My New Garmin Nuvi 205 Has Attitude

Since we moved to a new town and only know how to get to a few places Don got me a GPS for Christmas. It’s a Garmin Nuvi 205, a handheld and I love it. I found that I can use it as my personal yellow pages to find the address and phone number of a business in town. On Christmas Day we went to my sister-in-law’s and we know how to get there but I wanted to see how the GPS works so I punched in her address but it couldn’t be found. She lives on a very small street that can’t be found on Mapquest or Rand McNally so I wasn’t too surprised. As soon as we left our house the fun began.

There are a couple different ways to get to my sister-in-laws but we take the fastest route which is through the industrial area where they’re doing construction but it’s still fastest. Between our route and the route the GPS wanted us to take there were a total of twelve turns. We only had four of them in common. The first turn GPS wanted us to take we continued straight. As we approached the intersection it started saying “point 3 miles turn right, point 2 miles turn right”, as we got to the turn that we didn’t take it started yelling and repeating “turn right, turn right.” After the turn it announced it was recalculating and gave us new directions. This time it wanted us to turn left and we turned right and again it started yelling at us and we ignored it. After about the sixth time we ignored it’s directions we were in hysterics thinking it was going to announce that it quit or give us a time out for not listening.

I really can’t wait to use it to get someplace I don’t already have a route for. I’m also looking forward to using it to find my way home if I get lost. Isn’t that sad, I’m actually looking forward to getting lost to use my GPS. Well, it’s really useless if you already know how to get there unless you like getting yelled at.

Ghost Whisperer - Stockholm Syndrome

They didn’t have much of Jim/Sam on the show tonight which might be a good thing, phase him out slowly. What they did show it sounds like he’s going to go off in search of Sam’s past and the person he purchased that ring for. It might be my TV but it looked to me like the ring had a blue stone, perhaps it was a gift for his mother or sister. I must say I did like the scene where Jim was standing next to his truck talking to Melinda and the reflection in the side mirror was Sam. It wasn’t as confusing as the last few times they’ve gone back and forth but it could be because this was so subtle it was almost missed.

Tonight Melinda had to help a ghost who didn’t know she was dead but that’s not the first time that’s happened. This ghost wasn’t violent like the rest of them, she was just confused. Seems she was kidnapped six years earlier by someone doing electrical work and her husband thought she abandoned him and their 2 sons. She was tied and locked up until she was brainwashed, Stockholm Syndrome, but she was under constant supervision by her new “husband” and I use that term loosely since their life was a complete farce. She saw something from her past and was late getting home one day so he drugged her and killed her making it look like a suicide. Now he had a new “wife” and she was under his constant supervision. Melinda and the ghost saved her and the kidnapper was arrested. The second woman (the one who’s still alive) was reunited with her husband and young child. The ghost was able to see her husband and kids before going into the light.

I still think it was a mistake for them to kill Jim but I’m having second thoughts about that ruining the show IF they continue as they are and showing less and less of Jim and more of Melinda on her own with her friends and Eli around her. I will miss David Conrad when he finally leaves the show but I’m starting to think the show can continue BUT I still think this body hijacking is ridiculous.

For updates on Ghost Whisperer visit my new blog TV Chat

The Top 100 List

I saw this on Housewife Word of Mouth and Christine (the author) said she’d seen the idea floating around the blogosphere and anyone was free to steal and use it. Since I like the idea of lists and this looked like a fun one, I thought I’d turn into that little thief and take it for myself. As Christine said, it’s free for you to steal and use if you like it.


RULES: There are 100 statements and you bold the ones you have done. Grab it and play for yourself!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (solar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten cavier.
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day


Wow, I've done 47 out of 100. I do have to admit, the move I was in was made as a promotion for work and the business I started didn't go anywhere, After I had it all set up and the business license I froze when it came time to market it.

Now you know more about me than you did before and probably more than you really want to.

Ghost Whisperer - The Contents of the Lockbox

Yes, I’m sticking with Ghost Whisperer just to find out where they’re going with this Jim/Sam story. At least the entire show isn’t focused solely on Melinda and Jam. I’m glad to still see the old Melinda interacting with the ghosts and helping people. I’m also glad that we didn’t have to flip flop between seeing Jim and Sam tonight. That was giving me a headache. I like that David Conrad is still on the show but I do miss him as Jim. I miss the interaction between Melinda and Jim and how he supports her.

After tonight’s episode and having Jam find the key to that lockbox and the ring that Sam had purchased I’m wondering if he’ll start having some of Sam’s memories or if he’ll continue to be drawn into Jim’s life. The previews for next week had a voiceover saying something about Melinda loosing the love of her life. Does this mean that Jam is going to go off in search of Sam’s old life and find whoever he bought that ring for? They’re making it sound like it was an engagement ring but I thought it was a light blue stone. If he was involved with someone why wasn't she at the hospital? If he was going to propose marriage why was the ring in a lockbox? Maybe it was a gift for his sister, a birthstone maybe? I’m still thinking Melinda will find out she’s pregnant. That might be something that draws Jam closer to her.

Wherever they’re going with this story they’d better do it soon or they’ll loose viewers. Don stopped watching the night Jim jumped into Sam’s body. I know a few others who have stopped watching because Jim died. I’m still holding on out of curiosity to see where this leads.

For updates on Ghost Whisperer visit my new blog TV Chat

The Hidden Costs of Moving

If you’ve been following Weekly Beef you might have noticed that we bought a house and will be moving. The big day is Saturday and in getting ready to move we went to the post office to get a change of address packet. With the post office getting into the 21st century you can now submit a change of address online but there’s a catch. The United States Postal Service, otherwise known as the United States Post Office will charges you money for that request. Yes, that’s right, if you want to submit a change of address on their website you need to enter a credit card number and agree to pay $1. If you don’t believe me check out the website of the United States Postal Service.

This is ridiculous. The site says the charge is to “safeguard your personal information with identity verification by a simple $1 charge to your credit or debit card.” Hogwash!!! The government had to figure out a way to get more of our money so they can keep giving those handout’s, I mean bailouts to the financial institutions and auto manufacturers.