dystopia

Maybe I’m going to set some people off about this subject, but I think pet expenses, especially medical and/or prescription stuff should be deductible when you own a pet or pets. Veterinary visits, shots, having your animal spayed/neutered and protected against fleas, ticks and parasites are all part of being a responsible pet owner, yet you see no tax benefits from all the money you spent taking care of your animal. It seems like common sense to me that pet expenses would be something that you could tax deduct, even if the government didn’t want  you to deduct the total cost, maybe they could give you something small for owning and proving you are taking care of a pet. A small credit, even if it is little, would be nice for many pet owners. Pet owners everywhere would be shouting thank you, finally! Some people don’t have kids, yet they still have expenses for taking care of another being because they have pets.

Not to mention that pet care is ridiculously expensive! Taking an animal to a vet visit for anything means forking out a bunch of money. When I first began working and then filing taxes, one of my first questions to the tax people was if pet’s were tax deductible because I had thought it made sense that they would be, but of course have know found out they really aren’t. I think this should be changed. Maybe you shouldn’t be able to deduct expenses like food, litter, toys or other things like that. But surely you should be able to deduct medical/prescription expenses and surgeries or procedures that animals need or must have done. Having a pet is like having a kid, yeah it’s not a human and it’s a furry kid at that, but shouldn’t people get some sort of tax break for it? I mean really! What are your thoughts? You agree/disagree? What if we got our congressmen and women to draw up a bill to pass and got the IRS to change their mind on the stance? I think it would be good.

There are many search to win sites available now. Here are my top favorites and also a link to a list of many search to win sites out there.

My Top 3

www.swagbucks.com

www.winzy.com

www.blingo.com

You can find a good listing of search to win websites here: www.links2see.com/searchandwin.html

Also, you can go to sites where you can play games to win prizes or money:

www.moola.com

www.pogo.com

www.worldwinner.com

www.netwinner.com

For a good listing of sweepstakes and a chance to win by searching go to this site:

www.sweepsadvantage.com

Just thought I would share because I love to win free stuff and I know many of the bloggers on today love to win stuff too!

According to some top neuroscientists, social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and Bebo are causing alarming changes in the brains of young users. Scientists have warned that these sites shorten attention spans, encourage instant gratification and make young people more self-centered.

Many parents and teachers complain that many youngsters lack the ability to communicate or concentrate away from their screens. A growing number of psychologists and neuroscientists believe social sites may be doing more harm than good. An Oxford University neuroscientist and director of the Royal Institution believes that repeated exposure to social sites could effectively “rewire” the brain.

Psychologists have also argued that digital technology is changing the way we think. They point out that students no longer need to plan essays before starting to write, thanks to word processors they can edit as they go along. A study by the Broadcaster Audience Research Board found that teenagers now spend seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen.

Educational psychologist Jane Healy believes children should be kept away from computer games until they are seven. Most games only trigger the ‘flight or fight’ region of the brain, rather than the vital areas responsible for reasoning.

Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood, said: ‘We are seeing children’s brain development damaged because they don’t engage in the activity they have engaged in for millennia. ‘I’m not against technology and computers. But before they start social networking, they need to learn to make real relationships with people.’

I’ve been pretty stessed lately, feeling irritated and frustrated, worried and grumpy. I haven’t been sleeping well, which doesn’t help of course. I’m so tired I’m falling asleep sitting up now, I never used to do that. I’ll be sitting on the couch after work and then boom, my eyes glaze over and I fall asleep. Then when I’m awakened to go to the bed to go to sleep, I can’t go back to sleep. Then I spend an hour laying in bed trying to go back to sleep, man it’s frustrating. I’ve got way to much to think about and I’m trying not to worry, but it’s just not working. My mind cannot rest and I feel like I’m going crazy. I’m worrying about the wedding, money, my job, the fact that my fiancee was laid off and can’t find a job, the fact that my family isn’t really helping with any wedding plans or paying for anything. I feel like I want to bite someone’s head off. I think I need a nap or better yet, a vacation far away from everything. I’ve got a massive headache at the moment, which is probably from not enough sleep and too much stress. My body is all messed up and I know stress is not good for you, yet I can’t get it under control. What do I do? I tell myself not to worry, not to think about it and to put it in God’s hands, his control, but it’s so hard to not think about it.

