wwjesuslaughat

Eagle, I'm going gem mining in western North Carolina this weekend. Too bad you couldn't push it up a bit. I've been several times in that area (Franklin, NC) and loved it! You buy a bucket of dirt for 50 cents and you find rubies and sapphires. What a bargain. There are a number of mines in that area. I'm going to the Sheffield Mines. They are one of the few natural mines left. Most of the other mines are "salted", which means they add stones that are not native to that region for tourists to find. They are real stones and you're likely to find more than natural mines, but I'm a purist. PM me if you'd like more info. The coolest thing I did with rubies that I found in the area was I picked out 6 of the prettiest rubies I had at that time and just had them polished a bit, so they still had their natural shape but were very shiny. Then I had picture frames made with the verse from Proverbs 31 talking about a virtuous woman being more precious than rubies, and had a ruby set in each one. I gave those to all the women in my family.

If I ever sing in another country band again, I'll name it the Frog Turds in your honor. How 'bout "Frog Turds and Gravy"?

My boyfriend is the first person I ever said the words "I was in a cult" to. He was wonderfully understanding (which I thought he'd be) and very accepting. It was too big a part of my life not to mention and since I didn't want to lie to him, I told him about my experiences. He's even been on Greasespot a few times and read some of the stories here. He came with me to last year's Weenie Roast and had a great time. He enjoys healthy debate and discussion on religion and Christianity. His observation after the roast and hearing about other experiences was "I don't think you were as involved with The Way as some other people were." It's still hard for me to think about without some measure of embarrassment and shame, but I've come a long way in letting go of the past thanks to Greasespot. I don't tell most people specifically that I was in a cult because I live in a small town, very Baptist, and I don't think they would understand. I have told a few people that I was involved with a non-denominational group for a few years. That seems to answer basic questions.

Saturday, May 21, 2061 in normal mode. If I can happy up a little more, maybe I can squeeze out a few more months and make it to 100!

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Sorry. High on Nyquil; must sleep now.

I SELL 'EM! Yes, they are kind of a necessary evil in this world today. You could certainly get along without them, and I did for many years, but when I got one, I found it was very handy. I don't talk much on mine and it's the only phone I have. With cable internet and living and driving around by myself the vast majority of the time, I felt much safer with a cell phone, but don't need a home phone. I have an unlimited plan and use around 500-600 minutes a month. I have seen phone bills with as many as 6000 minutes a month on them. If you're talking that much, how do you have any time to do anything to talk to someone else about? In other words, some people have no life.

I did the name thing at the bottom and found it was more accurate when I just did my first and last name and left the middle name out. Is that how it's supposed to work? My boyfriend goes by his middle name but his first and last name are more accurate for him, I think. It is fun, though. Me and Eddy Vedder have the same birthday. Cool!

I hate to miss a "do" in my home state, but my sweetie and I won't have the time off this weekend. We are planning a gem mining trip to Franklin, NC in late September if anyone's in that area at that time. Have some pear squeezin's on me!

I think the fact that he made "Passion of the Christ" is a big reason that his anti-Semitic comments have taken off the way they have. I believe the other reason that his comments have received so much airtime is the views his father holds about Jews and the Holocaust. His dad, Hutton Gibson, believes that the Holocaust either never happened, or didn't happen in the numbers that are commonly acribed. If I remember correctly, his dad may have written a book about the subject.

Jbarrax, I saw on TV recently an ad trying to get a class action lawsuit going against AT&T. There was an 800 number but I don't remember what it was. You might try looking online for it. I too had AT&T when it got bought by Cingular. I was told by several Cingular employees that they would no longer be servicing AT&T towers so my service would steadily deteriorate until I came to the dark side and bought a new phone and signed a new contract. I wasn't impressed with that deal. I have to laugh (sympathetically, of course) because I work for a cellular provider in my area. We are on the same system as Verizon, but it's not Verizon service here. We get all kinds of complaints and problems. It ain't easy on this side of the fence either, but since I am a customer also, I do understand both sides

I like "I don't give an airborne rodent's derrierre (sp?)" myself. I'm not a big fan of public vulgarity, I think most people can be a little more respectful in public places. but for me it's more the attitude than the actual language. Like, this is me, who cares what you think. With freedom, comes accountability. What has really bothered me lately, though, is not vulgarity, but the phrases, "my baby's daddy" or "my baby's mama". I recently worked with a young woman (geez, I'm only 44, and I can't believe I'm using that phrase!) and she went into a lengthy discussion that would make Maury proud. Who's baby's daddy was making babies with who's baby's mama. I mean, a half dozen condoms would have prevented the entire conversation. I don't know, maybe it's growing up on the back edge of women's lib and equal rights and all, but that terminology seems so...demeaning. I mean, if you're going to refer to yourself as someone's baby's mama, why not just introduce yourself as a hole? or a womb? If that's your only identification as a woman, being linked to your reproductive abilities, what can that really say about your self-esteem? Before anyone gets up in arms about having babies outside of marriage, let me say that is not what I am concerned about. I know there are a number of reasons why people have children outside of marriage, and they're just not any of my business. What I am getting at is the self-perception of mostly young women who don't look at themselves as an entire person, taking responsibility for their actions by their language. I.e.; I had a relationship with someone and we had a baby as a result. We are no longer seeing each other and I am raising my child on my own. Anyway, that's my rant.

