sunny blizzard

~E~ MADISON, Wis. -- Celebrants at Madison's citywide party will be ringing in the New Year without the traditional helium balloons. In past years, as many as 1,300 helium balloons were distributed at the U.S. Bank Eve celebration. Not this year. The event's supplier, A to Z RentAll, has stopped selling helium because of a worldwide shortage. Party planners will do a giant balloon drop instead with 2,000 balloons. That won't require any helium. Producers said supply is not meeting demand for helium. It's used in medical MRIs, in liquid crystal display screens and welding and manufacturing. So, balloons aren't high on the list when it comes to demand. Mike Keeney owns Airigami Balloon Creations in Madison. He said helium prices have tripled in the past year-and-a-half. Keeney's company creates balloon displays as well as supplying some helium. Current a tank of helium is selling for up to $175 -- up from $75. It appears a lot of things are running out

~E~ We've all lost gloves. We've all had that sinking feeling when we realize we'll have to tuck one hand in a pocket until we can get home to that extra pair of mittens. Brr. I came across this website that hopes to reunite lost gloves with their owners. It's a brilliant idea, but as I was reading the site it was a bit sad as well. The single mittens and gloves look so dejected! She also lets us know when a glove has been discovered and returned home though, so those make up for the ones that don't. It's so heartwarming. :p

~E~ I was reading another blog a month or so ago -I can't even remember the topic now- but I was shocked by the comments. A number of women discussed how they, or their little sister, or their friend, had no idea that women have three openings in their reproductive/elimination systems. These were women from age 13 to their twenties! They had heard women comment that they had to remove their tampon before they urinated so they wouldn't pee on the tampon. I, dear friends, am here to educate. Here's a link to a diagram of the external female reproductive system . Don't be grossed out. We all own one. At the top is the clitoris; just under that is the urethral opening. Next are the labia, which sort of surround the vagina. Then waaaaaaaay back is the anus. We pee from our urethra; we menstruate from our vagina, and we poo from our anus. Cleared up? :) To any men reading, a few words about menstruation; if you have or plan to have a relationship with a woman you will have to

I thought this was creative and fun!

~E~ If you need to know the time, just ask.

~E~ Several of my friends have moved away. I post these pictures in their honor.

~E~ Recently some punk kid decided to take a gun and blow some random innocent people away. He left a note saying he basically wanted to die and thought it would be cool to be famous for offing a bunch of strangers at the same time. So what do the media do? They publicize the kid, have his picture and name everywhere, endless articles about it. Wouldn't it make more sense, when these things happen, to say "this horrible crime happened here, this many people were killed by some loser jerk" and NOT publish the name and photo? No glory, right? That might prevent more loser jerks from following the same path. Right? Or is that too simple?

Believes the earth is only 5000 years old and God put the dinosaur bones there as a joke? Vote for Huckabee. Believes we cannot have freedom without religion? Vote for Romney. Believes he was actually a hero on September 11 even though many if not most of the firefighter deaths that happened that day were because of his own corruption? Vote for Giuliani. Believes that a Muslim would not deserve a cabinet post because Muslims are not a big enough percentage of the population? Vote for Romney (who is Mormon, 2% of the population. When you figure out that logic, please get back to me) Believes he can work to free a convicted rapist (possibly because his victim was a distant relative of Bill Clinton-sick, if true), rapist gets out and rapes and kills another woman, and said politician lies about his involvement in the whole thing? Vote for Huckabee.