Contest Time: Reese Witherspoon's In Bloom Perfume!

Allure Magazine recently posted readers' favorite products and Reese Witherspoon's In Bloom by Avon was voted as a favorite. It just so happens that I have a full sized bottle to give away!

If you want to win, post a comment telling me what is your current favorite fragrance. On Friday July 2, I will draw a name and you'll be the big winner.

By the way, this contest is not sponsored by Avon. Good luck!

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day was last Sunday and I hope you all got to honor or remember your dad, your grandpa, or your mom who was also your dad. I spent a nice Sunday with my dad. I wanted to honor my dad here because he is a great guy. So, without delay, here is why my dad is so awesome:

1. He was never afraid to show his affection. Songs have been sung and books have been written by children whose dads never said "I love you." This is not to say that these dads didn't love their kids, they just never said it. Not my dad. He always told me he loves me and gave me hugs and kisses and he still does. When I leave their house after a visit now, I still get a kiss on the cheek and hug.

2. He cooks and cleans! While growing up, my dad cooked a big breakfast every Sunday and often cooked dinner. He also did the dishes and other things around the house. There was never a boundary set in our household of a "woman's job" and a "man's job". Everyone did whatever needed to be done. And sorry Mom, but Dad is still the better cook.

3. He was here when I needed him. Knowing my dad like I do, he would probably say that he worked too hard and wishes he could have spent more time with me when I was a kid. Despite the fact that he always worked hard for his family, my childhood memories are not of him being gone a lot. My memories are of the time he played Barbies with me and didn't mind when he had to be the scary Brooke Shields doll and the time he tried to fix one of my Barbie doll's legs by using a lighter and the freezer...and it worked! I remember playing Checkers with him and watching football on Sundays.

I also remember spending hours listening to music with my dad. Barry Manilow, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Aerosmith...we listened to everything and I really loved this. If you know me, you know how much I love music and how important it is to me. My love of music is from my dad.

4. He was a patient teacher. This might be hard for some of you to believe, but I was not always such a skilled driver. Once upon a time, I failed my driving test---4 times. My dad very patiently kept working with me. We practiced every weekend and after school he would let me drive home while he sat in the passenger's seat. He even had me pump our gas because he told me that it was part of driving and something I needed to know how to do. I'm thankful that my dad was patient and wanted me to be independent and capable.

5. He's a proud dad and he doesn't care who knows. In high school, I visited my dad's job to shadow one of his co-workers and I soon learned that everyone in the building knew everything about me. They knew what I was interested in, they knew about my activities, they knew I was smart and I could go on and on here. I suspect if I visited him at work, now at 32, it would be no different. He has always been proud of who I am and no matter what I did, I always felt like he loved me for who I am. Well, Dad the feeling is mutual. I love you and I'm proud to be your daughter.

What more could a teacher ask for?

Today is the last day of school and a parent sent me this e-mail:

I wanted to thank you for everything you done for my son all school year. He couldn’t have asked for a better teacher then you. You always made him feel good about himself. There are times that is hard to do. You are so very special to us.

The last day of school is so sad! :-(

Chaos at Conklin Dairy Farms

I'm not much for public protesting (I would have made a bad hippy) and I'm definitely not the violent type (that would have made me a good hippy) but I was beyond outraged by the Conklin Dairy Farm abuse video that has been in the news lately. My methods of protesting usually involve letter writing and not buying the products. The letters I can do but not buying the products might be tricky.

Despite searching on the internet, I have not been able to figure out to where Conklin Dairy Farms distributes their products. If I am going to continue consuming animal products I would rather support farms who do not abuse their animals. As a consumer, I am finding it slightly disturbing how difficult it is to find out where our food is coming from.

If you read this, I urge you not to make threats or worse, carry out those threats. Instead, contact your local media and grocery stores and hit Conklin Dairy Farms where it will hurt the most: the wallet. And be nice to your animals. In the mean time, I'm giving serious thought to a vegan diet.

"...what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me." Matthew 25:45

Why I May Leave Facebook and Why I Might Not

With May 31 being heralded at Quit Facebook Day, I've been thinking about whether or not I want to leave. I thought I would look at the things that annoy me about Facebook before I decide. I am guilty of committing many of these Facebook sins but they annoy me all the same. If you're one of my Facebook friends, I'm (probably) not talking about you.

1. People complain about privacy but do nothing to help themselves. We all whine about Facebook's privacy settings being complicated or that we do not even really have privacy but then we're the ones oversharing with 600 of our "closest" friends. If you don't know all of your "friends" VERY well you should probably reconsider posting your address and every picture you take of your kid.

