The Fat Theory

That said, I'm freaking BRILLIANT!!

The weekend pic

Weekend Recap

So, I saw two movies this weekend and the thought of it makes me feel like I've wasted time sitting down, staring at unimportant images on a screen. I saw blockbuster movies - not documentaries or educational films, whicah are somewhat 'productive'. Then again, I love movies, they truly entertain me. Why then do I feel guilty? It's not like that's the only thing I did this weekend. I actually had a pretty busy and fun weekend.

I'm still looking for the dress I will wear to my sister's wedding. I want to finally find it and buy it by the end of the week. My sister and I went to a couple different stores and while I didn't find that dress yet, I saw some potential candidates. I did make some purchases though - I bought some tops that were on sale and of course a pair of shoes. Hey they were on sale also! Heheh, that's always a favorite justification for a shopaholic.

After that we went to her future brother in law's new place. They are renting an entire house. It's a very lovely house, they found a great location and a perfect size for their kids with a HUGE yard. We then caught the 'Wedding Crashers' at a late viewing. I will try to post a review, but if you must know, I give it three stars. It was cute and funny. I think women will like it more then men though.

Sunday I took care of Jules for a few hours, while my sister worked. Later we all hopped in the pool. Julian sported his Spider Man floating wet-suit and splashed about. I made head way with some planning for the bachelorette party for my sister. Shhh! I can't tell you the date on that, It will be a surprise for her. Finally I met up with my friend Carson and caught the "Island." I rate that at 2 1/2 starts. It was an action packed film with many special effects but it was too long for my taste.

Those that need to hear the sound of their own voice!

Honesty, I am not one those people that need to hear their own voice! Frankly sometimes my own voice annoys me, it sounds like the voice of a child at times to me. Anyway - I was perusing through the new applications availble for blogs and I came across this nice enhancement. Audioblogging, from audioblogger.com! I think it's only available for blogger subscribers.

I swear I felt like someone read my mind. There are times when I want to purchase a small voice recorder to remember things later. When I was younger the thoughts I wanted to record were song verses that came to me, or simply words that just sounded good together. Now I have no idea what I would want to record but I like the possibility and the option to do so now. I was curious and signed up! The post was instantaneous. As soon as I hung up (You dial in via phone to make your audio entry) I checked the posting and there it was.

Are you curious what I said? You really shouldn't be, it's a lame audio clip. Listen to my first audio post!

I know, I know..I should stick to photography.

Comebacks To "Why Aren't You Married Yet?"

I will have to start using these soon...
From E-mail Forward:
Comebacks To "Why Aren't You Married Yet?"
You haven't asked yet.
I was hoping to do something meaningful with my life.
Because I just love hearing this question.
Just lucky, I guess.
It gives my mother something to live for.
My fiancee is awaiting his/her parole.
I'm still hoping for a shot at Miss/Mr. America.
I'm waiting until I get to be your age.
It didn't seem worth a blood test.
I already have enough laundry to do, thank you.
Because I think it would take all the spontaneity out of dating.
I wouldn't want my parents to drop dead from sheer happiness.
What? And lose all the money I've invested in running personal ads?
I don't want to have to support another person on my paycheck.
Why aren't you thin?
I'm married to my career, although recently we have been considering a trial separation.

Feeling Good Birthday

"It's my birthday, time to party, la la la!" That's right I'ma-gonna go celebrating tonight. I'm feeling hella-good and am ready to paaaah-ty. I just bought mysleft a nice brithday gift I'm so excited. Gwen Stefani and Blackeyed Peas in Concert! Just bought the tickets, my sister and I are set.

Joke Of The Day

From E-mail Forward: The Good Son
An old man lived alone in the country. He wanted to dig his potato garden but it was very hard work as the ground was hard. His only son, Fred, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.

Dear, Fred, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me.
Love, Dad.

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

Dear Dad, For heaven's sake, don't dig up that garden! That's where I buried the bodies.
Love, Fred.

At 4 am the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Dad, Okay, you can plant the potatoes now. That was the best I could do from here.
Love, Fred.

New Pets

I've been extremely busy and then too tired these days to post anything. This one is a bit out of date.

I would say like two weeks ago my sister called the house while she was out saying "I have a big surprise! Be ready outside and help me with my stuff." I thought -- Well if it's a big surprise I should have my camera ready :) I took Charlie out for a little walk, just as my sister was arriving...

WOOHoo! Two new pets for Jules (my nephew)! Charlie was excited! He sniffed the cage and wanted to e-hem "greet" the new little guys.

Flash Movies: Modern Living / Neurotica series

These are awesome! These collections of short flash interactive films depict great imagination and talent.Modern Living / Neurotica series

Beach Time Fun

Normally I have more fun during spring and autumn seasons. I am not a fan of the Chicago extreme temperatures of winter and summer. This summer however I find myself going out in the sun far more. This weekend my sister, nephew and I hit the beach again. Even though we have an ample swimming pool we both enjoy the beach environment. It's an actual outing and it feels relaxing. Jules LOVES the sand. This time was his first experience being covered all over with it and he was simply giddy.

Running Away Continued...

