So, I was watching a commercial for the new KFC huge-box-of-fried-fatty-food (fried chicken sandwich, fried chicken pieces, three large sides and biscuit) and the guy eating in the commercial was this very thin, fit-looking young man. Now, some people do have very high metabolisms. But I do think it's very funny that fast food commercials always feature thin people. Most thin people don't get or stay that way by pigging out on super-sized value meals.

We had a great Thanksgiving. We went over to Larry's parents' on Thursday. My mom came over for dinner, as well as some friends of Larry's parents'. His parents friends are really cool people. That night Larry and I went to Ice Bar on I-Drive... very cool place! I highly recommend it if you're in Orlando. Admission to the actual ice part is not cheap ($35/person, includes 1 drink) but worth it. The outer lounge part (free cover) is very modern. Friday we slept until about noon, then ate leftovers. hehe We went to see the Ice exhibit at the Gaylord Palms about 5 with the parents--that was also really cool and I recommend that too. It's like Santa's village made out of ice. There's even a slide made out of ice that you can slide down! hehe After that we went to Seasons 52 for dinner, then to Roy's for dessert and drinks. Larry and I went home Saturday morning.

Larry and I have a new obsession with beer. There's a cool bar near our house called World of Beer that we go to during the week and try all kinds of crazy beers. I recommend Chimay Tripel, Saxo Blonde, and most lambic framboise. White beers are also very good. I'm trying lots of Dogfish beers, too. I just read an article about them in the New Yorker. I tried Raison d'Etre the other night... it was good but a little strong for me. I want to try Midas Touch (based on an ancient beer recipe reconstructed from archaeological digs) but they were out last time we went.

Got a bunch of Xmas shopping done Sunday. Finished Larry's shopping and got stocking stuffers for the moms. Also bought a bigger present for Larry's mom and a present for Big Larry. Mom's big present from Larry and me was an ice maker, which we ordered from Sam's Club. Well, the idiots shipped it in the box so when it came to the house you could see what it was. So the surprise was ruined but Mom is excited nonetheless. She's very paranoid about ice being clean so this way we have lots of super clean ice fast. (We don't have the ice maker in our freezer hooked up. The pipe in the wall kept flooding the living room so, yeah. We don't use that anymore. lol)

Ok, that's enough for now.

There is no disputing this fact: Barack Obama won by a majority of the popular vote, as well as the electoral votes. He is our president-elect. I will not tolerate the following comments directed toward me:

- Any suggestion that he should be assassinated. ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE. He is going to be OUR president. I would never suggest George W. Bush should be assassinated, even though I think he has been a TERRIBLE president. So don't suggest that to me about Barack Obama or any other president or president-elect.

- Complaints that end with you saying you are going to move to another country. If you say that to me seriously, this will be my response: "Please do. America does not need fair-weather friends. I am an American for life because I love my country. If you do not feel the same way, please go somewhere else you feel you will fit in better."

There is room for respectful disagreement among civil people but I will not tolerate or entertain any rhetorical nonsense perpetuated by the internet, such as Barack Obama is a Muslim extermist mole, Barack Obama supports terrorists, or Barack Obama is not actually eligible to be president due to the circumstances of his birth. If you would like to discuss issues like what he plans to do about the economy or national security, I'd be glad to talk. Otherwise, keep it to yourself. I don't want to lose friends over this but let me make this PERFECTLY clear: I love my country and take it very seriously, including the office of the presidency. I would say the same to you if John McCain had won.

October 5 was my bridal shower in PA. It was a really great weekend. The family made me feel very welcome and they were very generous at the shower.

( The whole story... )

The shower went a full three hours. People left around 4 PM and Larry and I were on the road to Philly by 4:45 for our flight. Good thing we left a little early too cuz we ran into traffic about 45 mins from the airport (an accident had a lane blocked). The flight home was uneventful (and in coach, blah). We landed just before midnight, then had to drive back to Tampa. We got home about 1:45 AM and then poor Larry had to get up about 6:30 for his breath test operator class! Whew! Then Tuesday morning I left pretty early for Rockville for three days.

Rockville was ok. We really should’ve gone for four days. I still have a lot to do for that audit. Wednesday night while I was there I went to dinner with Manik, Shruti, Mohini, and Raj (her husband). I hadn’t met Raj before. He doesn’t say much but he seemed to like me and he bought dinner, which was nice. (We had Indian food and it was yummy!) Shruti and I geeked out talking about auditor stuff in the car on our way there and I think Manik kind of wanted to drive into a wall to get us to shut up. haha

Larry and I had a good weekend. Friday night we went to Roy's for dinner and then to an *ahem* bar afterward. haha Then we went to see a live performance (meaning totally without the movie) of Rocky Horror Picture Show at the TBPAC Saturday night. We had such a good time! The cast was really good, especially Dr. Frank N. Furter. We also did a 750-piece puzzle over the weekend (finished it Monday night) and drank some wine. Puzzles are our new thing.

