It is getting to be that time in my life again. The time where common sense takes over and I can no longer be happy with my bodies shape. I am a firm believer in diet/exorcise. Screw the Atkins, or the South Beach or even pills. That is the easy way out. If it is easy to lose the weight then it is easy to put it back on. I need to drop my intake an increase my movement. From there I can lose the gut.

Others around me are taking the path of healthy-ness, that however is not the reason I am seeing my need to lose the weight. I think it has to do with wanting to live a little longer. I need to emphasize (for myself) that this is for me and not because of other peoples perception or opinion. By stating that I can be seen as defensive but I feel that I need to do it for myself and not because other people think a certain way or I feel the need to fit in.

A Fry'd morning. Every Fryday I peruse the local paper for the 4 page Fry's advertisement. I scour the advertisement for what I consider "deals". Then on Saturday morning I make the coffee an then make my pilgrimage to Fry's. Today for example I purchased the Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JBRTL 80GB hard drive for only $29 after a $20 and $30 rebate. I also had to replace a broken sound card. So I purchased the SoundBlaster Live! 24-bit. The sound card was a necessary purchase, and the hard drive was a deal that I just could not pass by. I am very diligent with sending in my receipts for rebates. In fact I use rebate checks as a way to purchase new stuff at Fry's. Kind of like a revolving checking account.

After returning from my expedition I got to work on painting a bedroom. This room originally had wallpaper so I was only able to TSP the walls to get rid of the wallpaper glue. Tomorrow I will spackle and sand parts of the wall. My plan is to finish the sanding next weekend and put on one coat of paint.

The Pope died today. I have to admit that I am sad. I finished reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown and it gave me some insight on what is happening in the Vatican right now. I recommend the book and then of course I recommend reading The DaVinci Code but not because everyone else is reading or has read it. But because both of them helped me look at the history of the Vatican from a non-catholic viewpoint.

What irony: The pope was given last rights today after having a feeding tube installed days before. Terri Schiavo dies after having her feeding tube removed. Just put me down when the time comes. I don't want a feeding tube, nor do I want people to debate on whether I should live or die. If I cannot put food in my own mouth then let the evolutional fate consume me.

On a more positive note...some RAM came in the mail for me. That should make my WS03-Enterprise box a little faster. I am hoping to obtain my MCSE certification within the next year so this is an expense that can be justified.

My brother sent this to me in mail today:

The Internet is just beginning to change the way we live, learn, play, and do business, so now is not the time to impose major new tax burdens on the American consumers who are driving Internet growth.

Background:

In 1998, the U.S. Congress recognized the importance of the Internet by banning new taxes on Internet access, the monthly fee you pay your Internet service provider.
In 2001, Congress extended this moratorium to November 2003.

Today, the moratorium has been allowed to expire, because a handful of Senators doubt the merits of protecting American consumers from new taxes. Now that the ban is off, some states are poised to impose new taxes on your Internet access.
Take Action Now.

You can make a difference -- act now to prevent Internet taxes. Tell your U.S. Senators to reject amendments and pass S.150, "The Internet Non-Discrimination Act." Below please find links to help you email your House and Senate Representatives. Please click below and when you write, consider using this suggested message below to start your own message:

Dear Senator,

The Senate is working to pass legislation that is critical to the continued growth of the Internet and e-commerce. S. 150, the Internet Non-Discrimination Act, will permanently extend the current Internet access tax moratorium.

Unfortunately, advocates of new Internet taxes want to weaken or defeat S.150. If these Senators are successful in killing the bill, states and localities will begin taxing everything that is available online, including e-mail, goods and services, and even parental filtering software.

With the old moratorium already expired, there is no time to waste. Act now to prevent Internet taxes. Please reject amendments to S.150 and pass the bill immediately.

Sincerely,

Other Useful Links
http://www.house.gov/writerep/ -- find out who your Member of Congress is and contact them!
http://www.senate.gov/ -- find out who your US Senator is and contact them!

This is not a hoax, I checked it out. My opinion on this issue is that I do not believe that we should have taxes on Internet access or Purchases at this time. I would like to see internet access become more wide spread then it is now, even to the point of free access. I believe that it will only help educate Americans which in turn will keep us the great nation that we are now. So for that reason I believe this bill should pass.

I am concerned about the extending the moratorium indefinitely on state taxes on purchasing items. My concern is: what happens in the future if 90% of transactions happen online? I think that this is the way we are heading and I see it as detrimental if state taxes are not allowed in the future. I, of course think paying taxes sucks, but I am reasonable enough to say that I think some taxes are needed.

I think that the solution is to extend the moratorium for 10 years not indefinitely. But then again that is just my opinion.

The long Wednesday... hump day... middle of the week? A nice sunny day unless you look at what I accomplished. Not so bright is it? Johnnie Cochran Died. I didn't know the guy, but neither do you. So why spend time thinking about it? I guess because I spend my unemployment allotment watching his slick maneauvers in the court room. Then there is the brain tumor.. at his age. Hmm well enough about that.

American Idol, I watch for the family time not the idol. Somehow it has hooked me in to actually caring. I never thought that would happen.

I am listening to and looking forward to seeing The Soundtrack of Our Lives. Surprised? So am I. I did not think that I would like as much as I do.