As some of you are aware, Tom and I just had a baby girl. Of course, we are enjoying her to the fullest and we are doing tons of shopping. Or shall I say, I am doing tons of clothes shopping:–) I love Baby Gap clothing and I am constantly on their site, buying our daughter a new outfit. Well, every time I order clothing, I am sent a coupon to use toward my next purchase. This coupon can be used at either gap.com, bananarepublic.com, oldnavy.com and piperlime.com. For those of you who love shoes, but are not aware of piperlime, it is an online shoe store that has some pretty nice shoes. The prices are decent too.

Anyway, enough about my shopping habits. Because we appreciate our readers, I thought I’d pass on the coupon code that I recently received. It is for 15% off and it’s valid until November 13, 2008. Enjoy!

Here’s the coupon code: BGCHVL3VCC28

Sometimes we have to take a break from all the problems and serious issues of the world and read, talk about or look at something that is nothing more than a few minutes of entertainment.  Check this picture out and let me know if it works for you.  I followed the instructions below the picture and it didn’t work for me.

Stare at this moving spiral optical illusion for about 30 seconds, then look at your hand, or a pen. You’ll see it start to move and distort whatever object you look at. This is another one of our favorite optical illusions! In fact it’s so great, that it took me a long time to actually publish this article about this spiral illusion because I’ve been staring into the spiral and am totally mesmorized! See if you can break away after you watch this picture and check out some of our other spiral illusions!

I just heard on my local news station here in Mississippi that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has broken up TWO plots to kill Obama. In addition, these groups were going to go on a Tennessee murder spree, killing 102 Black people by either shooting them or decapitating them. These groups are located in Tennessee and they are described as Neo-Nazi skinheads. In my opinion, this is not going to stop – these types of threats and plots. They are just going to intensify! Case in point, didn’t someone yell the N word at a McCain-Palin rally? To all of those people who think racism is not alive and well — think again!

I’m sure you all have heard about the tragedy that has happened to Jennifer Hudson and her family. Just to briefly recap, her mother and brother were killed this weekend by her sister’s husband and her 7-year-old nephew went missing. There was hope that Jennifer’s nephew would be found alive. It is with regret that we report his body was discovered today in an abandoned SUV. Again, our prayers are with Jennifer Hudson and her family.

There are so many events, incidents, circumstances, tragedies, and mishaps that occur in our lives that make us wonder: what is going on, why is this happening, how did I end up here going through this, when will it end, who am I to have to endure this, etc.

Imagine this:  you are a champion athlete.  You have trophy after trophy, and blue ribbon after blue ribbon to prove it.  Your foot slips ½ inch and throws everything off and life as you know it ends.  You have a torn ligament that will never heal properly and has taken you out of sports altogether?  What could be sadder?

Isn’t it disconcerting when you have gone to college, gotten your degree, searched and searched for a job and you hear about “it”, the perfect job for you, but you are too late.  The job is closed.  The opportunity is passed.  You heard about it, but one day, 2 hours, 28 minutes, and 12 seconds too late.

And why was your child in the back seat of the car the day the neighbor’s child decided to drive drunk and kill everybody in the car except himself?

Why did your husband walk into the Chase towers the same day Yvonne Smith decided to take, a non-typical detour, and walk through on the same day, at the same time, at the exact second to bump into him, thus igniting the start of their relationship and the end of yours?

Why does my baby have Down syndrome when I didn’t drink, do drugs, or smoke cigarettes, yet Suzie did all of those irresponsible things and her baby is healthy?

Why did my mom die before the promised age of 70 years old?

As Christians, do any of these scenarios give us the right to question God and what seems to be His will, or at least the path that our life, by no fault of our own, takes?  Is it alright to get mad at God?  Is anger toward God allowed by those of us who claim to love Him and rely on Him for guidance and blessings in our lives?  Again I ask, when is it ok to question God?  When is it ok to be angry with God?  When is it ok to challenge God?  Is that part of being His child and understanding our walk with Him or should we just say, thine will be done oh Lord?  Is that a passive Christian or is that truly an interactive Christian who wants a deeper knowledge and understanding of their Father?  Do these actions toward God diminish His respect for us and does putting God on the spot come at a cost to  us?

I had an Aunt just die recently and to be honest it makes me wonder, was her death truly God’s will?  Is it alright to at least wonder?

Today I read about a survey that said many American doctors give their patients placebos.  Yep, that’s right, doctors are giving their patients…nothing, to help them.  Wow, this is just what we need right now, wasting money on prescriptions that aren’t going to do anything.

According to the survey, half of all American doctors could be doing this and that is an alarming number when you think about it.  At least the placebos have advanced.    The placebos discussed aren’t the classic sugar pill, but rather other medication that may not necessarily do anything to cure what ails the patient.  I will sleep like a baby knowing my doctor may have thought enough of me to prescribe me an expensive drug that does nothing to help me instead of a sugar pill.

Like Allen Iverson said, “This is PRACTICE.”

Isn’t it ironic that doctors and lawyers practice medicine and law respectively.  Two of the most lucrative professions and they are practicing – practicing something where people could be killed (executed), die or go to jail.  It is all pretty absurd, but I thought so before I read the article.

I wrote something in the past about Motrin – Vitamin M is what I like to call it.  I’ve had experiences, including a mini blow up with one doctor, where I was simply given Motrin for everything that ailed me from head to toe.  Now that I read about this survey, my doctors could have been part of that half and just gave me Motrin to get me in and out as quickly as possible.  Have you ever felt like you were rushed through the doctor’s office?  I have.

I guess we will all have to ask more questions in the doctor’s office so we don’t become part of that 50% who receive placebos.