Better yet, I’m not drinking much caffeine anymore and trying not to each as much chocolate, which is making me even more bitter and easily angered, boy, did I pick a great time to stop drinking soda and eating chocolate or what? Just when I need a mood reliever the most, I deprive myself of it. I’m just trying to eat healthier. I’m getting older and I currently feel drained and like all the life has been sucked out of me. I’m planning a wedding all by myself almost, or at least it feels like it and then I’m working full time and taking care of the house mostly. I do have to say that my fiance is trying to help, he’s cooked dinner on several occasions now and he does try to fix things or clean when he has the time. I’m just so perturbed all the time it seems. I can never get enough done and it kills me inside. I know he’s busy, he’s going to school and he’s training to get his commercial pilots license and he’s trying to find a new job, which is a job in itself now. I’m just so sick of the struggle you know. I feel like I’ve struggled most of my life. I just want to scream “Can’t I get a break?!!! Just once!!!!” I thought the older I got the more I would like myself and the better of a person I would become, instead I look at myself and think why??! Why am I like this? Why can’t I be better? I’m trying so hard and getting nothing in return. I feel stuck, I’m going nowhere it seems. I’m mad at the world and at the fact that a college degree was supposed to make life easier, which is a lie they tell you growing up. Get a degree and you’ll be okay, you’ll have some stability. Yeah, so much for that.

Here’s the lines to the song I’m listening to(exactly how I’m feeling): Some beach, somewhere, there’s a big umbrella casting shade over an empty chair, palm trees are growing and warm breezes blowing, I’ll picture myself right there, on some beach, somewhere.” Blake Shelton - Some Beach Lyrics

I’m definitely ready for the weekend and a busy weekend it will be. I went to the doctor last night because of some stomach pain I was having. It started on Tuesday, I had a really sharp stabbing pain in my lower left side of my stomach. Seeing as how it didn’t stay and I felt better I didn’t think it was of any concern. Thursday when I got up the whole left side of my stomach had a dull pain and if you pushed in on it, it hurt from below my belly button and over. So, I had no idea what was going on and of course I search the internet trying to diagnose myself. I went to the doctor, where they proceeded to get a urine sample, blood and took some x-rays of my stomach. All they could come up with was that I may be constipated and that my colon may be stopped up. Also, the doctor informed me there was a chance it could be diverticulosis, which is where polyps form on the colon. Yikes, that scared me pretty good. Anyways, he told me to go home, take some milk of magnesia and go on a liquid diet for 24 hours to flush my system out. Wow, it sucks being on a liquid diet, even if it is just for 24 hours. I am SO hungry right now. I think I can probably eat a fairly normal dinner, seeing as how it’s been almost 24 hours now. All I’ve ate the last 24 hours is jello, chicken broth, water and sprite and it has definitely worked. If I was stopped up, I am definitely not anymore. Everything in me has had to come up by now. I’m feeling empty and starving, but the stomach pain is gone!! I’m glad of that for sure. My stomach is no longer sore to touch or press on. When the doctor pressed on it, it really hurt in certain spots. The funny thing is that I didn’t think I was constipated. I think I’m fairly regular, I go at least once, if not twice a day on most days. Maybe my system isn’t allowing it all to come out though? I don’t know, I’m in shock, I wasn’t expecting it to be that. I’m grateful it wasn’t something serious though, thank God! I can’t stand needles or blood, I’d go crazy if I have to have surgery, they’d have to knock me out or give me nerve pills. All I can think about now is food and wanting to eat. Ughh, I can’t wait until dinner. I’m not going to go crazy though, the doctor said that if the pain did go away I could return to eating solid foods but to start out with something starchy. If it didn’t go away he gave me two prescriptions for antibiotics to start taking. Thank you God that the pain is now gone! I just hope it doesn’t come back or happen again. I’m so afraid that something could be wrong with my colon or digestive system, but I’m so young, it shouldn’t be, but I have eaten a lot of red meat since I’ve been alive. I’m definitely going to start changing my diet and eating less red meat and more things with fiber in them to help me digest my food properly and make it easier on my colon.