From previous post Running Away continued...
I reached my feared destination. It was even darker than I remembered. It looked long and wreaked a putrid stench that momentarily paused me in my tracks. I heard a noise behind me that quickly hardened my fear. I quickly gulped it down and held my breath as I decided to enter the alley. I grabbed hold of my bag firmly and made a fast dash. I screamed when I felt a quick brush over my foot a quarter way into the way. I knew what it was, but I instantly looked back to confirm what I knew wasn't my imagination. The rodent just stared back at me. All I could see was it's dark outline and glowing eyes peer through me. It knew I was scared, I felt it and continued to run forward at a faster pace than I ever ran before. I prayed to have that be my only frightful encounter through that damned sewage smelling path.

I reached the end of the alley unscathed! I held my hands to my aching rib sides. I was breathing so heavily, I felt my lungs wanting to jump out of my body in hopes of grasping more air. I turned my focus towards the alley to see or hear my persecutor. The only thing I thought I heard was an eerie wind that spoke to me. I was lucky this time, never come through here again I felt it whisper back at me.

Fourth of July Fireworks

This weekend was full of events that kept me busy taking pictures everywhere. July 4th, the US Independence Day was this Monday. We started the celebration early, as many Americans did as well. For the most part everyone begins firing off their fireworks and high-tech pyrotechnic displays on the third. This year my brother in law and his brother had fun shooting some fireworks of their own, I was lucky enough to watch and take pictures :)


© 2005 Araceli Arroyo Photograph

Gangsta Gadgets

Imagine that! Gadgets for the hip-hop world. And that's exactly what the folks at Sync Magazine did for the June issue, delivering a wide range of fantastically conceived pieces of gear, including the "Laptop Lowrider", the "Ba-Donka-Donk" Mouse and seven other concepts that will blow your mind and make you scream.

Click here to View the Gangsta Gadgets

Happy Swing

What I wouldn't give to be a kid again. The old saying is true, if I knew then what I know now... I would have enjoyed and appreciated my childhood more. The good thing about having your own children or nieces and nephews for that matter is that you see things again through their eyes. I remember some of my childhood memories and bask in their happiness. Life is wonderful sometimes that way.

A day at a park swing can bring so much happiness. It's all smiles for us on this day.

Flash Project - 99Rooms.com

I liked this site, but must admit I got creeped out. The sound and grim pictures are prefect for the spook factor!

What is 99rooms?
99rooms is a unique internet art project that interweaves wall painting, photography, animation and sound in a manner entirely unknown until now. Since the launch of 99rooms.com in June 2004, more than one million individuals throughout the world have visited this interdisciplinary composite work of art.

The beginning of 99rooms stemmed from the mystical, often apolocalyptically charming pictures created by the young Berlin artist Kim Koester within the countless vacated premises of East Berlin's industrial sector. The basis of the individual 99rooms accessible through the internet was born within the artwork and industrial environment of the closely photographed atmosphere fostered by Koester.

The photos which resulted from this were initially produced in digital form and then animated through a cooperative effort between Richard Schumann and Stephan Schulz in order to be subsequently complemented through a personal sounddesign from Johannes Buenemann.

The final product of this year long effort is a scintillating intermediary world which invites the observer to an interactive journey through its morbidly-beautiful rooms.

Visit 99ROOMS.COM

Nature Walks With Charlie

Charlie and I have started a new weekend habit. Yesterday marked the fourth straight weekend that we have gone for a hike at my new favorite park in Riverside, IL. I think it's part of the forest preserve, which I think I will change it up a bit next week. We will probably go through the main forest preserve instead. These trails are perfect for Charlie. He tends to pull on his leash in the beginning. Yeah, yeah he wasn't able to learn that in my training. Hey I was able to teach him many other things, so I am willing to let him pull on me a bit. After a while he tires himself out anyway, which is why this spot is perfect. I let him slush though the river water and cool off.

We walked through the woods in and out the river bank until the sun went down. Yesterday was a perfect day for it. The weather cooled down and provided us with a nice breeze through out. Needless to say Charlie was snoring all the way back on the 15 minute drive back home. As soon as we got home he plopped himself down and continued snoring. Looking at these pictures I think it's time for a fur trim - Ick!

Flash Movies - d-art_v1.2

Pretty cool site with many options in 'expirements' to keep you entertained for a while. Be sure to try out the nintendo revival game, it had me suckered in for quite a while.d-art_v1.2

Swimming Fun

The water was cold, but I got in anyway. There is just something about having a clean big body of water near you that beckons you to jump in. This weekend I did just that. The weather wasn't as hot as I would like it, but after a few minutes my body temperature adjusted and I had fun. After almost two hours or so, I left and found myself energized, my body however was tired. It was a good work out. We have a pool-basketball board, which gave me quite the exercise. I wish I was an early bird. I would love to hop in the morning and feel refreshed and fully awake for the work day.

Netdisaster - Destroy the web!

I love this site! I stumbled upon it thanks to 'Stumble' and it was immediately placed into my favorite links. Go ahead enter any site. I love that it will screen-grab the website that is on the net right now and will do whatever you choose. Destroy a webpage now!

Flash Movie - Falling Dude

Turn up your speakers, this is a fun flash clip. Snowman like little guy falls and screams along the beat of a dance track. Funnier is that I can actually picture the song playing at the local night club. Falling Dude

Breezy Night

Last night was a fresh breezy beautiful night for a stroll through downtown. My sister and I took my nephew and posed him in many nice spots. I found a nice easy parking spot and headed to Millennium park. Below are a few of my favorites snapshots.

