If Not Now, When?!

Sad news today that Sopranos star James Gandolfini died from an apparent heart attack while on holiday in Italy.  The Sopranos is one of my all time favorite TV shows. Gandolfini one of my favorite actors. I always smile seeing the "Elizabeth" turnpike exit sign in the opening credits.  We would exit within a couple down to go see my Gra'ma Merkle.  Prayers for his family and friends.

Which brings me to the point of this post.  Weight.  I've been promising myself to get in better shape for years.  I've started, stopped, succeeded, failed and made excuses for the past decade.  My "numbers" in my blood may be good, but my weight isn't and I just look at myself and think yuck. 

Gandolfini was 4 years older than me.  FOUR.  Seeing people die at such a young age makes you rethink life.  At least it has for me today, so I'm going to do something about it.  Get off my super comfy couch and exercise!  I figure if I share my menopausal crazy journey here, pictures and measurements and the scary tale of the scale, I'll hold myself more accountable since it's public.  

If not now, when?

Wish me luck!  I've got my clothes ready to go for the morning!  =)

Whiskey Girl

Traveling around the nation brings a broad perspective on life, love and the pursuit of whiskey. Let's face it. I'm biased. I admit with every fiber in my soul that Jack Daniel's is the best and most awesome whiskey ever to be concocted in the universe.

But as I travel across our great nation regarding things more important than, dare I say whiskey, I come to find out there is much more than out there other than Jack. (insert shocked face here).

Cue the Nashville airport where I went into a gift shop to buy a Diet Coke for the flight home to Sweet Home God Bless Texas. I'm immediately distracted by Jack Daniels pecans, cake, flasks and a t-shirt that says "Whiskey Girl." SQUIRREL! Or should I say: WHISKEY! This all within 24 hours of my Chulo Handsomehub telling me I buy too many t-shirts. Did I buy the shirt? HA!

And there ... amongst the trash rags of the Enquirer and In Touch, is a magazine I never knew existed: Whisky Advocate. I think I heard angels sing as I read this particular edition highlights the 19th Annual Whiskey Awards, the Best in 13 Categories.

Artisan Whiskey of the Year: Corsair Triple Smoke

American Whiskey of the Year: Four Roses 2012 Limited Edition Small Batch

World Whiskey of the Year: Millstone Sherry Cask 12 year old

WOW! Check out all the categories at the jump by clicking this sentence! :)

I can taste the brilliance as I read on and look forward to branching out. That said, y'all are going to have to be above and beyond for me to stay from the love affair I have with Jack. :)

Here are the Top 10 Whiskies for this summer: Yum. Let the whiskey games begin!

What is YOUR favorite whiskey? Share in the comments section below!

"The true pioneer of civilization is not the newspaper, not religion, not the railroad ... but whiskey!." ~ Mark Twain

#MemorialDay 2013

Wishing you and yours had a very blessed Memorial Day weekend.

Even at the age of 47, I am still a proud Army Brat that has a special place in her heart for military personnel and their families. Their sacrifices are great so that we may live as we do here in America.

The land of the free is because of the brave and ...

Freedom isn't free.

Remember and Honor our fallen military and their families. Today and every day.

"No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation." ~ Douglas MacArthur

Operation Helping Hand ==> Help Tornado Victims Tonight!

I hope you will join Smart Girl Politics and From The Right Radio tonight for Operation Helping Hand, a 3 hour radiothon benefiting the Mercury One Charity 2013 Midwest Tornado Relief Fund.

ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF FUNDS RAISED WILL GO DIRECTLY TO RELIEF EFFORTS IN OKLAHOMA!


"In the past, we have asked our listeners to donate to various charities and have been overwhelmed by their generosity," said Thomas LaDuke, Executive Director of FTR Radio.  LaDuke added "FTR Radio and SGP have done other radiothons in the past and we hope to top our 2012 'Cancer Sucks Radiothon' that raised nearly $6,000 for the American Cancer Society."

The three hour radiothon will air live on FTRRadio.com TONIGHT at 2000 hrs.  That's 8 p.m. and EST y'all.

Jedediah Bila, Monica Crowley, S.E. Cupp, Erick Erickson and Dana Loesch are just a few of the cable news contributors and talk radio personalities who have agreed to participate in Operating Helping Hand.

You can listen live here:  www.ftrradio.com.

If you can't listen in, please consider donating to help those in need.  The link to the donation page is at the jump:  Mercury One - Operation Helping Hand for Midwest Tornado Victims.

"A good exercise for the heart is bending down and helping someone to get up." ~ Proverb

Havelock Aviation Museum

I'm fortunate enough to have a job that many times takes me to interesting locations. This week, I had a work event in Havelock, NC. The event itself took place at Havelock's Tourist Center where the aviation hands on interactive exhibits and aircraft remind me of how lucky we are to live in the land of the free BECAUSE of the brave!

Here are some pictures from my iPhone so pardon any fuzziness.

If you're ever in this area, I recommend coming by ... especially if you have kids. Their eyes will light up at seeing the aircraft up close and they can sit in cockpit seats inside the center. Very cool. ;)

The 3rd Annual "Fly-In" Movie and Family Night will take place at the event center on Friday, June 21, 2013 from 1730 - 2030. That's 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., civilians. :) The family night will have all the interactive exhibits as well as demos, booths and photos with pilots and crew gear. Rawr! ;) The inflatable big screen movie sounds like a blast so bring the kiddos, a date, some blankets or lawn chairs and have fun. Oh, it's FREE too! ;)

The Havelock Tourist Center and Aviation Museum is a must-see when in the area. They get two horns up from me! \m/

Have you visited this museum? If you do after reading this post, let me know how it went.  Thanks!

Below from F35 Lightning II video inside center:

So this just happened ...

Every day, I share "Today in Texas History" tweets on Twitter and today in 1980, the Dallas Mavericks became the 23rd team in the NBA.  A follower of mine @MikeLaJync RT'd (that's retweeted/shared for you non-twitters :)) and then so did MARK FRICKIN CUBAN.

I won the internet today with the help of Mike.  Give him a follow!  :)

Happy Anniversary Mavs!

p.s. If you're on twitter, follow my hashtag #txhx for daily "Today in Texas History" tweets too!  Thanks!  :)

My Conversation with Netflix over their #SarahPalinFilms Tweet

This morning I read a post from Twitchy that Netflix participated in a hashtag game against Sarah Palin.  I was surprised to see a corporation do this so I reached out to them directly to ask why.  Below are screen prints from our live chat:




Umm, NO, the tweet did indeed come from the VERIFIED twitter account of Netflix.  



Looking into the tweet further brought this:




So, the tweet DID come from Netflix, but it was to promote a new movie release and in no way reflects any political views. Yeah, right.

When asking Katie if I could have a response to my complaint, she informed me they don't do that ... but then said she'd notate I requested an email.  



I'm not satisfied with the Netflix experience right now.  We'll see if they respond or retract the tweet.

Do you think I'll receive a response to my complaint?