“WE TEXANS MUST DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES”

Gubernatorial Candidate Debra Medina's We Texans campaign is looking for volunteers to help with petitions for several ballot initiatives.

These ballot initiatives will help We Texans bring about a restoration of accountability in government and the creation of new tethers insuring our elected officials serve the people - to allow Texas to remain strong, free and prosperous.

Would you be interested in helping out with this revolutionary effort to preserve our republican form of government?

Please contact me at toni_marek@yahoo.com

An Explanation:

Our elected officials are unaccountable and the voices of We the People seem to carry little weight. There are vehicles by which we can restrain our government and restore it to proper constitutional boundaries. We Texans need to use them!

We must do more than simply vote every two years for candidates who, after being elected, seem to forget the very principles that gained our trust in the first place.

All political power is inherent in the people. The Freedom of Assembly protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees more than the freedom of speech or the right to gather to stage protests or rallies. It guarantees more than the forming of political parties. It guarantees that we have a mechanism to effectively have our grievances redressed. A political party has the power to set the standards for whom it will allow to be placed on a ballot under its name, and We Texans as the members of the party have the power to determine what those standards are. This authority of the people is not often discussed by the party leadership and current elected officials who prefer to maintain the status quo, but it is real and it is powerful when used.

Our nation's founders certainly understood this power:

"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. … when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." - Declaration of Independence 1776

And the courts continue to uphold it to this day:

"... the Court has recognized that the First Amendment protects the freedom to join together in furtherance of common political beliefs, … which necessarily presupposes the freedom to identify the people who constitute the association, and to limit the association to those people only, … That is to say, a corollary of the right to associate is the right not to associate..." California Democratic Party, et al. v. Jones, et al., Decision No. 99-401, decided June 26, 2000 United States Supreme Court

This election cycle, let's use these powers and demand that candidates seeking to run for office in the Republican Party's Primary do more than just take our money and ask for our vote. The Ballot Petition Drive is one step in a multi-step process to make Republican Candidates accountable to generally ignored positions of the Republican Platform.

What will the petitions do? We Texans will

1. Demand that the party require every candidate to disclose their position on every plank of the platform: support, oppose, or other--i.e., an unequivocal record of where the candidates stands;

2. Demand that the party impose unilateral term limits on the eligibility of candidates seeking the Republican Party Nomination for office, e.g., State Representatives to three consecutive terms etc.;

3. Demand that the party have every candidate sign a pledge of support for certain core issues, such as state sovereignty, property rights, fiscal conservatism, and the right to Life.

Establishing new guards of accountability will not be a simple task, and this is only the first step. Signing these petitions and asking others to do the same will send a message to the party that We the People will not accept more of the same. But to ensure the party listens, we must get involved in the convention process and become party delegates ourselves and make our voices, in addition to our vote, heard. Plan now on attending your precinct convention and working and fighting to be a delegate to your County or Senatorial District Convention, and from there to the State Convention. Delegates supporting these principles were nearly 40% of the vote at the last State Convention and your participation WILL make the difference. More information on how to join us will be coming as this project progresses. For now, sign the petitions, ask everyone you know to do the same, and work to stay informed.

The problems in the political system are pervasive, so the clean-up starts with honest new blood, new troops maintaining their integrity, willing to do what is necessary to restore the forms of our Republican Party and erect new guards for our future security.

Nothing is gained by complaining and then watching our State and Nation fall into disrepair. Now we can do more than talk the talk, We Texans can stand up and fix it.

FIRST we must clean our own house and clear out the unethical actions from within our own party. Join us on the path to restore our republic!

http://www.medinafortexas.com/initiatives.php

Have you seen the Issues Section of the Medina Campaign Site?

http://www.MedinaForTexas.com/issues.php

“Ron Paul is one of the outstanding leaders fighting for a stronger national defense. As a former Air Force officer, he knows well the needs of our Armed Forces, and he always puts them first. We need to keep him fighting for our country.”

- U.S. President Ronald Reagan

"Let it not be said that no one cared, that no one objected once it's realized that our wealth and liberties are in jeopardy" -

 

- Congressman Ron Paul (July 10th, 2003)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My 2007 Awards

DRINKING BUDDY OF THE YEAR:

Hahaha.... I would have to say my “fam by marriage” - those are the only people I have really "drank" with this year lol.

Amy – erm…(Blake’s) cousin… mine by marriage. (‘Tis a twisted loop).

 

 

 

 

Kristin – Sista-in-law

 

 

 

 

LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD:

Who else but my Bull Frog... :)

Christina

 

 

 

 

NEWCOMER AWARD - COOLEST NEWEST FRIEND?

