I never put too much thought into the wide variety of cards that are appropriate for Father's Day. This changed a few days ago.

Shopping for a card, I noticed some that seemed geared toward sons and grandsons, and not dads. What could it mean?

My first thought was that in some circles, fathers exchange cards with their children. Of course I'd never heard of this practice before, but perhaps it existed nonetheless. Why not? A parent could reciprocate the feeling of appreciation on Father's Day, especially since there is no Children's Day.

But alas, this theory was wrong. And rightfully so! Father's Day is Dad Turf Only.

Quickly I mentally hopped from Theory The First to Theory The Second, and realized that the cards for Sons and Grandsons are going to Fathers as well. So Billy's Grandfather Hector sends Billy a father's day card, "To My Grandson," because Billy himself is a father.

A ha! It's all so clear…

First comment: Duh!

Second comment: Dude, there is a kids day, kidsday.com

The best summer vacation I ever had was when I went to the Grand Canyon with friends. It was amazing. Huge! There was so much to see, so far to see. I enjoyed being able to take in a ton of different details with such a grand view, as opposed to the kind of view you might get driving through a city. Everywhere you look, there’s a wall. Bam! Your field of vision ends. But not at the Canyon. It was magnificent.

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to go to India. I wonder how much flights to India cost? I know! I’ll bet they don’t cost much at all, when you book through DialAflight…

DialAflight is a UK travel company. They offer travel ideas worldwide, specializing in flights and hotels. You can visit them at www.dialaflight.com, and find heaps of helpful info regarding vacations. Need a rental car? Hotel? Flight? You’re covered! Whatever break you’re on, whether it be an extended leave of absence or just a spa holiday, DialAFlight has your back. Just call and they’ll help you get set up with a tailor-made vacation experience that is just as you request. Right down to the last detail!

Whoo!! Mother’s Day!! Party!! It’s the rockinest, craziest, wackiest…. Ok just kidding. But seriously, have you figured out what you’re going to do this Sunday yet? I know what I’m doing.

I’m going to shower my mother with affection. First, a phone call, and a friendly conversation. Then the delivery truck will deliver flowers. Then a singing telegram will bring chocolates. Then a limousine will pick her up and bring her to fancy restaurant. Then, a lobster and steak dinner!

Ok, that sounds a tad expensive… Maybe just the flowers…and the candy!

But where can we get the perfect flowers for Mom? Hmm… Maybe 1800flowers.com? Yes, definitely! I encourage you, reader, to visit 1800flowers.com for all your Mothers Day gift needs. It’s the perfect place to find exactly what you’re looking for, something your deserving mother will appreciate.

Happy (upcoming) Mother’s Day!

You know how some people find a way to get a free car, just by agreeing to show a huge ad on that car? It’s like instead of a normal, solid-color paint job, that car has a huge, bold message, asking everybody on and off-road, “Who You Gonna Call?!” Beneath that would be the phone number or website of a specific company, let’s say… Phantom Nabbers.

Those types of ads must produce some kind of results, otherwise why would companies bother to give away free cars? I’ve always wondered what it would be like to drive one of those… I think you’d probably have to be ready to answer a couple questions!

Anyway, I was thinking about how a small business owner might go about using the same ad tactic, and I think I found a way. Car magnets! These are magnets that you slap on the outside of your car. Each magnet can be printed with your company logo and message. Where can you get them? VistaPrint!

VistaPrint is a printing company. They’ll print everything — dogs, cats… ok, just kidding, here’s what they really print: checks, announcements, rubber stamps, business cards, and of course, car magnets. Each item is highly customizable, and VistaPrint will take each of your specifications very seriously. So the next time you’re in the mood to buy some quality car magnets or get something else printed, think VistaPrint!

I was thinking about insurance a while back, and I realized that we take great measures to prepare for an unforeseen catastrophe. We’ve got our cars insured, our homes, ourselves, our loved ones, our valuables… Some people even insure parts of themselves, parts that are essential for them to continue earning as much as they do. But now, how crazy, we’ve got one new thing to insure. Our identities!

The Federal Trade Commission has been keeping a complaint list for years, and who would have guessed that identity theft tops that list. ConsumerAffairs.com reported that in 2006, a full 36 percent of the 674,354 complaints that year were focused solely on identity theft. Isn’t that amazing? I say its nuts. It’s a real shame we live in a world where the criminals can now become so powerful that they can take your entire life away. Just like in “The Net!”

Thank goodness there are companies out there willing to help you guard against identity theft. LifeLock can protect you from ID thieves, and not only that, it’ll reduce your junk mail and superfluous credit card offers. But the best part? While it covers you for up to One Million Dollars, the Life Lock service starts at just $10 a month.

LifeLock is also pioneering the protection of children’s identities. What a strange time we live in where our children are at risk for such a new and complex threat. At least LifeLock can help give us greater security, and peace of mind.

I think it was Meredith Viera I saw who questioned John McCain about his remarks regarding the economy, as evidenced by a campaign ad that aired in the same week during which it became generally agreed upon that our economy was hurting. In his ad, McCain had said he saw our economy as being strong.

Viera asked him about this, and he mentioned how he realized the economy isn't doing well, and how he plans to fix it.