This week I’m in Chantilly, VA. The client is REALLY nice. Today they had a pot luck lunch and asked me to join them. Pretty good food. It was certainly better than going out. The CEO stopped by a couple times today to introduce himself, see how things are going, and make sure I’m getting the info I need. The audit is going very smoothly. Some places are like that and other places are definitely NOT. Haha Tonight I’m having dinner with Betsy and Marisol (first time I get to see her ring in person, yay!). I’m very excited to see them both. I haven’t seen Marisol since this time last year and I guess I haven’t seen Betsy since Gasparilla. Wow.

We each decided to add an attendant to our wedding party. Larry added Mike and I added Kimsey. Kim and I have been friends for about 10 years now. I knew it was kind of last minute but she graciously said yes and is really excited! And so am I. I really feel like the wedding party is complete now. It was the perfect decision. I e-mailed Holly a list of her maid of honor responsibilities (there aren’t many) the other night so she has started working on those. The girls will be ordering their dresses soon! Which means I gotta order mine. HAHA I have to buy my shoes first and that’s been holding everything up. Nothing fit/looked good. I ordered another pair last night and, as long as they fit, those are the ones I’m going with. I need to get this dress ordered. The shoes are really nice… they have all these rhinestones on them. They have a satin base, which I didn’t really want because satin gets dirty easily, but they have so many rhinestones it doesn’t much matter. They’re very modern and I can wear them again. Oh, and last Saturday I had my trial run for wedding hair & makeup. I loved what Janelle did with my hair (just gotta tell her a few things, like MORE HAIRSPRAY). I’m not going to need a hairpiece after all! When she curled the back it looked plenty full. Allison did a very nice job with my makeup (and I like her—her personality reminded me of Betsy). She was talking about doing fake eyelashes (the little ones, not the big strip) the day of but I’m going to tell her no. My eyelashes are very long and full anyway (especially with mascara) and I don’t want to have spider eyes.

Being able to type fast is bad news. This post is over 3 pages long in Word (single spaced with a return between each paragraph and 1” margins). Good thing I can do a cut in LJ! But you MySpacers are out of luck (again).

This weekend is my bridal shower, yayayayay! ::does a dance:: I am SUPER excited. We are driving to Orlando this weekend to spend the night with Larry's parents, then our flight leaves early Friday morning for PA! We get home LATE Sunday night. I'm excited about meeting the family and hopefully seeing a little fall foliage. :-) I'm also excited about wearing my new shoes and dress. hehe

Next week is gonna be BUSY. Gonna have a lot to do on Monday to get ready for my trip, then I'm gone to MD Tues-Thurs. Then Fri is the trial run for my wedding hair and makeup. :-D Got to remember to take a pic of my dress w/me.

Yesterday I surprised Larry and took a bunch of cupcakes over to him and the guys for readoff. He was SHOCKED and everyone loved the cupcakes. I took almost 30 and they ate every one of them.

I found some great frozen waffles... strawberry & flax by Kashi. They are very yummy and super good for you!

I made awesome chicken parm last night... I got the recipe from the Progresso Italian bread crumbs can. lol I might have to post the recipe here cuz it's so yummy and easy (I've made some changes to the original recipe).

Ok, gotta get a TON of stuff done now.

Larry and I went to Gainesville this weekend to see the Gators play Ole Miss and hang out with Marshall. we were ranked #4 and Ole Miss wasn't ranked. Should've been an easy game. But SOMEHOW we managed to lose 31-30. We could have tied the game but they blocked our last kick for the extra point and we lost. WTF?!

One thing that's really been annoying me is how everyone worships Tim Tebow and has totally forgotten Chris Leak. Tebow is a a good quarterback and he won the Heisman. But what has he really done for the Gators? Now compare that to the Gators when Chris Leak was quarterback. Chris wasn't as popular because he's a small guy. But he was a smart player and a great leader and he won us a NATIONAL FUCKING CHAMPIONSHIP! What's Tebow doing for us?? I know that there are more players on the field than just him but I still think I have a valid point. When Tebow wins us a national championship, I'll jump on the bandwagon.