© 2005 Araceli Arroyo Photograph

Joke of the Day

From E-Mail Forward - In Honor of Stupid People . . . .
In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed through stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods.
=On a Sears hairdryer -- Do not use while sleeping.
(That's the only time I have to work on my hair.)
=On a bag of Fritos -- You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside.
(the shoplifter special?)
=On a bar of Dial soap -- "Directions: Use like regular soap."
(and that would be???....)
=On some Swanson frozen dinners -- "Serving suggestion: Defrost."
(but, it's just a suggestion.)
=On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom) -- "Do not turn upside down."
(well...duh, a bit late, huh!)
=On Marks &Spencer Bread Pudding -- "Product will be hot after heating."
(...and you thought????...)
=On packaging for a Rowenta iron -- "Do not iron clothes on body."
(but wouldn't this save me time?)
=On Boot's Children Cough Medicine -- "Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication."
(We could do a lot to reduce the rate of construction accidents if we could just get those 5 year-olds with head-colds off those bulldozers.)
=On Nytol Sleep Aid -- "Warning: May cause drowsiness."
(...I'm taking this because???....)
=On most brands of Christmas lights -- "For indoor or outdoor use only."
(as opposed to what?)
=On a Japanese food processor -- "Not to be used for the other use."
(now, somebody out there, help me on this. I'm a bit curious.)
=On Sainsbury's peanuts -- "Warning: contains nuts."
(talk about a news flash)
=On an American Airlines packet of nuts -- "Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts."
(Step 3: say what?)
=On a child's Superman costume -- "Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly."
(I don't blame the company. I blame the parents for this one.)
=On a Swedish chainsaw -- "Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals."
(Oh my God..was there a lot of this happening somewhere?)

This One Is For You Rabbit!

Per request from a good friend here are a few pictures of Sir Charles my trusty photoblog companion. This was from last week's short trip to a beautiful park in Riverside, IL. The rain cut our visit short, but both Charlie and I enjoyed the few for at least a few short minutes.

Painful Toilet Paper

From Email Forward:
A WISH ... for all the DIFFICULT PEOPLE in your life

Joke Of The Day

From E-mail Forward: *Catholic Parrots
A lady goes to her priest one day and tells him, "Father, I have a problem. I have two female parrots, but they only know how to say one thing." What do they say?" the priest inquired.

They say, "Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?" "That's obscene!" the priest exclaimed; then he thought for a moment. "You know," he said, "I may have a solution to your problem. I have two male talking parrots, which I have taught to pray and read the Bible. "Bring your two parrots over to my house, and we'll put them in the cage with Frank and Jacob. My parrots can teach your parrots to pray and worship, and your parrots are sure to stop saying that phrase in no time." "Thank you," the woman responded, "this may very well be the solution."

The next day, she brought her female parrots to the priest's house. As he ushered her in, she saw that his two male parrots were inside their cage, holding rosary beads and praying. Impressed, she walked over and placed her parrots in with them. After a few minutes, the female parrots cried out in unison: "Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?" There was stunned silence. Shocked, one male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and exclaimed, "Put the beads away, Frank, our prayers have been answered!"

Chinese Target Web's 'Prohibited Language'

Articles such as the one below make me appreciate my goodluck of being born in the US.

SHANGHAI, China - Chinese bloggers, even on foreign-sponsored sites, had better choose their words carefully — the censors are watching.
Users of the MSN Spaces section of Microsoft Corp.'s new China-based Web portal get a scolding message each time they input words deemed taboo by the communist authorities — such as democracy, freedom and human rights. | read more: Yahoo! News

"Pump Up The Movie"

I spent way to much time on this site. It has some pretty funny clips and game. Make sure you click on the links in the bottom nav, especially, old skool moves & cheerleader toss game. PumpUp Cheerleader Site - Brought to you by Bestbuy.com & Nokia

Joke of the Day

From Email Forward:
A woman's husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she had stayed by his bedside every single day.

One day, when he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer. As she sat by him, he whispered, eyes full of tears, "I've just realized something. You have been with me all through the bad times; When I got fired, you were there to support me.

When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you stayed right here. When my health started failing, you were still by my side... You know what?"

"What dear?" She gently asked, smiling as her heart began to fill with warmth. He replied, "I think you're bad luck, get the fuck away from me.

Lite-Brite

Ahhh I remember this game. this is pretty entertaining, enjoy!Lite-Brite

Eric Myer Photography

I had fun playing with the different options. Pick a face and have a laugh :)Eric Myer Photography

PookMail.com

What a GREAT Idea!

PookMail.com: "How to use PookMail.com
Step 1
Instead of giving your real email address to every website on Earth, just make up an imaginary name for @pookmail.com.
Example: dontbotherme@pookmail.com
Step 2
Wait for your email to arrive. Step 3
Login to PookMail.com by typing your imaginary email name (dontbotherme) into the login form, and click GO
Step 4
After 24 hours, the email associated with your login name will be cleaned from the system. "

Too Cute Not To Post

Last weekend the water was too cold for my nephew, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the water :) The tub didn't last long a few hours later he enjoyed the swimming pool as well.
© 2005 Araceli Arroyo Photograph

Back-Yard Update

What could possible make my nephew this happy? A new big swimming pool :) Perfect timing now that summer is just around the corner.
© 2005 Araceli Arroyo Photograph

Mars 3D

Perhaps thi is the geek in me, but I can't wait for Mars3D come to a I-max theater near me :)

Mars 3D

Cerebellum

I'm in such a weird mood today. I find myself questioning trivial subjects. During a walk to the washroom a word randomly popped into my head. "Cerebellum"

I don't know why. It just popped in, I had to prior conversations relating to the cerebellum or seen anything. Anyway: I thought to myself.

