Did you buy any Girl Scout cookies this year? I think I bought four boxes, which is less than I used to buy in the past. But then, it’s just me and my daughter now and we don’t need that many cookies. Still, it is an annual tradition for a lot of people and I know that Thin Mints come but once a year.

I sat with one of my best friends as she and her daughter stationed themselves outside a local Blockbuster Video and sold cookies. They did very well. It was a wonderful spot and on a Friday night the crowds were ripe for the picking. People were coming to Blockbuster to rent movies for the night and as they came out they realized that cookies were the perfect accompaniment to the night at home watching the newest releases.

I also sold Girl Scout cookies when I was young. I went door to door in my neighborhood and I was always able to meet my goal. I never sold as many as another girl in my troop, LanVi. She was the champ year after year. But, she never sold anything like the Michigan girl who sold 17,328 boxes of cookies this year. She apparently did it by setting up a cookie stand on a street corner. Her troop as a whole raised $21,000 selling cookies and that is amazing, since the troops don’t actually get a whole lot per box. The girls are going to use the money to travel to Europe for a 10-day trip.

People are facing hard financial time all over the nation. Local governments almost everywhere are experiencing massive budget cuts. Unfortunately, while endless useless government positions remain intact (and even receive salary increases) it seems like two areas of public service that get the brunt of the cuts no matter where you live are the libraries and the public schools.

Locally, our teachers will face a salary DECRESE of four percent this next school year. Jobs have been eliminated for many staff and faculty. Of course, we will still continue to provide a free education to all of the non tax paying illegals storming our cities, but that is only an aside in this particular rant. Also, our local library system has been totally revamped, has fewer open hours, a newly smaller staff, and a future that will see entire branches closing permanently.

Some school districts out in Minnesota might be looking at even more extreme changes. Various districts have proposed a four-day school week in order to save on transportation costs. Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura suggested a 20% pay cut for teachers!!

The United States struggled with staying in step with other world nations in the area of public education, and yet teachers are still underpaid and undervalued. Our public libraries are seen by politicians as unnecessary. At the same time I see stories in the local paper about government offices that plan completely unneeded remodeling projects for their offices, complete with expensive designer furniture and high end art.

The balance is not being properly maintained. I promise you, until schools are well funded and teachers are paid on par with other highly trained professionals,. Out school system will continue to falter. We cannot continue to treat schools and libraries as a financial afterthought and expect them to succeed.

I’m not a fan of Hillary Clinton. I’m not all that fond of Barack Obama, either. John McCain doesn’t offend me, but he was never my first choice. I actually long for the days when the Reform Party had a national candidate.

Despite what I think about one presidential candidate or another, one fact remains the same. I am sick to the point of blood shooting out of my eyes about how Big Media is handling their reporting of the primaries. Reporters should report. News should be objective. Still most articles that come across the wire masquerading as hard news contain opinion statements suggesting that Clinton should have dripped out of the race by now and that Obama is the winner.

Mathematically, as anyone won yet? No. West Virginia and Kentucky are sure to go to Clinton and all the media can focus on is which candidate has how many “superdelegate” votes. Let’s not even start on how undemocratic the entire notion of a superdelagate is. What in the world happened to true representation in the voting process?

Democrats: get it together and stop showing the world just how divided you are. Media foghorns: shut up. Just. Shut. Up. Go home and dig out your old journalism textbooks. Study up a little on objectivity and factual presentation. It would do us all some good. As much as I dislike Clinton, I actually feel a little sorry for her right now.

Today in Clearwater, Florida Nick Bollea (son of wrestler Hulk Hogan) pleaded no contest to reckless driving relating to the August 2007 accident that left his passenger John Graziano incapacitated. He was sentenced to eight months in county jail, five years probation, 500 hours of community service (though that service may not include public speaking), and a revoked drivers license for three years.

“Something has to be done to show this is not acceptable,” the judge said.

During his five years of probation, Bollea is not allowed to drink alcohol and he must undergo an alcohol evaluation and treatment. Within the next year, he is expected to attend DUI and advanced driving school.

Graziano’s father urged the judge to consider jail time. He commented that, “This has gone on long enough and needs to be stopped.” Members of Graziano’s family claim Bollea has not shown remorse or apologized for the crash.

