It looks like another Ithaca tequila shot is in the future!! Congratulations Phil and Jess on your engagement! : )
Let me also say that I am SO glad celebrities and the like are paying attention to the atrocities in Darfur. The following is taken from this CNN story: "Years of fighting between ethnic groups and Arab militias in western Sudan have left at least 180,000 people dead and about 2 million homeless. Amid the talks, the plight of 3 million refugees in Darfur has worsened. The U.N. World Food Program said Friday that it was cutting rations in half, citing a lack of funds. " The tv show "ER" has even given tons of attention to this situation, sending Pratt to Darfur to join Carter in the relief campaign.
If everyone goes to savedarfur.org/home you can find out how to donate, send a postcard to Pres. Bush urging him to pay more attention to the genocide, learn the history of the genocide, how to educate others, sign up for email updates, buy green wristbands, and many other things. Thanks GEORGE CLOONEY.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Monday, April 24, 2006
Ithaca IS liberal!! Here is proof:
When I tell everyone that coming to FSU from Ithaca was quite a change, I wasn't lyin'. Ithaca is so liberal, with transsexuals running around, homosexual couples walking hand in hand and kissing... I like it. People aren't afraid to be themselves. : ) It was refreshing and just great.
Epodunk.com just ranked the most liberal cities in America. Ithaca made #7 in the medium sized cities list (populations of 25K-99,999 K). Results were based on individual contributions to political parties, election results, gay households, local government resolutions opposing combat in Iraq, local officials performing gay marriages, Congressional District voting history, and population. Big cities, medium, and small cities were ranked, as well as the most liberal town in every state. Here is the link.
Ithaca was the perfect place to go to college!! I would never have wanted to go anywhere else.
Epodunk.com just ranked the most liberal cities in America. Ithaca made #7 in the medium sized cities list (populations of 25K-99,999 K). Results were based on individual contributions to political parties, election results, gay households, local government resolutions opposing combat in Iraq, local officials performing gay marriages, Congressional District voting history, and population. Big cities, medium, and small cities were ranked, as well as the most liberal town in every state. Here is the link.
Ithaca was the perfect place to go to college!! I would never have wanted to go anywhere else.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
And I thought my day was bad..... : (
I got a call today at work from someone in New Orleans, and we got to talking. The lady said that she doesn't have a kitchen still and just today (TODAY!!) they are getting new countertops. They also don't have running water on the first floor of their house still. And the hurricane was HOW LONG AGO? Unbelievable. I feel so horrible for these people. : ( : ( What is going on with the people who are supposed to be helping people who lost everything?!
Friday, April 14, 2006
My saviours
My two saviours this week have been aloe vera gel and my new Turkish friend. : ) Aloe vera because I got pretty burned at the beach on Wednesday and aloe vera is the only thing keeping me sane. My new friend "S" from Turkiye because, well, he has made work go by so fast, and has made my day every day. Thank you to you......... and for sharing your life with me every day (even though I make you late to work). ; )
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Turkiye (2 dots over the "u")
Myspace is a great thing. You can meet people from all over the world, which of course is always a goal of mine. Foreigners are so fascinating, appreciate life more (and having fun without stress!), and have so much respect for the place they live. Whenever I meet people, I do research on where they live so I can have a better understanding of where they are coming from (and so I learn more geography, which I love). I know a lot about so many places, thanks to people I have met from Salerno, Italia; Guadalajara, Mexico; places in Holland; and tons more. A friend who I have been talking to lately is from Adana, Turkiye, and he is an amazing, wonderful, open, fun person. See above map near the Mediterranean to find Adana (map courtesy of this site). Here are some pics of this gorgeous place.
Photo 1 taken from this site. Photo 2. Photo 3. Photo 4. Photo 5.
Who would not want to visit here?! What an amazing place. I just cannot believe the beauty... The mosque you see is the Sabanci Mosque. From the sites I looked up, the pic with the water above is the mosque, a Roman wall/bridge, and the Hilton (correct me if I am wrong-my friend reads my blog too). : ) Interesting picture with the past and present all together. Someday I will go.... someday. Thanks for sharing your country with me, and also the music (the files are awesome!).
