So it is no secret that the economy is in the crapper. And you know what is the perfect counter to that crapper situation? I am totally thinking a vacation is in order here. That is why I have already started planning one for myself. Which is actually a bit odd in and of itself as I am usually not the type to really plan a trip. I am more of the spur of the moment ‘hey, let’s take a road trip’ mindset. And I have done just that several times. Of course, if you are looking to do something like a cruise, well, that is a bit harder to pull off all last minute. But if that is what you are looking to do then you will see that you can get a little help from the people at Vacations To Go. They are all about planning that last minute escape. In fact, you can book a last minute cruise at up to 75 percent off through the Vacations To Go website. They even have this sweet thing on the site that is the 90-Day Ticker tool. They have all kinds of great cruises that you can book through Vacations To Go. I was checking out the Western Mediterranean cruises. You know the ones where you can see cool places like Salerno, Italy and Marseille, France.

Okay, so there have been avalanches in Utah. This reminds me of a bit by Suzanne Westenhoefer — available here. The particular line in question comes at 5:06 in. But I don’t want to turn this into a joke. Someone died and that’s not funny, and it’s possible she wasn’t a backward bigot at all, but just someone stuck in the wrong state. Hey, it’s happened to me. I know the feeling. Anyway, two points really caught my attention here.

One - The guy who was with the girl who died reported the avalanche. I know it may be a risk of life, but if I am ever in an avalanche and the person who is with me reports it, but doesn’t even attempt to dig, they are so haunted for like all of eternity.

Two - One of the avalanches happened at a place called Lake Desolation. Just a thought. Never nickname a place this. You are just asking for something straight out of a horror movie to take place there.

Do you have a laptop and a laptop bag? I do. And I think that laptop bags are great for traveling. That is why I have one. But right now my laptop bag sits in the closet. That is what happens when you do your working from home. You do not get to travel and neither does your laptop bag. Instead it sits in the cold dark closet. I think it is on top of a box, right under where some pants are hanging. But at least it is not out in the open getting all dusty. Hopefully it is not afraid of the dark though.

So, Disneyland has up and fired Jack Sparrow. All four of the actors who played the somewhat effeminate swashbuckler have been let go for the holidays. Ho Ho Ho. Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel.

Disney’s reps are claiming that Jack Sparrow is simply old news, and they aren’t getting a lot of requests for his smoky bod anymore. However, inside sources claim that Disney officials have serious concerns regarding the fact that, when night falls over the Disney parks, women cannot handle the pheromones that come from Jack Sparrow, no matter which actor is playing him, and feel compelled to flash their perky breasts in admiration.

Not certain why this is considered a problem. I feel that Disney missed out on a serious opportunity here. If I were in charge, I would have hired several additional Jack Sparrows, stationed them throughout the park, and installed “breast cams” to capture the reactions.

Are you still out there doing a little holiday shopping? Do you have some people on your list that you just cannot find a gift for? Well, if you are looking for some great holiday gift ideas for the people that are on your list that are kind of hard to buy for then I have a site for you to have a look at. It is called Crystal World and they sell crystal figurines. If you go and visit their website you will quickly see that the Crystal World crystal figurines are some great looking and high quality pieces that you can offer up as gifts for those loved ones that are still left on your holiday shopping list. Just have a look down below at the Snoopy crystal figurine. It’s called “A Birthday Beagle” and I am sure this would make a great gift for just about anyone. I know a lot of people of all ages that are big Snoopy fans. I am too! In fact, I have A Charlie Brown Christmas on my DVR right now. And I would totally not mind getting a little Snoopy trinket for the holidays. So why not head on over and see the collection that they have at Crystal World today! They have some Web-Only specials that you will want to have a look at. And if you are on a budget be sure to check out the section called ‘Gifts Under $50.’

Okay, so that’s not exactly true. My mind late at night is pretty much asleep. But when I have food or caffeine right before bed, my sleepy mind does some flat-out whack shiznit. Last night, I had one of those doomsday dreams, where there is lots of running and freaking out and stockpiling food and such. But that is relatively normal. The night before, I had a dream that I was on tour with New Kids on the Block. Instead of a bus, we were riding in an old van. Joey was driving.What in the hell is that about? 

