I have to admit that I was a bit nervous going to the polls for the first time. I’ve never taken this responsibility very seriously before, and I realized that I did not have near enough knowledge of the candidates to make a very educated decision come election day. I studied up on Mr. Obama, as well as Mr. McCain, and I also took a look at the other, smaller parties running for office. Come November 4th, I felt much more prepared to do my civic duty.

The actual process of voting was relatively quick and easy, for me. I had preregistered through www.rockthevote.com and I think that is a great website! I walked in, showed my registration card I had received in the mail, and went to the booth. It took me about five minutes total, and when I was done, I simply placed my ballot in the ballot machine and headed back out to my car. I think I will vote every election from now on…

First off, there are several different types of RC cars, and in order to get started in this hobby you need to be able to tell the difference between 1/8th scales, monster trucks, nitros, electric, and buggies. There are different cars for different levels of racer, and you can upgrade as you learn the basics. I recommend any newcomer to the sport to start with electric and move up to the gas powered models as more experience is gained.

The only downfall I could find with this use of spare time is that it is not the cheapest hobby in the world. These cars break, and they break often…not because they aren’t put together well, but because it is the nature of the sport. Anytime you are making an object move quickly and you have a human being responsible for the steering, accidents are bound to happen. You learn very quickly how to replace busted sway bars, bad tires, and how to use a soldering iron.

The people I have met through attending RC races have all been some of the best people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. They are passionate about what they do, and they are always willing to lend a hand or answer questions. A day of racing is as it sounds, a DAY of racing. It takes a long time to get the track ready (if it is outdoors), and then to go through all the heats and races for different classes. There is usually good food to be had, and I’ve even been to one where we were able to camp out the night before. I’ve always had a good time at these events.

If you or your children are in need of a good hobby to add something to your life, I would definately suggest checking out the RC racing scene. And ladies, though this is typically a sport populated by men, there ARE women who enjoy this activity as well. I’ve met quite a few women racers, and as one myself, I can say that it can’t be beat. There’s nothing like seeing the look on all the boys’ faces when they get beaten by a girl =)

I was a bit leary at first…a bunch of women getting together to pass around vibrators? Was this going to turn into something scary? I decided to keep an open mind and went despite my reservations.

As it turns out, the women who put these parties on really know what they are doing. They know that sometimes sex can be an uncomfortable subject for some people to discuss openly with others, and they make the atmosphere as comfortable and fun as possible. The party I attended had tons of excellent appetizers, and also free drinks for the evening, which definately helped us all to shed our inhibitions. The woman presenting the products to us did so in a very professional, knowledgeable fashion, and a great time was had by all.

There isn’t a lot of pressured sales talk and if you decide not to buy something, the hostess will still thank you for coming and make sure that you leave with a party favor and their latest catalog. I have ordered from them before and their products are high-quality and fairly priced.

Are you an entrepeneur looking for a good business venture? Slumber Parties is always looking for more women to host their parties, and you can make pretty decent money with it if you put the time and work in. You can find out more at www.slumberparties.com. Sorry guys, this is for women only, though I do know of a few men who have braved attendance.

Born in Kentucky, Hunter was a member of the United States Air Force, where he began his career in journalism by becoming the sport’s editor for his base. He also did some writing for the sports column there. Thompson left the Air Force in 1958, with an honorable discharge. “In summary, this airman, although talented, will not be guided by policy,” Col. William S. Evans, chief of information services was noted as saying about Thompson.

Famous for “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Hell’s Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs”, Thompson reported on and wrote about many different politically-charged subjects, including the Kentucky Derby, Richard Nixon, and the U.S. invasion of Grenada. He used Gonzo journalism for it all - becoming personally involved in the stories he chose to cover. I think this is what made his rantings so popular…the fact that he was knee deep in what he was discussing added excitement and a feeling of “being there” for the readers.

Hunter S. Thompson died on February 20, 2005, at his home in Woody Creek, CO of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. What family and police describe as a suicide note was delivered to his wife four days before his death and later published by Rolling Stone. Entitled “Football Season Is Over”, it read:

“No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax — This won’t hurt.”

Thompson was known to be a heavy user of psychedelic drugs and alcohol. He had contempt for authority and loved firearms, as well as peacocks. His strange, eccentric personality drew people to him, and his funeral did nothing but prove how many people admired him and his gutsy attitude on life. On August 20, 2005, Thompson’s ashes were fired from a cannon atop a 153-foot (47 m) tower of his own design - in the shape of a double-thumbed fist clutching a peyote button. Johnny Depp, close friend of Hunter’s & popular actor, paid for the ceremony. Other famous attendees at the funeral included U.S. Senator John Kerry and former U.S. Senator George McGovern; actors Jack Nicholson, Bill Murray, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, and Josh Hartnett; singers Lyle Lovett, John Oates, and numerous other friends. An estimated 280 people attended the funeral.

Hunter Thompson was a man who lived his life to the extreme. Although I don’t necessarily agree with the way or the extent that he abused drugs and alcohol, I do look up to him as someone who knew how he wanted to live his life and did what needed to be done in order to make it happen. He was somebody who stood up and shouted for change when most people would have just sat on the sidelines. For that reason, I’m a big fan.

