Creep

This guy doesn't deserve the sympathy that he's reaching for:

"Washington (CNN) -- Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina has admitted that he fathered a girl with his mistress.

"I will do everything in my power to provide her with the love and support she deserves," Edwards said in a statement."


What the article doesn't mention is the cancer battle his wife was in the middle of while he had the affair with his campaign staffer.
I remember feeling a little emotional for the woman, when she appeared next to her dirtbag of a husband to announce that even though she was fighting cancer, they were going to push ahead with his Presidential campaign. I was thinking at the time, "Isn't he being a little selfish, running a very expensive and gruelling campaign while his poor wife suffers through surgery and chemo?"

What a creep.

Coffee Snob

I have gotten to the point where I critique coffee as much as I do people's grammar. Yeah, that's annoying, I know.
But after getting hooked on GOOD coffee, it is very difficult for me to sit through a bitter, nasty, icky cup of coffee. And espresso has to be quality. QUALITY!!
Steve got hooked on the sweet nectar they serve at McCafe (that's McDonalds, but with a latte' machine. So much so, he merely needs to drive up to the drive thru and say, "You know what I want." And they do. Because he's there so much.

Yesterday I was shopping for napkins and I happened upon a very basic, inexpensive espresso machine on clearance for $30. $30!!! We've been toying with the idea of getting a machine but the price tag always scared us away. So now I have a new toy.



Here's the espresso goodness, flowing from my new best friend in the kitchen:

Rain, Rain, Give Me a Day Off....

It rains once in a great while here. When it does, everything stops. Well, everything in my life, anyway. I had to cancel the Market because it's an outdoor Market and rain will typically mean setting up would be a waste of time.

But then I can't do ANYTHING outdoors because I really don't have rain gear. I have an umbrella. But I don't have a rain coat. And all my pants drag on the ground around my feet so they would be soaked in about 2.5 seconds.

Shay has no rain gear to speak of, either. He has made the mistake of going out to ride his bike in the rain, and he found out how cold it gets very quickly once your sweatshirt is soaked!



A quick taste of rain drops and he was done for the day.



I guess that's what Wii is for.

Oh, in case you're wondering, this is what the sky looked like...



It was falling...

Time To Be An Adult

This Friday and Saturday I'm traveling to Phoenix in my Big Girl Pants to attend some State G.O.P. meetings and banquets. I've been invited to a reception that our Governor is putting on, and an awards ceremony at which I may or may not be accepting a plaque for my Republican Women's work in our community. Don't know yet, I'll know on Friday. That would be particularly exciting because it will be in front of all the G.O.P. of our state.
The State meeting on Saturday should be a fun and contentious one, because there are some huge decisions to be made. The rules governing how we manage our money that we've fundraised up here in Havasu may change severely. And the G.O.P. will be deciding if it will continue to allow Independant voters to participate in our Primary elections. In most other states, the Independants do not vote until the General election. That's how it's always been. For some reason, that's not how it was set up in Arizona. So of course when I mention to Independent voters that they might get kicked out of our Primary, they get ALL UPSET. Well, geez, the answer is simple: Either wait for the General election to cast your vote or register as a Republican or Democrat. The Primary elections determine who our party is going to support and spend money on. Why would we want the opinion of an Independant voter who doesn't contribute to our funds? Hmmm....

Yes, I've seen the other side of the argument, and I think it's pretty weak.
Our people fundraise one dollar at a time. Not from the general public, but from registered Republicans. So we need to concentrate on using that money to support candidates who have the votes of the registered Republicans. Makes sense, right?

This Wasn't Me, But I'm Laughing All The Same

IOWA CITY, Iowa, – Iowa City police say a drunken man dressed like a cowboy broke into a house and threatened to kill the resident's dog.

Police said 24-year-old Derrick Thomas Alger of Iowa City was arrested early Thursday morning on charges of trespass, intoxication and carrying a dangerous weapon.

Officers said Alger reportedly threatened a cab driver with a handgun shortly after midnight. They say Alger, who was dressed in shorts, boots and a cowboy hat, fled the scene, but entered the rear door of a private residence, where he demanded to know who the residents were and threatened their barking dog.

Police arrested Alger outside the house and said he had a blood alcohol level several times the legal limit for driving.

Alger has an unlisted telephone number and could not be reached for comment.

SCORE Racing!

At the races in Mexico, our security force is an entire platoon of Mexican Army guys with huge automatic rifels and olive green fatigues. In Nevada, our security force is this guy:



We dubbed him Officer Funnel Cake, because that was the only thing that inspired him to move about and make his presence known.

The Laughlin, Nevada Chamber of Commerce helps to put this event together, so it's unique. There are no Tecate Girls to pose with, there are merely scantily dressed local girls who they've named the SCORE Girls. I like the Tecate Girls, they're "models." What do "models" do in Mexico when there's no off road races to appear at? Well, I suppose you can use your imagination for that one.
Here's the Tecate Girls and I at a race in 2006:



I didn't pose with the SCORE Girls this past weekend because they were a bit tore up. Enough said.

The race activities begin with the "Laughlin Leap" at night time. It's always cold, it's always windy, and there have been very few years where I had the motivation to go stand out there and watch. I went this year because I wanted to get a few good photos to share with you...





The most interesting fact about these jumps was their speed. They were clocked at over 110 miles per hour. Could you imagine going that fast in the dark, over a jump???

Cold. Windy. Was glad when it was done. I stood over by the jump with the group of media personnel. Had front row seats for the action. But I was done. DONE! One of my hands was numb from holding my camera out in the cold wind.

The next day, racing began. Didn't take very many photos because it was overcast and the lighting wasn't very flattering for the pretty and colorful off road vehicles. But Sunday was nice, sunny, and warm. So I took a hundred photos. I will only share a couple...

This is Pistol Pete's truck, it is a three-seater and he is in the middle seat. I guess he can steer from the middle. I don't know. He's in there giving me the peace sign, this was shortly after I got yet another autograph from him for Shay.



He's not the driver with all the wins, he's just the one Shay and I like the most. He is an unconventional looking person, with his wild hair and sideburns...This is him on his scooter talking to Paul:



Pistol Pete was lined up to start with Andy McMillin, who began racing off road (a family legacy) when he turned 16. Andy is probably 20 years old now...something like that. Andy (blue truck) ended up winning the race and the entire event. He had the best timed laps over all 125 of the racers this weekend...



The jumps weren't very spectacular, but I'm told that's because the jump itself was considerably smaller this year. But I did get some jump photos.