There is still civil suit in the future, because Graziano’s legal guardian Peter Musante is suing Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan), Bollea’s estranged wife, Linda, and Nick Bollea. Reports say that millions of dollars are needed to care for Graziano, who resides at James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa.

The 2008 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores are beginning to come in and Hillsborough County (which includes the city of Tampa) saw some happy results. Their eighth-graders got the best average writing score in the state on the essay portion of the test – 4.6 out of 6 points.

This is the seventh time since 2007 that Hillsborough eighth-graders have brought home the top writing scores in the state. Officials credit teacher training.

FCAT scores help parents to see where their children improved in various subjects. They can also determine whether or not a student will advance to the next grade level the following year. FCAT scores also determine school grades, or ratings. A grade of “A” or an improved score means money and status for a school.

Parents, you can see your child’s scores beginning at 6 a.m. Tuesday, May 13 on the FCAT Parent Network (www.fcat parentnetwork.com). Just use the secure login and password provided by your school.

With exception of just a very few things, you can find a buyer for nearly anything on eBay. I am constantly amazed. In fact, tonight I ran across an auction for an ice cube. Seriously, the auction appears to simply be for an ice cube, unless there is some sort of underground meaning that is going right over my head. You do have to remember that this once very street-smart girl is getting old.

The bidding is up to $27.94 (shipping is free) and the auction has nearly two days left. The same seller old a box of Lucky Charms for $36 and a wad of crumpled newspaper for $26.09, so I am assuming I really am missing something. Either way, it seems like anything goes on eBay and you can always find a buyer.

My problem is more with finding the time to ready the items and prepare the auctions. I have bins and bins of Gymboree clothes I meant to sell on eBay and finally ended up giving away before my last move. I love I missed out on a LOT of money and I wish now I had just walked the bins into the iSold It store up in Palm Harbor. They do the whole thing for you for a fee. You just drop off the items along with some info about your expectation for the auction content and you are good to go. They will let you know when you have a check ready to claim. If you have items that will turn a tidy profit and no time to deal with getting them online, this is the handiest solution.

It’s coming up on nine months since Nick Bollea, son of wrestler Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea) was a Toyota Supra on Court Street in Clearwater, Florida and lost control. He crashed into a palm tree in the median and his passenger, John Graziano, was grievously injured. He has been unresponsive and in the hospital since. He may never be able to care for himself again.

Multiple witnesses have come forward to say that Bollea was racing with Danny Jacobs. Both Bollea and Jacobs were charged.

Initially, Bollea pleaded not guilty to his charges of reckless driving with serious bodily injury. However, in a risky move, he is expected to make an open plea in court tomorrow during a 1: 30 p.m. pre-trial hearing Friday. Circuit Judge Philip Federico will then conduct a sentencing hearing.

Speculation is all over the map as to what sort of sentence Bollea will receive. He could get merely probation or as much as five years in prison.

I have to say that I am satisfied with the odd little assortment of celebrities that live in the Tampa Bay area. The Hogan Family is good for endless entertainment value around here. The Scientologists attract quite a few more. We are home to washed-up wrestlers (actually, not Hulk Hogan, but many others), a number of troubled reality TV celebs, and more very cool tennis pros than you can shake a stick at, if you were so inclined to shake a stick. Plus, you have to remember we have a LOT of pro sports teams here as well as several baseball teams that call us home during Spring Training ( I can hear the post-game fireworks from my bedroom after the Phillies play).

Anyway, all of this is to say that the Tampa Bay area does just fine without the flashier tabloid celebrities. So, it’s not with open arms, but rather some ill-concealed snickering, that locals noticed Paris Hilton slinking in behind her boyfriend Benji Madden as he stopped by Push Ultra Lounge in St. Pete Saturday to man the turntables. Thankfully, it looks like they were in and out, moving onto Disney (where they had dinner at Epcot’s Bistro De Paris – is that cliché enough for you?) by Sunday. First, though, they stopped at the Cracker Barrel off 1-4 in Brandon Sunday morning to gross out fellow diners with some public groping and pawing.

I read something on a forum tonight that made me think of the Looney Tunes character Marvin the Martian. That, in turn, reminded me of my favorite Marvin the Martian quote, which reminded me of why I love that zany character so much.

“Oh drat these computers, they’re so naughty and so complex. I could pinch them!”

