Take, for instance, this new way of making and receiving free phone calls -- it's called iCall. With iCall you can call any phone in the U.S. and Canada from your PC for free, and receive phone calls from anywhere in the world for free! And, amazingly enough, you even get FREE voicemail! iCall features a new technology which uses your existing Internet connection (cable, DSL, wireless, or dial-up) and your PC to plug you directly in to the regular telephone network. How's that for slick! All you have to do is simply download iCall for free and you can be making calls within minutes! The only thing you need is a microphone or a headset!

There is a lot more information for you on their web site. You should seriously check it out!

iCall, icall.com

Comments (0)

Comments on this Entry:

My sweet girl Lily has pink eye. She's my gorgeous Australian Shepherd. Her left eye was all red and icky yesterday; today they both are. Looks like I'll be calling the Vet bright and early in the morning. I feel so sorry for her. She keeps rubbing them with her paw, poor thing.

It's no wonder people get sick 'round these parts so much this time of year. It's been 85 to 89 degrees during the day, then as low as 53 at night. First you're hot, then you're cold. Then you're sick. lol Is it like that where you live?

So what did you do this weekend? My daughter and I watched Fracture last night. It was really good! Of course, anything with Anthony Hopkins in it just has to be good, right? He's such an amazing actor. Great flick. Watch it if you can.

Guess that's about it. Hope you all had a great weekend! :)

Fracture, Anthony Hopkins, Pink Eye, Pink Eye in Dogs, Australian Shepherds

Comments (4)

Comments on this Entry:

(Lynne on Sep 24, 2007 12:22 PM) Your poor dog! I didn't realize that dogs got pink eye, that's good to know! Will the vet give eye drops like what they do for humans?

(Debbie on Sep 24, 2007 4:45 PM) Well done on the 2 miles, Leigh. Now, let me work that out in kms (*lol*). You're doin' beautifully! :) You walked almost 3 1/2 kms. Good girl! :)) We watched Spiderman 3 on Friday night; had friends over on Saturday night and enjoyed some lovely spring weather. I worked out on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning I did 6kms on my elliptical. School holidays here, so Brad, Ryan and I went for a lovely bike ride into town yesteray. Before heading home we sat by the water and slurped on slurpies from 7-11. Craig and his friend, Brad, went to the Halo 3 launch last night (midnight). The night before (Sunday night) they went to a party. They're stuffed from lack of sleep, but they said it was sooo worth it! Mad gamers!! lol

(Karen on Sep 25, 2007 7:16 PM) WTG on the 2 miles! I hope your puppy gets over the pink eye soon. Poor baby.

(Chunks on Sep 26, 2007 10:33 AM) Poor puppy! How is she doing? Congrats on the walking!!

My sister lived for 10 years in New Orleans, and my father was born and raised in Georgia. Yes, he was a racist. He was also a self-proclaimed Christian. How those two things mesh is beyond me. But I digress. What I learned about Louisiana from having my sister there for so long is that they are, for all intents and purposes, a culture unto themselves. They do things in ways completely unique to them. One common trait they share with much of the South, though, is racism.

You've probably guessed by now that I am talking about the unconscionable events in Jena, Louisiana. Yes, I know the U.S. Attorney announced Wednesday that the nooses hung from the tree and the beating are unrelated, to which I resoundingly say ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! Give me a break!! It's those damn nooses hung from that damn tree that started ALL of this escalating racial tension at Jena High School! And why did those white students hang those nooses? Because a few black students dared to sit under "their" tree. OH.MY.GOD. Now I ask you, where do you think those high school kids learned to be so racist? No, not just at home, people. I'm telling you, it's an inherent part of their culture!

So the nooses are hung, and nothing is done. They call it simply a high school prank. Yeah, right, just a prank. NOT! Hanging nooses is just as horrendous as burning a cross in someone's yard or spray painting a swastika on a Synagogue! It's a hate crime! (At least the police in Alexandria, Louisiana, 40 miles from Jena, recognize it for what it is! Be sure to pay attention to what the passenger of the pickup said to authorities. Like I said, deeply ingrained!) So, tensions rise and more incidents take place, finally leading to several black students beating up a white boy who, by the way, was treated and released, then went to a school function that night! All of a sudden it's attempted murder and they're arrested! WTF?? Eventually the national media got wind of the story, and you know what's happened since then. Yesterday thousands marched for justice in Jena, and I SO wish I could have been there! For all the good it did. Today the Court announced that Mychal Bell, the sole defendant who remains behind bars from the group of teens known as the "Jena 6," will not be released. This is unbelievable. This should outrage ALL of us! He was a minor when this incident occurred and he should have been charged as a juvenile! But let's just put all that aside for a moment and consider THIS: his conviction was overturned!! WHY is he still in jail??? WHY do they refuse to release him or transfer him to a juvenile facility! This is WRONG, people!