Jardinero, I have to agree with you on Boston Legal. William Shatner and James Spader are absolutely the best couple on TV. There's no telling where they will let those two characters go.

I do have a vague memory of where Littlehawk was talking about. Two hours north of where we were at would be in the Louisville/Southern Indiana area, being on the Ohio river. Of course, we could always ask Littlehawk....

Sexy is when my guy comes up behind me when I'm washing dishes and nuzzles my neck. Sexier is when he's doing dishes from the dinner he cooked and I nuzzle his neck.

Never tried Lava, I got the most response from Match.com. I never did very well with Christian sites. I must not give off enough "Christian" vibe. I think the first one I tried was Matchmaker.com. I don't know if it's even around anymore, but you could go to different sub-categories based on things like geography, different religions, sexual preference, etc. It was interesting.

The good, the bad, and the ugly. Sometimes they were all one guy. :blink: I did a fair amount of online dating before I met my sweetie on a previous job. I would recommend it for almost anyone, with the same cautions you would take with meeting anyone new. Meet someone for the first time in a public place, be sure you take your time chatting before you meet in person. If you don't have a cell phone number, get a track phone or prepaid cell phone and give only that number out. For me it gave me an opportunity to experience mass amounts of rejection, which I had been afraid to expose myself to, and found out I could still breathe after the experience. It also gave me many more opportunities to meet people than I would have in my everyday life and social circles. I met some really great guys from online dating. Saddle up and go get 'em, Cowgirl!

You actually got replies from that site? I couldn't get any response at all. I suppose I could have lied and said I was blonde and gorgeous. You know, to appeal to them "spiritual" men that want a woman who's beautiful inside and out, but mostly out. Thank God I don't have to do that anymore. I sincerely wish anyone who's looking to continue their search wherever they feel led, and to heed words of caution from people like wayfer not.

I work in cell phone sales with a bunch of 20 year olds. Their topics of conversation are: 1. Getting drunk 2. Getting high 3. Getting laid 4. What they got pierced/tattooed 5. Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, American Idol 6. How tired they always are Lord help me.

Do they make black leather Depends? Beth, dump this jerk and go find Ralph or Potsie. They'll worship the ground you walk on and treat you like you deserve to be treated!

I had a plan similar to what you guys are describing for almost 5 years. I am pretty healthy, except for some ongoing eye problems, and then dental issues a couple of years ago. Since I didn't get any health insurance from the company I worked for, the discount plan worked well for me. I had a number of options in North Carolina, and several reputable options for dental and vision care in Ky. I can't say how well it would have done for hospitalization because I never used it, but my experience with a discount plan was overall good. I will say this. I believe wholeheartedly that if someone shows up at a hospital or doctor's office with any kind of discount plan or card, they are likely to get at least a little better treatment than if they walked in off the street with nothing. IMO.

Oh, the change thing really drives me up the wall! Sometimes I can move my hand fast enough when they hand me the bills to get the change in my palm. If not, I sit there at the drive thru until I've put every last penny away. As far as the conversations holding up traffic, just stop, lean in, and act interested in what they're saying. Chime in with, "Oh, your Aunt Mary has bunions? My Aunt Ethel has acid reflux." They'll move on.

The manager thing, more than likely any "manager" goes home at 5 o'clock sharp and wouldn't be caught dead working a weekend. What they usually have is an "escalation" department that handles the big complaints. My boyfriend works in the escalation department of a call center. He is very good at what he does, but he is limited as to what options he has available to him. Used to be you could speak to the manager or get hold of someone in charge. Many times these days the customer service is hundreds or thousands of miles away from the people in charge of the products. You really have to have a lot of time and patience to get in there and make much difference. I'd probably chalk it up to experience and "you get what you pay for."

The Anne Graham Lotz comments have been around since 9-11 (that I know of). She supposedly said that in response to the terrorist attacks in an interview.

Doombah Dippinsquirt. Oh, my!

I agree about feeling much more humble when I kneel to pray. It also reminds me of when I was a child and I knelt beside my bed to say my prayers. I feel when I do that now, I'm going to God in childlike trust and humility. I have bad knees too, so I don't kneel that often. But I did buy one of those little foam gardening pads and I use that occasionally.