Katherine – too bad she lives so.freakin.far.away. : (

HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR?

The newest edition: Aidan

LOW POINT OF THE YEAR?

Being pregnant and breastfeeding for the ENTIRE YEAR. When will my body be mine again???

BEST HOLIDAY?

Christmas - Mainly because we celebrate it about a gazillion times between both our families!

YOUR SONG FOR 2007?

So many to choose from... but right now:

Say It Again by Natasha Bedingfield

MOVIE FOR 2007?

Again - so many! August Rush, Enchanted, Waitress, Knocked Up

WHO DID YOU SPEND VALENTINES WITH?

All my boys... well Aidan was still in my tummy...

BEST RELATIONSHIP?

My momma... It is true you get along better as you get older!

WHAT WERE YOU FOR HALLOWEEN?

a mommy :)

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR?

TEJAS! Ok.. I couldn't resist. Seriously though - La Tejanita has SERIOUSLY upped its game this year. SERIOUSLY.

KISS OF THE YEAR?

The best kiss EVAR: The one Blake gave me as he held my hand as I freaked out on the table in the OR moments before giving birth. Does a C-Section count as "giving birth?"

BEST DECISION MADE THIS YEAR?

To support RON PAUL. Joking aside, watch this and tell me it doesn't spark a little bit of interest...

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR?

Spend more time with all of my boys doing something other than housework...

Set aside quality "me" time at least once a week...

Take one class at VC...

Vote for Ron Paul.

MOST STUPID IDEA WHEN DRUNK?

I can't remember the last time I got drunk...

TV SHOW OF THE YEAR?

What else???

Ok... other than the OBVIOUS *GREY'S ANATOMY* here are a few more that caught me...

MOST LOYAL FRIEND?

Who else? Christina :)

BIGGEST CHANGE OF THE YEAR?

Aidan :)

BIGGEST DOUCHEBAG AWARD?

I second Katherine on this. I am so over this Writer's Strike. Freaking figure it out. Heroes is OVER ... Grey's has like one episode left before it ends...

WAKE UP ABC (and the others) *WE* - the viewers - are the ones keeping you afloat. FIGURE IT OUT.

NEW YEAR RESOLUTION?

Wean Aidan in March and let loose of about half of my body weight. You laugh now... but just you wait (weight). :)

I know. It has been forever since I commented/blogged. Even though it is a generic reason, it is still the only reason I have: I have been so busy.

Not just your average busy, I mean the kind of busy where you forget to eat sometimes.

I am happy to report that my baby, who is four month old on July 19^th has not been deprived of eating. He is now 17 pounds.

Seriously.

I am pretty positive that my breast milk has superpowers because the same thing happened to my other child. Well, he was also 9 pounds when he was born. That may have had something to do with him being 20 pounds by the time he was 6 months old.

He was a rather chunky baby, but he stayed 20 pounds until he was about a year and half old. Once he developed his escaping skills, he stopped gaining weight. I guess when all you can do is slobber and “goo”, you whole life is eating.

Anyway, back to the whole busy thing. In addition to my kids keeping me on the crazy side, my family has been sick for what seems like eons. It started with a little bug and turned into weeks. I made it through without getting anything that my kids and husband passed around to each other. I am breastfeeding though, and well you already know about the superpowers that stuff contains.

After all of that, I am starting to feel like the woman on the Suave commercial. She is all nice looking and then she has kids and she gets all frazzled and run down looking. Then in the end she used Suave and she is a super model again. Well, that part hasn’t happened to me yet. I suspect it won’t until I actually buy that shampoo.

Of course that would mean I would have to actually have time to go to the store and to that section of Wal-Mart. When I get a chance to go to the store, I do not go in the “left” side of Wal-Mart. Why can’t they put toys on the other side? Or Shampoo on the food side?

For some reason my son (the 3 year old) has decided that he must own every single superhero that they sell in Wal-Mart. I cannot even begin to explain the fascination he has with Spiderman. He fell down one day and came to me crying, telling me that his webshooter was broken.

Seriously.

Then he got on a Power Ranger crusade and ran around shooting red and blue magic all over the house with his “swords” (swords = anything long and straight … spoons… sticks… toothbrushes…).

It is even more exciting when the two are combined. You haven’t seen it all until your son is running around shooting webs from one hand and throwing red magic from his Spiderman toothbrush sword with the other hand.

It is even better when he “plays” with his baby brother. Baby is sitting in the Bumbo seat, with some sort of makeshift sword, and Brother is in front of him throwing webs and magic. It is all too much excitement for me. Maybe I should being my blow dryer and makeup into the living room and make myself into the Suave supermodel while they are playing.

