Some Fun & Cool Stuff I Found Online Tonight

Well, nothing good is on TV tonight, and I don't feel like reading a book. So, I have decided to use the StumbleUpon service to find some fun and cool stuff online. Here are just a few on the awesome and often trivial things I've found tonight.

• The Bubble Wrap page: you know the pleasure and stress relief you get when popping the bubbles in bubble wrap? You can now get that online. It's not as satisfying as the real thing, but this bubble wrap popping pages is a fair substitute. Give it a try by clicking the link (the first word of every bullet point is the link, by the way.)
• What To Do In An Emergency: I think this site is a hoot. They take some signs that were supposedly on a government website ( http://www.ready.gov), and they put their own spin on what the posters mean. I looked at the ready.gov site, and these images aren't on there anymore. Nonetheless, this site is pretty funny.
• Panda Bear Cub Development: If this doesn't have "awwww" factor, I don't know what does. Its a series of pictures of a baby panda's development. The first few photos he looks a bit like a gross rat, but as he starts growing, this Bubba is freaking cute! Check it out.
  
• This video: This cracks me up. Go figure.
  

• Sweet Dog Story: You will have to read this for yourself. It's sad and sweet.
  

That's it for the evening. I hope you get a kick out of some of these, too.

Spinach Recall: What the Heck Can We Eat!

So, I'm checking out the Google Hot Trends, and I see "spinach recall" is one of the hot search terms. Apparently salmonella has been found during spot checks of this company's batches of spinach. So, if you have Metz Fresh bagged spinach, throw that stuff out!

The spinach recall got me to thinking: what the heck can we eat anymore? I mean, the supposedly "good for you" food is tainted. The junk food has trans fats and chemicals/additives that will cause heart disease and cancer. So, I guess you have to figure out whether you want a bout with food poisoning/potential death or a possible heart attack or cancer and potential death. Hmmm.

One funny thing: people go a little bat guano when a food recall happens over e coli or salmonella, don't they? I mean, sure -- it's a public health concern. But, why don't we go so ape poop over trans fats and additives? We give it lip service in the media, and talk about it. But, when it comes down to it, how many of us go home and throw out the junk food like we do the potentially tainted healthy foods? Not too darn many of us, I would bet.

The prospect of a painful illness, like cancer, seems so distant and foreign. Staying up vomiting or crapping all night due to food poison seems more likely or immediate. But, I'm only 36, and I had cancer last year. So, I'm here you to tell you that cancer ain't always so far around the corner. But, I will also admit that my eating habits have not changed for the better. That bothers me enough to lose some sleep at night . . . which leads me to the kitchen to stress eat.

Food is so crazy and powerful. You need it to live, yet it can kill you -- immediately or slowly these days.

That's my thought for the day. Have a great evening. Throw out your spinach if it's the brand being recalled!

A Not So Eloquent Southerner . . . Miss Teen South Carolina

You have got to feel sorry for this gal to be sure! All I heard on FM, the local television news, and talk radio today was about the idiotic answer that Miss Teen South Carolina gave when asked to comment on why so many Americans cannot find the United States on a map. Oh my!

This is one of those videos that starts off kinda funny but then just left me feeling uncomfortable and sad for this kid. That's what she is: a kid. Man! School is just starting and she has to go back and face the masses -- and her geography and English teachers -- with this embarrassing situation being the talk of the nation -- TV, radio, and internet. Even Glenn Beck, who doesn't usually make fun of kids, teased about her speech today. I don't think he made fun of her directly, though -- just her ramblings. I love Glenn Beck, by the way. So, I'm not knocking him. I'm also not political, so I don't label me a hateful conservative just because I think the guy is a comic genius for doing mock commercials and moron trivia.

Anyway, back to Miss Teen South Carolina . . . while I feel sorry for this chick, I feel a little bit more sorry for the fine Southern folk of South Carolina. Most Southerners I know are quite eloquent and know how to turn a phrase and tell a great story. Many of the great writers are Southerners: Harper Lee, Flannery O'Connor, Mark Twain, etc. My guess is the mass influx of Yankees into the South may have brought this gal into the gene pool. Maybe the real Southern folk will rub off on her soon and give her some real education in the Southern ways of talking eloquently.

The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life - Clearwater 2008

Hi All . . . I just wanted to give any of my browsers the opportunity to participate in a great cause-marketing event in Clearwater, Florida: The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life. By participating in a Relay sponsorship, you will gain access not only to people on event night but all during the fundraising season starting in late fall through spring.

Corporate Sponsorships start at $250.00 for the Clearwater event. If you are interested in receiving more information, please contact me at stacy@stacyrocks.com. I am the 2007 - 2008 Corporate Sponsorship Chair. I can email you the corporate sponsorship forms, which go directly back to the ACS Office (not to me). You can be assured that your donations and sponsorships are reaching the charity because you handle that yourself.

As a cancer survivor, I extend sincere thanks to all of you across the country who are participating in your local Relay events.

Thank you,
Stacy J.
stacy@stacyrocks.com