Then she asked him if he felt such and such a way, where the way she referenced was actually pretty much a direct quote from his ad. So basically, she was asking him if he meant what was said in the ad. He said no.

But I don't think he's a liar. I think at the time, it may have seemed to him and/or his advisors that the economy could still pull through if enough people were encouraged about their prospects. Perhaps McCain's campaign believed (along with many people) that self-fulfilling prophecies are sometimes easy to influence, economically speaking. Or maybe it was a little early to predict where the economy was headed. So they go ahead and shoot the ad saying how strong the economy is, and then air it a few days later. A lot can happen in a few days, and perhaps by that time, the ad had become obsolete.

What seemed to bother me was how Viera didn't come right out and say his ad was wrong, and how McCain didn't come right out and admit that he had been mistaken. He simply treated the question as a matter of "right now," rather than, "This is what I said and why I said it, and this is what I'm saying now, and why I'm saying it." I really appreciate the latter.

But at least we know that guy who kept answering "I do not recall" is (or was) having trouble finding work. That gives me faith that our political leaders will be judged on what matters most — past performance, and a willingness to accept responsibility for that performance.

It all makes sense. As the price of gas rises, the price of transporting goods from one place to another rises.

The Lays Potato Chip truck requires more money in order to pay for the fuel that powers the truck that moves the chips from factories to stores.

The Lays factory requires more money in order to pay for the fuel that powers the machines that make the chips.

So Lays charges more for chips in order to meet the new financial demands, created by rising oil prices.

So everything that requires machines to be either made or transported should increase in price.

But there's also the issue of the weather.

I saw on the news this morning that California was going through a cold snap, and that some crops were dying.

I also heard that riots have already begun breaking out worldwide, due to food shortages.

So gas isn't the only issue here. As the food supply decreases, demand will increase, and prices will increase accordingly.

But who needs food? Who needs gas? And if you really need both, just buy a lot of beans.

After a few months of blogging without AdSense, I've finally decided to add it to my blog.

Let's just see how much I've made in the last hour…

Ok, logged in… $1,873.49!!!! Not really…

To be honest, I'm not logged in at Google at all! I'm not there, I'm here. I'm writing this post! Ha ha ha ha ha ha…

So the question is, does a blog look more or less professional with ads on it? I think it all depends on design and placement. But there's definitely something to be said for conformity (that is, conforming with other blogs).

And I see that a few of them have The AdSense…

Wow! It’s finally starting to feel like spring. I can’t believe how long it took for the snow to melt! It was like it turned to ice! But now that the weather’s better, it’s time to make the most of it with a spring vacation.

The greatest spring vacation I had while visiting Chicago was pretty simple. A few friends and I took our time visiting the major sights, but really spent most of the break in all the great local restaurants. Boy, there sure is a lot of good food to choose from in Chicago! Great hot dogs, great pizza, great everything! Mmm, mmmm….

Some people, finding out that there isn’t an annual Ferris Bueller parade, need a little help finding things to do in Chicago. Like maybe sightseeing tours? That’s where Trusted Tours & Attractions comes in. This company can offer you discount tickets to the best tours for sightseeing in 23 cities nationwide. Discounts are especially important now that the economy has declared its turbulence to be real instead of imaginary. So if you’re searching for ideas regarding how to plan your vacation, like trying to figure out things to do in Las Vegas, Trusted Tours and Attractions can help you.

If you sign up for the Trusted Tours eNewsletter, you’ll be entered to win a Handheld GPS device. But you better hurry, because this special promotion will be over on Monday, April 30th (2008!).

I saw on the news yesterday morning that a good Samaritan had pulled over to the side of the road to help someone. That someone killed the good Samaritan and stole his car.

I recently read something similar online about a woman, or a woman and a man, who were trekking across Europe in search of the "good" in people. I believe they too were murdered.

I remember the "Don't Tase Me Bro" incident, where a college kid went off on a diatribe during a John Kerry event, and was subsequently chased, caught, subdued, and then it would seem unnecessarily tasered. One might argue that the policy of the College Cops was to get a perpetrator on his stomach by any means necessary. In the video, it looks like the college guy is about half on his stomach, and slightly leaning to the side. His hands were already cuffed. And then they zapped him.

Anyway, I remember seeing in the news (during the somewhat intense coverage that followed the incident) that reporters were shocked about how the college kid's peers did extremely little to help him. Using footage to back up their argument, you could see what appeared to be a stifling of the 1st amendment by a brutal authority. (Although it could be argued that the guy was an idiot and deserved to be shut up, but either scenario seems to melt into the other in a "Total Recall" way.) Meanwhile, the local citizenry (meaning students sitting 4 feet away and watching) does nothing. Well, not totally nothing. One girl started yelling as the cops continued about their business and ignored her.

It all just makes me wonder what kind of a world we live in. I'm the kind of person who takes into consideration some pretty horrible possible outcomes in any given situation. Like, "If you do this, then this bad thing might happen…" "Oh please, that's just paranoia." I don't seriously expect the worst outcome, it just pops into my head as one of many possibilities.

I guess a lot of people are buying into the paranoia…

Or should be, given the first two events I mentioned here.