns sighted in and your camouflage gear de-scented...it's deer season 2010!

Rifle season starts on Nov. 13th here in Missouri and for the bow hunters you already have a green light. Please don't forget to wear your safety orange and bring back a big one, boys!! Oh sorry...men! If I can keep from hitting them all on the road, you should have a great hunting season. There seem to be so many more deer this year out and about on these colder evenings. Have fun and be safe!

Halloween: anything goes?

When I was a kid, Halloween was that magical time when you could dress up like a fireman or ghost or perhaps a cute dog or clown. Since when does Halloween mean it's ok to dress like a street walker? Seriously.

Seeing 14 & 15 year old girls scantily clad has become acceptable in mainstream society but for some reason, Halloween has become an even bigger reason to let it all hang out and play up the part. I mean, dressing like 30 year old crack heads who need drug rehab treatment centers is just not a good idea on any day of the year, even for 30 year old crack heads. Just sayin'.... I'd love to see parents teaching more modesty and respect, yes even on Halloween. It's supposed to be a day for fun and candy and spooky creatures not tryouts for strip clubs and lap dances. You dress sexy every other day of the year why not step out of the 'norm' and cover up with an original self respecting idea for a change?

Deer in my headlights

Traveling home from my second job on Sunday night around midnight, I saw a pretty good size buck out of my left side window. He was just standing there looking right at me.

As I realized I should be slowing down my speed, you know... *just in case*... he decided to bolt! If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was just standing there waiting for his next 'victim' to get oh so close before he made his move! He came right across the road in front of me and was only slightly in a hurry to do so. WTHeck, deer!!!??? I applied the maximum amount of brakes while trying to control the direction of my car. I had to turn a bit towards the end just to get that much more stopping distance out of it. It was close, guys. I was so very close to taking his legs out. At that point, I wouldn't even have killed the poor thing, I would have just hurt it and that would have been worse! No need for extra colon cleanser after an experience like this, let me tell ya. I'm just glad all is well that ends well. He continued across the road and into the grassy knoll next to the road, looking back at me as if he were mad cause I almost hit him! How dare I, after all? Sheeshk!!

What's new in death?

I just read this article about a man who decided to be buried without being embalmed or stuffed into a coffin and/or vault. There's a new and much 'greener' way to be laid to rest these days and I gotta say, I'm liking what I'm hearing about it!

No more shopping with your loved ones for coffins and vaults and all that business. I mean who cares what kind of satin & door hardware will house a body I will no longer be using? Just seems extremely meaningless if you ask me. Nope, not interested in all that. Of course there's much to consider but I'd be willing to hear more about this. Any thoughts on the subject?

Controversial new line of maternity clothes

I recently heard a report on Bott Radio Network about a new line of clothes by Forever 21 "geared toward pregnant teens" called Love 21 Maternity. People are all up in arms saying that it promotes teen pregnancy. The models used to show the garments look young to me, like early 20's young, not teenagers. They have released the line in only 5 states and those 5 states happen to have the highest rate of teen pregnancy. Folks, that's just good marketing!

Saying a line of clothes promotes unhealthy lifestyle is like faulting Fashion Bug or The Avenue for having plus size clothes for us big ladies who overeat! Now, I am NOT promoting teen pregnancy in any way...however...these things do happen. I just see a different side. Frankly, isn't the line actually supporting those moms (teenage or early 20's) who choose to carry their babies to term? Amen to that! If more people thought to support rather than condemn...I'm just sayin'.

GASP!!! Mission accomplished.

At the risk of sounding judgmental, is this what we are wearing to take the kids to the playground now?No bra, no over-shirt, no class. The obvious mission this morning when getting dressed...if she even did get dressed and didn't just roll out of bed dressed this way (I wear spaghetti strap shirts with no bra to sleep in) was to draw attention to herself.

I guess if you are a loving and caring parent, you would do this too! After all, dressing like *this* would indeed draw every eye, both child & adult eyes, to you and away from your child...just in case there were any pervs at the park eyeballing your kid. Well, her mission is accomplished. You can't help but to gawk at her, mostly in disbelief and disgust. I feel sorry for people that feel they need to dress this way or that it's even appropriate to dress like this outside your home. I hope she gets someone, a friend or sister of some kind to tell her she doesn't have to give it all away upfront, there's absolutely NOTHING left to the imagination in this case...and trust me. This is a modest camera angle. Sad.

Wow what a beautiful day!

