Saturday, June 30, 2007

Man I've been gone!

I really should have blogged more!

UPDATE:
Johns still not well, but he's better. He's working and has insurance again.

I have 2 jobs now, neither have insurance, but I like them both - pays crap tho. *shrug* I guess you can't have a great paying job and like it too... I prefer being happy.

My youngest has graduated HS, my middle graduates college in Aug.

My van died and I had to buy a new car... went with a Toyota Yaris and love it!

I just realized I had to set permissions for ppl to comment to my blog so I missed Ethnes comment made last October! Sheesh!

Hope all my friends are well =)

Monday, October 16, 2006

The Clock is Always Ticking

So, more time has passed since I was here last. But that's what time does... keeps moving forward. (Duh).

I've had several computer classes since my post in May. In fact, I have 3 students who keep coming back each month. I gave up trying to follow a curriculum with them, it's easier to go at their pace. It’s fun and frustrating at the same time. What seems simple to me is not so simple to them, and it’s not always about the obvious, its little things like someone’s desktop has a different picture than theirs. And seniors are afraid they will blow the computer up if they touch the wrong key. I mostly try to get them to understand there isn’t any thing to be afraid of.

I'm getting ready for another photography contest. I'm entering a few photos but I'm also in charge of the event itself. I have nothing to do with the judging, nor do I know the judges so I am able to enter the contest too.

And something fun - the city employees are wearing pedometers and keeping a daily log of their steps, we're having contests with prizes for the winners and the best thing is... you make yourself exercise more. I sure needed that incentive! Now I just need someone to pull me out of my desk chair on weekends!

Johns been sick since June, at first we thought it was a bad case of heartburn or gurt... but it’s something more than that. He has a hard time keeping food down, gets tired easy, and has no energy or strength. He's lost 60 pounds or more since this began and none of the doctors seem at all interested in finding out what’s wrong. Maybe cause we don’t have health insurance. We were able to get a doctor to line up some tests for him but they can't be done until November 21st... Seems like a long time to have to wait. He can eat some foods and drinks allot of beef/chicken broth. That helps a bit. I want them to run tests for some diseases that ticks carry, because he was working outside for a long time - but he has lost his job due to not being there every day. Also someone suggested he be tested for Chromes disease. I hope they figure it out.

Well that’s it for this time! Until the clock ticks some more!
Toodles.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Good Lord It's Been A While!

The summer is just whizzin by and I can't make it stop! I haven't even been to the beach once and I only live about 5 miles from it. I have tickets to go see a local production of Oklahoma! this Saturday and I'll bet I won't get to make that either!
Work Work Work and lovin it!

I had my annual 4th of July party again this year and the food was delisious. The Friends Great and The Family ummm ooooo Fantastick! LOL (We kept it small). We went to the lake that evening and shot off a ton of fireworks. I always enjoy that part almost as much as the left overs!

Ta ta for now!

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

The Grass is Always Greener...


The Grass is Always Greener...
Originally uploaded by NC Wench.
It looks like a zebra in greens. My boyfriend fertilized it for me and he didn't follow the tire tracks of the spreader, in fact his exact words were ... "Don't worry, the fertilizer will spread out as it gets wet" And me being a bit older (and sometimes wiser...ok, maybe just older with more experience at least!) tried to explain how it works, but he was having nothing to do with it. After-all he used to work for a landscaping company right?!

SO... fast forward to this past weekend, my kids have all come to take me to dinner and see The DaVinci Code (My belated mothersday because I HAD to see this movie) and my youngest daughter is walking around the yard showing her boyfriend my gardens and she stops in the middle of the lawn. And I say to John "Watch, she's gonna ask whats wrong with the grass" and thankfully he has a good sense of humor and lets me pick on him, and sure enough Holland says "Mom, whats up with your grass?" So I said we're just going for the zebra look this year.

Anyway... Since I don't actually want to say "I told you so..." bought two more bags of fertilizer AND a bag of powdered lime dust so this time when he spreads it he can see where the heck he's been!

And the lime will kill off fleas, ticks and help with the fireants.
______________

In other news:
NC had it's first power ball today. I bought three tickets. I lost three times. But I'm hooked. :D
______________

My middle child has moved into her own apartment today with two other girls. I'm excited for her.
______________

My youngest had her Junior/Senior prom last weekend and her and her boyfriend opted to rent a limo, get dressed up and go to dinner and then skip the dance and just go to the after parties. They plan to go next year though because they'll be seniors then. (I hope she doese cause I think she will always wish she had if she doesn't.)
______________

Work is going well and I'm busy every minute I'm there except on most Fridays... almost as slow as Saturdays there unless some special event is planned. BUT... we got in 3 new computers and now are setting up a 5 pc computer lab so we can offer some classes, which I will be teaching. I'm looking forward to that. I also wish I could get 8 hours a day instead of 5... and health insurance would be nice. Oh and paid holidays and one week of vacation time with pay. Is that asking too much? My towns government thinks so.