So – that is how busy I have been. I promise that in the coming months, probably after summer, I will start posting more often. I just never realized how busy I would be with a baby and a superhero.

It isn’t all that bad though, I recently got Direct TV DVR (for free ::gasp::).

I have been asking DVR for a while now, and even with all of my nagging – ahem – I mean asking, my husband still didn’t see a “need” for it. I tried to explain that it was an absolute necessity but he wasn’t budging. It would cost us upwards of $150 and an extra $10 a month added to the monthly bill after all was said and done. He finally said that Dish Network was offering some kind of promo where you get free DVR and told me to check it out.

Well Dish Network does not have the Oxygen Channel or the PBS Kids Sprout Channel. You don’t know hell until you don’t have “Prout” on your TV. So, I was faced with a dilemma. I could get DVR, but I would have to listen to endless crying about not having “Prout,” and I would not get to see “Fight Girls,” “The Bad Girls Club,” or replays of “The Tyra Banks Show.”

In the end, I decided it just wasn’t worth it. During all of that thinking though, I got to wondering why wasn’t there any kind of special promotion for being a loyal customer to Direct TV. Or… is there?

::light bulb moment::

I called Direct TV and politely explained that we have been loyal customers for nearly 8 years and were never late (that automatic bill pay). I told them that Dish Network has been sending me a lot of appealing offers, and I wanted to switch, but decided to call Direct TV and see if they could offer me something to stay, since Dish Network was so appealing (NOT).

The man put me on hold for a few minutes and came back offering me free (read: FREE) DVR and $10 off of my monthly programming package (total plus 250 or something) for an entire year.

Of course when I my husband came home I told him that I had saved us about $270 and threw him the latest Zale’s flyer.

Ahh… the trials and tribulations of being a housewife….

Until next time, don’t forget that even Twizzlers can be swords (my son LOVES Twizzlers.)

I will officially be a mother of two on Monday morning. While that may sound oh-so-cute to some of you, to me it just radiates this huge feeling of fear within what is left of my brain. I am going to have TWO children.

In diapers.

Sucking on binkies.

Under the age of 3.

Most likely screaming/crying/crapping at the same time.

Seriously.

Because of the aforementioned screaming/crying/whining/crapping, this will most likely be my last blog for at least 2 weeks. I know I am not the best at updating, but I just wanted to let you all know I am not dead, but will feel like it for another couple of weeks.

I hope nothing super fantastic happens while I am gone. I also wish you all great customer service in my absence. I am sure with two kids (one a screaming infant and the other a screaming toddler) I will have MANY stories to share when I return. Let’s just hope that you read about them here, and not on the news or something.

I will leave you with one last little tidbit of information I have learned with this pregnancy. I was reading “What To Expect When You Are Expecting” (a pregnancy month-by-month guide for those of you who live under a rock) and there was a Q&A section about pregnancy pains.

One lady wrote to say that it feels as though her baby is going to fall out sometimes. This was near the end of her pregnancy and she was concerned. I chuckled to myself, because I had never felt that feeling with my first pregnancy, and I was about 8 months along and hadn’t felt it with this pregnancy. I was also amused by the lady because it is so completely obvious that your baby is not going to just “fall out.”

So, I kept reading and the doctor who answered her question went on to say (AND I QUOTE), “This is a common pregnancy pain that is caused by your baby ‘dropping’ and the pressure it causes. While it may feel as though your baby is going to fall out, do not worry, because this almost never happens.”

(Now your mouth drops open and I leave this small space for a horrified pause)

I crap you not people.

Number one: why would a book that 99% of pregnant people say this.

Number two: Holy baby falling out Batman! Does that seriously happen?

I went on for another few weeks remembering this, but thankful that I had not yet felt something that horrendous yet.

That is until about 4 days ago. I almost want to wear Depends just to catch the baby, because I know for a fact, with every fiber of my being that my baby WILL fall out.

It feels like he is hanging out waving at the people passing by gaping at my baby hanging out of where he shouldn’t be. There is that much pressure. So, watch the news and read the paper, because I am sure before tomorrow morning, my baby will fall out and KAVU and a reporter for the Advocate will be trailing not far beyond.

Until next time, don’t forget that Twizzlers rock – and please don’t point and laugh at the woman with the baby hanging out of her nether regions.

If you have ever read my blog more than once you know I can’t live without two things: Twizzlers and Grey’s Anatomy.

Seriously.

In case you live under a rock, or you aren’t super cool like me, I will fill you in. Grey’s Anatomy is a show that stars (among many) Patrick Dempsey and all his juiciness. It comes on Thursday nights at 8 on ABC. That should be all the info you need to tune in tonight.

So, back to my point...