I think it boils down to trust.  We want to be able to trust our doctors.  No, we should be able to trust our doctors literally with our lives.  After medical school and all those years of college, didn’t they learn something besides blowing smoke?  I guess half of them weren’t paying attention in class.

You may or may not have seen this video.  There are numerous remixes on YouTube and the original have received almost 1.5 million views in about two weeks!  I inserted the original below because I wanted you to see the whole thing.  I was actually sent a shorter version that had the gospel song “We Fall Down” at the end of it, but the original is good.

Of course, she is going to fall.  If you want to cut right to the chase I think you to the 2:28 mark, but there is something funny about the beginning to me.  If she knew the song, or sang something recognizable, she doesn’t have a bad voice.  But the fall is the main attraction here.  Hey, at least she is cheerful at the beginning and cheerful at the end!

We are two weeks away from voting in a monumental presidential race.  Every single day, we are bombarded with He Said, She Said articles, conversations, etc.   Today, on 7daybuzz, let’s have a ‘Calgon, take me away moment’ and talk about nonsensical topics.  Here we go:

Did you know that Omarosa (yes, the one from The Apprentice) is getting her own reality TV show?   According to Trump Productions (yes, Donald Trump is producing it – can you believe it?!), “It’s a dating show, but it’s business meet romance.  Love is serious business and that’s what Omarosa knows.”  Uh – okay?  Can we say, WTH?!!!!!!

Did you know that Terrence Howard was fired from the Iron Man sequel, but didn’t know it until he read in the newspaper?  Wow!!!!  That’s crazy, especially since I thought he did an awesome job in the movie.  But, he is being replaced by Don Cheadle, who is an excellent actor in his own right.

Did you know O.J. Simpson “was allowed out of his cramped cell to attend worship services” at his new address in the Clark County Detention Center?   Sometimes, it takes something this drastic to happen to get a person to go to church and discover Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Did you know that thanks to a new Internet-based service called inSPOT, people are now receiving anonymous e-mails about sex?  But they aren’t spam and there is no hidden ad for herbal concoctions to increase the size of anything. Rather, the “e-cards” are notices from a previous sex partner that the recipient may have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease.

Did you know San Francisco is voting next month to legalize prostitution?  San Francisco would become the first major U.S. city to decriminalize prostitution if voters approve Proposition K — a measure that forbids local authorities from investigating, arresting or prosecuting anyone for selling sex.

Did you know in this economy – what some perceive to be a recession – software giant Apple’s profits are up 26% – mainly because of the iPhone?  Does this mean McCain was right, that the economy is not as bad as we think it is?

Yesterday we got the latest edition of Time magazine in the mail.  I’m tempted to make this the last magazine we get from Time due to the cover.  I hate it – hate is a strong word but applies here – when someone does or says something to persuade opinion and assumes those they are trying to persuade are too dumb to realize it.  This cover left me feeling this way and I will tell you why.

Senators Obama and McCain are on the cover along with two former presidents.  The cover mentions temperament – one of the former presidents presumably has a temperament similar to Senator Obama’s and the other similar to Senator McCain’s.  I immediately get what they are trying to say/do and I don’t like it.

It doesn’t matter who you think is more qualified to run the country, the candidates are who they are and discussions on temperament are clearly coming from someone who wishes to dismiss on of the candidate’s temperament – Senator McCain.  Say what you will about their plans for our country’s future, but one would have to admit that Senator McCain has come across bitter, sarcastic and basically like a jerk on more than one occasion.

If Time magazine had put “McCain For President” on the cover I would have had more respect for the magazine.  What they did was try to plant a seed in the readers’ minds that temperament – in this case McCain’s temperament – may not matter.  I actually think they are right, but I didn’t need this cover to make me think so.

Both men are politicians so whose to say either one of them are going to do what they promise once elected?  That being the case, we may need a jerk or someone with “jerkish” tendencies to run the country.  We have some real problems with our economy, terrorists and many other things and this may not be the time for someone with a calm demeanor to lead us.  Either way, I would have liked it if Time magazine didn’t blatantly (I call it that) put something in my face to persuade my opinion.

Do you think that Obama is too calm or McCain is too…whatever he is?  If so, what temperment do you think is appropriate to lead our country given the current national and international climate?

Yesterday was Sunday.  Did you have time to rest, relax with family and/or go to church?  If not, was it because Sunday became your day to catch up or is Sunday just like any other day for you?  Don’t get me wrong, if there is one thing I’m going to do is get my nap at some point during the weekend.  But the rest of the week I seem to be constantly on the go.

Presently, I live in Biloxi Mississippi – hardly a fast-moving place to live by any standards – and I still seem to always be on the go.  I’m trying to determine why I always seem to have something to do other than relaxing and I have what I think may be good possibilities.

1. I may just be spreading myself too thin.  If this is the culprit, reducing some of my activities could make those that remain better.  One thing that will NEVER get eliminated is family so adding time to spend there would be nothing but positive.
2. Our current culture sucks us into more complexity than ever before.  Remember when we were kids and used to go outside to play?  I wanted to go outside every single day to ride my bike, play wiffle ball or kill ants – don’t ask about the ants.  Kids don’t really go outside like that anymore.  Part of this could be due to computers/video games and part of it could be due to kids not being safe out there anymore.
3. Everybody wants to be rich.  Do we want too much stuff?  Is too much of my time being spent trying to chase material wealth?  Sure, I would like to be wealthy (different than rich), but I’m only going to go so far to do so – I still have to live with myself.  I know and see people all the time that would cut someone to get ahead.  I still have to live with a code (of ethics).
4. I’m getting old(er).  It couldn’t be that could it?  :D  I know I’m slowing down.  There used to be a time where I was, shall we say, a night owl.  There is no way I could keep up with my younger self.  Hmm, maybe that is why I have to get those naps.