Cerebellum - I like that word. It has a nice ring to it. I would never name my kid that. - oooh how strange would that be! How did I come up with that word anyway? Why must women always have a thought in their mind?

I tried to remember of an instance when I didn't have a thought in my mind. Never has that been the case. Perhaps a few minutes during sleep, but then our thoughts are part of our dreams. Hmmm, funny how a random word can trigger different thoughts in a matter of seconds.

Pulling Fences

These past weeks have been incredibly busy at work and at home. We've made some renovations around the house... Removed old fence and put up a privacy wooden fence instead. Here's my (technically soon to be) brother-in-law striking a pose :)
© 2005 Araceli Arroyo Photograph

Running Away

I ran - ran as fast I could! I felt the cold chill right behind me as if it was ready to take hold of me and engulf me with terror. My own shadow ran faster than I did and I held my side ribs trying to catch up to it. I was fearful of the alleyway that I would soon have to cut through. I knew that if what I was running away from would catch me in that passage way, there would be no one to hear my screams nor see the horror that undoubtedly would take place.

That was the only route I had for an opportunity to escape. If I remained on my current path I would collapse from exhaustion and I clearly remain in sight of my persecutor.

I felt like the stupid idiot girl that is chased in the movies. The same one that everyone screams to on the big screen not to go out, but surely does and quickly falls to the ground. They all do - why is that anyway? It is overly played out now!

To be continued...

Appreciation For A Stranger

Somewhere in the vast majority of space lies a star that remains unseen. The sparkle of it's illuminating twinkle has not been appreciated. How sad the thought that such beauty of a miracle goes unnoticed such as the twinkle in your eyes that I've yet to meet.

Enjoying a Relaxing Day

The warm weather comes and goes here in Chicago. I crazy city marching to it's own beat, it doesn't surprise me. I've learned to take advantage of those days that are nice - 'nice to be outside'. That said, my dog reaps the benefits.
© 2005 Araceli Arroyo photograph

When I Let Go of My Childhood

I think I can pinpoint the exact time I grew up. I allowed my responsible take charge nature control my childhood at a very early age. I date this back to 1982, just a couple of months after the birth of my younger sister. Considering all the turmoil I endured prior to that new addition to my family. I led my life as a confused kid, always hopeful that my mother would protect me and make everything all right.

I must admit I always question why ...my mother put up with my father. I know now that culture, religion and fear played a major part. Mexican women, rephrase that - Catholic Mexican women were accustomed to the machoist syndrome. The Mexican man was to be the provider, authoritative master and commander. This was nothing new to my mother. Looking at the relationship I see with my grandparents I didn't see how those thoughts could have been nurtured into my mother's mind. After learning that my grandfather cheated on my grandmother and my grandmother knowing this still allowed it to occur. She like many women of her time consider it a fad and a primal need of males.

Anyway, my father was an over bearing typical macho from "those days". However, he was not around as much. This allowed me to remain carefree for at least a few years of susceptible knowledge. I can only remember the bad times when my father was around, luckily for me that was a lower percentage of my existence.

What drove me to a higher state of mind and responsibility was the need to assist my mother with the upbringing of my sister. I recall many nights that my sister would awaken wanting to be fed in the middle of the night, which is the case of all new born babies. My mother was prepared though. Every evening she would take her breast milk and store it in thermos containers. I would wake at the first sound of her voice and would volunteer to feed and rock her back to sleep. She was more that a doll to play with, I knew better than to think of her that way. From that day forward I got it into my own little head that my sister was to be my responsibility. I allowed for this to happen and robbed myself of childhood mischief.

Do I regret it? Honestly not entirely. I regret allowing myself to worry so much for things that were out of my control and out of my responsibility for caring. I think I also robbed myself out of a true sibling relationship.

I'm Always An Artist At Heart

I bought some charcoal and graphic pencils today as well as some small canvases. I am excited to delve myself into my art and letting my imagination run free again. It's been a long time since I've painted even longer since I drew (doodling doesn't count).

I have a journal that I bought at the beginning of that year that was meant for my daily writings and I honestly did have it in mind to draw in it as well. I have drawn a few sketches here and there, but with ink pens. Those times where mainly because I found myself waiting in a lobby of some sort and I was fortunate enough to carry that said journal.

Here I am again trying not to make false promises of keeping a schedule for my creativity. I Celi do solemnly swear to spend more time for my forgotten creative outlets. I promise to spend time with either a pencil, paintbrush and/or camera. I hereby state that I will care not for the outcome of these projects but for the effort made in completing them.