It is an absolutely beautiful day here in St. Louis! The sun is shining through a clear blue sky, warming your skin with excitement while the cool breeze tickles your senses. The only thing you need is a decent pair of sunglasses and you're set!

Driving to work today, I had to fight the urge to just keep going when I arrived at the office parking lot. It's a great day for a drive, that's for sure! Get out and enjoy it if you can. I for one will be stuck admiring the nice day from inside my office, plopped on my butt behind a desk. ***SIGH***

Blogging is old news, really?

I was interviewed by Tim Barker, a writer from stltoday.com. The article titled "Still blogging? FYI: It's old news" was written discussing how 'young people' have abandoned blogging for social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Myspace. Although I was well out of the 'younger generation of bloggers' he was looking to interview, we spoke at length about many things. It's always very interesting to me to read what someone gleans from a conversation. You'll have to read down to the last 2 paragraphs of the article to find where I'm mentioned.

BeccA's Buzz, by the way, is the blog I referred to as a 'big ol' bowl of soup in terms of content.' You know me, I could be talking about taking a trip or incontinence products or heck, maybe both at the same time! At any rate, I don't plan to stop blogging...not anytime soon. So you young people can do whatcha like creating and following all the newest trends but my blog and I will be chatting it up for a long, long time. Oops, I said 'you young people'....spoken like a true old person! LOL

Decline of Intelligenz....

I don't know if you have noticed this in your world...but it seems to me that there is a significant decline of intelligence these days. Now, I won't pretend to be smarter than a fifth grader because let's face it, I have forgotten more than I remember from that era of my life!

I have noticed that, basic rules from spelling and English language skills seem to be harder and harder to see. Texting and Instant Messaging lingo has slipped in and no one seems to care that today's youth uses such bad grammar!! The saddest part is to see adults who *should* know better sliding off that slope with the rest of them. Now it is moving beyond text and IM, here's one tiny example I took straight from a Facebook comment: "HOORAY WHERE BACK ON BUSINESS!" First of all, the saying is "We're back in business." Where is a place and since when is anyone ON business?? Oy vay!!

Chatsling, Netlingo and all the other Text lingos are sometimes hard to interpret as well. For some great online helps, try Teenangels. They offer a variety of helps by teens to parents and teachers for things like cyberbullying, game ratings and much, much more. Did I mention it was free info??

Parents, please have a discussion with your children about these things. Help them with their language and English skills around the house...don't ever give up! Sure itz fun 2 b cre8ive & all dat just try to incorporate some good grammar when you can. Don't rely on the

Ok, now you can go back to researching life insurance quotes or whatever else you do online...

Brand loyalty?

Did you really think I wouldn't notice? Come on...don't even start with me!! Hello, I know you too well! As much as we are together all day long, you have to know I would catch on to your scandalous scheme. I am with you several times a day and with all that handling, trust me...I know you. I know when you are *different* and I do not appreciate your sly moves. I feel cheated!

Dear Quilted Northern,

I have used your bathroom tissue, the 12 pack of double rolls, for the past 10 years. I do not buy any other brands. Ever. Quilted Northern double rolls are exactly what I look for in TP. Absorbent in all the right ways, sturdy yet gentle, never leaves lint and I know exactly how many squares I need for every job that arises. Yes, I have OCD much.

My complaint is that without warning, you have decided to cheat each roll by 1/2" and did not bother to lower the price! How dare you charge the full price and not trade a full sized roll?!? Here, let me demonstrate. I had a roll left from the last pack I purchased. You'll notice the old roll on the left. Exhibit A:

Compare this to the roll on the right purchased last week. Now, I will include a ruler in the shot just to show the actual 1/2" difference. Exhibit B:

Shame on you! I've noticed a trend with companies starting to make smaller packages for the same prices. Candy, toilet paper, what's next? So much for brand loyalty. The brands we are loyal to are NOT loyal to us these days.

Yeah...I noticed. If I were still in school, I would get myself one of those cardboard displays and make a great showcase with percentages and shortages, instead I will blog about your sly dirty secret that is now out of the bag!

Black Friday shopping plans

Well, now that Thanksgiving dinner has been served, it's time to break out those black Friday adds and plan out your shopping trips!

Please, for the love of Pete...people, leave your anger and your aggression at home when you roll out of bed at 2:30 a.m. to get the best deal on UGG Bailey Button boots and crock pots to mark off those shopping lists. We do not need a repeat of last year's black Friday fatality. It's just not worth all that! Be safe everyone, if you feel cranky when your alarm goes off, just turn it off, roll over and go back to sleep.

It's Fall, ya'll!