Then Sunday the Packers played the Bucs here in Tampa. The Bucs won 30-21. I guess it was good the Bucs won because one of the players just buried his baby boy on Saturday (very sad). However, I still like the Packers better for the same reason I like college ball more than pro ball--there's actually something at stake. The Packers are owned by the fans. If the Bucs wanted to leave Tampa next season, they could. I think it's safe to say the Packers will never go anywhere else. Also, I'm really pissed off at Brett Favre. He should've retired but he just had to play so he left the Packers. So now I want the Packers to have an AWESOME season and I want the Jets to suck (which didn't happen Sunday--they beat the Cardinals 56-35...wtf???). Of course, it's also cool if Favre plays awesome cuz it proves the Packers front office wrong and that's kinda cool cuz they were kinda jerky to Brett a few years back. It's so complicated.

Regardless, the Packers SHOULD have won yesterday. With less than 2:30 left in the game the score was 23-21 Bucs and the Packers had the ball. They couldn't kick a fucking FG??? No, instead they turned it over and the Bucs scored again.

Crappy weekend for football for me.

It was great to see Marshall. We watched lots of movies (Blade, Underworld, and Underworld 2) and drank beers and hung out. It just sucks that we lost. >:o

Just a quick wedding update.

We worked on addressing save the date reminders yesterday. We're pretty much done with what we can do now. We're out of envelopes (they shorted us 10) and I think we're going to have to order some more reminders. The guest list has grown quite a bit. I just hope we don't end up w/more than 200 RSVPs because there IS a space limitation in the venue. Unless we set some stuff up outside, I guess. ::shrugs::

We also picked out the tux today and Larry got measured. I'm very happy with the tux we picked. It's going to look really classy and modern but not stuffy.

Today is our 14 month anniversary... we're going to The Palm tonight for dinner. :-D I'm very excited. We went there Saturday night for drinks before dinner at PF Chang's and the cocktails were WONDERFUL, plus the restaurant is cool. It's not stuffy. Instead, they have caricatures on the wall. Cool!

Ok, I know I am LONG overdue for a post about the cruise. I don't have any pictures up on MySpace yet but there will be pics soon! We're waiting on CDs with pics from Harold, Mike, and Manik. The entire crew consisted of Larry's parents, Larry and me, Larry's groomsman/childhood friend Manik and Manik's fiancee Shruti, Larry's best man/college friend Harold and Harold's date Jen, and Harold's best friend from HS Mike and Mike's date Sheila.

( Get the whole story... )

And that was the cruise! I highly recommend cruising if you want to relax and also see a few different places without having to keep packing and unpacking. I do not recommend cruising if you're on a strict diet. LOL Although the ship did have a very nice gym with a great view of the water!

Quick wedding news: We got our save-the-date reminders yesterday and they turned out AWESOME! I recommend magnetstreet.com to anyone needing custom magnets, especially save-the-dates.

Larry had a wacky schedule this week...I think he worked 8-6 Tuesday, yesterday was 10-8, today is 8-6 and tomorrow is 6-4. x_x I get up when he gets up (unless I've got to go to a client) and when his schedule varies like this I get tired. Since we slept until 9 yesterday I wasn't sleep until about 12:30 last night--but we got up at 7 this morning. ::yawn:: So, while I'm still trying to wake up, I'm going to do a survey (no one die of shock!).

1. What is your name?
Erin

2. Do you find it annoying when surveys ask for your name?
A little. You can clearly see who posted it or, when it's an e-mail, who the e-mail is from.

3. What do you plan to buy in the future?
Well... lots of little odds and ends. Gotta get Larry a bday present... his bday is the 23rd. :-) Oh, and shoes for the wedding shower on 10/5. The pair I REALLY wanted from Aldo was sold out in my size. :-(


4. Where did you get the underwear you are currently wearing?
Victoria's Secret.

5. How many pairs of Converse do you own?
None. Like Holly said, not my style.

6. Who is your favorite “That ’70s Show” character?
Hyde and Red. Odd choices, huh? The only thing I don't like about Hyde is what a conspiracy theorist he is. I guess really my favorite character is Red. I love his deadpan delivery. When Bob saw Kitty and Hyde dancing and thought they were fooling around, he told Red and Red pretended to overreact, saying he had to kill Hyde, etc. And then Bob was like, "Ya know, they were probably just dancing. Kitty was teaching Hyde how to dance." Red was like, "You're right, Bob. That must have been it. That would be logical. ... Good thing I didn't kill him." HAHAHAHAHA

7.) There is a mummy standing behind you. What do you do?
RUN! Duh.

8. What do you think of Miley Cyrus?
She's going to go bad big time. There have already been a bunch of racy pics of her leaked to the media. And her dad is weird.

