So I am thinking of getting a home security system when I get my condo. I think I will feel a lot more secure with a security system to protect me. I don’t want to end up like the Hoyt family or any of the other unfortunate people who have been murdered for no reason in their own homes.

There are different types of security systems and I have to figure out which one will be best for me. There are indoor home security systems that are installed at your doors and windows, preventing anyone from getting in. Then there are outdoor systems that also alert you when someone is on the premises. I guess for a condo, the indoor type would be the one to get.

Then there is the question of electricity or batteries. Battery powered systems are great in case the power goes out, but what if you forget to change the batteries? I could just see ending up like the Hoyt family just because I forgot to put new batteries in my security system.

Then there is the question of hard-wired or wireless systems. The hard-wired security systems are harder to install yourself. But if you are having a security company do the installation, this could be a better choice since the wireless systems become obsolete faster and also have more parts that can malfunction.

Actually when checking into the prices of these secuity systems, I was surprised that the cost was less than I thought. Unless you are getting a remotely monitored system which can be more expensive. But then the company will contact the police or fire department for you automatically.

I also found it interesting that your homeowners insurance will probably give you a discount for having a home security system installed.

There are even expensive video security systems, but I don’t think I would spring for one of those. I just need the basics to keep intruders out.

I bet the Hoyt family wished they had installed a security system at their cabin.

As I mentioned, I am going to be moving next week. I am selling my house and moving into an apartment temporarily.

But once my house sells, I would like to buy a condo. I am wondering where to get a good deal on a mortgage.

In the past, I have had 80/20 loans on for my mortgage. That means that your first mortgage covers 80% of the financing, and the second mortgage covers the other 20%. So I did not have to come up with a down payment. This was the best deal for me at the time.

But now, with the mortage and housing crisis, a lot of people are not able to pay their loans and there are a lot of foreclosures.

So lenders are getting a lot more picky about what kind of mortgage deals they will give to people. I don’t think an 80/20 loan will be so easy to get any more.

I want to get a good mortgage rate too. I have a feeling that my mortgage interest rates in the past were not that great, because of the 80/20 loan. I think they charge you a higher interst rate if you don’t have a down payment.

I guess this time I will have to save up for a down payment. I want to get the best mortgage deal possible, so I think that means having the biggest down payment I can have.

So if you have any ideas on where to find a great deal on mortgages, let me know!

This guy, Jeff Peckman, wants Denver to create an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission to handle encounters with aliens. He is showing his video in support of this.

Do you think there is extraterrestrial life out there?

I thought it was interesting a few weeks ago, I read that even the Catholic Church put out the word that it is not against Church doctrine to believe in extraterrestrials. Their opinion is that God is great enough to create life wherever He wants in the universe. Makes sense to me.

Although I never really believed in life elsewhere in the universe, it could be true. How do we know it is not?

Supposedly there is an Area 51 in the Southwest somewhere where the government is hiding the remains of an alien spacecraft or something. I only know this because when a friend and I visited New Mexico, he wanted to visit Area 51. But it turned out that it was in Arizona, not New Mexico, so we didn’t go. Besides, if this alien spacecraft site is a big secret, how would they let us visit? I must confess that I was never interested enough to look up the background on this.

But an actual video of an alien from outer space? I might be interested in seeing that. But it does seem to me that an alien video would be easy to fake, wouldn’t it?

Do you believe in extraterrestrial life?

I read today that Rachel Ray’s ad for Dunkin Donuts was pulled because conservative commentator Michelle Malkin said it looked like a kiffiyeh. What’s that?

I looked around online and found out that the kiffiyeh is a kind of head scarf that is often worn by Muslim terrorists. Funny, one website said that St. Joseph wore a kiffiyeh from Israel in their Christmas play. So apparently the kiffiyeh is a traditional middle eastern clothing item that is worn by Israelis and Arabs alike. (Sometimes it is spelled keffiyeh).

Besides, the scarf worn by Rachel Ray is not really a kiffiyeh, it is just a fancy scarf. And it was not even chosen by Rachel Ray, it was chosen by a stylist.

Do we have to examine every piece of clothing we put on now, along with everything else we need to worry about? I really think this political correctness thing has gone way too far.

I am not sure what Michelle Malkin actually said, but it must have been quite the talk if it caused Dunkin Donuts to pull their ad.

This whole kiffiyeh thing is starting me to thinking, are we going back to the McCarthy days when you had to worry that people would think you were a communist for some reason? Now you have to worry that people will think you are endorsing terrorism by wearing the wrong scarf.

What do you think?

I have already read a few reviews of the book, and it sounds very interesting. As you know, I am not a fan of George Bush. And here is a book from his former staffer. The full title is telling: “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception.”

In the book, apparently Scott McClellan is saying that the Bush administration sold the war to us with a bunch of propaganda. Well, duh. I already knew that. But coming from a former Bush staffer, that should have quite a big impact.

That is why I want to read the book. You know that the Democrats will spin things their way. But this book was written by a Republican and a Bush insider. So hopefully it will be a lot less biased. I always love reading insider accounts anyway. You can really learn a lot of what goes on that you would not know otherwise.

I am totally against the Iraq war, and I was against it from the beginning, so I will be interested to see just what McClellan has to say.