Stand up for what is RIGHT! Shout it from the rooftops -- or better yet, SHOUT it from your blogs!! We are more powerful than you know!

Jena, Louisiana, Jena 6, Mychal Bell, Racism, Racism in the South

TrackBack (0) | Comments (5)

Comments on this Entry:

(lattegirl on Sep 22, 2007 7:19 AM) Un-freaking-real. That's all I can say.

(Ben on Sep 22, 2007 8:59 PM) There is a reason the south is more racist than the north. There are more black people here. I noticed that before I came in to contact with black people I was not racist at all, I considered them to be just like everyone else. After going to a public high school (75% black by enrollment, 50% by attendance) I began to think differently.

(Leigh on Sep 22, 2007 9:17 PM) Terry, I know. It's like the 1960s all over again. Ben -- First of all, thank you for taking the time to leave your thoughts. :) Regarding your comment, I can see where you're coming from, but I feel your reasoning is a bit superficial compared to the complexity of the issue, and the true beginnings of racism in this country. And let's not forget that people's behavior, to a great extent, tend to reflect the way in which they are treated by others and the environment in which they live. No, that's not an "excuse", but it is definitely a factor. We all know it's true that it was the South which owned the slaves and considered Black people more as property than people, and I believe that mindset has carried over for generations in the South -- especially the Deep South. I'm not going to make a statement as sweeping as to intimate ALL Southerners are racist, but I do believe a majority of them are, whether they're willing to admit it or not. It's the way in which they've been raised to think for generations. The KKK is still alive and well in the South, believe me! The fact that there are more Black people in the South is a given; the population has continued to grow since the days of slavery. Anyway, it's a very loaded and controversial subject, to be sure. I really do appreciate hearing your thoughts. Thank you! :)

(Creechman on Sep 23, 2007 9:31 AM) This is a touchy subject. But as a white male, I'm more than a little resentful at the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, so selectively moralizing. I myself am a fair person. I believe people should be judged by their conduct, achieve what they will by merit. I appreciate your sense of outrage about the Jena situation. What I don't appreciate is the exacerbation, constantly, endlessly. If there were an easy way out of this conundrum, someone would surely have found it.

(Leigh on Sep 23, 2007 11:47 AM) Creech -- Thanks so much for weighing in on this. I really do appreciate it. My opinion is that the "exacerbation, constantly, endlessly" absolutely must continue! There actually was an easy way out -- in the beginning! They've screwed it up so badly that now they are left with only two options: admit when they're wrong and change it, or pigheadedly continue on the same path. Unfortunately, they opt for the latter. That is why the protest really must continue, Mark. It's purely an outrage what's happening, not to mention wholly unjust! That's what I think, anyway. ;)

ANYway, I think I have everything done. If you find anything amiss while here, please let me know, OK? Now, on to MUCH more interesting and important things -- how are YOU? Did you have a good weekend? Let me know what's going on in your world! :)

(making mental note to figure out how to get smilies working in MT 4)

Movable Type 4.0, Upgrading, Smilies

Comments (8)

Comments on this Entry:

(Leigh on Sep 18, 2007 7:15 PM) testing yet AGAIN. now i see the remember me function isn't working anymore. i yi yi! yet ONE MORE THING that isn't working right! grrrr!

(GG on Sep 18, 2007 8:30 PM) Hi, just wanted to say we share a middle name, one that perhaps many are unable to pronounce correctly ... LOL! Really like the fresh look of your site, keep up the good work!

(Kirsi on Sep 19, 2007 9:49 AM) I tried to leave a comment earlier this week, but I think it was while your individual pages weren't working. Glad to hear you've got everything up and running now - it sure looks great here! :)

(mary lou on Sep 19, 2007 2:21 PM) We got really cold here last night, DId you get any snow? I hear that Breckenridge did. BRRRRR ANd it is only September, and TECHNICALLY still SUMMER!

(Debbie on Sep 19, 2007 7:24 PM) Hope everything is up and running as expected now, Leigh.

(Elizabeth on Sep 20, 2007 7:44 PM) Hi Leigh! Everything on the blog looks great to me. And since you asked, I have good news-I got a job working online for BlogTalk Radio!