9. Do you tend to think that you are always right?
I used to but not anymore.

10. Top Five Favorite Songs:
Mack the Knife always makes me stop and sing along.
God Bless the U.S.A. is a classic. Another one I always have to stop and sing along to.
The Star Spangled Banner. Gotta stop for that one, too.
The Angry American because that song is how I got my tattoo and makes me think of Holly.
That's all I can think of right now.

11. What was your favorite toy as a child?
Oh man, tough one. I loved Lite Brite, my little baby stroller, my stuffed white kitty, and the swing my Nanny Sue hung up for me in her kitchen door. The swing may have been my fav. I think her husband made it cuz it was definitely homemade.

12. Have you thought more about your funeral, or your wedding?
My wedding. I'm knee-deep in planning, folks. All I know about my funeral is that I want to be cremated (no embalming!) and I want at least some of my ashes to be made into a diamond. I'm gonna do that Life Gem thing to my mom, too.

13. Dinosaurs or Unicorns?
Um... unicorns are prettier. I got over dinosaurs when I was like, 9, because I started to look forward rather than backward.

14. What is your favorite musical?
Chicago, I guess. I don't think I've seen that many.

15.) You need new jeans. Where do you go?
Guess or AE.

16. Do you play the Sims 2?
Nope, never played any of them.

17. Do you think Harry Potter is at all immoral to read?
Ugh sooooooo stupid. I don't really understand the Christian viewpoint on that. Couldn't magical powers be a gift from God? I don't understand where the Devil side of it came from. Guess I missed that part of the Bible. I think any special powers are a gift from God.

18. What do you think of Maroon 5?
They're ok for background music in a restaurant or bar. lol

19. What about Coldplay?
Same as Maroon 5.

20. Fall Out Boy?
I like them.

21. Katy Perry?
"I Kissed a Girl" is getting old but Howard (that would be Stern) said she's got a great voice, so we'll see what's next for her.

22. How about The All-American Rejects?
...Can't remember what they sing.

23. Have you ever snuck into an R-rated movie when you weren’t old enough to see it without parents?
No, either my mom or Ben's parents took me starting when I was about 12. lol

24. The Wii or Xbox 360?
I've never played a Wii so can't really say. We're gonna get one, though.

25. Team Demi/Selena or Team Miley?
I have NO clue what this means.

26. Do you know many Emily’s?
No, just one from 1st grade.

27. What do you think of the Jonas Brothers?
It's cool what they do for juvenile diabetes (one of them has it) but that's about all I know. Another flash-in-the-pan tween hit, I'm sure.

28. Have you ever slept in a tent, indoors or out?
Yes, once outdoors, a bunch indoors as a kid, and I've also slept in a pop-up trailer and a Jeep while off-roading with Jeffy.

29. What is your favorite kind of Girlscout cookie?
::shrugs:: Thin Mint, I guess. None of them are that good, it's just a tradition.

30. Do you enjoy surveys?
When I have time.

31. What do you hear at the moment?
Mom rambling around in the kitchen.

32. Why do you think so many people love myspace?
Unlike Holly, I think it's very user-friendly and I think it also had good timing. Plus Tom is cool. I met him once.

33. What do you think of people who do illegal drugs?
I think it's stupid to break the law, but experimentation is one thing. But people don't realize what "harmless" ways illegal drugs can ruin their lives. Don't get hired for a dream job because you've done a hard drug, etc. Not to mention all the reckless shit drug adled people do. And I can say this with drug addicts in the family...I sympathize with the addiction, but it's a selfish thing to begin in the first place. <-- Agreed. You take such a risk of getting addicted the first time you "experiment" that it's better not to try it at all. Besides, you don't know what it's in that shit. They put things like kitty litter and gasoline in meth. You want to smoke that???? Fuck that. If I were going to be addicted to something, I'd pick scrip drugs--I like things regulated by the FDA, thank you.

34. Do you watch the Olympics?
Not really. I like the winter Olympics better than the summer ones.

35. What are your top five favorite stores?
Um... I dunno. lol Guess, Nordstrom... do they have to be physical stores? Cuz I love me some Overstock.com.

36. Do you like the new Weezer album?
Not a big Weezer fan. I like some songs here and there but to me they're kind of a joke band. Like, their songs are very humorous and I get tired of that.

37. What did you think of Panic at the Disco taking out the exclamation point
in their name?
I liked it better with the exclamation point but I could see how that got to be pretentious at a certain point in their success.

38. What is the worst job you have ever had?
I've never had a bad job. I've always done office-type stuff, though, no retail.

39. Have you ever been to Minnesota?
No, no reason to go.

40. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever seen on TV?
::shrugs:: Don't remember. Must not have been that strange. haha

41. Do you watch informercials when there is nothing on?
When I'm in a hotel and wake up at 3 AM, sometimes that's all there is. It's not like at home where you can pop in a dvd or something.

