WTF

Totoo ba itong nababasa ko???? Habang patuloy na papalubog ang ekonomiya ng Amerika, at habang patuloy na nawawalan ng hanap-buhay ang mga mamamayan dito...heto at may perang ibinabato sa ibang bayan???? Ano na ang nangyari sa kasabihang "Charity Begins at Home"?

RAMALLAH, West Bank – The United States has transferred $200 million to the Palestinian government to help ease a growing budget deficit, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday

Earlier this year, the Obama administration pledged $900 million in aid to the Palestinians, and the $200 million in budget support announced Friday are part of that sum. Clinton told Fayyad that the transfer of U.S. aid directly to his budget was an expression of confidence in his fiscal reforms.

read more about it here

Insurance

I was a bit ticked-off when I received a new insurance quote from our home insurance company. Sure, they've added a few new things to upgrade the policy but it came with a price. Our insurance premium went up by 15% a year. Not that it's a going to create a huge dent in our pocket, but in this economy, 15% is still 15%. Plus, I don't like not having the say so in the matter. We weren't asked if we agreed to the new terms, we were just told "it is the new term". I've been meaning to call our insurance lady up to bitch and complain about it but our Escrow account already paid the premium. Plus, I've got a lot of more important things on my plate to attend to. So what's the next best thing to do? Blog about it!!!

Computers

I've thought about upgrading my laptop memory because it's been running slower than usual but I don't know anybody around here who can do the "dirty" work for me. Neither Steve and I are computer savvy so we can't do it ourselves, and the place I normally take my laptop to for upgrades/repair just closed shop recently due to recession. My bro-in-law recommended somebody but I lost the business card (hah! story of my life). I do normal maintenance and software/virus updates, and I also clean files and folders on a regular basis. I know it's not enough but that will do for now.

summer

July is almost over and compared to last year, the weather is unusually much cooler. Not that I'm complaining. I'd rather it be cool than scorching hot. Our a/c's turned off most the time, except for when it's really humid. I can sleep better when it's cool.

The family's also spending more time outside the house when the heat index is tolerable. We've been going to different festivals/carnivals in our area. And how I love carnival food! They're greasy, full of fat and can make you gain weight overnight, but they're oh so yummy in the tummy! Besides, not even the best weight loss supplements can help these fat rolls of mine. But oh well, who cares?

tsk

Thanks to FB, I was able to reconnect to some of my former buddies in our old military community in Germany. We've all done a lot of cross country moving and have been busy with our lives that we lost touch. It's hard to keep friends when you have to move every 3 or so years. But that's the military life style and there's not much I can do about it.

I fault myself sometimes for not making the first move. I guess I'm not really good at reaching out. A friend is only an email or a phone call away. It's sad that there are times when I can't even do one or the other.

obituary

Geliebt und
unvergessen

Meine Kräfte sind am Ende,
nimm mich, Herr, in deine Hände.

In Liebe und Dankbarkeit nehmen wir Abschied von meinem Ehemann,
unserem lieben Vater, Schwiegervater und herzensguten Opa
Karlheinz Schopbach
* 1. 3. 1949 † 1. 7. 2009

In stiller Trauer
Medy Schopbach
Oscar Umali und Familie
Esmeralda Mc Carroll und Familie
sowie alle Angehörigen

Die Trauerfeier findet am Montag, dem 6. Juli 2009, um 14.00 Uhr in der
Friedhofshalle statt. Die Urnenbeisetzung ist zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt
im engsten Familienkreis.