Wish me luck

My New PDA

Always a techie, I am very excited about my recent purchase. I've upgraded my old palm V PDA to this new Palm Zire. Also my new mp3 player, the only thing it needs is a built in camera - maybe for my next upgrade :) Another strong plus is that I can put my own pictures as backgrounds.
© 2005 Araceli Arroyo photograph

Flash Movie - The New Rocky

Very inspiring, see you can do anything anywhere if you put your mind to it. Check out the funny clip of a wannabe Rocky.
The New Rocky

Slap Your Co-Worker Day - May 13th

From E-mail Forward:
Slap Your Co-Worker Day is Coming!!
Tomorrow is the official Slap Your Irritating Co-workers Holiday: Do you have a co-worker who talks nonstop about nothing, working your last nerve with tedious and boring details that you don't care about? Do you have a co-worker who ALWAYS screws up stuff creating MORE work for you? Do you have a co-worker who kisses so much booty, you can look in their mouth and see what your boss had for lunch? Do you have a co-worker who is SOOO obnoxious, when he/she enters a room, everyone else clears it? Well, on behalf of Ike Turner, I am so very very glad to officially announce tomorrow as SLAP YOUR IRRITATING CO-WORKER DAY! There are the rules you must follow:

* You can only slap one person per hour - no more.
* You can slap the same person again if they irritate you again in the same day.
* You are allowed to hold someone down as other co-workers take their turns slapping the irritant.
* No weapons are allowed...other than going upside somebody's head with a stapler or a hole-puncher.
* If questioned by a supervisor [or police, if the supervisor is the irritant], you are allowed to LIE, LIE, LIE! Now, study the rules, break out your list of folks that you want to slap the living day lights out of and get to slapping.....and have a great day!

Conquering the Search Engine Giant

After checking my stats today I was amazed to see that most of my search engine traffic for my Chicago Photos photoblog came not from the usual source. Last march I was thrilled that I was ranking very well on Yahoo! - within top 5 nonetheless. (see the Yahoo! April post.) Today however, the search engine giant - Google was number one referrer to my local photoblog. Chicagophotos.blogspot.com is within the top ten search results! I hope it's not a fluke and the trend can continue. If you have the Google toolbar, make sure you visit and vote for Chicago Photos.

Flying Away

It hasn't been that long since I came back from Mexico, and I am now longing to travel somewhere else. I'm not sure if I will make any trips this summer. I am still hopefull for fall to bring me an opportunity to visit Spain, or at least head to the east-coast soon.

Joke Of The Day

From E-mail Forward:
9 Things I Hate About Everyone
1. People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.... I know where my watch is pal, where the hell is yours? Do I point at my crotch when I ask where the toilet is?
2. People who are willing to get off their ass to search the entire room for the TV remote because they refuse to walk to the TV and change the channel manually.
3. When people say - "Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too." Damn right! What good is a cake if you can't eat it?
4. When people say "it's always the last place you look." Of course it is. Why the hell would you keep looking after you've found it? Do people do this? Who and where are they? Gonna Kick their ass!
5. When people say while watching a film "did you see that?". No Loser, I paid $12 to come to the cinema and stare at the freaking floor.
6. People who ask - "Can I ask you a question?".... Didn't really give me a choice there, did ya sunshine?
7. When something is 'new and improved!'. Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it. If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before it.
8. When people say - "life is short". What the hell?? Life is the longest damn thing anyone ever freaking does!! What can you do that's longer?
9. When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks - "Has the bus come yet?". If the bus came would I be standing here, dumb ass?

Napster

It's official I am a Napster member. I committed myself to a Napster membership, and will shell out some cash for the service on a monthly basis. Strangely, I don't mind at all. I am particularly fond of the service. I was trying out Musicnet for a little over two months and after day 2 of trying out Napster's 14 day demo, I've canceled Musicnet. Napster has a wider selection and faster download rate. What is best is that their interface is much better. Right now I am still on the 14 day trial with unlimited download to any computer. Sorry kiddies, you can't burn the mp3's. That however is an added plus for Napster over musicnet. When downloading from Musicnet a reference file back to their system was what actually was downloaded, not the actual mp3. After downloading from Napster you are able to play the mp3s via any other mp3 player you have on your PC. I love music :)

Can We Make a Difference?

The disinterest of modern humanity for its self is alarming. Taken for granted are many historic mistakes and gifts of nature. What was once fought for with life and sacrifices is now thrown away and uncared for. It is only in America however where the luxurious life and commodity plays a major factor for this behavior. I possess a need to make a difference, however at the same time feel inept.

I've become accustomed to my own comfort and savour the city life that I breathe in on a daily basis. I've seen and lived a lower class, however not as poor as third nations. It scares me to be in close proximity to that extreme. I am a woman of nurtured guilt, through culture, family and religion. There in lies the reason for these observations. Where this will take me? I am not ready to make a commitment. Why bother? I am willing to recognize and give light to my inner thoughts.

Thanks for allowing me to express my doubts and guilt.

Joke Of The Day

A Most Interesting Proposal
A woman was sitting at a bar enjoying an after work cocktail with her girlfriends when an exceptionally tall, handsome, extremely sexy middle-aged man entered.

He was so striking that the woman could not take her eyes off him. The young-at-heart man noticed her overly attentive stare and walked directly toward her (as all men will).