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Feeling great
Well folks, I guess going to Curves is working, b/c when I got weighed and measured on Friday, the printout said I have lost 13.5 inches (the biggest difference was in the thigh-loss of 4 in.- and abdomen-loss of 3.5 in.). : ) And 2 pounds. I am feeling great too! I hadn't gotten weighed and measured since November. Oops. haha But I guess that's good b/c then I can see how much I have lost. I just have so much more energy and I like it.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Bringing back memories
Does anyone remember how to do the Cat's Cradle? You know, the thing where you have a long piece of string and make a design out of it with your fingers... interweaving it inbetween and things. I had a long necklace on today and I was just playing with it and I cannot remember how to do it.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Driving costs
As a non-driver, I found this AAA article interesting. Just another reason why driving sucks (and why I thank all of you who give me rides-the least I can do is buy you dinner and movie tickets and things... so don't ever argue if I want to pay for something b/c as you will see, driving costs more $$ than people may think : ) ). hahaha If it was up to me, Tallahassee would have a metro system... and the bus still too I suppose.
Here is the article:
Annual AAA Study Shows Driving Costs Average 52.2 Cents Per Mile
Orlando, Fla. - 3/28/2006
Savvy consumers determined to know how much they are paying to drive their vehicle can look to AAA for assistance.
The 2006 edition of AAA’s Your Driving Costs study shows the overall average cost of owning and operating a passenger vehicle is 52.2 cents per mile, which equals $7,834 per year based on 15,000 miles of driving.
AAA’s estimate of driving costs for 2006 is not directly comparable to data for previous years due to a revision to the survey methodology that better reflects the costs associated with a wider range of vehicle choices.
AAA’s study continues to calculate the average costs of all expenses associated with owning and operating vehicles over five years and 75,000.miles of driving. However, AAA now calculates those costs based on averages for five top-selling passengers cars (including imports) in each of three vehicle size categories, rather than on one representative vehicle in each category as in the past.
Consumers can obtain copies of AAA’s Your Driving Costs from many AAA club offices and on the Internet at www.aaa.com/publicaffairs.
AAA reports that from the end of 2004 to the end of 2005, the average price of fuel increased to $2.405 per gallon; a 15.8 percent increase that raised the average driver’s fuel costs from 8.2 to 9.5 cents per mile. The fuel price information is based on data from AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report. AAA’s study reports the retail price of tires is 0.7 cents per mile.
Driving costs related to licensing, registration and taxes are $535 when “hidden” costs such as personal property and ad valorem taxes that are levied in many states are also factored in.
AAA estimates the average new car will depreciate $3,392 per year of ownership. Full insurance coverage will average $926 per year. Routine maintenance – including the manufacturer’s recommended normal service operations – is estimated to cost 4.9 cents per mile, or $552.
Annual finance charges, computed on a national average basis, are estimated at $716 this year. The finance numbers are based on a 5 year loan at 6 percent interest with a 10 percent down payment.
The purpose of AAA’s annual study is to show consumers how to understand and calculate the full costs of owning and operating their vehicles. Only by factoring in all of the related costs of driving can consumers accurately budget for their future expenses. AAA’s driving cost figures are not intended for use by businesses in the reimbursement of employee driving expenses.
“AAA’s research shows that driving a new vehicle that retains a high resale value and has moderate insurance costs, can help offset other costs such as fuel and tires,” said John Nielsen -- Director, AAA Approved Auto Repair and Car Buying Services. “Selecting a model that is more fuel efficient than others in its size-class, also will help consumers contain their driving expenses.”
To conduct its study, AAA used detailed driving costs for small, medium, and large sedans. Driving costs in each category are based on the average costs for five top-selling models selected by AAA. By size category, they are:
Small Sedan – Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla.
Medium Sedan – Chevrolet Impala, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry.
