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 new cell phone ( education / tech / phones )

Sprint called the other day and offered me a free new phone. The woman, sounding like she was from Indonesia or something, went on and on and on for twenty minutes. Luckily, the call did not count against my minutes. Just last month I had to increase my allowed ... read more

 check-out time ( family / adoption / holmes )

We check out in an hour. We got a nice free breakfast this morning. We then went back to that grocery store and managed to pay the right amount for the right kind of water (not sparkling, which is hard to find). Security guard work is apparently a large part of ... read more

 insults ( life / help / services )

This is a free service that we're only too happy to provide. And just because it's free doesn't mean it's not professionally done. Give us a call anytime, but the later the hour, the worse the ... read more

 another grammar complaint ( education / language / english / grammar )

I used to be able to spot junk email by its bad grammar, spelling and punctuation. Now, even legitimate emails often fail the test. It makes the grammar Nazi in me very ... read more

 comments welcome ( family / adoption / holmes )

I set this blog so that you can now add your comments anonymously without logging in. So, comment away! I was afraid that the requirement for a login was keeping people from participating. Now you can go crazy because you're anonymous. Just watch your ... read more

sights of astrakhan ( family / adoption / holmes )

I'm attaching pictures we made of Astrakhan and our room. We are staying at the Hotel Azimut in Astrakhan. They are going through major renovations right now. It's kind of funny to see the interior design mix. The lobby is decorated in Art Deco while ... read more

 this year's vegetable garden ( life / health / food / plants )

My checklist for this year's vegetable garden: Soil tilled? Check! Top soil added? Check! Plants bought? Check! Seeds for plants not available for purchase? Check! Plants planted? Check! Now the watering ... and waiting begins! Oh, you're wondering what ... read more

telling our tree stories ( life / health / environment / trees )

via Protecting our planet In turbulent times, being in nature among the trees can offer a vital sense of calm, solace, and inspiration. Here, we share the stories of people who've devoted their professional lives to eco-advocacy. And this Earth Day, they ... read more

 update to the update's update ( family / adoption / holmes )

I went ahead and paid for the 24-hour internet connection from the room. It wasn't even double the cost of one hour. I also swapped out the flaky cable and that seems to have fixed the connection problem. Wrong. I had to call the techs back to fix it. The ... read more

 my writer's platform ( culture / writing / books )

WilliamArthurHolmes.com is my writer's platform, with a page showing where you can buy, preview and/or review all of my books. Or, just look below... Where to buy, preview or review my books ANOTHER WAY: Beyond the Status Quo Amazon, ... read more

out of toothpaste ( culture / writing / blog / humor )

Me (joking, the other day): I'm out of toothpaste! Whaddaya gonna do about it? Wife (without missing a beat): Find a husband with toothpaste, I guess. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I married her. :) And that's why I'm at the store right ... read more

 gmo foods ( life / health / food )

Genetically-modified cotton is poisoning people in India. In this country, non-organic soybeans, corn and canola (most non-organic of these are GMO) are poisoning people. It's in corn chips and other products. They are making soybeans and corn that are Round-up ... read more

Global warming proponents have always claimed that CO2 gas emissions from human activity cause the conditions of Global Warming. Global Warming is described as a Greenhouse Effect, or warming, that happens when certain gases in Earth's atmosphere (CO2) ... read more

 another great visit ( family / adoption / holmes )

We're feeling closer and closer to our child, especially after today. And I think we passed the test of having the psychologist there, observing. She was pretty cool, actually. She didn't stay the entire visit. I think she could see that Tara, the child ... read more

 actual environmental issues ( life / health / environment )

Here are some actual environmental issues that we should be addressing instead of "climate change" (or screaming about the U.S. pulling out of the Paris climate treaty).FYI, pollution is caused by humans and should be stopped.Climate change is caused ... read more

thought for today ( culture / quotes / health / conspiracies )

It's easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled! -- Mark ... read more

 emergency preparedness food storage ( life / health / food )

Emergency Essentials - Be Prepared Emergency Preparedness Food Storage.That's the Boy Scout motto, isn't it? Never hurts. " BePrepared.com is the world's largest dedicated online marketplace for survival food, water, and gear. They're a complete one-stop ... read more

 holmes family newsletter vol 1 no 8 ( family / holmes / newsletter )

The Holmes Family Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 8, October 23, 1989 earthquake!   Where were you when it hit? Don was just leaving his office on the 15th floor in downtown San Francisco when the whole building started to shake. "I survived," said ... read more

engaged ( family / holmes / bill )

Engaged! . . . finally Tara and I are finally getting married. We've "felt married," but now we're making it official, just for the sake of making it official. :) The actual wedding will be August 22, which we've always celebrated as our ... read more

August 12th, 2020 By Fiona Reilly The world can sometimes feel a little crazy, we are faced with all kinds of challenges in life. It's useful to have some quick techniques to calm and soothe your soul when adversity arises ... read more

 tuesday (11/26/2007) ( family / adoption / holmes )

Time flies when you lose nine hours. We fly to Astrakhan this afternoon. This morning, we'll be having the free breakfast that the hotel offers. Then we'll exchange our dollars for rubles (before the dollar devalues even more). I could've done that ... read more

 great commercial ( culture / movies-tv )

Commercial from Taiwan, for all you bikers out there, young and old:Dream ... read more

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