Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged
in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
Exodus 20:12

My son, observe the commandment of your father,
and do not forsake the teaching of your mother;
Proverbs 6:20

Happy Mother’s Day Mom!

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One of the requirements of my job is to travel to different client sites to install our server software. Almost of all of these trips involve spending a couple days at the client site, with almost no contact with the outside world. Since I am not allowed to install most of the software I like to use on a daily basis on the client’s systems, I learned long ago that I could install most of my favorite applications on USB Flash drives. Now I am a confessed USB Flash drive addict. I have several of them in all shapes and sizes.

My favorite, however, is the Kingston 2GB Data Traveler USB Flash Drive. With 2GB of data in my pocket I can go just about anywhere and do just about anything I need to do. I found out about the Kingston Flash Drive while I was looking for a replacement for a drive I lost on my most recent trip to Baltimore.

The drive I lost contained an encrypted backup of all my current projects, emails, and several applications I run throughout the day. I needed a replacement right away, and Buy.com had a great deal on them at the time. With their low price and free shipping, I knew I was getting a great deal, but the fact they offered 2nd day express shipping at such a low cost made the deal even better. I had the new flash drive before I even left Baltimore and the bonus was the retractable cap. I can’t even tell you how many flash drive caps I have lost over the last year. The fact that I can’t lose the cap is a huge plus.

I’m not sure what I would do if I didn’t have the Buy.com weekly deals to rely on. They offer such a range of products there is always something on their list that I want (and sometimes need).

Two weeks after I returned home from that trip, I got a call from someone at BWI airport. They found my flash drive and sent it back to me. How cool is that? With the return of that drive, my collection of drives sits at 9. I’m sure it won’t be long before I welcome #10 into the family.

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11 Alive reported today that U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) won’t be running for Governor in 2010. Or was it 2008? Now I am confused.

Oh well, they fixed it before I could post this. I sure am glad I captured it when I saw it. Johnny’s looking a little weather-worn if you ask me.

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Eddy Arnold, whose mellow baritone on songs like “Make the World Go Away” made him one of the most successful country singers in history, died Thursday morning, days short of his 90th birthday.

Arnold died at a care facility near Nashville, said Don Cusic, a professor at Belmont University and author of the biography “Eddy Arnold: I’ll Hold You in My Heart.” His wife of 66 years, Sally, had died in March, and in the same month, Arnold fell outside his home, injuring his hip.

…

Arnold lived in Brentwood, a Nashville suburb. Survivors include a son, Richard Edward Arnold Jr., and daughter, Jo Ann Pollard, both of Brentwood.

Rest In Peace, Eddy.

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It’s been a little over three years since we fenced in our backyard. Fencing in 1/2 acre is no easy task, let me tell you. Ever since the fence went in I have been meaning to get a sign to let people know there are dogs in the backyard.

You never know when someone from the pest control company, the power company, or some other utlity will need access to our backyard. I feel it’s only appropriate to let them know there is a dog in the yard, especially now that Flash is gone and Stitches could be just about anywhere back there. There’s no telling how he would react if someone just suddenly appeared in his yard.

I was pleased to find out that I had the opportunity to post about my opinion of The Original Pet Postings beware of dog signs available from AVM Publishing. Ordering the sign couldn’t have been easier. They had three colors to choose from. I really wanted the cobalt blue, but my wife thought the green would look better on the chain link fence, so we went with the green. She is the interior and fashion designer of the family you know.

The sign came with the cable ties for attaching it to the fence. It took me a while to figure out how to attach it (because I didn’t notice the easy to follow instructions until after I was done putting it up), but it was still super simple to do.

We received the sign just two days after ordering it, and the company has a “good Karma policy”. I had never heard of it before. They don’t accept credit cards, and they ship the product before you pay! Once you receive the product quickly, they expect you to send your check quickly as well. You won’t find many companies on the internet with that policy.

I have nothing but good things to say about this company. Dealing with them was one of the most pleasant experiences I have had on the internet, and I highly recommend them if you are looking for this type of sign for your fenced yard.

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While I blog a lot of celebrity deaths, rarely do any of them have a direct impact on my life. Tonight, however, I am saddened to learn about the death of Beverlee McKinsey.

Beverlee McKinsey, an actress best known for roles she played on the daytime soap operas “Another World” in the 1970s and “Guiding Light” in the 1980s, has died. She was 72.

McKinsey died May 2 at Olympic Medical Center in Los Angeles. The cause of death was complications from a kidney transplant, her son, Scott McKinsey, said.

In an acting career of more than 30 years, McKinsey began in New York theater. She was an understudy for the Neil Simon play, “Barefoot in The Park,” performing the female lead, Corrie, a number of times in the 1960s. Robert Redford played the love interest.

…

She married Mark McKinsey in 1956. They divorced three years later.

McKinsey was married three times. Her last husband, actor Berkeley Harris, died in 1984.

Along with her son, McKinsey is survived by her grandson, Marley.

I first watched “Another World” with my grandmother during one summer when I spent the days at her house. She got me hooked on a few soaps and I have been watching them, well, the ones that are still on the air anyway, ever since.

Beverlee McKinsey was an excellent actress and no matter what role she was playing, when she appeared on the screen it was always the bright spot of my day. Back in the 80’s I always hoped that Alexandra Spaulding from “Guiding Light” would hook up with Stefano DiMera on “Days of Our Lives”. Ahh, the dreams of a young impressionable kid.

Rest In Peace, Beverlee.

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Irvine Robbins, co-founder of Baskin-Robbins whose penchant for creating unusual ice-cream flavors helped push post-World War II America far beyond its chocolate-vanilla-strawberry tastes, has died. He was 90.

Robbins, who opened his first ice-cream shop in 1945 in Glendale, died Monday of complications related to old age at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, said his daughter, Marsha Veit.

…

With his wife, Irma, whom he married in 1942, he raised three children. As an adult, his son John rejected the family business and wrote “Diet for a New America,” a 1987 book critical of the meat and dairy industries.

…

In addition to his wife and daughter Marsha Veit of Mount Kisco, N.Y., Robbins is survived by two other children, John Robbins of Soquel, Calif., and Erin Robbins of Grass Valley, Calif.; sisters Shirley Familian and Elka Weiner of Los Angeles; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Rest In Peace, Irvine.

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In 2006, Democrats told us to vote for change. People voted, Democrats took over the Congress, and things have changed. They have changed dramatically.

Since the Democrats took over the price of gas has risen from just over to $2 per gallon to more than $3.50 per gallon. Unemployment has risen from 4.5% to 5.0% and consumer confidence, which was at a 2 1/2 year high, is falling faster than property values. More people are facing foreclosure now than at any other time, and things don’t look like they’ll be getting better any time soon.

Yep. Americans wanted change in 2006, and we got it, didn’t we?

Today, Newt Gingrich said,

If a majority of the House Republicans vote for real change, they should instruct Republican Leader John Boehner and his team to come back with a new plan by the Wednesday before the Memorial Day recess.

…

This plan should involve real change in legislative, communications, and campaign strategy and involve immediate, real action, including a complete overhaul of the Congressional Campaign Committee

Honestly, at this point, it won’t take much to be seen as the party of change and reform, the question is, which party will portray themselves as the one that can accomplish those goals?

Personally, no one inside either party has given me any hope that things will change or that reform is in the air. No one. That is sad. In every election I have always voted for someone, this will be the first election where I specifically vote against someone. I feel horrible, but I have no confidence in any of the current candidates.

There is no doubt that things need to change in Washington. There is no doubt that many different government agencies need to be reformed. We just need to be careful who we put in charge of those changes.

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