There are many simple things you can do in your daily life - what you eat, what you drive, how you build your home - that can have an effect on your immediate surroundings, and on places as far away as Antactica. Here is a list of few things that you can do to make a difference.

Ditch the Plastic - 2.5 million individual plastic water bottles are thrown away every hour in the US. Start using a reusable water bottle and just say no to plastic!

Use Cloth Bags at the Supermarket - Using your own cloth bag instead of plastic or paper bags reduces waste and requires no additional energy.

Plant A Tree - Trees suck up carbon dioxide and make clean air for us to breathe.

Buy a Fuel Efficient Car - Getting a few extra miles per gallon makes a big difference. Save thousands of lbs. of CO2 and a lot of money per year.

Put on a Sweater - Instead of turning up the heat in your home, wear more clothes!

Buy Organic Food - The chemicals used in modern agriculture pollute the water supply, and require energy to produce.

Take Shorter Showers - Showers account for 2/3 of all water heating costs.

These, and many other little actions you can take on your own, DO make a difference.

Is anyone else out there sick and tired of the way Christmas is spent anymore? I mean, I am not even a practicing Christian and yet I still get sucked into the mess that is the Christmas holiday. I do most of it for my kids though, so that they have a Christmas tree and gifts from Santa, but I think there has GOT to be a more enjoyable way to spend the holiday season… a way that is more valid to me and mine.

I think that I’m going to try and think of a new way to do Christmas at my house from now on. I was so stressed out last week that I seriously did not enjoy the holiday at all. I’m not normally one to get frazzled easily, but I just couldn’t help it this year. I had so much to do, and I didn’t even want to do most of the things that I ended up doing. To me, that is no way to celebrate.

Am I alone in my thoughts, or do others of you out there feel that Christmas has been ruined by all the expectations?? Feel free to comment…

That’s right…I have not even started.

I tell myself EVERY year “I WILL start before Thanksgiving!” Lol…yeah right. I find myself procrastinating more and more as the years roll on. I know the reason I do what I do….I cannot stand the crowds. The crowds at the mall, the crowds at Wal-Mart, the crowds at the grocery store, the crowds are everywhere you go.

I could be like my sister, who buys everything she can from an online catalog and charges it all to her credit card, but I don’t trust most of those online stores to ship on time for the holiday. I used to work for Sirius Satellite Radio, and I remember all too well the hell Christmas time would be due to irrate customers calling because they did not receive their radios until after Christmas.

So, I will do what I have done every year before this one…I will take my Christmas money from my last paycheck before the 25th, make sure my car is cleaned out to fit more gifts into it, and totally exhaust myself in one lone, spendy evening of shopping ’til I drop. To top it off, I get to come home and WRAP all of these wonderful gifts.

Guess I should get started on my gift list, huh? Oh, and next year, I WILL start shopping early!

Lunch.com is a new web site that brings together people’s favorite online activities - sharing useful info about things you know and love & socializing with personal communities and networks of people whose opinions matter to you. What we’re hoping to do is tap into people who are engaging with the world around them, so they can share what they’re witnessing in a way that’s rewarding and meaningful. We all have critical thoughts about the things around us, whether it’s movies, or sneakers, or allergy medication. Basically, Lunch.com’s hope is to capture that.. and do it in a way that’s fun and interesting.

I am certain that I will post more on this as it developes, but I wanted to give people a heads up because if you visit the site now, you can put yourself on the waiting list to get an invite and try out the beta version before the launch takes place. I highly recommend this website to anybody who is interested in blogging, reviewing products, and meeting new and interesting people who have similar tastes as you.

One gentleman called down complaining that the heater in his room is so obnoxiously loud, he was going to go bang his head against the wall a few dozen times. (He gave me no reason for his actions, but honestly, I’m pretty sure I don’t care to know!) He told me that he didn’t call me about it during the night because there was really nothing to be done, due to the fact that all the heater units in each room are identical, and therefore, all MUST make the same noise).

I had been told about this particular guest by one of the other front desk gals the day before. They told me that he reminded them of Jeff Goldbloom. In a way, this guy does act like him - they both have the same type of scatterbrained genious aura about them. He ended up coming down to the front desk, and proceded to speak to me as if I had no idea what I was talking about, and that he knew all. I kept my mouth shut though, and let him rant and rave about how his REM sleep had been disrupted at least fifteen times throughout the night, and how MOST people would be able to sleep right through it, but not him. He didn’t really want me to do anything but listen, so that is what I did.

I had another lady call me about noises coming from the room above her, so I told her I would check it out. I happened to know the gentleman staying in the room above her, as he is a regular here and a really nice guy. He also happens to be an early bird who is up by at least 4:30 in the morning, every morning. I called him and asked what he was up to, and he denied the noise making. So, I decided to investigate. I went upstairs and listened for about five minutes or so, heard absolutely nothing. Hmm…

It is now 6:41 in the morning, and my replacement just called me to tell me that she will be late, which I expected, since she lives out of town and the roads are not good. Luckily, the girl who worked before me ended up spending the night at the hotel, and she said that I could call her if I had to go before the a.m. crew got here. I think it is time to go out and scrape off all that white crap that is on my vehicle…

To all you people in warm places right now….must be rough!