(Creechman on Sep 21, 2007 7:48 AM) Seems to be holding up. Way to go! You know I know how much of an adventure it was. ha ha.

(Karen on Sep 21, 2007 11:53 AM) Your site looks so nice! Green is my favorite color.

Comments (0)

Comments on this Entry:

Hope you're all having a great Friday night! :)

Movable Type, MT, MT 4.0, Upgrading to MT 4.0

Comments (7)

Comments on this Entry:

(Debbie on Sep 14, 2007 8:37 PM) Good luck, Leigh. :)

(Chunks on Sep 14, 2007 8:47 PM) Good luck! (whatevery MT is...)

(Creechman on Sep 15, 2007 9:48 AM) Good LUCK! Took me a full week to get over the MT 4.0 changes, even with help. You can do it. Once it works, it's awesome.

(Leigh on Sep 15, 2007 9:07 PM) testing

(Creechman on Sep 16, 2007 6:22 AM) Whoo-hoo!

(cassie-b on Sep 16, 2007 6:44 AM) Good luck. I'm such a coward about doing things like that. Cas

(Richard on Sep 20, 2007 4:35 AM) I've been using it for awhile and except for a few issues during the beta I really like it. 4.01 with some bugixes was released on the 17th oh by the way. That upgrade should be relatively painless though after 4.0

Do cats dream? I know dogs do. My dogs dream ALL THE TIME. They twitch and yip and their lips curl up sometimes. It's hysterical! LOL But I've never seen a cat dream. Do they do the same thing?

Fall is just around the corner. You can feel it in the air. Isn't it funny how you can literally feel things in the air? I love the feeling of Fall. I hate what comes after it. Actually, I begin hating it when the leaves fall off the trees, the grass turns brown and the flowers die. It's depressing. Brown is not a good color for me. Then Winter has to come and make it even worse! I used to adore Winter when I was a kid, though. Gotta' love those snow days from school!! But now? No way. You can keep all the snow (except for the first snowfall of the season. that one is always cool), and you can DEFINITELY keep the cold!! I don't do cold well. Not well at all. How 'bout you?

Big Brother 8, Fall, Autumn, Winter, Snow, Cold

Comments (3)

Comments on this Entry:

(Mahala on Sep 13, 2007 9:05 AM) There was a nip in the air here this morning, it feels so nice out :)

(lattegirl on Sep 14, 2007 1:50 PM) I think my cats dream. Well, one of them for sure. She twitches. Another cat (Mikey) makes me laugh because when he is just relaxing for the night or a nap, he emits this long, drawn-out sigh with a musical note that starts up high and whistles down low. He sounds like an old man with a breathing condition. It is quite cute.

(Robin Sardini on Sep 19, 2007 8:24 AM) Yup, cats dream. I have three kitties and it's comical to watch them sleep. They twitch, and run (legs move very fast, as if they're running), sometimes I hear muffled meows, their whiskers flutter, and their breathing quickens. It would be interesting to know what they dream about...probably hunting mice or birds... Ok, onto the next thought...I like fall, the cooler nights, the crispness in the air. I love the color changes in the autumn leaves, but raking them is not so fun. Last year we raked 41 bags from our yard alone for the recycling (composting) program. It was a daunting 3 day task with two of us raking. I love the first snowfall. The cold is a challenge for me as well, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere that I couldn't enjoy the change of the four seasons.

God rest their souls and heal the hearts of their loved ones. May it never, ever, ever happen again.

September 11th, 9/11, Anniversary of 9/11

TrackBack (0) | Comments (5)

Comments on this Entry:

(Hoto on Sep 11, 2007 11:17 PM) we will never forget !!!

(Leigh on Sep 12, 2007 5:54 PM) Right on, Hoto. Thank you!

(Robyn on Sep 20, 2007 10:31 PM) What a beautiful picture. Truly a picture worth 1000 words--or even 2,819 lives. Thanks for sharing!!

(Leigh on Sep 20, 2007 10:41 PM) Robyn, thank you. :)

(Pips on Sep 21, 2007 5:36 AM) I will never forget!