The lost books of the bible are also known as the apocrypha. Unbeknownst to many a bible with the apocrypha can still be purchased. Just search for one on Barnes & Noble or ask for one at a local book store and you are sure to find a book with all the stories that have been left out of the normal King James Version or you can get a King James Version with the apocrypha in it.

Why are these books left out of most bibles? Perhaps one of the best kept secrets of the modern Protestant church is that the Bible used by that body is not the original King James Bible.  That translation, completed in 1611, and the Bibles published for the use of the clergy and the church members until late in the 19th Century, contained 80 books.  Although attempts to remove the 14 books known as the Apocrypha from the Bible began immediately after the King James translation was completed they remained in the Bible until the end of the 19th Century.  There is no doubt that the 14 books of the Apocrypha were controversial, but it cannot be denied they were included in the original King James Bible. There are 155,683 words and over 5,700 verses contained in 168 chapters now missing from the King James translation of the Bible due to the exclusion of the Apocrypha.  Although this only happened just over a hundred years ago, their existence as fully accepted scripture is virtually unknown. One person claimed that “The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the Canon of Scripture; and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings.” (Westminster Confession, 1647).  In 1880 the American Bible Society voted remove the “Apocrypha” Books from the King James Version. These 14 Books of  the Apocrypha had been part of the King’s bible since 1611.  The “Apocrypha” was officially removed from the English printings of the KJV by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1885 leaving only 66 books.

Should people who are Christians be concerned that these books should be part of the bible? Or should these books be left out, like they have been? I’m not sure how important the missing books are to the Bible and word of God, but if it is the word of God and influenced by God then why isn’t it in most bibles that are now distributed today? Should this be disturbing to me as a Christian? Isn’t the last couple of lines in Revelation warning us against adding or taking away from the Bible, the word of God. “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from teh words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Or, does that just mean taking away or adding to the book of revelation? Anyways, shouldn’t we be able to read these books even though they may have been thought of as not entirely genuine or from God’s word but from the people of the time?

If you’d like to find a bible that has the apocrypha in it still search for these bibles:
The Bible: Authorized King James Version with Apocrypha: Published by Oxford University Press; ISBN: 0192835254
KJV Standard Reference Edition With Apocrypha: Published by Cambridge Univ Pr (Bibles); ISBN: 0521509467
1611 Edition: a reprint of the 1611 KJV With Apocrypha, Published by Nelson Bible; ISBN: 0840700415
The Dake Annotated Reference Bible, Standard Edition: King James Version With Apocrypha, Published by Dake Publishing ISBN: 1558290699

Or to read the books online go to: www.notinthebible.com

According to Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Assoicates, American’s standard of living is undergoing a permanent change and not for the better. American’s standard of living will be completely changed now after the financial meltdown, the housing crash and rising unemployment. Average American’s used to be able to send their kids to a good school, buy a home and buy a car.

Going forward, the retail industry consultant foresees a higher savings rate and people trading down in both goods and services they buy, as well as their aspirations. This is the end of consumerism, which is a good thing! He says, “The end of rampant consumerism is ultimately a good thing, but the unraveling of an economy built on debt-fueled spending will be painful for years to come.