Before she could offer her apologies for so rudely staring, he leaned over and whispered to her, "I'll do anything, absolutely anything, that you want me to do, no matter how ?unusual?, for $20.00......on one condition." (There are always conditions)

Flabbergasted, the woman asked what the condition was. The man replied, "You have to tell me what you want me to do in just three words." (controlling, huh?)

The woman considered his proposition for a moment, then slowly removed a $20 bill from her purse, which she pressed into the man's hand along with her address. She looked deeply into his eyes, and slowly, and meaningfully said....
. . .
. . .
. . .
"Clean my house."

Sleep Deprived Gibberish

It's 4am and another case of insomnia has reared it's ugly head at me. I find myself staring at this screen, filling the text box with psycho bauble, while listening to the TV in the background. VH1 has a great show called 'insomniac videos' - how appropriate. The best thing is that they have been playing many songs I like. Why can't they show these videos during regular hours?

Oh - great I jinxed myself, "Jesse's Girl" is now playing. Of course VH1 would play that song! I was perfectly happy with the previous videos - please come back Joss! Sing it Alicia! I suppose I could play the songs on my PC, but that would take the fun away of looking towards the TV every now and then to see the video.

ooh - new video, John Legend. I'm happy again :)
Damn I need to get some sleep!

Joke Of The Day

You Know you?re Addicted to the Internet when?

You kiss your girlfriend's home page.

Your bookmarks list takes 15 minutes to scroll from top to bottom.

You find yourself brainstorming for new subjects to Google.

You refuse to go to a vacation spot with no electricity and no phone lines.

You spend half of the plane trip with your laptop on your lap.... and your kid in the overhead compartment.

Your dreams are in HTML.

You refer to going to the bathroom as ?downloading.?

You start introducing yourself as "Jim at I-I-Net dot net dot au"

You turn up the volume real loud when leaving the room so you can hear if anyone IM's you.

All of your friends have @ in their names.

Your dog has its own webpage.

You check your mail. It says "no new messages." So you check it again.

You name your children Google, Friendster and Blogger

You wake up at 3 a.m. to go to the bathroom and stop and check your e-mail on the way back. (OK ? We all have done this one)

Your sweetie says communication is important in a marriage...so you buy another computer and network them together so that you can IM each other anytime.

You have withdrawals if you are away from the computer for more than a few hours.

You take a speed reading course to keep up with the scrolling.

You rank your friends by the amount of bandwith they have.

You order pizza online - because you can't be bothered to call.

You double click your TV remote.

Things To Know

From E-mail Forward
DID YOU KNOW??
1. Budweiser beer conditions the hair
2. Pam cooking spray will dry finger nail polish
3. Cool whip will condition your hair in 15 minutes
4. Mayonnaise will KILL LICE, it will also condition your hair
5. Elmer's Glue - paint on your face, allow it to dry, peel off and see the dead skin and blackheads if any
6. Shiny Hair - use brewed Lipton Tea
7. Sunburn - empty a large jar of Nestea into your bath water
8. Minor burn - Colgate or Crest toothpaste
9. Burn your tongue? Put sugar on it!
10. Arthritis? WD-40 Spray and rub in, kill insect stings too
11. Bee stings - meat tenderizer
12. Chigger bite - Preparation H
13. Puffy eyes - Preparation H
14. Paper cut - crazy glue or chap stick (glue is used instead of sutures at most hospitals)
15. Stinky feet - Jello!
16. Athletes feet - cornstarch
17. Fungus on toenails or fingernails - Vicks vapor rub
18. Kool aid to clean dishwasher pipes. Just put in the detergent section and run a cycle, it will also clean a toilet. (Wow, and we drink this stuff)
19. Kool Aid can be used as a dye in paint also Kool Aid in Dannon plain yogurt as a finger paint, your kids will love it and it won't hurt them if they eat it!
20. Peanut butter - will get scratches out of CD's! Wipe off with a coffee filter paper
21. Sticking bicycle chain - Pam no-stick cooking spray
22. Pam will also remove paint, and grease from your hands! Keep a can in your garage for your hubby
23. Peanut butter will remove ink from the face of dolls
24. When the doll clothes are hard to put on, sprinkle with corn starch and watch them slide on
25. Heavy dandruff - pour on the vinegar!
26. Body paint - Crisco mixed with food coloring. Heat the Crisco in the microwave, pour in to an empty film container and mix with the food color of your choice!
27. Tie Dye T-shirt - mix a solution of Kool Aid in a container, tie a rubber band around a section of the T-shirt and soak
28. Preserving a newspaper clipping - large bottle of club soda and cup of milk of magnesia, soak for 20 min. and let dry, will last for many years!
29. A Slinky will hold toast and CD's!
30. To keep goggles and glasses from fogging, coat with Colgate toothpaste
31. Wine stains, pour on the Morton salt and watch it absorb into the salt.
32. To remove wax - Take a paper towel and iron it over the wax stain, it will absorb into the towel.
33. Remove labels off glassware etc. rub with Peanut butter!
34. Baked on food - fill container with water, get a Bounce paper softener and the static from the Bounce towel will cause the baked on food to adhere to it. Soak overnight. Also; you can use 2 Efferdent tablets, soak overnight!
35. Crayon on the wall - Colgate toothpaste and brush it!
36. Dirty grout - Listerine
37. Stains on clothes - Colgate
38. Grass stains - Karo Syrup
39. Grease Stains - Coca Cola, it will also remove grease stains from the driveway overnight. We know it will take corrosion from car batteries!
40. Fleas in your carpet? 20 Mule Team Borax- sprinkle and let stand for 24 hours. Maybe this will work if you get them back again.
41. To keep FRESH FLOWERS longer Add a little Clorox, or 2 Bayer aspirin, or just use 7-up instead of water.
42. When you go to buy bread in the grocery store, have you ever wondered which is the freshest, so you "squeeze" for freshness or softness? Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week? Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each day has a different color twist tie. They are: Monday = Blue, Tuesday = Gr een, Thursday = Red Friday = White and Saturday = Yellow. So if today was Thursday, you would want red twist tie; not white which is Fridays (almost a week old)! The colors go alphabetically by color Blue- Green - Red - White - Yellow, Monday through Saturday. Very easy to remember. I thought this was interesting. I looked in the grocery store and the bread wrappers DO have different twist ties, and even the ones with the plastic clips have different colors. You learn something new everyday! Enjoy fresh bread when you buy bread with the right color on the day you are shopping.