*Sigh*

Sorry I've been gone so long.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Interesting...


Ready For Planting
Originally uploaded by NC Wench.
Yesterday was the Spring Bike Run here in BSL. They were raising money for the police memorial landscaping to be done in Memory of BSL Police Officer Mitch Prince. He was shot to death last year by an idiot. The trial has been going on for the past 2 weeks and Friday they found the idiot guilty of first degree murder.

My thoughts on this case
I thought first degree murder was when you actually *planned* the murder before hand. Actually gave it some thought over a period of time.

I'm thinking the idiot deserves the death penalty. I think it should be an automatic sentence if you kill a law enforcement officer no matter how much thought went into it.

I'm just a little confused though that everyone is so angry that this idiot took Mitch's life that they are over looking the fact that this was not premeditated unless a 10 minute fight and grabbing of the gun makes it that way. If that's the case why aren't more people being convicted of first degree murder?

I dunno...like I said, he deserves the death penalty anyway. But how we got to this stage of it is a little upsetting to my sense of the law.

Below is the local news paper article

MANESS GUILTY
First-degree murder verdict; sentencing next week

By Ken Little
Staff Writer
ken.little@starnewsonline.com

WHAT’S NEXT
The sentencing phase of the Darrell W. Maness trial begins Monday in Brunswick County Superior Court. Maness family members are expected to testify for the defense, which will try to establish mitigating factors that favor a prison sentence of life without parole, as opposed to the death penalty.

Darrell W. Maness took the life of Boiling Spring Lakes police Officer Mitch Prince, and a Brunswick County Superior Court jury now will decide if Maness dies.

Jurors deliberated about two hours Friday before finding Maness, 20, guilty of first-degree murder for the shooting of Prince early Jan. 18, 2005, after a traffic stop on N.C. 87 near Sunny Point.

Maness, who was also found guilty of seven other felonies in connection with his actions afterward, looked down and dabbed tears as the verdict was announced.
Loud sobs from Maness’ mother, Annette Tidwell, echoed through the courtroom

Sitting behind District Attorney Rex Gore and other prosecutors, Prince’s parents hugged, and his wife, Pamela, held the hand of mother Daphine Prince.

After two weeks of witness testimony, the trial enters a sentencing phase Monday. The jury of seven men and five women must decide between execution or life in prison without parole.

Jurors paid attention to the testimony of 16 prosecution witnesses, Gore said outside the courtroom.

“The state agrees with their decision in every verdict, and we will move on to the next stage,” Gore said. “This jury made the right decisions.”

Prince’s immediate family left the courtroom quickly and without comment.
“They still have a lot to sort out,” Gore said.

Rick Miller, of the N.C. Capital Defender’s Office, attempted to comfort Tidwell after the murder verdict was handed down. The defense never denied Maness shot Prince but sought a second-degree murder conviction.

“We’ve got work to do, and we’re looking forward to presenting our side to the jury next week,” Miller said.

Prosecutors focused during the trial on the brutality of the crime and what they said was premeditation and deliberation by Maness. Testimony showed Maness struck Prince on the head with a bottle and stunned him before gaining control of the officer’s Glock service weapon. Prince pleaded for his life before being shot three times at close range, two witnesses in the car with Maness testified last week.

The defense put just one witness on the stand, a psychiatrist who interviewed Maness and studied his school and social services records. Maness has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, had a nightmarish childhood and was addicted to marijuana, Moira Artigues testified.

In 1986, Maness’ father killed a retired police officer in Alamance County. Darrell E. Maness, 44, is serving a life sentence. Artigues testified the younger Maness was not capable of forming the “specific intent” to kill Prince.

Prosecutors said Maness fired on three officers after shooting Prince. Maness said he had “blacked out” but also made several incriminating statements during a videotaped interview with a State Bureau of Investigation agent after his arrest. The tape was introduced into evidence and shown to jurors this week.

Maness was a probation violator with a misdemeanor conviction for selling marijuana and told the SBI agent he didn’t want to go back to jail. He said in the videotape that he panicked during the confrontation with Prince and “wanted to get rid of him.”

Richard White, chief of the Boiling Spring Lakes Police Department, sat through the month-long jury selection process in Columbus County and every day of trial testimony. He said Friday that Prince’s death affected the lives of many people, and he strongly supports the death penalty for Maness.

“There is more to executions than justice for the dead. There is also protection for the living. Darrell Maness deserves the ultimate punishment our society has to offer,” White said. “It is my view that pursuing a death sentence in this case is appropriate. There is no adequate and acceptable alternative.”

The jury found Maness guilty of two counts each of attempted first-degree murder, assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. He also was found guilty of robbery with a firearm in connection with the shooting of Prince.

Maness was found not guilty of one count each of attempted first-degree murder, assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

Ken Little: 343-2389
ken.little@starnewsonline.com