This is February – which means it is sweeps time for major network television. That also means it is time for TPTB (the powers that be) at Grey’s to make the fans absolutely nutty. By nutty I mean crazy in a way that is not safe to operate machinery.

Tonight’s episode is part 2 in a part 3 story arc that is supposed to be the best for the show yet. The creator, Shonda Rhimes (who HATES spoilers) has leaked some information about the story arc that is “spoilerish”, and I must say she is pretty clever.

In leaking her tidbits of info, she has made every single fan of the show THAT much more crazy. And by THAT much more crazy, I mean crazy in a way that even kids can’t make you.

I (along with countless other fans) have been soaking in every tiny last bit of info about what could possibly happen tonight. Shonda has said that she will “break the rules of TV,” and go where no one thought she would go.

Seriously.

So, for those of you who can’t get enough of the show, and care, I have complied a list of what I know may or may not be happening within the next few episodes. If you are not in the “know” these are called “spoilers.” I have put them in white, to protect the eyeballs of people like my sister who HATE spoilers. Just highlight the text below to read.

• Two people will die – one of those deaths will be permanent.

• Denny comes back – for more than one episode. Seriously.

• Callie has some sort of HUGE secret.

• The next 2 episodes could make or break the series and they will show us what direction the show is headed for the rest of the season. Remember the bomb episode last season? Well – wouldn’t it totally change the series if Meredith was in a coma that entire time, and she wakes up way back then?

• The lady Alex saved last week will be here for the rest of the season.

• McSteamy and Izzie get it on…

I also want to add that if you missed some episodes, or you are new to the show, you can watch all of the episodes (from this season at least) online at ABC.com. They have a streaming player and there are 3 commercials in each episode, but well worth it.

Don’t forget the Twizzlers when you bunker yourself in for Grey’s tonight!

I read a couple of weeks ago that Olive Garden would be opening for lunch starting on Monday, January 22. A friend and I made plans to eat there on Tuesday for lunch, because we would both be “kid free.” I don’t know about you, but taking a 2 year old into a brand new restaurant during a peak hour is not my idea of fun.

Anyway, Olive Garden was to open at 11 a.m., so we met in the parking lot at 10:45. There was another car there waiting, but I was surprised that more people weren’t waiting to go in. I planned to get out and wait in line if one started to form, but since there was no reason to, I stayed in my truck (it was also 40 degrees that day).

While waiting for my friend to arrive, I saw an elderly lady get out of her car and go to the front door. The man with her stayed in the car, so I assumed she was going to see if the front doors were open yet. I watched her because I am 15 months pregnant, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could go without peeing on myself. I figured if the doors were open, I would go inside early to use the restroom.

Before the lady got to the door, an employee came outside and met her halfway. They exchanged words, the lady returned to her car, and the man started to back up like he was leaving. By this time my friend had arrived, so I got out and told her I was going to go scavenge a bathroom and see what the deal was with the lady going back to her car.

As I got to the front door, I saw some signs that said Olive Garden would open for lunch on January 29. I was about to turn around, but the door was about an inch open, and an employee saw me standing there. I opened the door some more and asked if they were open for lunch on that day.

The employee (who I think was a manager, by the way she was dressed) told me that they opened the next week for lunch. I told her I was sorry and I thought it was this week, because that is what I had read.

She shook her head and told me that it was misprinted. I told her to have a nice day and went back to tell my friend about the whole fiasco. Then we sat in the parking lot for another 5 minutes trying to figure out where we wanted to eat lunch. During that time a few more people did the same thing I did. I felt bad for the employees inside. I knew that it would probably be happening all week long.

My friend and I decided to eat at Montana Mike’s instead, since they have fried zucchini and I have been wanting some ever since the whole Tejas catastrophe.

I loved the service we got at Montana Mike’s. We were greeted by a manager when we came in, and our waitress (Jennifer) was nice. My friend commented on the fact that our waitress seemed a little hurried for us being the only ones in the restaurant, but other than that – it was a really nice experience.

Except for the smell. It smelled like someone dipped my head into a wet ashtray. My friend said it didn’t smell that bad to her, but then again she smokes occasionally. I used to smoke (for many years) and I know that people who used to smoke always think the smell of smoke is stronger and worse than it really is. You have to also couple that with the fact that I am pregnant, and I have Super Smell.

I would suggest they monitor their employees for smoking after hours, or use some serious air freshener for the old smoke smell.

So, we will go to Olive Garden NEXT week. Just to give the employees there a heads up, it will be on Thursday, and we will most likely be waiting for you guys to open. Hopefully, we will beat the crowds.

Look for my blog after our Olive Garden experience, because I am really excited to see what customer service is like in a brand new restaurant with employees that were actually trained somewhat.