Dick has been horribly mean, cruel, vile, crude and rude, bordering on humiliating verbal abuse, and BB has never stepped in ONCE. I can't believe they have let him spout the things he has! Oh sure, they don't show the television viewing audience even a fraction of it, but the live feed viewers, such as myself, have seen every awful minute of it. In fact, CBS only shows you what they WANT you to see in a very strategic manner, thereby skewing your ideas and opinions about the house guests. Those of you who only watch the televised episodes probably don't know that Daniele is a spoiled rotten brat, who treats her father like crap when she doesn't need him for anything, then uses her love as a bargaining chip when she wants something. He does ALL her dirty work for her. She makes the most horrible suggestions of what they should do to people, then he goes and does it. She's as foul-mouthed as he is, and EXTREMELY spiteful. SHE'S the one who has orchestrated the latest attack on Zach, telling her father that they should (paraphrasing)"make America and Jameka think he's racist, and ruin his job, his life and his reputation". Yeah, how's that for a nice young lady? NOT! (You'll probably see some of it on tomorrow night's show, but I promise it won't show the very mean, nasty things Dick said to Zach)

The lastest HUGE thing to come out from the viewers of the live feeds is the following video, in which Dick is heard telling his daughter, Daniele, how he cheated in the game by getting secret messages in a letter from his son when he was Head of Household -- STRICTLY against the rules! But has CBS done anything about it? Of course not!! They want the finale this week to include a Donato (Dick or Daniele) as winner, no one else, and are positioning it to happen. I guarantee if anyone else had done that, they would have probably been kicked out of the house! Can't say they didn't hear it, because they hear and record EVERYTHING. They are, after all, Big Brother. Here, listen for yourself:

Doesn't it make you sick how they're laughing about it? What's way worse, though, is the fact that CBS did nothing about it. How could they? It would ruin their plan for a Donato to win this thing. As my favorite web site for everything Big Brother said,

Big Brother no longer has any resemblance to reality and it is no longer a fair game. It's simply manipulated and scripted for ratings. Even blatant cheating is allowable so long as it does not change the direction Big Brother wants the show to go. It's been obvious for weeks that Big Brother is engineering a Donato win. This is just more evidence.

It is very sad that that the people who produce this show have traded the integrity for a ratings point.

Very sad, indeed. What a ripoff!

CBS, Big Brother, Dick, Daniele, Zach, Jameka, CBS Engineering the Win

Comments (3)

Comments on this Entry:

(Jake on Sep 10, 2007 7:38 PM) Hope cbs steps up, but it sure looks like they won't. ED had said in a previous week, "an AP would ruin the integrity of the show". Nice irony eh?

(Debbie on Sep 10, 2007 8:50 PM) I had enough of Big Brother (here) last year, and refuse to watch such garbage ever again! LOL! Just the look of some of them people(Smart arses)makes me sick! In my opinion, BB should be axed! I think the hostess is even more pathetic than the dicks who enter the house. To be involved with such crap year after year...well, it's just TOO pathetic!!

(Chunks on Sep 11, 2007 9:46 PM) Dick and Danielle make me sick. I hope Zach wins and they get shutout. Really. They are disgusting. The whole "America's Player" thing was stupid. There are supposed to be no outside influences to make the game fair. Hmmmm. Total suckage. Thank God for Survivor!

In fact, if you go visit the Los Angeles Criminal Lawyers Blog | California Criminal Defense Law Forum right now, you'll see a great post about the Spector case, written only as a trial lawyer could. They give both sides of the story, just as you'd see in the courtroom, leaving it up to you, the reader, to decide what you think. Scroll down the front page and you'll see many other entries dealing with important and timely issues in today's society. You can even leave comments regarding your own thoughts on any post. I think I'll put this blog in my bookmarks. Even though I don't live in California, I'm sure there is a lot of information there I could find useful, if not simply interesting, educational and enlightening!

LA Criminal Law Blog

Comments (0)

Comments on this Entry:

I've been trying to figure out why this happens. I've done everything I can think of, including running the repair command for my entire database. Nothing changes it. Guess I'll have to call my web host -- again! *sigh* If any of you have any bright ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Web Site Problems, Wonky Web Sites, Commenting System Problems

Comments (3)

Comments on this Entry:

(creechman on Sep 7, 2007 7:20 PM) I'm just posting because I like the term, "wonky" and want to see the big, white, nothing.

(kirsi on Sep 8, 2007 8:43 AM) i just left a comment on your bank entry and it told me the comment could not be registered because of too many comments being left at the same time. i don't know if that helps you in any way. so sorry about the multiple comments again...

(suni on Sep 9, 2007 9:02 PM) the only thing I have ever seen about it is to A) reinstall your comments page or B) reinstall your theme completely. I am sure you probably tried that already, though.

Thanks! :)

Curves, Working Out, Gym for Women, Curves for Women

Comments (5)

Comments on this Entry:

(Diana on Sep 7, 2007 7:57 PM) I used to belong (many moons ago) to a club called Golden Venus that was Women only. It was fun but I got a bit freaked out by the girls going into the sauna, jacuzzi, and pool nude. Sometimes we just don't need to see that! But, like I said that was many moons ago, like 20 years? :\ Check it out, all of it, before you join.