I used to have this quote in a sound clip that my old Mac would play every time I made an error. That was back in maybe 1995. That quote, alone, is enough to make my love for the little guy burn strong even all these years later. Were truer words ever proclaimed?

I went on a little tangent looking for some Marvin related sites and found an entire fan site dedicated to Marvin. It is certainly worth a click. It’s where I realized Marvin will be 60-years-old on July 24.

Holy cow! Happy Birthday, you old fart.

It was like the Heavens had opened and rained down blessings when Wal-Mart announced their new $4 for some generic prescription drugs. That was back in 2006 and most major retailers followed Wal-Mart’s lead, creating an ever competitive market for prescription generics.

That kind of competition is always good for the consumer. Proof of that lies in Wal-Mart’s new plan to 90-day supplies for $10 of nearly 350 generic medications and to add discounts to several women’s medications. They also plan to lower prices on over 1,000 over-the-counter drugs to $4 or less.

The women’s medications that have been added to the discount program will be available for $9 (or 90-day prescriptions for $24) for a 30-day supply and include drugs for breast cancer and hormone deficiency.

Generally, I prefer to shop at Target over Wal-Mart. When the new prescription drug plan began at Wal-Mart in 2006, it was exciting and diverted a lot of my business back to Wal-Mart. As other stores began to offer generic prescriptions for prices close to Wal-Mart, I found myself shopping there less and less once more. With this new 90-day program, I can safely say I will be do more errands at Wal-Mart again. It’s worth it.

Educate your children! Please, I’m begging you. In a society overly obsessed with Harry Potter and magic, can’t people find the time to help teach their children the difference between people who are illusionists and those who are working in witchcraft and “wizardry”?

Seriously. I am ranting about a completely serious topic.

In Pasco County, Florida, substitute teacher Jim Piculas received a letter from the Pasco County School District telling him they would “no longer be using your services.”

Several issues were outlined in the letter, most of which are understandable to a point. You have to understand that a substitute teacher, no matter how skilled, cannot pick up a lesson plan the same way the regular teacher can, but that is beside the point. The letter cited not following the lesson plans, allowing students on computers when another teacher said not to, and telling a fifth-period student peer that she was in charge.

But, let’s not dwell on those issues right now. I am sure they are typical complaints.

What I want to talk about is the parent who called the school saying his son was traumatized by an illusion Piculas briefly performed for the students in class. Piculas showed the kids a disappearing-toothpick trick using a toothpick and transparent tape. The trick uses sleight-of-hand to make the toothpick look like it disappears and reappears. In actuality, it is only hiding behind the performer’s thumb and held in place by the tape.

Piculas showed the students the trick, they liked it, and he went on to explain to them how they could perform it themselves.

According to Piculas, he was told by an administrator, “You’ve been accused of wizardry.”

Unfortunately, this could have a dire impact on Piculas’ career. He has worked as a substitute for about nine months, but has also been working toward his teacher certification.

I cannot help but roll my eyes. I can see the other infractions as possible valid to be addressed, but witchcraft, black magic, wizardry and the like? Seriously? Perhaps Florida needs to revamp the Sunshine State Standards to include a section on being able to discern reality from fantasy.

And in light of the fact that the districts all around the Bay Area have been inundated with teachers who are sexually abusing students, crying out for drug rehab, and generally making a mockery out of the profession – this just seems like such a ridiculous accusation.

I really should be outside getting my yard work done before it gets too hot. May in Florida is when summer starts setting in and although the humidity is generally still not in the picture, we hit 90 degrees pretty early in the day.

I have some tomatoes I still have not potted. I’m not doing them any favors by leaving them in the containers they came in from the nursery. The same goes for the marigolds I have yet to plant. I was doing a huge landscaping project, installing landscaping fabric, mulching, re-designing the flower bed borders – all when I threw out my lower back. It looks like I am healthy enough to continue, but I have to admit my momentum is gone.

I’d really rather just take a book outside and sit with a glass of iced mint tea. Nonetheless, we aren’t going to have fresh vegetables this summer if I don’t finish my gardening, and soon!

The apples, blueberries, patio tomatoes, blood oranges, navel oranges, and lemons are all doing well. They just need fish emulsion and water. The star fruit tree is dormant. All I really need to do is finish my tomatoes and I can justify grabbing that book and that glass of tea.