Clip of The Day - Danier Leather

I receive a couple of funny clips every now and then. I usually post them as file types and title. From now on if you want to find funny movies just look out for "Clip Of The Day"

Here's today's funny movie..Danier Commercial
It's cute, enjoy..
courtesy of daphne.mmdc.net

WMV Movie Clip - That's Life

Funny Clip from the John Debella Morning Show, with Frank Sinatra's That's life in the background. Enjoy - That's Life

GoldenPalace.com Monkeys with Nature

GoldenPalace.com has paid a wildlife park $650,000 for the right to name a new species of foot-tall monkeys. This is no joke. The poor, furry creature will henceforth be known as "The GoldenPalace.com Monkey." - Opinion Column by PC Magazine: GoldenPalace.com Monkeys with Nature

After this stunt I hope many other such contest will set more rules and guidelines. Such "NAMES CHOSEN DHOULD NOT BARE ANY PROMOTIONAL REFERENCES." - Poor Monkey

WMV Movie - DUI Test

Here is another funny clip, this drunk guy almost had it. Would you be able to pass these DUI test? see funny clip at: http://www.carolinaholiday.com/image/DWI.WMV

Good Ol' Garfield

WMV Movie - Dog Lawyer

This is a hilarious clip from an SNL skit. Will Ferrel as a Dog Lawyer posing legitimate questions. What do you think, do you agree? Dog Lawyer

US Tax Day

Helloooo TAX DAY!!! For many of you that haven't filed your taxes, it's Dooms Day! I have unfortunately already spent my tax return. I'm a bit sad about that actually! Here are a few jokes to cheer us all up...

Tax Jokes from - Late Night TV? - Submitted By D. Kurtzman
"We ought to thank President Bush. He made it a lot easier for people to do taxes this year. No job, no income tax this year." - Jay Leno

"Earlier today, the White House released President Bush's tax return. Not surprisingly, under dependents, the president listed Iraq." - Conan O'Brien

"President Bush released his tax returns yesterday. He listed the economy as a liability. He gets to write that off." - Jay Leno

"Technically, you're not paying taxes. According to the Bush administration, your bank account is being liberated." - Jay Leno

"Today the IRS gave some guidelines on how to avoid getting audited. Number one, don't list deductions that will raise a red flag. Number two, make sure you file on time. Number three, don't make any stupid anti-war speech at the Academy Awards." - Jay Leno

"The IRS now says you can deduct weight loss plans off your taxes. You can write it off because the government has officially declared obesity a disease. And it's a disease, you can deduct medical expenses. That shows what a difference an administration can make. See under Bush, obesity is a disease. Under Clinton it was just sexy." - Jay Leno

"Monday, April 15th, taxes are due. I just don't pay them. Yeah, this year Arthur Anderson did my taxes, I'm getting $6 billion back." - Conan O'Brien

"Yesterday the IRS announced that obese Americans are entitled to certain tax breaks. Apparently, under the new rules, you're allowed to claim two or more chins as dependents." - Conan O'Brien

"If your accountant is Arthur Anderson ... today is the last day you could have your tax documents shredded by April 15th." - David Letterman

"I hate to be the one to remind you, but just pretty soon it is going to be April 15th, it is going to be tax time. You know what I am saying? Are you ready? Well you know when something like this happens New Yorkers always try to put the best face they can on a situation. For example the hookers in Times Square, for an extra $50 they will handle your extension." - David Letterman

COLDPLAY Promo

I'm looking forward to this...


COLDPLAY : X&Y COLDPLAYER: "THE COLDPLAYER
Opening at 21:00hrs (GMT) 18.04.2005 with the new single 'Speed of Sound'

This is the latest tool from Coldplay.com that will allow all members to gain direct access to a host of new content straight from the band and the new album 'X&Y'.

Alongside all the new X&Y audio & video exclusives, the new Coldplayer will also give you access to backstage footage that the band will be filming and uploading directly to the player, plus a diary of events only available to members of Coldplay.com.

There will be two versions of the player giving you all the latest news as and when you want it. The first version is web-based so you can visit it whenever you're online for all the latest content, the second is a direct desktop Coldplayer which will be available soon.

Fearful Thought For Cat & Other Animal Lovers

Yahoo! News - Wis. Considers Legalizing Cat Hunting!