(Diana on Sep 7, 2007 7:59 PM) I got an error screen, btw... no white page, an error screen.

(Debbie on Sep 7, 2007 11:59 PM) My neighbour went for a little while and loved it! She's not a real motivated person(when it comes to exercise) so, unfortunately after a few weeks she stopped going. But, she did tell me that it was a fun place to work-out. :) Good luck, Leigh! Hope Curves is just what you're looking for.

(Donna on Sep 10, 2007 3:28 PM) I went for several months, the workers were not really interested in your progress, and the majority of the women were a tad bit snobby.(no conversation) no matter what I said...it may be different where you are. Just try it out and see. The work out is a good one.

(Tina K on Sep 10, 2007 11:24 PM) Never been myself, but my step-mom swears by it. One perk is that you can use other Curves when you travel by just getting a visitor pass before you go.

Well guess what? Today I discovered socialbib. What is that, you ask? It is a great new web site where students give their used text books away for free, and then receive the text books they need for free, saving them hundreds of dollars! This is how it works:

You join socialbib -- which is completely FREE -- then add the used text books you want to GIVE away, and then the used text books you want to RECEIVE, and then get matched up with someone who has the books you want, and with someone who wants the books you have. Simple! If you haven't seen the price of college text books lately, you have no idea what a great idea this is! I wish there had been something like this when my boys needed it! I still have my daughter to send through college, though, and believe me, I will be keeping socialbib in my bookmarks!

socialbib, socialbib.com

Comments (0)

Comments on this Entry:

Secondly, and keeping in line with that post, I'd thought I'd share a personal accomplishment with you guys. :) I will preface it by reminding you that for a very long time now, I have been "hiding away" in my house; away from life, away from most people. That changed with the recent change in my medication, as well as the recent trip I took with my daughter. On said trip, we did A LOT of walking. More than I've done in eons! Upon returning home, I told my daughter that I didn't want all that good walking to go to waste, so we agreed to walk together every night (she's a BIG walker; walks all over the place all the time!). So, we began on Monday, and have continued to do so every night. Well, I reached a milestone tonight when I walked a whole mile -- without stopping, and at a quick pace! Now, that may not seem like a very long distance to those of you who walk all the time and have done so forever, but for me it is HUGE! I was so happy, and so proud of myself! I emailed my bestest bud, Debbie, almost immediately. LOL! Then I decided to tell all of you, too. I have a feeling that before long, I'll make it to TWO miles! Yay!

Walking, Daily Walks, Walking For Health

TrackBack (0) | Comments (4)

Comments on this Entry:

(Mahala on Sep 7, 2007 8:05 AM) I've been dying for summer to be over so I can get out for my long walks again. I have this irrational fear of snakes, to the point of breaking out in hives if I see something move out of the corner of my eye in the summer months lol. Congrats on your mile!

(Chunks on Sep 7, 2007 9:46 AM) Oh Leigh, that is so awesome! I really had no idea that you are a hider-awayer! I'm so glad that you are moving and grooving. It will go a long way to helping you be the person I know you can be. God, did that sound too Tony Robbins-ish? Anyway, I'm glad the change in meds seems to have made a difference. Good for you! Keep it up!

(cassie-b on Sep 7, 2007 11:49 AM) Kudos - keep up the good habit. Cas

(Lynne on Sep 7, 2007 7:22 PM) That's fantastic! I can do just over a mile (barely) before I'm a sweaty mess. Now that it's finally starting to cool down just a bit, I need to get back into it. It's so nice that you have a walking buddy too! :-D

At SmartAff.org, you're going to discover some of the actual inside knowledge and expertise of a million dollar affiliate marketing company that owns and manages over 800 domains! Sound good? It does to me, too! Be sure and check out their "Our Purpose" page. You'll find all kinds of info about their purpose and their values while striving toward those purposes, which include:

Honor Your Most Valuable Asset; Time!
Act with integrity and respect
Give Back

And last, but certainly not least,

LIVE WITH PASSION

Passion -- a vital ingredient in anyone's life, regardless of what they do! Interested? Go take a look! :)

SmartAff.org

Comments (1)

Comments on this Entry:

(Slices of Life on Sep 7, 2007 11:26 AM) It definitely sounds good, and there's actually some interesting articles over there! Truly inspiring; thanks for the lead. ;)