42. What is your favorite Disney Show?
iCarly, DEFINITELY. Also love Drake & Josh.

43. Have you ever seen the Wedding Singer?
Parts of it.

44. Top five reasons people rank things:
To categorize.
To prioritize.
Because they have small minds.
Because they need order.
This is a stupid question.

45. Have you ever gone camping?
Didn't we already cover this with the tent question??

46. What do you miss most about elementary school?
Nothing. I didn't really go anyway.

47. What do you do when you want to fill out a survey, but none of your friends have posted surveys that you have not taken yet?
lol That RARELY happens, esp now that Holly has LJ. ;-)

48. What is your favorite kind of DQ Blizzard?
Cotton Candy!!!!

49. Has anything funny ever happened to you while in Wendy’s?
No.

50. What is your current job? If you are applying anywhere, where?
I'm an auditor for a CPA firm.

Just a reminder that we're leaving this evening for vacation and won't be back until 8/24 (Sunday). We're going to Orlando tonight, then tomorrow is Aunt C's mom's 90th bday party, then Sunday we leave on the cruise! :-D I'll catch up with you all when we get back!

Saw this article earlier about exorcisms:

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=c95abc3c-bf22-46e5-a5f6-69ac0a6b2825&rss=1145

Larry and I started a conversation about whether we think demonic possession is real/possible. I told him I don't think you can be possessed as in having no control over your actions. I think weak-minded people are influenced by evil, whereas stronger-minded people aren't, like joining a cult. I'm not going to become a Scientologist because (sorry to all you Scientologists out there) it's a bunch of cult BS that's very dangerous. I think instead of possession it's more like people make a deal with the Devil/evil/whatever you're comfortable calling it. I've heard that you can't be possessed if you don't make room in your soul for it and that's what I believe. I have definitely seen things I can't explain and one of them was what I believe was a demon. It was so evil and I'll never forget it.

Anyone else have thoughts on possessions and exorcisms?

The big news first: I picked a wedding dress on Saturday! :-D It's soooo perfect for me. No, I won't post a link to it. Larry would kill me. We've gotten some other stuff done since my last post, too, including pick a baker. We loved the one in Lakeland but she was very pricey. So we went to Alessi here in Tampa and loved their cake and loved the design the lady came up with for us. So that's settled. Just waiting for her to get back from vacay so I can put the deposit in. We've also ordered our save the date reminders and registered for our wedding website. So things are coming along nicely! I'm very lucky to have such an involved fiance. 0:-) Oh, I picked my shower dress, too. I should order that today. The shower is 10/5 in Wilkes-Barre and I'm very excited about meeting so much of Larry's family.

I'm a lil under the weather so I watched 3 episodes of Bridezillas today (I'm caught up!) and I have some ideas on what traits are necessary to be a bridezilla:

1. Being totally full of yourself. You think you are more special/important than anyone else (including your fiance) so you don't give a rat's patootie about anyone else's feelings or opinions.

OR

Alternate 1. Being TOTALLY insecure. So many times the brides say to the bridesmaids "You can't look prettier than me/have more cleavage than me/have nicer nails than me" etc. These women also flip out if ANYTHING takes even the SLIGHTEST attention away from them. Sample case: this bride down in Boynton Beach got all pissed off because her 5 y/o nephew disappeared between the ceremony & the reception and everyone was more concerned about finding the little boy than doting on her. (The boy was found safe & sound playing in the parking lot.) I also read on a Knot bulletin board that one bride asked her bridesmaid not to wear her engagement ring to the wedding because the bridesmaid's diamond was bigger than her own. WTF?!

2. Being a control freak. Now, I will admit to this one. Fortunately, my controlling nature is also counterbalanced by my laziness. lol I'm not micromanaging my bridesmaids. I let them pick out their dresses (Larry and I gave our final approval) and told my maid of honor she's responsible for picking out the jewelry cuz I'm bad with that stuff. I told them to wear their own shoes, they just needed to be silver or clear. I'm not dictating how they wear their hair or nails. They're classy girls and have good sense.

3. This goes along with 2: having no sense of perspective. Yes, weddings are important and special. But if something goes wrong--even if the cake falls over or the caterer doesn't show or the DJ is an hour late--the point is that you're married when it's all over! And guests understand if shit goes wrong. What they don't understand is bitchy attitudes.

4. Having trashy/tacky/bitchy/controlling family/bridal party. Yes, that contributes to a bridezilla. My family and bridal party are nice, sensible people who let Larry and me make our own decisions. Of course, Larry and I are also sensible people who listen to input from our friends and family. It goes both ways.