As for the misprint snafu, a little birdie told me that it wasn’t a misprint after all; the employees at Olive Garden just weren’t ready to open for lunch yet. Let’s hope that next week brings short lines at 11 a.m. on Thursday, and personable (ready) wait staff.

On another topic, I was wondering if anyone else is getting horrendous service (customer and internet) from Suddenlink. My internet is the most unreliable piece of rat feces I have ever had. It is always down, and when you call to get someone to talk to, they are rude and promise things that just aren’t true.

I have kept track and my internet has been down for a total of nearly 72 hours (in a 3 week period). I will be contacting Suddenlink and having my bill prorated for 3 days of service, because at this point – that is unacceptable. I was just wondering if anyone else was having problems as well. I have been reading less than flattering editorials in the Advocate.

Anyway, until next time, munch on some fried zucchini at Montana Mike’s and some Twizzlers!

If you are just tuning in, please read the entry below this one to get updated. To summarize, I went to Tejas yesterday and had a very horrible experience. I came home and blogged about it, and tried to reach the corporate office as well as the manager here in Victoria.

Neither returned my calls yesterday.

I am not writing an entirely new entry to explain what has went on since yesterday. This morning I received a call from John Lampo, the President of Tejas Café, Inc. He began by telling me that he did receive my message, and he was sorry for the delay in calling, but their offices were closed for the holidays.

I told him I understood, and he immediately asked me what seemed to be the problem yesterday. He wanted me to tell him what happened. I started to explain my experience, and he cut me off by asking what time it was. He then told me that he pulled the records for the day and that they had one of their busiest days yet.

I told him that it was understandable that they may have been busy, but that didn’t excuse the way I was treated. He interrupted by asking me what I wanted. He told me that “going to the newspaper or the television station wasn’t going to do me any good.” Then again, he asked me exactly what I wanted and what I thought I would gain from telling other people about my experience.

Of course by now, I was taken aback by his tone, and I certainly knew that whatever I said wouldn’t make any difference. I told him that I wasn’t looking for anything free, but I had called him in the hopes that someone would truly care about their customer’s opinions and try and learn from bad experiences.

This is when he explained that the manager at the Tejas here (Dane – didn’t get a last name) is his partner and helps him by running the restaurant in Victoria. Mr. Lampo told me that he is merely a silent partner in this business, and he actually has three other businesses that he takes care of. He then explained that I needed to “be part of the solution and no part of the problem.”

Obviously, this was not what I expected to hear, but I was slightly amused at where he was taking this, so I let him continue. Mr. Lampo told me that I needed to call Dane and tell him that I really love the Tejas experience and food, and I want to know how I can help him (Dane) make me enjoy it better next time. I told Mr. Lampo that I had already tried to call Dane numerous times the day before, after their lunch rush hour.

He told me that Dane most likely had not gotten my messages and to try again today. I agreed that I would try to contact the manager again today. Then Mr. Lampo asked me about the hostess and wanted to know her name. I told him that she refused to give it to me, along with his name and Dane’s, as well as their corporate number.

He told me that a hostess wouldn’t have any clue as to what the corporate number was, and then he launched himself into a spiel about kids in today’s culture. Mr. Lampo blamed hip-hop and parenting of kids today on the reason there is such bad customer service. He said that most “kids” today would rather go to a party, than worry about getting fired.

Since there is such a need for employees in the customer service field, they either don’t get fired, or they can find a job the very next day. With that kind of job security, there is no need to worry. I told him that I agreed with him on that aspect. If I wanted a job, I would only need a couple of hours after the lunch shift to secure employment at almost any given eating establishment in Victoria.

He thought I saw his side of things, until I pointed out that lack of training and discipline in the job arena is what has contributed to this massive crisis to begin with. Owners of these places cared only about money, plain and simple. Obviously this offended him, as he went back to telling me that I should call Dane and try and sort this out.

I pointed out that his manager/partner was the one who basically caused this entire thing to begin with, but I would call and see what his side of the “story” was. Mr. Lampo then told me once again that by writing about Tejas in a negative way, or by talking to anyone about it, I would only be hurting myself, because I would gain nothing from it.

In an attempt to just end something that was going nowhere, I told him that I would try and call Dane today. I thanked him for his call and said goodbye.

I am still reeling from the audacity of this man to call me and tell me that I would gain absolutely nothing from telling someone about my bad Tejas experience. I expected at the very least something that resembled an apology. I never expected him to tell me I am part of the problem with bad customer service.

I waited 45 minutes to eat with 2 hungry children, only to be treated like garbage. I was passed up for people who ate at the restaurant more than I did, and for what reason? Mr. Lampo would not answer that question; he merely said that, “Dane is my partner, so he can’t be fired. What do you expect me to do?”

