Steve's Blog Spot

I haven't mentioned it before, but I play guitar in a band. We started as a bunch of guys from work who got together to make some music in our "spare time" and are still doing it after over 10 years. The name: Mile Marker Zero, kinda laid-back-Jimmy-Buffet-ish-Motown-danceable-rock-and-roll music, with a few country tunes thrown in for those lovers of that genre. We don't get paid, generally, mostly because we do a lot of charity stuff. But it's a lot easier to do volunteer work when you're having fun and doing what you want to do, despite that when you were younger your mom said such "talent" would never put food on the table! Any funds from paying gigs goes into a kitty, and used for buying shared equipment, such as PA's, monitors, etc. Anyway, this weekend is loaded! Friday night from 10 to midnight we play at the Mauldin, SC, Golden Strip Relay for Life (for free), then play Saturday from 12:30 to 3:30 pm (for free) for the Hands on Greenvill...

As the owner of, I mean, being owned by 2 cats, I found this to be hilarious ! (Hat tip: Mostly Cajun)

And what do you plan to do with yours? My friend Pete sent me this... President George Bush said each one of us would get a $600 tax rebate. It was previously slated to be $800, but they dropped it to $600 because of various budget problems. Now, if we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China. If we spend it on computers, most of the money will go to Korea or India. If we spend it on gasoline it will all go to the Arabs. None of these scenarios will help the American economy.We need to keep that money here in America, so the only way to keep that money here at home is to drink beer, gamble, or spend it on prostitution. Currently it seems that these are the only businesses still left in the U.S. I'm Elliot Spitzer and I approved this message.

Last night during the 3,453rd Democratic debate, both Clinton and Obama stated they would not raise taxes on individuals whose incomes were under $200,000. (And that group would include me by a pretty fair margin!) But does that mean they would still allow Pres. Bush's tax cuts to expire in 2010? Technically, they could let the cuts expire and still claim they did not raise taxes. Which, to me, would be a tax increase , purely from the standpoint that I would pay more taxes when the cuts expire. So, what did they really mean? I think McCain won this debate...

It'sh an honor and a privilesh... 91% DRUNKARD

(With a green aura!) What about you? You Are a Hazelnut You are very unique and distinct. You may even freak some people out. Most people don't really know how to interact with you. You get along best with anyone who is super sweet. But you really do get along with almost anyone. You just need a chance to wow them. What Nut Are You? Go ahead - take the quiz. If you dare. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

other planets. Where, you may ask? Why, there's one of them right there, orbiting HD 189733 , in the left center of the picture, or at least where you'd find it. A Jupiter-size gas giant. One of many that are being discovered now that scientists are really beginning to take a look. It adds more credence to the theory that we are not alone in the universe. Hundreds of billions of stars, in hundreds of billions of galaxies. I'd say the odds are pretty good there are at least a few other civilizations out there. The universe is so incredibly huge, so beyond our ability to really comprehend it's scope, how can you not marvel at God's work? I do not think that science and theology are at odds; what is known scientifically points to the existence of a higher Being behind it all. Check out the rest of this incredible site. It's NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive . But don't blame me if you get lost there for hours just looking at the spectacular pictur...

Don't do drugs, um-kay? ... Mr. Mackey These pix say it all about the effects of drugs...

Origami to a higher level. Imagination and talent have no end!

So here's a little humor on that subject: At the end of the tax year the IRS office sent an inspector to audit the books of a Synagogue. While he was checking the books he turned to the Rabbi and said, "I notice you buy a lot of candles. What do you do with the candle drippings?" "Good question," noted the Rabbi. "We save them up and send them back to the candle makers, and every now and then they send us a free box of candles." "Oh," replied the auditor, somewhat disappointed that his unusual question had a practical answer. But on he went, in his obnoxious way: "What about all these bread wafer purchases? What do you do with the crumbs?" "Ah, yes," replied the Rabbi, realizing that the inspector was trying to trap him with an unanswerable question. "We collect them and send them back to the manufacturer, and every now and then they send us a free box of bread-wafers." "I see," replied the auditor, thi...

This is a funny video ... (Language alert!)

From my buddy Pete: I recently picked a new primary care doctor. After two visits and exhaustive lab tests, he said I was doing "fairly well" for my age. A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him, "Do you think I'll live to be 80?" He asked, "Do you smoke tobacco, or drink beer or wine?" "Oh, no!" I replied. "I'm not doing drugs, either!" Then he asked, "Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?" I said, "No, my former doctor said that all red meat is very unhealthy!" "Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?" "No, I don't," I said. He asked, "Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of sex?" "No," I said. He looked at me and said, "Then, why do you even give a shit?" Now, that's funny!

No news there, as there are many who have already made this prediction. But here's my 10 cents worth. No matter your thoughts on Ms Clinton or Mr. Obama, I think it has boiled down to a matter of money, and she is losing that race. Some of her bills are not getting paid, but I think that's statistically quite small compared to the bills that have been paid. At the end of the day, though, the most money wins. Unfortunately. There's something inherently wrong when you can buy/spend your way to a candidacy. But that's not my point. According to their filings with the Federal Election Commission, Hillary's campaign has $24 million in the bank, after debts, and after spending $135 million to date. She is lagging behind Barack , who is sitting at around $38 million after debt, and after having spent a whopping $158 million so far! They have a combined expenditure of almost $300 million, and that's only for the primaries. The winner still has to compete for the golde...