Fall is here, there's no doubt! Check your pond pumps, buy a new rake, it's time to 'autumnize' your home. Is that a real word? Now it is :)

If you rent like me, then thank the good Lord and go on a drive and enjoy the fall colors before they are gone...instead of spending your weekends raking up ginormous mounds of leaves that just blow back down before you can fill the bags LOL Here are a few prime choice photos I found when I Googled 'fall foliage'. Enjoy!!

A rough start

Well, this was a busy weekend. Some good things happened and some not so good things happened. I'm sick, sort of...it seems to just come and go as it pleases. I got to work over 16 hours this weekend for my second job, which is great. I hadn't gotten any hours in over 3 weeks!

Also, had "good" fun at some friends' birthday party, it's always nice to get together and jibber jabber. The kiddos had fun at the playground. Had me some grilled hot dogs...love them! Could have done without the bee problem, but hey they have to eat too.

Sunday brought more "good" to the weekend in the form of a vow renewal ceremony for the Quinn family. 15 years and 5 kids later :) They decided they did in fact want to stay together for the long hall. The theme was 'A cord of three strands is not quickly broken'....the third (or first, depends on your point of view) strand would be God, of course :)

The "not so good" for the weekend ended up being a broken window on the parking lot afterwards. I hope the criminals had fun with their bag full of crocheting, magazines, books and raisins which were for the car ride from/to Kentucky. The happy couple's brother and sister in law and their kids were supposed to head home Monday morning but were going to have to get the window fixed first now. Crime is so annoying.

After this long weekend, Monday morning came crashing down on me. A rough start indeed, it was hard to get out of bed today....so I just had to force myself up, slapped on some wrinkle cream and poof! I'm ready to start a new week. I guess.

St. Louis Interactive Festival 2009, it's a blogger thing

!!!Free!!! Tickets now available for the 2nd Annual St. Louis Interactive Festival this Saturday, October 17, 2009. It's a conference and networking event from 9 am to 4 pm with breakfast and lunch included. There are key note speakers with helpful information on blogging from content to creating great looking blogs and why you might want to do that...plus other helpful information as well.

My friend Patrick from over at Patrick Says will be one of those speakers! This event is put on by the St. Louis Blogger's Guild (which I am not a member of, maybe after this weekend?) and is being held @ Shock City Music Works. Check it out and if your schedule permits (and you are a St. Louis blogger, I guess) go to the site and register. Did I mention it's all free?? Besides, what could it hurt to meet some fellow bloggers and get some great tips for bettering our blogs? Let me know if you plan to go! Unless you'd rather stay home and get a jump start on finding unique gifts for her or him...oh, you can't actually see me pointing, can you? :P

Warning: Political post on health care reform

I don't go into politics much here on BeccA's Buzz. From time to time I do come across information on various current issues that I share with my readers and that sometimes includes what's going on in our government. I'm on record as saying, I'm not one for picking political sides....liberal vs. conservative or democrat vs. republican...I dislike politics on many levels but I get the need to have more than one choice.

Today I'd like to share a piece written by Jordan Sekulow. He and his father Jay Sekulow are out there on the front lines fighting and winning legal battles for you and me with the American Center for Law and Justice. He has written a very important article called Obama should be apologizing, not Congressman Wilson.

I do agree there needs to be health care reform...I do not agree with the current proposal. Do be careful if you choose to comment. I will be moderating comments closely. Go to the ACLJ.org and sign the petition if you want to say NO to government run health care.

Paul Harvey - The Testing Time!

I hope you have the time to listen to these 3 parts (about 24 minutes in all) that make up a very pertinent piece from Paul Harvey...from the early 1960's.

Part 1 of 3


Part 2 of 3


Part 3 of 3


Thank you for listening :)

Curiosity can lead you into charted territories

Sometimes when I'm sitting at my desk at work, I get the distinct feeling my desk and the floor are vibrating. Kinda like an earthquake's after shock. Now for the most part, I get that these things happen on minute scales from time to time. Also, sometimes there are crews blasting in the vicinity of our office location due to the construction of the new casino, like we need another one of those here in St. Louis. But I digress.

So my curiosity got the better of me today and I decided to try and find a real time seismograph. Of course, I couldn't find one but I did find the SLU website showing screenshots for recent seismograph readings. Can anyone reading this blog help me interpret this reading from 8-3-09?

Seriously, that's freaky! What do the various colors mean? Other readings listed from around Missouri, Southern Illinois, Tennesee and the like, show similar activity at the same time. I'm sure this is more common that we are told but still. Freaky!