Mr. Lampo – I will tell you what to do – munch on some Twizzlers and drown yourself in the fact that you, my friend, are screwed. You have a horrendous business partner, and your poor judgment in people is the reason there is only one Tejas Café left.

Again, I implore everyone who reads this to boycott Tejas, as maybe Mr. Lampo and Dane will come to understand that when you give bad service for long enough, eventually people will find another place to go. And that by telling someone about bad service – it really will make a difference.

I am pretty sure absolutely positive that I am not going to get my $515 Manolo Blahnik’s. I mean, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate my chances at a –3. Evidently, Oprah did not read my blog, because the shoes never arrived anonymously, nor did a camera crew to talk about my obsession with these shoes.

The horror.

I have a picture of the shoes on my desktop, which makes my husband roll his eyes every time he sees them. He has assured me that I am not going to be purchasing a $500 pair of shoes anytime soon, and he won’t be hurrying to Neiman Marcus to purchase them either.

Again - the horror.

I am happy to report that I am feeling better. I am almost starting to actually enjoy the pregnancy some of the time (SOME of the time). I really don’t think I should look forward to an uninterrupted night’s sleep for another few years. In fact, I think I need to make my mind think that what I am getting now is a good night’s sleep, because there isn’t a baby crying every 2 hours at me.

My BFF, Christina, came down this weekend for my family’s Christmas party. Since my sister hosted Thanksgiving, I decided to do Christmas at my house. I knew it would be tiring, considering the huge ball attached to my stomach and the fact that my hormones have completely taken over my brain. I go from normal to nervous breakdown in about 2 and half minutes.

I anticipated chaos since there would be five kids under the age of four and two kids under seven at my house most of the day. I told everyone in advance that if they wanted a full meal deal, they would have to bring it. I was putting out snacks only, to ensure an easy cleanup.

We also have a Chinese Christmas to exchange gifts for the adults, and the kids draw names for each other. It seems to be the easiest and cheapest way. We all have at least 2, some of us 3 or 4, Christmases to go to because of extended families, so it isn’t like some huge catastrophe that everyone got one present.

As usual, during the Chinese Christmas part of it, everyone fought over the liquor. If you are lost on the Chinese aspect of this, I will try to explain in a few words or less. Everyone brings a wrapped (unisex) gift, with a price tag between 10 and 20 dollars. Then everyone draws a number and you get to pick a gift in that order. The catch comes when someone wants something someone else has already opened.

For example: My sister selected a present before me. It was a rice cooker. I have wanted a rice cooker for quite some time, and this was a very nice rice cooker. Evidently, my mom and her beau thought they were going to just get one present for the both of them, and each brought a $40 gift. So everyone fought over their presents (until the liquor was opened).

Anyway, when it was my turn to choose a gift, I took the rice cooker, and my sister had to either choose an unopened gift, or a gift that someone else had already opened that she wanted. This goes on until the end, with the sad rule that a gift could only be taken three times. After that, the gift was frozen with its lucky owner.

You can imagine the scheming that goes on with four couples involved. The plans to steal and freeze a gift could easily match that of a bank heist. In the end, I ended up with the rice cooker (my hubby took one for the team and ended up “freezing” it for me), and Christina got her liquor stolen for the second year in a row.

All was well in the end though, because her husband ended up with a Jello shot kit (complete with liquor), and she ended up with a night out without the kids. We decided to take in a late movie (after the kiddos were asleep – to appease the husbands, of course). We both wanted to see “The Pursuit of Happyness,” but decided that after such a long day, we just wanted to sit back and laugh the stress away.

So, we saw “The Holiday.” I am not a fan of Kate Winslet or Cameron Diaz, and with Jude Law’s past behavior, I wasn’t looking forward to seeing him (or Jack Black) try to look sexy in a movie. The movie started out with a few “stab you in the heart and let it bleed” moments, but moved quickly into “laugh those snacks right off your butt” moments. I definitely was not bored during any part of the movie, and found it hard to choose when I would take one of my bathroom breaks.

Going to the movies pregnant isn’t the easiest thing in the world. They need more bathrooms towards the back of that place. You try running with a baby knocking up against your full bladder. I dare you.

As for the movie – I loved it. Jude Law and Jack Black both had a definite hottie factor at the end of the movie, and Kate Winslet did a great job. As for Cameron Diaz – I just can’t get over her huge mouth and annoying voice. In the end, I give the movie a huge A+, if you are looking for a feel good chick flick.

In other news, I am finally composing thank you notes for my wedding (which was 6 months ago). It is horrifyingly late, but it is better than never. For those of you who have kept track or care, I got pregnant on my honeymoon. I started getting sick about 3 weeks later, so the thank you notes were put on the back burner.

