The Kat House » news

Rain, Rain, Go Away…

Tish — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:00:03 +0000

A storm system rolled in through Knoxville yesterday, and according to KnoxNews.com, we’ve already received 3.29 inches of rain from it! The flooding is unbelievable, with dozens of traffic accidents reported around town. Blount County Schools have canceled classes for tomorrow. No word yet on Knox and surrounding counties.

When I got home from work today, I was shocked to find a lake in my front yard.

It’s too dark to tell right now, but I’m afraid that Lake Chattie has grown to monstrous proportions. With any luck, I’ll be able to make it down the driveway tomorrow morning. Rest assured that I’ll have my emergency kit in tow.

Cursing Red Bull

chattiekat — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 17:00:32 +0000

As you know, I participated in Blogathon this year. That’s right. I blogged for 24 straight hours – from 9 AM yesterday till 9 AM today! It sure wasn’t easy. Mike and I drank three Red Bulls each just to keep ourselves churning out posts on BlogsWeLuv. And churn them out we did! We were required to post at least every half hour, but we posted more frequently than that.

Even though the two of us were blogging simultaneously, we had no time for breaks. We ate at our computers, literally ran to the bathroom when we couldn’t wait any longer, and we were forced to avoid all phone calls. We were totally focused on blogging.

Actually, the hours flew by yesterday. They flew by until about 4:00 this morning, and I didn’t think I’d be able to survive the last five hours. But thanks to the Red Bull, and to the encouragement of many friends who were staying awake with us, Mike and I both pulled through! With aching legs, arthritic fingers, and a severe case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, I crawled into bed at 9:01 AM.

It’s now 12:50 PM, and I’ve been up for more than an hour. I was awake for 26 hours, and I managed to sleep for less than three? There’s something wrong with this picture. I figure it’s the Red Bull.

Aching body and sleep deprivation aside, Blogathon 2007 was a huge success! Mike and I managed to raise $310 for The Glaucoma Foundation. The entire Blogathon effort generated nearly $120,000 for a variety of charities. 361 blogs participated this year!

Thanks to everyone who helped us out by making pledges, hanging out with us, cheering us on, and even just saying hello. In the wee morning hours, you have no idea how much that can help! You guys rock!

U.S. Reclaims Nathan’s Mustard Belt

chattiekat — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 02:43:23 +0000

Loving hot dogs as I do, there’s no way I could miss the 92nd Annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. It was held today in Coney Island, and thanks to ESPN, I was able to view it from the comfort of my very own living room.

You may have heard that Japan’s Takeru Kobayashi, who has won the contest for the past six years, recently suffered a sprained jaw. It was unsure if he would be able to compete this year, and if so, how well he would fare. I am happy to say that Kobayashi did compete, and despite his injury, managed to beat the previous world record.

Before today’s competition, the world record was 53.75 hot dogs in 12 minutes, set last year by Kobayashi.

Today’s competition had me on the edge of my seat. Though there were a number of competitors, the contest came down to Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut, a college student from California. Chestnut stayed 3-4 hot dogs ahead of Kobayashi through most of the competition, but the last 3 minutes were really intense. At times, there was only a fraction of a hot dog separating them.

In the end, Chestnut won the competition by eating 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes, setting a new world record. Kobayashi came in second place, eating 63 hot dogs.

Chestnut won $10,000, two cases of Nathan’s famous dogs, and most importantly, reclaimed Nathan’s Mustard Belt for the United States.

Heartbreaking Story

chattiekat — Thu, 04 May 2006 22:57:00 +0000

As I was getting my daily dose of news on foxnews.com today, I came across this article. It is truly fascinating, and just as equally heartbreaking.

Millions of people watched The Eagle Eye Live Cam today as a pair of eagles discovered that their last egg had cracked, the eaglet inside apparently dead. The eagles screeched and looked confused, and then resumed taking turns roosting on the remains. Doug Carrick set up this webcam in his back yard after watching the same pair of eagles for 17 years.

I checked out the live video feed, and it is truly amazing. Check it out here. Read the Fox News article while you’re at it, and I suggest having a tissue handy.

Former Date Makes Front Page News

chattiekat — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:48:00 +0000

Some of you may remember Josh, a guy I blogged about several times last August. I went out with him for a short period of time while he was in Police Academy. He made the front page of the newspaper today, after only three weeks out of Police Academy. Read the article here.

What a way to start your law enforcement career! I applaud him for saving his fellow officer’s life. I guess it goes to show that he’s not as big of a jerk in his professional life as he is in the personal one.

A Few Thoughts on Imette St. Guillen

chattiekat — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 14:27:00 +0000

I’ve been following the story of NYC grad student Imette St. Guillen’s murder. Things aren’t looking good for Darryl Littlejohn, the bouncer at The Falls – the last place Imette was seen alive. Apparently he and Imette got into a heated argument after he threw her out of the bar. Not only that, but his cell phone records indicate that he was in the vicinity of where the body was dumped only a couple of hours before it was discovered. The authorities removed the back seat of his vehicle yesterday, so they must have good reason to suspect that they will find forensic evidence there. Littlejohn has seven prior arrests and was paroled in 2004, even though he had been called a “menace to society”, by the same parole board, only two months before!