The American standard of living was unsustainable and this is a necessary change. This is something that is going to affect every single American out there, unless you’re already poor and homeless and in that case it may still affect you on how you can get help and where you can go for help. Many American’s have already been affected. People have lost their homes, their jobs and are fearful because they see the economy buckling under the giant weight of debt. Many American’s have already cut back on their budget, disconnecting services and being frugal any way they can.

How will this affect you and your lifestyle? I know I thank God that I have just finished my education and got my Bachelor’s degree already. I’m also thankful to have already bought a home and can afford the payments, at least right now that is. I’m thankful I have a job and I’m thankful my fiance was able to finish his degree and hope that he can find a job soon after being laid off a month and a half ago. There are many financial/money choices I regret looking back. I think “man, I could’ve kept that little escort I had that was a good car and ran and I wouldn’t have a car payment right now or was it really a good idea to buy a saltwater aquarium or any thing that we just don’t use in our house but have purchased anyway. I know that we could probably sell the aquarium and get some money for that, but imagine how much we could’ve saved if we didn’t buy it in the first place? And what about the timeshare? Boy, aren’t they rip-offs?! Oh well, you live and you learn, right!? Well, all I know is that I have.

I have learned now from my money mistakes and I’m vowing to do better and make better choices with how I spend my hard earned dollars. Every penny counts, whether you really think so or not. I think a lot of people got a rude awakening last year and this will be the year that just continues to throw it in their face about how wrong they were about consumerism. We’ve all been living in a fantasy world, we knew we would have to wake up and pay the money back someday, didn’t we? I remember when I traded in my last car and decided to lease a brand new car, I let the guy talk me into it by saying “oh it will only be another $50 or so dollars a month on your payment. What’s $50 a month? Snacks?” I stupidly agreed to lease a car and then realized “hey, even if it is just an extra $50 a month, that’s two weeks of groceries or two and a half weeks worth of gas or a month’s worth of lunches or the phone bill or another bill. It’s something that does and can make a difference. An extra $50 a month may not mean anything to you, but it sure means a hell of a lot to me and now I realize that. Too little, too late I know, but at least know I know.

I encourage you to read this eye-opening article which begs the question: Are we going to be demodernized? http://solari.com/blog/?p=2058

Very scary and very possible!!

This weekend we spent our Friday nights as usual, at a relatives house playing cards and eating pizza. Saturday, Valentine’s Day we went out for lunch and then went over to a friends house to have dinner. We brought the salad and dessert. We sat around, talked and watched some stand up comedy on Comedy Central. It was a really nice time. However, we had a tough time with the computers this weekend. One computer needs a motherboard and then the laptop’s charger is no longer working, so, yeah, we had to go get a charger this weekend, which really bites!

On the wedding planning side, we called and scheduled the resort we’ve been looking at for the honeymoon in St. Maarten, now all we have to do is buy plane tickets for the honeymoon and that will be finished planning. On Sunday we went to Wal-Mart and Target and registered for gifts, we wanted to go to Macy’s too, but it was too late after we finished eating dinner to go there. I also picked up a guest book, garter and photo mat that people can sign while we were at Wal-Mart. We also took a look at the rings they have for sale there. We got the proofs back for the invitations and are looking them over to make sure everything is correct before approving them to be printed. We have yet to confirm anything with the woman at our reception site. We’re not sure if we’re having plated or buffet. I want to have buffet, but I don’t know. She must be new at her job, she can’t seem to answer any of my questions and she doesn’t get back to me about anything. She hasn’t answered some of the questions we have and it is beginning to irritate me. This weekend coming up we are going to Roanoke. I scheduled a hair appointment to do a run through to see how I want my hair to be fixed for the wedding and we are also going to a bridal showcase on Sunday. The next couple of months are sure to be crazy with wedding planning. I’m trying to get as much done as soon as possible, that way I’m not scrambling at the last minute and going off on a rampage. Oh yeah, another thing, instead of three bridesmaid’s I am going to have four now. I decided to ask one more girl, seeing as how my fiance wants to have four groomsmen. Boy, I can’t wait until the wedding is over and the honeymoon starts. I’m so looking forward to vacation. I kind of feel bad for others who can’t take vacations this year. I’m sure this will be the only one we are able to take for a while.