Well, they have burned to a crisp and it is time to send them off. I contemplated sending them with a holiday greeting of some sort, to knock two birds out with one stone, but in the end I thought that would be even worse than sending them 6 months late.

I have started to wonder if people are going to think that we divorced already or something. Oh well – always something to keep the tongues wagging. Until next time – thanks BFF for my Twizzlers (even though my Baby Bear ate most of them…).

I wrote last week that I was going to report on a scam that was running an ad in our very own Victoria Advocate. Then life happened and I had to deal with some home issues. After all was well, I started my investigation and immediately found out that the ad was not running in the Victoria Advocate any longer.

So, what was I supposed to do? I wasn’t sure until someone emailed me the contents of the ad, before it had been taken out of the Advocate. Here is what it read:

"HIRING for 2006 Postal Jobs! $18/hour starting. Average pay $57,000/ year. Federal Benefits. No exp required. 800-584-1775 Reference #5220 Fee Required."

I called the number, and acted like I was eager to get a postal job as soon as humanly possible. The “800” number is answered by an automated service (surprise, surprise…) that “verifies” your eligibility. The company is identified as USWA and the message tells you they fill positions for post offices. Once you verify that you are 18, a US citizen, and you have completed high school or a GED equivalent you are put on hold.

During the hold time, another message plays that tells you that once hired, you will make a minimum of $20 per hour, and on average postal workers will make more than $57,000 per year along with outstanding benefits.

Finally, someone answers the phone and in a very pleasant voice asks you for your name. Her name was Kimberly Taylor and she thanked me for calling and then asked if it was my first time. I explained that I really needed a job and that I would be perfect for the postal service. She then verified all of the requirements the automated message had asked.

When she asked if I was a US citizen or had a green card, I hesitated and asked her if I really needed that. She said that it was not required, and that as long as I had completed a GED program or high school in the United States then I would qualify.

I told her that I had and she continued on to tell me about how much money I was going to make. She then said that I would be sent a registration packet. This packet would contain a 250-page study guide and several practice exams.

The packet, of course, would cost $99.50. I told her that was a lot of money, and that I had read you should never pay for a job. She assured me that this was only a deposit.

Kimberly told me that if I was not offered a job on my very first interview, or I didn’t even pass the exam, I would be 100% refunded. She then told me that once I complete my first full week of work as a postal worker, I would be refunded the money as long as I sent the 250-page book back. I told her that was perfect and she went on to explain four different positions available to me.

She said I was eligible to work and all I had to do was pass the exam with a score of 70. She did include that if I passed the exam with a 90 or above, I would be offered a job automatically, and that with this study guide I would be guaranteed to make a 90 or above.

I wanted to know what happened next. She said after I take the exam, I would be notified with 2 weeks of my score and my first interview. I asked about when I could test and she told me that as soon as I was comfortable to take the exam, I could look up online when to take the exam. I would be provided a link, and the exams are given weekly.

I then told her that I didn’t want to have to relocate to work and she assured me that I would be “placed” within 30 miles of my home. It was a guarantee along with the other guarantee of getting my money back.

After asking me if I had any more questions, she quickly moved onto the payment part. I told her I didn’t have a bank account or a credit card. I told her that I had the money, and I could send it to her in the form of a money order.

After inquiring if I could give someone the money and use their credit card, Ms. Taylor advised me that they did not accept mail in payments, but I could send the money via MoneyGram.

She told me the total after shipping and handling and with tax would be $129. I acted thrilled about being able to do this and she promptly gave me the information I needed. I would pick up an express payment form and put in a receive code and their company name. I acted as if I was writing this information down, and said, “ok then, company name, USWA.”

She quickly corrected me and said that the money had to be sent to “Exam Services” because it was for this particular exam. It made no sense, but I acted as if I was jotting it down anyway.

Kimberly gave me the account number to write on the form, and the total once again. She asked me when I would be able to send this payment off, and I told her I would do it as soon as I picked up my children from school.

She thanked me and told me that my information and packet would be sent as soon as they were advised of my payment. I waited for a couple of seconds and she asked me if I had any more questions. I then asked her how they would know where to send my packet, since she had not taken any information from me.

Her words suddenly became a bit flustered and she explained that I would put that information on the MoneyGram form, but I could go ahead and give it to her anyway, in case for some reason it was not legible on the form.

I quickly gave her my fake address, complete with a hard to spell street name. She, I am sure, then wrote the information down just as quick, never asking how to spell anything.

Finally, I was told good luck with my test and my new future and then “goodbye.”