5. Having unrealistic expectations. Sometimes these women want 5-star wedding on a 1-star budget. You can still have a nice event with a small budget but you have to think creatively. You can't have what a bride with a $50k or $100k or more budget can have. That's life, get over it. There are things I'd like to have but can't afford. You don't hear me whining about it. Also, you have to realize that your vendors are businesspeople. They aren't doing you any favors or participating in your wedding because they care so much. They are there because you pay them. Get everything in writing.

6. This goes along with 5: PROCRASTINATING! If you wait until the last minute, a LOOOOT of shit is going to be booked or possibly more expensive. Plan ahead. If you're having a short engagement, accept that you will have to make some compromises and get very creative.

7. Marrying the wrong person. I see the way these women treat their fiances and I can't help but think that the brides act so bitchy because deep down they have doubts about their fiances and aren't totally sure they want to be married. One bride (from Clearwater, actually) kept trying to remake her fiance into what she really wanted. She even went so far as to hire him an etiquette coach. If you don't like him that much, don't marry him! There's a saying: men marry women hoping they won't change and women marry men hoping they do. We all change throughout life and hopefully they are positive changes but you should be prepared to live with your fiance (or fiancee) exactly as he/she is on the day of the wedding for the rest of your life. Personally, I like my fiance just the way he is. We disagree sometimes or get on each other's nerves (inevitable when you live with someone) but they are such tiny, tiny, TINY things in the grand scheme. Don't sweat the small stuff. And if it's big stuff, you need to rethink the whoooooole thing, not just what color the table linens should be.

What do you all think of my bridezilla list?

Larry disputes the accuracy of the numbers in that St. Pete Times article based on the Officer Down Memorial Page (www.odmp.org), which also gets its numbers from the DOJ. So I will hopefully at some point do additional research through the DOJ and get some clarification. My first reaction is that the article was very selective about which categories it included for officer murders but even that theory didn't totally pan out. It's gonna take some time and work to sort out.

This was printed in the 7/11/08 edition of the St. Petersburg Times in their "Ask the Times" section and I felt it was really important to share. This really blows away a lot of the false information people have heard about law enforcement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q: How many law enforcement officers are killed in the line of duty each year, and how many people are killed by law enforcement officers?

A: According to the Department of Justice, using figures from the FBI, the number of law enforcement officers killed on the job fell significantly from 1973 to 2005, the last full year the numbers are tracked.

In 1973, 134 officers were killed. The number dropped steadily and by 2005, had fallen to 55. The rate is also dropping. In 1978, 1 in 4,000 officers were killed. By 1998, it was 1 in 11,000.

In 12 percent of the murders, the killer used the officer's gun.

Conversely, law enforcement officers kill about 370 people a year. Some data about those killed:

- 98 percent were males.

- The average age was about 30.

- Most of them are white. In 1998, for example, 62 percent of those killed by officers were white, 35 percent black.

- But the rate for blacks was much higher: 4.8 per 100,000 population compared with 1.2 per 100,000 population for whites in 1998.

- The highest rates are of black men under the age of 25. In 1998, young black men made up 1 percent of the U.S. population but 14 percent of the people killed by officers.

- Between 1976 and 1998, 84 percent of the officers who killed someone were white and 15 percent were black. More than 97 percent of the officers were male.

- In about 65 percent of homicides ruled justifiable by officers, the officer's race and the victim's race were the same.

I've been busy this afternoon. There are about a billion cool LJ layouts out there that I can use. Sometimes they will be indicative of my mood/activities. Other times, I may just think they're cool.

SCI FI is showing a Eureka marathon today and tomorrow because the season 3 premiere is Tuesday night. :-) Good times. Very lazy day here. Just doing laundry and watching TV and hanging out with Larry.

You all will never believe this: I actually have a MySpace layout now. =:O Shocking, I know. I'm going to go work on a layout for my LJ now!

Is there anything expired in your refrigerator?
No but I think the eggs expire tomorrow. I should check the buttermilk, too.

What were you doing the last time someone video taped you?
HAHAHAHAHAHA

Name your favorite Beatles song?
No clue. Not a fan.

Do you usually get a "to go" box at restaurants?
No. Only if it's really good and is something that will keep well.

Last sporting event you attended?
A Lightning game w/Larry.

Do you read the funnies in the Sunday Paper?
No, not anymore.

What was the last meal or food you cooked?
The last meal I cooked was... I guess the Mexican casserole Tuesday night. Unless you count the bagels I've toasted today. lol

Do you have any nervous habits?
Play with my hair.