Residents in 72 counties were asked whether free-roaming cats — including any domestic cat that isn't under the owner's direct control or any cat without a collar — should be listed as an unprotected species. If listed as so, the cats could be hunted.Statewide results were expected Tuesday.
...
La Crosse firefighter Mark Smith, 48, helped spearhead the cat-hunting proposal. He wants Wisconsin to declare free-roaming wild cats an unprotected species, just like skunks or gophers. Anyone with a small-game license could shoot the cats at will.
...
At least two other upper Midwestern states, South Dakota and Minnesota, allow wild cats to be shot — and have for decades. Minnesota defines a wild, or feral, cat as one with no collar that does not show friendly behavior, said Kevin Kyle with that state's Department of Natural Resources.
...
One of the attendees was Katy Francis, who wore cat ears, whiskers, a cat nose and a sign that read, "Too Cute to Kill." For Francis, "The cat hunting thing brought me out because it was very extreme." | source: Yahoo! News - Wis. Considers Legalizing Cat Hunting

What has the world come to? I can't fathom the solution to the over population of cats to be death. Mexico and China is overpopulated, we wouldn't condone killing it's citizens to solve that issue - Would we?

Movie Clip - Reason NOT to drink at the office party...

This is hillarious, she is sooo fired!

Special thanks to locallans.com for hosting video.
Reason NOT to drink at the office party...: "http://www.locallans.com/OfficeParty.mpg"

Downfall of Winning The Lotto

I was originally forwarded the actual video clip but found this site that linked to it. Cute commercial, if only this were the main concerns for any major life change...

Videos: Watch a Video - BlogTelevision.net

I Love Yahoo!

Yahooo! woohooo!!
I've finally hit first page ranking for me Chicago photos photoblog. For a recent SEO cyber geek like me this is HUGE!!! I decided to optimize that section of my photoblog for high search words as Chicago photos, Chicago pictures, and Chicago skyline pictures. My site comes up averaging rank number five sometimes even twice within the same search results :) Thanks Yahoo!

Home Sweet Home

It feels so good to be home. I've returned home after a two week vacation from Mexico exhausted. Every time I go on 'vacation' there I return tired and depressed. I have so much family there that all we do is visit many of them. The most tiring is the ride from Mexico city to my grand fathers ranch in Oaxaca. This time my brother in law drove, but still made it ~12 hour drive. Of course we stopped in between to grab a bite to eat and rest room stops. Anyway all the driving around and running around buying things can be tiring. There were fun trips here in there, like a ride through Xochimilco in a gondola, swimming in the river, hot springs(almost died there - tell you that story some other day) bought some puppies (stayed in Mexico, another story there), visited a nice park with my God parents. All in all a good time but I always returned depressed because I become attached to my family there and it hurts to say goodbye. Saying goodbye to my two elder sisters is even more difficult, but I love the luxury of having the comforts of my own home. It's good to be back :)

Picture Perfect Sunday

I had a few eventful days this weekend. Saturday was the first Saturday in many many months that I didn't have to work so I opted to stay in bed late to catch up on my Z's. Later in the evening a continued my long awaited Saturday tradition of shopping :D

Sunday, however was a different story day. The weather was a bit chilly but I woke up early and ventured out anyway. I met up with some fellow photographer hobbyist on Sunday and roamed Maxwell street market. It was a small fun little group, thanks for letting me join guys.

Taking a moment to admire and photograph the tracks nearby.

© 2005 Araceli Arroyo photographs
Later in the day I was able to make it to the St. Patrick's Day Parade on the South Side of Chicago. I missed Saturday's parade in the loop, but didn't want to miss this one. I had a good time and was intoxicating-ly joyful :) I will post some photos from the parade on Wednesday in My Photoblog.
© 2005 Araceli Arroyo photographs

Joke Of The Day

Dinner with the Girlfriend’s Parents
Prom Night was coming up, and a girl announced to her boyfriend that she wanted to make it special and take a hotel room for the night. Being the responsible type, the boy went to the Pharmacy to purchase protection. The pharmacist was very helpful and guided the boy for about an hour and told him everything there was to know.

The boy came early to pick his girlfriend, and her Mother invited him to join them for dinner. When they sat down, the boy, looking to impress her parents, offered to say grace then bowed his head. A minute passed, and the boy was still deep in prayer…5 minutes passed, and still no movement from the boy.

Finally, after 10 minutes with his head down, the girlfriend leaned over and whispers to the boyfriend, "I had no idea you were so religious." The boy turns, and whispers back, "I had no idea your father was a pharmacist."

Winter II Class Over

I've been teaching part-time for over two years now. Today ended another class. For some reason I became attached with this batch of students more than ever before. I genuinely felt sad saying goodbye to them today. I'll miss seeing them, but I look forward to sleeping for the next two saturdays, before I'm off on vacation :)

The Countdown Begins

March is finally here - woohoo!! Why would that make me so happy? I am taking a vacation this month. On the 22nd I will be heading to Mexico to visit my family. I miss my older sisters very much and can't wait to see them. If time permits we may hit a port and enjoy the beach. I haven't been to Acapulco and there has been some talks about going there this time. Both my sisters are taking a vacation from their work, the kids also have time off school. I'm hoping to explore different areas this time. Only 21 more days ...