Oh, someone just kick me in the rear, please.

Last night I went to the parent orientation for the school my daughter will attend next year. She did not get picked in the lottery for the arts charter school or the Greek charter school, but she did win the lottery for one of the local Fundamental schools. For a while I struggled with whether to just accept the invitation to the Fundamental school or find the money to continue her in the Christian school where she attends pre-K.

In the end, I heard enough great things about the Fundamental program around here that I chose that direction. A Fundamental school has a back to the basics approach to education. The program has been so successful in our district that one of the Fundamental elementary schools in north county is consistently number one in state FCAT scores. The Fundamental where my daughter will attend is right behind. Educators from other states come to look our Fundamental program all of the time, using it as a model for their own.

The program works. My personal belief is that it is due to 100% parent involvement. Parents must agree to attend all 8 PTA meetings throughout the year, attend at least 3 parent-teacher conferences (rather than the one that most schools require), put in a minimum number of volunteer hours, read to their children at least twice a weeks, oversee homework 4 nights a week, and agree that a certain number of unexcused absences or tardies could get your child removed from the program.

There is also a stricter dress code than the rest of the district and the discipline expectations are higher. The best part of that, to me, is that violent children will simply be asked to leave and attend a traditional county school. Fundamental programs are a choice and as such, if you do not adhere to their policies, you can be asked to leave.

Overall, the kids do better, the school attracts better teachers, and overall environment is safer. I feel good about my choice. And, if Gigi does not like it, I can always send her back to the Christian school where I know she feels safe. And, it turns out that the regular district school our neighborhood was assigned to is one of the best in the district. So, the safety options are comfortable.

I had no idea there would be this much to choosing a school for Gigi. When I was her age, my parents simply chose the one elementary school in our DC suburb and that was that. It turns out we lived in one of the two top counties in the entire country for public schools, so I was fortunate. Here in Florida, you have to fight a little harder to make sure your child gets a top education.

When I go see movies by myself or with friends, I tend to go for the stuff that is polar opposite to what I go to see with my daughter. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Enchanted, The Water Horse, Horton Hears a Who, and all of the other G and PG rated films we have seen together. She and I are pumped about the upcoming release of the new Narnia movie, too.

But, what happens is I overload on the sweet stuff. I want to see grit. I want to have a movie scare me, or at least horrify me. I want to have that sense of needing to slide down in my seat and cover my eyes with my hands.

There is a new movie coming to theaters on May 9 called Frontier(s). In a controversial marketing ploy, it will follow in DVD format on May 13. The reason it will only be in select theaters for one week is that the film earned an NC-17 rating for “extreme sadistic gore and violence”. The filmmakers did not want to make the necessary cuts to get the film an R rating, so they left it uncut, and unrated.

The film’s unrated status means a super limited theatrical release, but After Dark Films was determined to make it available for those who want to see it on the big screen. So, if you cannot find it in a theater near you, you can absolutely get your hands on the DVD. And to tell you the truth, I’m not sure which way I want to go yet. The movie’s website is almost enough to freak me out. I was hovering over some of the images and my index finger quite literally froze up while my brain was telling it to click to view the clips and the trailer. I wanted to, but I was scared beyond reason, you know?

The basic story is that four kids fleeing Paris find themselves hiding out at a hotel on the Luxembourgian border run by neo-Nazi cannibals. One person who has seen it called it the ‘French version of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Hostel”.’ The same reviewer mentioned that this film is not actually as outright gory as the aforementioned films, with much of the violence suggested, as the camera pans away or jump cuts.

Not for the squeamish, that’s what I’m saying. And, certainly not for the kids.

My daughter and I are downloading songs from Bye Bye Birdie. It is one of my favorite musical films and I just adore Ann Margret. We both have a particular affinity for the songs, because when my daughter was a newborn I made up a lullaby for her based on the “We Love You Conrad” song that the fan club sings to Conrad Birdie before he goes off to the military, only I substituted my daughter’s name for Conrad’s.

The thing is, I cannot seem to find a soundtrack version that includes all four verses from that little song. They sing the first two verses and move onto a “Bye Bye Birdie” refrain.

*sigh*

We love you Conrad
Oh yes we do

We love you Conrad
And will be true

When you’re not with us
We’re blue

Oh Conrad
We love you