I’ve got several issues with this case. First of all, if Littlejohn was deemed a menace to society, why was he released? Was the prison overcrowded? Had he done enough time for his crimes? Had he reformed in the two months following the parole board’s original decision? Regardless of his past transgressions, let’s keep in mind that the man is innocent of this murder until proven guilty. That sure isn’t the way he’s being treated by the media. Bouncers throw people out of bars all the time. And I’m sure that arguments are not uncommon in that situation. Does that mean Littlejohn killed the girl? Maybe. But maybe not.

When originally questioned about Imette, the bar staff repeatedly told authorities that nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She left the bar on her own at 4 AM. Now they have come forth, changing their stories. Imette was thrown out at closing time. She was intoxicated, and an argument took place between Imette and the bouncer, in the alley way behind the bar. Someone even claimed to have heard a muffled scream! Why didn’t someone check out the commotion? Why didn’t someone call the cops? And why in the hell did the bar staff lie when questioned by authorities? I realize that this took place in New York. The crime rate is high, and people oftentimes just don’t want to get involved. That in itself is a crime against humanity! I live in the South, and though we have our problems, looking out for our neighbors is typically not one of them. In my opinion, the entire bar staff should be charged with obstruction of justice! And I realize that I’m probably being more harsh than I should be, but if Littlejohn is found guilty of this crime, I’d personally consider the bar staff accomplices for turning a blind eye to what was going on!

I’m a big fan of Bill O’Reilly, and on the Factor last night, he stated that some people are saying that Imette invited this crime by being in a bar, alone, in the early morning hours. Sure, she put herself in a vulnerable position, but in no way did she INVITE such a crime! The only person who should be blamed is the perpetrator! And of course, if that turns out to be Littlejohn, then I think the bar staff should also receive a portion of the blame. The only wrong that Imette did was being in the wrong place at the wrong time! It could have happened to any of us, at any time, and in any place. Sociopaths don’t just stand outside bars at 4 AM. They do the same things we do. They go to the same places we go. This crime could have just as well happened at 4 PM!

Let’s not lose sight of what’s really important here. This young girl was cut down in her prime, and under no circumstances did she deserve to die – especially in such a heinous manner. The person who did this is a monster and should not be walking our streets. I pray that the authorities will solve this crime quickly – before the perpetrator strikes again.

MA Wal-Marts Ordered to Stock Morning-After Pill

chattiekat — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 05:16:00 +0000

On Tuesday, the Massachusetts pharmacy board ordered Wal-Mart to stock emergency contraception pills at all its stores in Massachusetts. Massachusetts is the second state to require the world’s largest retailer to carry the morning-after pill.

The unanimous decision by the pharmacy board came two weeks after three women, backed by abortion rights groups, sued Wal-Mart for failing to carry the drug in any of its 44 Wal-Marts and four Sam’s Club stores in Massachusetts. The women had argued that state policy required pharmacies to carry all “commonly prescribed medicines.”

For those of you who may not be familiar with the morning-after pill, it provides a high dose of hormones that, if taken up to five days after sex, can prevent pregnancy. Many right-to-lifers believe that this emergency contraception is a form of abortion since it blocks the fertilized egg from being implanted on the uterine wall.

I’m interested in knowing what you think. Is the morning-after pill a means of abortion, or should it be viewed as simply another form of birth control?

If you’re interested in reading more about the Wal-Mart story, click here.

Evil Lies in the Hearts of Man

chattiekat — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 16:44:00 +0000

I decided to check out FoxNews.com last night before going to bed. The latest big story was about the BTK Killer. Apparently, he has been giving detailed accounts of how he killed his victims. This got me really scared. After all, I’m a single woman, living alone. I have my two dogs, but still – what if some sick-minded individual happened across me and decided to make me his next victim? Would anyone even know I was hurt or dead? I’m guessing that my boss would probably call to check on me if I didn’t show up for work. But sometimes I go days without a single phone call. What then?

I think I laid awake nearly all night. I kept looking at the window and hoping no one was standing outside it. This is unusual for me. I’ve always been the strong, independent type. I never think twice about going out to Walmart at 2 AM. I guess it’s good that I’m being a little more “aware”, but it sure would be nice if we didn’t have to worry about such things. This world is not at all like God intended it to be. I’d like to say that time has made things worse, but evil has been in the hearts of man since the Biblical times. Just as Cain killed Abel, we’re still killing our own brothers! I just don’t understand it.

Maybe I need a man after all – to protect me from the crazy killers out there.

Wake Up Call

chattiekat — Sat, 27 Nov 2004 02:06:00 +0000

I just read a news article entitled “More Women Over 40 Giving Birth These Days.” What a wake up call! I am 32 years old and childless. Will I soon be one of the statistics in this report? Or will I have children at all? According to the CDC, 100,000 women over the age of 40 are giving birth annually. 1,512 women between the ages of 45 and 54 became first-time mothers last year! I certainly hope that I don’t become one of those statistics! I would like nothing more than to one day (and hopefully before I’m 40!) marry a wonderful man and have a child, but things sure aren’t looking encouraging. Anyway, I’m depressing myself now, so I shall say my fond farewell for the night!