At what age did you get your ears pierced?
The 1st time, 15. They got infected and I let them close up. The 2nd time I was 20.

Have you ever used a Polaroid camera?
Yep, my dad had one. They were cool back in the day but the pics fade REAL bad.

What is your favorite stuffed animal?
My fiance.

On clothes do you prefer polka dots or stripes?
Stripes. Not a polka dot girl.

Have you ever driven a moving truck?
No.

What is the longest you could go without a soda?
A few days, esp if Mom makes iced tea.

What free catalogs do you get in the mail?
Victoria's Secret and some of those housewares companies. Prolly some other clothing stores, too. I'm not sure cuz Mom sorts the mail. When I was single, I loved getting catalogs. That was what I read before going to bed. lol

What was the last piece of candy you ate?
Peanut M&Ms

Do you wear shoes on your carpet at home?
I wear them into my room and leave them there. We're not "take your shoes off at the door" people.

When is the last time you checked a book out of the library?
When I was in college.

Ever bought something from Home Shopping Network?
No.

Do you read the gossip magazines in the check out line?
No, if I'm waiting I look at cooking/home mags like Southern Living & Cooking Light.

If living in a 3 story apartment building, what floor would you choose to live on?
I don't know... 2nd or 3rd. I lived on the ground floor in south FL and I regretted it cuz I was always nervous.

Do you still own any cassette tapes?
I think so.

Do you need coffee or caffeine to get through your day?
No.

Last time you were on a diet? What diet was it?
I've never been "on a diet" but I try not to eat tons of junk. Some days I do better than others. lol I should prolly try a lil diet, though.

What shape of diamond looks best on your ring finger?
Emerald, marquis, or pear. My engagement ring is emerald.

If given a day off Tues- Thurs, what day would you choose?
Wednesday. Breaks up the week.

Do you still own a camera that takes film?
No but my mom does.

Can you name all 7 Dwarfs?
The problem with this question is that once the person before you answers it, you know the answer. I think I could.

What is your favorite piece of furniture in your house?
My bed, I guess. Although my desk is nice. The antique china cabinet is really pretty. ::Shrugs:: I'm not sure. We've got some cool shit, I guess.

What type of souvenirs do you buy on vacation?
T-shirts and mugs.

When and where was the last amusement park you went to?
Disney a few months ago.

Are there any frozen dinners in your freezer?
No but there is some frozen food... mini quiches, mini corn dogs, etc.

Last thing you bought in a vending machine?
A can of Coke.

Have you ever taken dance lessons?
Yes, as a child. I took ballet and tap.

Do you own any sports apparel or jerseys?
A couple of Green Bay Packers items and a few Gators shirts. Oh, and a couple of University of Texas shirts. Oh, I do have a Gators jersey.

Does your mom still keep your baby teeth for memories?
I don't think so. But she did have my baby shoes bronzed.

If eating live cockroaches made you lose weight instantly, would you eat them?
54, base.

What is 1 rule you will give your teenage children concerning dating?
Not until they're 16.

Do bikers in big groups wearing all leather scare you?
No.

If no one is home, do you close the bathroom door to pee?
I never close the door to pee anymore. lol Now that I'm over my thing w/Larry seeing me pee I don't care. You can't see into our bathroom anyway unless you are RIGHT in our bedroom door. I only close the door if I'm somewhere else or if we have company.

Tell us something about your neighbor:
Gary and Lori have lived next door for almost 10 yrs now and they rent that house. They are both 2nd marriages, so they have 3 girls between them. One just graduated HS. One of the girls decided to go live with her mother because of some family drama that went down, I guess. And Lori is awesome.

When is the last time it rained?
Prolly yesterday. Don't think it's rained yet today.

Do you have an alarm system on your house?
Yes but we never use it. lol We have our own policeman now. ;-)

Do you keep favors or momentos from peoples weddings?
No, which is why we're not having favors. lol

Have you ever watched 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' on TLC?
No, definitely not. Multiple births are absurd unless it's natural.

If paid 1 million dollars per baby you adopt but you couldn't have help, how many would you adopt?
$1m is hardly enough to raise a kid these days if you want to send them to college, plus the time and aggravation. No thanks.

Monday we had our first cake tasting in Lakeland with this lady who owns a compnay called SweetCakes. It was AWESOME. We have another tasting 8/4 at Alessi but I doubt they'll be better than Andrea. We'll see. Part of the issue with Andrea is the cost. My Knot budget has $975 for the cake. The smallest cakes she wants to do for us would be about $1700. So... gotta decide if there's enough fluff elsewhere in the budget to justify it.