Immediately after I hung up, I called the post office to see exactly what I would have to do to be hired. I was told that they only test once a year, and it is advertised in the paper. So, first of all, I would have to wait until next year because they just tested not to long ago. Second, I was told that they test close to 600 applicants in the Victoria area alone and no one was guaranteed a job no matter what score they make.

Interestingly enough, I found out that if you are a veteran, you automatically get 10 points added to your test and you get priority during the hiring process (YAY for me if I ever want to become a postal worker…).

This is when I made the call back to the original “800” number. I explained that I had just studied for a month and taken the practice exams, only to find that my post office was not testing for another year. The customer service agent gave me another number to call, and said that it was the Customer Care Department.

I called the number the previous woman gave me, and was told to call yet another number. Oddly, I didn’t have to hold when I called either of these numbers. I dialed the last number and told the next person of my problem. She asked me when I had gotten my materials. I said about a month ago or so ago.

After typing a few things, she asked me if my name was “Stephanie.” This was the fake name I had given to the girl when I previously called. I told her no, that it was “Marlene Farrelly.” (I am not good at this, obviously.) She asked me if I was calling from my home and I explained that I was at work.

Evidently, this was enough to convince her that I was calling from a business and she asked me again what was the problem. I explained what my post office had told me, and that I wanted a refund. She said that was not part of their refund policy. I then told her that I was told my post office would test weekly.

She explained she could not be responsible for anything a customer service agent had promised to me and would fully reprimand the one I had spoken with. I didn’t have much else to argue after this, and politely said good-bye.

If I had been a part of this, then I would have been out $129. I found out about this from a reader who alerted me to this ad running in the Advocate. As per her request, I will keep her name and identifying information private, but I will call her “Mary” for this article.

Mary desperately needed a job, and this sounded like a great thing, complete with a 100% refund. After getting her book and studying, she went to the post office, only to learn exactly what I found out. They only give tests once a year, and they hire after that.

She called this company back at the number they provided and it was a non-working number. After nearly 50 calls (which she had documented on her cell phone bill), she still could not get anyone to give her money back, or even explain why she would not get her money back. Mary then returned the book to them, and found out a few days later the company (USWA) refused it.

She called her credit card company and they contacted USWA. They informed her credit card company she had never once contacted them, asked for her money back, or sent the book to them. Of course, Mary has kept all of this information and quickly sent it to her credit card company.

She told me that it took nearly 6 months, but she finally got her money back. She reported all of this to the Federal Trade Commision and Fraud Protection Agency and then to the Victoria Advocate.

This is when she found out that the only thing that USWA had to do was add the words, “fee required” to their ad to keep it running. Mary also explained that she knew two other people in the Victoria area that had fallen for this, and didn’t have the time, or energy to try and get their money back.

I wanted to write about this because I want people to know that falling for these types of things does not make them any less educated than the next person. There are new things popping up every day, and they are becoming increasingly clever. You should keep in mind when seeing ads to this nature, or getting emails from places in which you hold accounts that there are some steadfast rules for these things.

1. NEVER pay for work or the promise of working at home over the phone. I am a stay at home mom and I have more than enough experience in looking for “work-at-home’ jobs. There are not that many that exist, and the few that do require an extensive hiring process that does not require money, but do require you to fulfill a lot of things that don’t make it worth it in the end (unless you want the extra tax work.)
2. NEVER answer emails that claim to be from your bank (credit card company, Paypal, E-Bay, etc.) and ask for identifying information. If you have an account online, it doesn’t matter where, these companies will NEVER EVER contact you and ask for you to give them credit card numbers, social security numbers, or other personal information. Companies NEVER email threatening to close an account if you do not provide this information.
3. NEVER click on a link in your email that is to your bank, Paypal account, or anything of the like and input your username, password, or any other identifying information. This is a common scam that I almost fell for once. I got an email from Paypal telling me that I had money waiting to be deposited into my account; I just had to verify the funds. I clicked on the link in the email and was about to “log-in” to my account, when I realized the address at the top of the address bar did not say anything about Paypal.com. If you have to log into any account you have anywhere on the Internet, ALWAYS manually type in the web address to prevent people from obtaining your personal information.

I hope that this information helps and is passed along to your loved ones. My grandma and mother have both been close to falling for things of this nature, that look innocent enough. This isn’t about age or education, though. Anyone can fall for something like this. Here is a link that provides information on some scams that are happening now.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/fedjobs.htm

In the end, if you are questioning paying for something, or giving someone your personal information – it is best just to not do it. Talk to a friend who works in that field, or contact an office close to you that deals with what you are hesitant about. Get answers before you share your personal and identifying information.

And most of all – please don’t forget about the Twizzlers, ya’ll.