Large Sedan – Buick Lucerne, Chrysler 300, Ford Five Hundred, Nissan Maxima and Toyota Avalon.
Though not part of the AAA composite average, SUV and minivan information is also included in Your Driving Costs to help buyers estimate operating costs for these types of vehicles. Selected models include:
SUVs – Chevrolet Trailblazer, Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota 4Runner.
Minivans – Chevrolet Uplander, Dodge Caravan, Ford Freestar, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.
As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides its more than 49 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully-tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at: http://www.aaa.com . National and state by state, daily retail fuel prices are available at www.aaafuelgaugereport.com.
Here is the article:
Annual AAA Study Shows Driving Costs Average 52.2 Cents Per Mile
Orlando, Fla. - 3/28/2006
Savvy consumers determined to know how much they are paying to drive their vehicle can look to AAA for assistance.
The 2006 edition of AAA’s Your Driving Costs study shows the overall average cost of owning and operating a passenger vehicle is 52.2 cents per mile, which equals $7,834 per year based on 15,000 miles of driving.
AAA’s estimate of driving costs for 2006 is not directly comparable to data for previous years due to a revision to the survey methodology that better reflects the costs associated with a wider range of vehicle choices.
AAA’s study continues to calculate the average costs of all expenses associated with owning and operating vehicles over five years and 75,000.miles of driving. However, AAA now calculates those costs based on averages for five top-selling passengers cars (including imports) in each of three vehicle size categories, rather than on one representative vehicle in each category as in the past.
Consumers can obtain copies of AAA’s Your Driving Costs from many AAA club offices and on the Internet at www.aaa.com/publicaffairs.
AAA reports that from the end of 2004 to the end of 2005, the average price of fuel increased to $2.405 per gallon; a 15.8 percent increase that raised the average driver’s fuel costs from 8.2 to 9.5 cents per mile. The fuel price information is based on data from AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report. AAA’s study reports the retail price of tires is 0.7 cents per mile.
Driving costs related to licensing, registration and taxes are $535 when “hidden” costs such as personal property and ad valorem taxes that are levied in many states are also factored in.
AAA estimates the average new car will depreciate $3,392 per year of ownership. Full insurance coverage will average $926 per year. Routine maintenance – including the manufacturer’s recommended normal service operations – is estimated to cost 4.9 cents per mile, or $552.
Annual finance charges, computed on a national average basis, are estimated at $716 this year. The finance numbers are based on a 5 year loan at 6 percent interest with a 10 percent down payment.
The purpose of AAA’s annual study is to show consumers how to understand and calculate the full costs of owning and operating their vehicles. Only by factoring in all of the related costs of driving can consumers accurately budget for their future expenses. AAA’s driving cost figures are not intended for use by businesses in the reimbursement of employee driving expenses.
“AAA’s research shows that driving a new vehicle that retains a high resale value and has moderate insurance costs, can help offset other costs such as fuel and tires,” said John Nielsen -- Director, AAA Approved Auto Repair and Car Buying Services. “Selecting a model that is more fuel efficient than others in its size-class, also will help consumers contain their driving expenses.”
To conduct its study, AAA used detailed driving costs for small, medium, and large sedans. Driving costs in each category are based on the average costs for five top-selling models selected by AAA. By size category, they are:
Small Sedan – Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra and Toyota Corolla.
Medium Sedan – Chevrolet Impala, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry.
Large Sedan – Buick Lucerne, Chrysler 300, Ford Five Hundred, Nissan Maxima and Toyota Avalon.
Though not part of the AAA composite average, SUV and minivan information is also included in Your Driving Costs to help buyers estimate operating costs for these types of vehicles. Selected models include:
SUVs – Chevrolet Trailblazer, Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota 4Runner.
Minivans – Chevrolet Uplander, Dodge Caravan, Ford Freestar, Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.
As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides its more than 49 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully-tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at: http://www.aaa.com . National and state by state, daily retail fuel prices are available at www.aaafuelgaugereport.com.
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