ROAR

     So, obviously our stars are out of alignment, because they just don't fit with the old proverb about March, "in like a lion, out like a lamb."
     The beginning of our month we had MELLOW weather: sunny skies, little precipitation, and highs in the upper fifties and lower sixties. That's not too lion-like in my book.
     And, here we end the month with a snowstorm, not too lamb-like either.
     Out of interest, I had to find out where the proverb came from, and I stumbled across many articles. It's believe the saying is rooted in the stars, particularly the constellations of Leo and Aries (lion and lamb).
     Well, OBVIOUSLY, our rotation is off this month...OK, at least the saying is!
     I found this cartoon from my favorite star guy, Jack Horkheimer. You can click directly on it to zoom in.

Diesel Profiling

     So, I was driving back with a friend from Chelan on Thursday. You will NEVER believe what happened!
     As we were passing the airport, a suburban in front of us suddenly slammed on its breaks and veered off to the shoulder. Bizarre.
     After a bit, it pulled back onto the road behind us. We reached the junction to hit the highway and started off towards home.
     I glanced over as my friend set his cruise control to 65, and then all of a sudden we see flashing lights and are being pulled over!
     Out of the passenger side of the suburban a Washington State Trooper jumps out. He's wearing the traditional light blue WSP trooper uniform.      I think it's kind of strange that there are two guys pulling us over, and wonder if maybe the other guy is in training, so I watch the driver in my mirror.
     I notice him putting on rubber gloves, which TOTALLY creeps me out. (I am starting to think I might call *77, which I heard is a trace to find out when you are pulled over by an unmarked vehicle to verify if it is a cop or not, and I don't even know if *77 is an urban legend or not...I did snopes.com it after I got home, but it in fact is NOT true, so it wouldn't have helped in our situation, and now that I think of it, we were just in that spot of no cell service, so if we were going to be dismembered by the glove wearing cop, that's what was going to happen! I obviously watch WAY too many scary horror shows!!!)
     Meanwhile the trooper tells us he clocked us at 70. Hmmm... So my friend is asked to hand over his license and registration.
     Then the trooper says, "We are also testing diesel vehicles in the area to see if they are running off-road diesel, do you mind?"
     At first I thought my friend was going to tell the cop no way (and, you can tell them NO that they have to get a search warrant), but he told them to go ahead.
     At this time the trooper nods to the driver, and the driver gets out wearing his gloves and the dark, dark blue uniform (the one that the guys that work at the semi-truck weigh scales wears) and he walks up to the rig and with a big straw looking thing.
     The other trooper goes back to the suburban, and I watch him to see if he types anything in or calls us in, and he just sits there. MAYBE he had a voice activated service, but I didn't see his lips move, so maybe he was also a ventriloquist.
     Once the glove wearing cop tested the diesel, he headed back to his rig, and the other cop (not sure if he is the good cop or bad cop in the scenario) walks up, hands my friend his paperwork, and tells him to slow down next time.
     TOTALLY, that was all about diesel profiling! I am not making light of people who are profiled because of the color of their skin, honest. I think it's total BS for anyone to be pulled over that is not breaking the law (OK, my friend was going 4 or 5 miles over the speed limit, so technically he was breaking the law, but WHATEVER).
     I realize with the high cost of gas (diesel is over $4 a gallon now), that some people are resorting to using the off-road diesel, and that stuff is NOT good for mass consumption by any means.
     SO, Okanogan County doesn't racially profile their drivers (which if someone told me that had experienced it, I would TOTALLY believe them), it's all about the diesel. I must live in Redneck Country.

The lights are off and everybody is home!

     Did you notice the blackout on Google? Did you read why? Today is the celebration of Earth Hour.
     Google is not saving any energy by "turning the lights off" on their site, but they are bringing awareness to the challenge of everyone in every time zone to turn their lights out for sixty minutes from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. TONIGHT.
     Besides Google, lots of other big names are pledging to turn the lights out tonight, too!
     This movement started back in 2007 in Australia, and now it's global! It's all about the climate change.
     More about what Google says at: http://www.google.com/intl/en/earthhour/ or you can go to the Earth Hour site at: http://www5.earthhourus.org/.
     Let's reduce our HUMAN FOOTPRINT on this world!

OCHO is the way to go!

     I have never really been into numbers, but I do realize that they have meaning and symbolism, and you can read one of today's blogs on my other site where I talk about the number 8 (http://trishaweighsin.blogspot.com/2008/03/magic-number-8.html).
     So, writing this other blog prompting me to do a little digging about the number 8.
     You can check out one of the sites I found lots of info at: http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2007/04/number-symbolism-part-iii-numbers-6-10/.
     It is believed that since the number 7 represents completion, then 8 is considered going on beyond nature and the world. So, 8 is often considered to be related to paradise.
      It has all sort of religious connections. Muslims believe that there are 7 hells but 8 heavens. Buddhists believe 8 is lucky, and it is thought that is related to the lotus flower and its 8 petals.
     And, did you know that the square of any odd number subtracted by 1 is always a multiple of 8??? 7 x 7 = 49 - 1 = 48 (8 x 6).
     And, there are all sorts of cultural connections to the number 8, too!
     As well, it's the number of perfection (infinity) which reminds me that I am afflicted with pefectionism (although, this is greatly improving!!!).
     It even has all sorts of biblical connections, too. (http://osdir.com/ml/culture.autism/2006-10/msg00070.html).
     Well, for now, in this year of 2008...I just like the number 8! I can't wait for 8-8-8 this summer :)

An old man, a lost girl x 2, and a legend

      We have been watching lots of movies lately. Remember my gi-normous list of over 30 that we wanted to see? Well, many are coming out on video.
      I am going to go back and look at that list later today, and see just which ones we can check off, and which ones we need to still see.
      Friday night we watched, No Country for Old Men, and all I can say about that movie is: INTENSE and OUTSTANDING!
      Then Sunday we watched Enchanted with our little one, and it's a cute premise. Cartoon world pops into real world.
      Later that night we watched Gone Baby Gone starring Casey Affleck (Ben's bro) and Morgan Freeman (one of my all-time favorite actors). Again, it was INTENSE and actually SURPRISING (that doesn't happen too often, usually I can guess a movie from the get-go).
      Last night we watched I Am Legendwith Will Smith. WOW! That pretty much sums it up. INTENSE and emotional (somewhat predictable), but excellent flick.
      I love it when we have lots of movies to see. LOVE IT!

Grab a mirror!

     Kids recently turned me onto a cool site. I don't look at it for very long because it starts to hurt my eyes.
     Basically it is GOOGLE backwards! Check it out!! http://elgoog.rb-hosting.de/index.cgi

Through the eyes of Dad

     We attended the local Easter egg hunt on Saturday, the one at the Sports Complex.
     First I have to say that it seemed SILLY that two egg hunts were scheduled for the exact same time and just right down the road from one another.
     We decided to attend the one sponsored by the Okanogan Women's Club, GFWC, as it is the one that many people we know are involved and it is the one with the Okanogan fire truck that starts the kiddos a runnin'!
     So, I have to make an observation. As I stood back and took pictures of our little one, I listened to Rick coach her on which eggs to find.
     The funny thing is...right next to my two, another little girl and her dad were lined up and he, too, was forming a plan of attack.
     I joked with both dads about how this appeared to be the Super Bowl of Easter egg hunts, as serious as they both were about where to go and what to grab.
     I guess you could consider it planning, but it was just funny to me. I am a competitive person, and I don't like to lose when I am in a competition, but an Easter egg hunt? Really?