I really wanted to use my tax refund to pay down a little debt that I have, but I am the one being stuck with the bill on some of the wedding stuff, so, oh well, that’s okay. The reception is being paid for by someone else, as well as the cake and flowers, so I can’t really complain too much. The reception is the most expensive so I’m thanking God that someone else can foot the bill for it, otherwise we wouldn’t be having a reception at a country club, it would either be at a restaurant or the Amvets building or the church, ’cause if we had to pay for it ourself that’s all we could probably afford. It’s really ridiculous that they charge so much for food for just 100 people or less, it almost makes you want to serve pizza, chips and kool-aid!! Ha!!! If I still lived in the backwoods of BFE that’s how it would be going down! There’s no doubt about that. After ordering the invitations, I’m wondering exactly how many of the people we’re inviting will make it to the wedding. Most of the people are going to have to travel to get to it, so I’m wondering hmmm….. Of course I know some people will defiitely come, even though they have to travel to get to it cause they’re family or close friends, but some family and people I’ve worked with I question whether they’re actually going to make it or not. I guess I’ll know once I get the RSVP cards back and if I don’t get one back from everyone I’m going to be a little perturbed I’m sure. I don’t even know if my real dad will come or not. I’m inviting him, but I’m doubting he’ll show. My grandma on my dad’s side has been really sick lately, so I’m not sure she’ll be able to come either. I can’t wait to have the count to know exactly how many people will be there. I’m getting so excited and anxious I can’t hold it in ! I didn’t sleep very well this weekend, I’ve had way to much to think about lately. 

Friday the 13th has a bad history of things going wrong, whether it be on a large or small scale. The number 13 is unlucky by itself, but combined with Friday, well, lets just say it always makes for an interesting day.

Here’s some facts on Friday the 13th and why so many people (including me) think it is a very unlucky day:

The British Navy built a ship named Friday the 13th. On its maiden voyage, the vessel left dock on a Friday the 13th, and was never heard from again.

The ill-fated Apollo 13 launched at 13:13 CST on Apr. 11, 1970. The sum of the date’s digits (4-11-70) is 13 (as in 4+1+1+7+0 = 13). And the explosion that crippled the spacecraft occurred on April 13 (not a Friday). The crew did make it back to Earth safely, however.

Many hospitals have no room 13, while some tall buildings skip the 13th floor.

Butch Cassidy, notorious American train and bank robber, was born on Friday, April 13, 1866.

Fidel Castro was born on Friday, Aug. 13, 1926.

The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, according to numerologists who consider the latter to be a complete number - 12 months in a year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.

The 13th guest at the Last Supper was Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus.

Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

Some theologians claim that Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit on a Friday, and that the Great Flood began on a Friday.

Christian folklore holds that 13 is unholy because it signifies the gathering of 12 witches and the devil.

Norse mythology has the belief that you should never sit down to a meal in a group of 13.

Both Fiday and the number 13 were once closely associated with capital punishment. In British tradition, Friday was the conventional day for public hangins and there were supposedly 13 steps leading up to the noose.

For whatever reasons, Friday the 13th has become unlucky for many people. Many people will not plan anything on this day or go on a trip on this day. Bad things happen all the time, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that Friday the 13th is unlucky for everyone and that every Friday the 13th will be unlucky. But, you can’t help to see why there is so much superstition and apprehension around Friday the 13th, just look at its history. People are fascinated by numbers and how they can correspond to our lives and life itself.

Just as an FYI, this could be a very unlucky year for us all, considering that there are going to be three Friday the 13ths this year, today, one in March and one in November. Yikes! That’s a little creepy and it only happens like very 11 years!