Are you a blogger? Or maybe are you someone that ends up having to do a lot of writing? If you are then I think you might need dragon. And, if you need a dragon, get one. If you do not know what I am talking about then let me explain it to you. You see, I am talking about Dragon Naturally Speaking. It is this great software that basically works kind of like a transcriber, only you do not have to actually pay a transcriber to type up what you are saying. Instead you get this sweet software and you put it on your computer, even if it is a Mac, and you speak like you are doing dictation and the software will type up what you are saying aloud. And the best part about Dragon Naturally Speaking is that it is super fast! In fact, I suspect that you will discover that Dragon Naturally Speaking can type WAY faster than you can! So that right there makes it worth the price. But guess what? You can get Dragon Naturally Speaking at a discount and I can help you out with that. You can get a $50 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred. Or you can use the $25 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Standard. Do you have a Mac? If so just use the $25 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -MacSpeech Dictate. So if you are looking for a way to be WAY more productive then why not check out Dragon Naturally Speaking today? You will be glad that you did when you see how it can type as fast as you can think!

• $50 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred
• $25 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Standard
• $25 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -MacSpeech Dictate

So, I came across this on CNN, and I find it fascinating. Apparently, Cambridge and Oxford have started to utilize a new series of questions in interviewing potential students. Some people are calling it crazy. Personally, I think it’s awesome. This is the kind of interview I would do well in. Finally, prestigious schools are asking the kind of questions I like to answer.

The idea is to find out how well a student can think, not just how much they know, which is also brilliant. It’s more about discovering what one has the potential to learn, not just how much one has had the opportunity to learn in his or her early life.

Sample Cambridge Questions:

Do you think you’re clever? (for law school wanna-bes… fitting, don’t you think?)

How would you poison someone without the police finding out? (medicine)

Instead of politicians, why don’t we let the managers of IKEA run the country? (social and political sciences)

Sample Oxford Questions:

Would you rather be a novel or a poem?

What does it mean to be happy? (philosophy and modern languages)

How would you market a rock band? (economics and management)

Is it morally wrong to attempt to climb a mountain? (theology)

I know I have some crafty readers out there in cyberspace. Is it you? Are you the crafty kind? Are you looking for a place online to sell your artistic wares? Art Fire is a new type of online store, utilizing the backing of contributors to allow both artisans and buys to sell, buy, and interact absolutely free of charge. Art Fire invites all types of crafts and their creators to be a part of their growing community. If you are an artisan, or you like to buy unique, handmade crafts, take a look at Art Fire’s extensive collection of products. Hand-made accessories, baskets, candles, pottery, clothing, dolls, fine art, furniture, jewelry, metal crafts, mosaics, instruments, photography, plants, quilts, sculpture, toys, woodworking, and more are available from a diverse roster of artists. There is also an extensive collection of media items, including animation, books, CDs, DVDs, graphics, and music. Art Fire is the perfect way for crafters and artists to meet the people who are most interested in their creations. So, if you have been looking for that perfect place to sell your art, ArtFire.com is the place to be. Or, if you have been looking for that perfect piece of furniture, that fantastic artwork or that unique, one-of-a-kind gift for someone special in your life, Art Fire is the place to find it.

So, I’ve been thinking long and hard about this, and I have come to a realization that I simply cannot live with. You see, while giving away copies of my book to those who haven’t yet read it brings me joy, in a way doesn’t it punish those people who have been very supportive. I mean, not only do they not get anything, I’ve put their asses to work for the holidays, and that’s just not right. So, my question is thus, for those of you who already have copies of my book, what would you like from me? (Within reason, people. I’m not flying to anyone’s home and cleaning out the garage.) Give me some ideas and I’ll see what I can do. I want to be fair!

Then, any of you peoples who help the other peoples by doing your part to earn them a book will also get something for the holidays.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Cruel jokes?