I gave the florist her deposit Thursday and faxed the contract to her yesterday. Monday while we were in Lakeland we met with another florist that SweetCakes recommended but we thought she was way too disorganized (she was an older lady) and inconvenient. Like, we would have to pay separately for her to send someone to collect all of her vases and shit at the end of the night. The florist here in Tampa includes it in her fee.

Right now I'm looking online at dresses for my bridal shower in Oct. I don't have any fall-type dresses--I live in FL! I don't have a skirt/sweater combo that would be appropriate for a shower, either. So I'm starting to look now. The shower is only about 3-1/2 mos away now. =:O

Last weekend was fun. Saturday night Larry and I went up to Grille 116 for drinks and dessert and ended up getting totally toasted. Our bar tab was over $200! We spent, like, $20 on food and $200 on drinks. Wtf. We love going to that bar, though. The bartenders there are really cool, there's no smoking inside since it's a restaurant, it stays open pretty late, and there isn't music blaring so loud you can't talk to each other. It's very comfortable, too. So then Sunday we obviously didn't do much because we were hungover. lol That's ok, though.

I was at a client part of the week last week. Jimmy was in town to do a pension/401(k) audit and the girl who was supposed to come with him couldn't travel because she fucked up her foot 4th of July. haha Poor Jeanine. Anyway, so I went Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday to help him out. I don't feel like I did much but he swears I did. It was trained monkey work, which was cool the first day but after that it got old. lol It was cool to spend a few days with Jimmy, though. A lot of people at work don't want to work with him because he can be very impatient and difficult but we've always gotten along pretty well. My first out-of-state job was with him and he was really sweet and patient and I've never forgotten it. I told him that not long ago and he was so flattered. I think it gave him something to think about it. So all in all, it was a good week.

Wednesday I had a dr's appt. They did a test and I'm fine. That's all anyone wants/needs to know, trust me.

Last night we went to dinner with Barry and Carmella at Steak & Ale (Barry's special request). I hadn't been there in about 6 mos. Larry had never been there. It was pretty good. They have this new beef wellington thing where they put beef medallions on puff pastry. I love hanging out with Barry and Carmella. Carmella said when we're out and we meet new people she's going to tell them her name is "Cerin" so we can be Larry, Barry, Erin, and Cerin. LOL

After dinner, Larry and I went to Thee Doll House just up the street for a couple drinks. I had never been there and we decided why not. I like going places like that cuz no one looks at me and Larry likes when I go with him because none of the girls ask him for dances. haha

So, Larry and I are brainstorming about our ring tattoos and he's decided he wants more tattoos in general. So last night at the bar he got the coolest idea. He wants a tattoo of me as a '50s pin-up girl on his shoulder! Isn't that cool??? I'd be a tattoo! :-D That was the sweetest thing I think I've ever heard and I'm so super excited about it. I know it's going to take a while cuz of the design, the money, time, etc. but it's just so awesome. hehehehehehe 0:-)

So, my stepsister has been in Ft. Worth since last weekend working on cleaning out my dad's stuff from the house. Larry and I were gonna go last weekend and see my stepmother and help her but she had to have back surgery and can't travel for a while. And now I'm kinda glad. Dealing with all that is harder for me now than it was right after Dad died. I talked to Maurie Thursday, I think, and she said she's having a tough time with it, too. She said a couple times people have called the house asking for Dad and she said she just wanted to throw up. Maurie's father died when she was 13, so for the last 15 years or so the only father she had was Dad.

Ok, gonna get another chocolate chip bagel (thank you, Mom) and look for dresses some more, check e-mail, etc.

Larry has a pulled muscle but is otherwise fine. I think he's coming home early but I'm not sure yet. Glad it's nothing more serious than that.

Larry is at the hospital over in Pinellas right now. He said his neck really hurts and he's worried he tore something. Ugh. So we'll see. I guess he turned his neck funny earlier and it's been hurting since. I might have to go over there if he needs an MRI or anything cuz he doesn't like that stuff.

I was up in Jax Wed & Thurs. I was supposed to be gone until today but I managed to wrap enough up at the client yesterday to come home. I'm finishing up from home today. That client was great, though. Very small place.

Tuesday was Larry's and my 1 year anniversary!!! :-D I made a nice dinner (shrimp pomodoro) and Larry opened a bottle of 2001 Flora Springs (quite delicious). I also baked Larry a special cake... chocolate layer cake w/white frosting (his favorite) and I used red hots to make a heart on top with "L + E 1 yr" inside the heart. I have a pic of the cake as my MySpace default pic right now. :-)

Other than that, not much going on, I guess. Gonna be in Sarasota all week next week but I'm coming home Mon & Tues nights. Mon night is our caterer tasting. :-D