2. Let's look at the oversharing again. No one wants to hear about your gas problems or read along while you fight with your boyfriend on Facebook. It isn't worthwhile. It isn't cute. It isn't funny. It's annoying.

3. Speaking of not caring... The posts on Facebook get mundane. I know that that is kind of the point. Tell us what you're doing and all of that but after awhile the pointless updates get annoying. Some people seem to post every thought they have and it's annoying.

4. If you're going to be mundane, at least stop after one post. Facebook users post about the same thing over and over and over again. I don't care if it's your job, your kids, or your garden; no one wants to read 10 posts about it. Change it up a little bit. I just know there is more to you than that one subject you post about non-stop.

5. Ego Alert! For the first 1-4 reasons I listed, Facebook has become ego central. Admit it, there has to be some egocentric behavior going on for us to think that anyone cares about the bottle of perfume we bought or that the dog just went for a walk. I admit that I'm guilty of this, too. I also realize that this is Facebook's point. However, that doesn't detract from the fact that we go overboard with these types of posts.

6. Coy Status Updates. We've all seen these posts. "Thanks for all the support." "I can't believe that happened!" or my favorite, "My life is falling apart!!!" And nothing more. The poster doesn't come right out and say what's on their mind so instead they type of a mysterious status update. I can only assume that the poster just wants attention/sympathy. If you don't want to tell us, don't post about it at all. Simple as that.

Since I bashed Facebook, it's only fair I tell what I like.

1. Old friends. It is interesting to connect with old friends and see what they're up to. Facebook can definitely be a great way to keep in touch with old and new friends.

2. I'm Nosy. This is no secret to anyone out there but yes, I am very nosy and Facebook can be like the ultimate bathroom cabinet to rummage through since everyone tells their whole life story.

3. Deals. In addition to being nosy, I'm cheap. There are deals to be had if you "like" companies that offer freebies. I've gotten free perfume and coupons through comapny's like Clinique and Bounce that have Facebook pages.

4. I really do care. Despite the fact that I don't want to read 40 status updates all about your new couch, I do care about how you're doing. I also enjoy looking at your pictures. It's all about moderation and nothing in excess.

Do you agree with me on any of these points? What annoys you about Facebook? What do you like about it?

Ronnie James Dio

The first time I heard Dio I was about 8 and I was pretty sure it was the worst music I had ever heard. My dad had the Sacred Heart album and I didn't get the appeal. If you know me at all, you know I'm a music lover and most of that is my father's influence (thanks, Dad because Mom was no help here at all) but Dio did not appeal to me until much later.

The more I heard Ronnie James Dio sing over the years, the more I appreciated his dramatic vocal range and his fantasy-like songs that made me think about Lord of the Rings like characters and settings. I also appreciated his ability to quietly call out the establishment (a.k.a. The Man), be it organized religion or politicians. I also grew to love Black Sabbath under his vocal influence far better than Ozzy's reign.

Beyond music, Ronnie James Dio seemed like a down-to-earth guy who fully recognized that music was meant to be fun and entertaining. His interviews were always amusing and it was clear that he enjoyed what he did.

Thanks for music, Ronnie. Now go do yourselves a favor and check out RJD and Yngwie Malmsteen cover Aerosmith's "Dream On" here. You'll never need to hear Steven Tyler do this song again.

Irresponsible Pet Owners

Just moments ago I was certain there was a serial killer in my yard. Roxi unleashed a ferocious bark that was only justified if an intruder was lurking around. Of course, I went downstairs to see what the fuss was and I saw an intruder in the form of a very fat white and orange tabby cat.

I see stray animals all the time and being an animal lover, I feel so sad for these lost little things. But this time I'm going to push that aside and scold pet owners. The intruder cat looked well-fed and had tags. I hate to assume but I am guessing that this cat is allowed to roam free and that makes me mad and now you're going to find out why.

1. I don't want your cat in my yard. If I had nice flowers, which I don't, I wouldn't want a cat using them as a litter box, a toy, or whatever else a cat might use them for.

2. I don't want my 80 pound dogs to eat your cat. I'm glad my dogs were inside when the visitor was in our yard. Cats are fast but if this cat had not been fast enough I would have felt very guilty.

3. I don't want my dogs getting their eyes scratched out. My dogs belong in my yard, your cat does not. If my dogs would have gotten injured I would have been beyond angry.

4. The world is filled with weirdos. I am sure you can find article after article in a newspaper or the internet about animals who get used for God-knows-what.

I know that animals can easily slip past an open door and I sympathize with all of the people out there who have missing pets. I would be devastated if any of my animals were lost but when people knowingly let their animals roam the streets that is just irresponsible and inflicting your pet on to other people. Keep your pets inside!