Of course the White House is pooh-poohing the book, saying it is the work of a disgruntled former staffer. But I am sure people will eat it up, and it will create a ton of controversy.

That’s why I want to read the book for myself. You always hear so much about these political books. Often the contents get pretty distorted by the reviewers, especially if they have an ax to grind. I want to read it for myself and see what Scott McClellan has to say. I’m sure it will be a big deal coming up to the election.

Don’t you love politics?

Of course, I am not trying to be flippant about the war. A lot of our young men and women have died in the war. There were a lot of stories about them in my local papers on Memorial Day. It is heartbreaking. Yet we know there was a lot of politics behind it all, and I intend to read Scott McClellan’s book to find out exactly what went on behind the scenes.

I am moving to a new home next week. I have to move because I got a new job. I’m in the process of selling my house right now.

In fact, I digress, but I just went out and bought a statue of St. Joseph. They say that if you are trying to sell your house, you should bury a statue of St. Joseph upside down in your front yard. St. Joseph is apparently the patron Saint of selling your house. He is associated with selling houses because he was a carpenter and because he had to move so often - the Holy Family moved to Egypt, remember? And then back again.

Anyway, back to my new Turbo Chef oven, the oven of my dreams. Because I am not really going to get one. I have to move into an apartment until my house sells. But after that, who knows? I think I will buy a condo and then have a Turbo Chef oven installed.

What is so great about this oven? Well, it cooks food 15 times faster than with a regular oven. You can cook a 12 pound turkey in 42 minutes.

Martha Stewart and Emeril (the famous cook) will be endorsing the oven.

Not that I’m a great fan of Martha Stewart or Emeril, but anything that cooks food this fast is just what I need. When I come home from work, I want to be able to pop something in the oven and cook it quickly. Usually I use the microwave, but microwave food just does not taste as good. With my new Turbo Chef oven, I will be all set.

When I move to my new place, my commute will be much shorter, only about 20 minutes, but that still does not mean that I want to spend all evening cooking. Fast cooking is the way to go, in my opinion, and Turbo Chef will be my new friend.

Why are they doing this? Do they actually want Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to become president, or are they just trying to mess up the Democrats?

Apparently Rush Limbauch gave orders to his followers to vote for Hilary to prolong the Democratic fight between her and Obama. “Operation Chaos” is what he calls this. Since Obama is ahead, Rush wants to keep Hillary in the race so she and Barack Obama can keep hurting each other.

What an idiot that Rush Limbaugh is. I never did like him at all. Have you ever heard him talk? He is so filled with hate, it is scary.

Actually I don’t think John McCain is so bad. This is the first election that I can remember where I actually think all the people running are ok. Of course, I would rather have Obama win. He’s my favorite. But if he wasn’t running, I would vote for Clinton. McCain is my last choice, but he’s a lot better than those other Republicans.

At least, we will soon be rid of George Bush. What a mess he has left the economy in.

In my local paper, there was an op-ed piece by an acquaintance of mine (we used to car pool together). He was saying the $600 tax rebate checks are welfare. For once, I agreed with him, the rebate checks are pretty stupid. Do they really think these are going to help the economy any?

The economy is in real trouble. Did you see that Ben Beranke of the fed wants banks and mortgage companies to reduce people’s loan amounts, so they will be less likely to be foreclosed on? Like the banks will go for that. They don’t care if people are out on the streets. And why should they anyway? Anyone who bought a house in the past year or two at inflated prices is stupid. Didn’t they read the news? Lots of people saw this housing crisis coming.

Anyway, George Bush did not help the economy any with his deficit spending. I thought Republicans were supposed to be so fiscally conservative? Ha, ha. Not George Bush. Surely even McCain will do better than that.

But truthfully, Barack Obama has a great chance of winning the election, and I would love that. I first heard of him when I heard his speech at the Democratic convention in 2004. Great speech, wasn’t it? I think he’s really smart. The country needs some new ideas. The Republicans did not leave us much good to work with. But I think he can turn things around.

And Hilary would not be bad either. I liked Bill Clinton. The economy sure was good when he was in office. If only he had not been so stupid with the whole Monica Lewinsky thing. It really overshadowed all the good he did. He really reduced the deficit too.

Anyway, back to Indiana and the exit polls. I can’t believe Rush Limbaugh. He is so evil. Is that the best the Republicans can come up with, to mess up the Democrats? Don’t they have any good ideas of their own?

What an idiot. I hope it all blows up in Rush’s face. I can’t believe people still listen to him. What a hypocrite. Remember when he got busted for buying illegal drugs? And here he is blasting drugs. What an idiot. (Oh yeah, I said that already.)

All the news is about the economy today. Oil hit $120 a barrel today!! Can you believe it? Pretty soon we will not be able to drive anywhere. It sure is not going to help the housing crisis. All those expensive houses in the suburbs are going to lose value when people move back to the cities, closer to their jobs, to save on gas. Don’t you think?

Anyway, that’s my ramblings for today. Stop back often. I am going to be posting about all kinds of things here – something for everybody. Meanwhile, be sure to leave your comments about today’s post. Who are you rooting for in the elections? I hope no George Bush lovers show up. But if you’re polite, I’ll approve your comments either way. I believe in free speech. And what do you think of the economy? I think it has a long way to go down before it comes back up. Can’t wait to hear what you think.