New Fun!!!!

Nitrous oxide
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"N2O" redirects here. For other uses, see N2O (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with nitric oxide.
This article may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (March 2009)
This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards, as Confusing and disorganized (repetitious). You can help. The discussion page may contain suggestions. (March 2009)
Nitrous oxide



IUPAC name [show]
Dinitrogen monoxide
Other names Laughing gas
Identifiers
CAS number [10024-97-2]
PubChem 948
UN number 1070 (compressed)
2201 (liquid)
ChEBI 17045
RTECS number QX1350000
ATC code N01AX13
InChI [show]
InChI=1/N2O/c1-2-3
ChemSpider ID 923
Properties
Molecular formula N2O
Molar mass 44.013 g/mol
Appearance colorless gas
Density 1.977 g/L (gas)
Melting point −90.86 °C (182.29 K)

Boiling point −88.48 °C (184.67 K)

Solubility in water 0.15 g/100 ml (15 °C)
Solubility soluble in alcohol, ether, sulfuric acid
log P 0.35
Vapor pressure 5150 kPa (20 °C)
Refractive index (nD) 1.330
Structure
Molecular shape linear, C∞v
Dipole moment 0.166 D
Thermochemistry
Std enthalpy of
formation ΔfHo298 +82.05 kJ/mol
Standard molar
entropy So298 219.96 J K−1 mol−1
Pharmacology
Routes of
administration Inhalation
Metabolism 0.004%
Elimination
half-life 5 minutes
Excretion Respiratory
Hazards
MSDS ICSC 0067
EU Index Not listed
NFPA 704 020OX
Flash point Non-flammable
Related compounds
Related nitrogen oxides Nitric oxide
Dinitrogen trioxide
Nitrogen dioxide
Dinitrogen tetroxide
Dinitrogen pentoxide

Related compounds Ammonium nitrate
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for
materials in their standard state
(at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as happy gas or laughing gas, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula N2O. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant, slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. It is known as "laughing gas" due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it, a property that has led to its recreational use as an inhalant drug. It is also used as an oxidizer in rocketry and in motor racing to increase the power output of engines. It is often created in bushfires[citation needed].

Nitrous oxide reacts with ozone and is the main naturally occurring regulator of stratospheric ozone. Nitrous oxide is also a major greenhouse gas. Considered over a 100 year period, it has 298 times more impact per unit weight than carbon dioxide.[1]

Contents [hide]
1 Manufacture
1.1 Other routes
2 Uses
2.1 Rocket motors
2.2 Internal combustion engine
2.3 Aerosol propellant
2.4 In medicine
2.5 Recreational use
3 Neuropharmacology
4 Safety
4.1 Chemical/physical
4.2 Biological
5 Legality
6 History
7 See also
8 References
9 External links



[edit] Manufacture
Nitrous oxide is most commonly prepared by careful heating of ammonium nitrate, which decomposes into nitrous oxide and water vapor.[2] The addition of various phosphates favors formation of a purer gas at slightly lower temperatures. One of the earliest commercial producers was George Poe in Trenton, New Jersey.[3]

NH4NO3 (s) → 2 H2O (g) + N2O (g)
This reaction occurs between 170 - 240°C, temperatures where ammonium nitrate is a moderately sensitive explosive and a very powerful oxidizer. Above 240 °C the exothermic reaction may accelerate to the point of detonation, so the mixture must be cooled to avoid such a disaster. Superheated steam is used to reach reaction temperature in some turnkey production plants.[4]

Downstream, the hot, corrosive mixture of gases must be cooled to condense the steam, and filtered to remove higher oxides of nitrogen. Ammonium nitrate smoke, as an extremely persistent colloid, will also have to be removed. The cleanup is often done in a train of 3 gas washes; namely base, acid and base again. Any significant amounts of nitric oxide (NO) may not necessarily be absorbed directly by the base (sodium hydroxide) washes.

The nitric oxide impurity is sometimes chelated out with ferrous sulfate, reduced with iron metal, or oxidised and absorbed in base as a higher oxide. The first base wash may (or may not) react out much of the ammonium nitrate smoke, however this reaction generates ammonia gas, which may have to be absorbed in the acid wash.


[edit] Other routes
The direct oxidation of ammonia may someday rival the ammonium nitrate pyrolysis synthesis of nitrous oxide mentioned above. This capital-intensive process, which originates in Japan, uses a manganese dioxide-bismuth oxide catalyst:[5]

2 NH3 + 2 O2 → N2O + 3 H2O
Higher oxides of nitrogen are formed as impurities. In comparison, uncatalyzed ammonia oxidation (i.e. combustion or explosion) goes primarily to N2 and H2O.

Nitrous oxide can be made by heating a solution of sulfamic acid and nitric acid. Many gases are made this way in Bulgaria.[citation needed][6]

HNO3 + NH2SO3H → N2O + H2SO4 + H2O
There is no explosive hazard in this reaction if the mixing rate is controlled. However, as usual, toxic higher oxides of nitrogen form.

Nitrous oxide is produced in large volumes as a by-product in the synthesis of adipic acid; one of the two reactants used in nylon manufacture.[7][8] This might become a major commercial source, but will require the removal of higher oxides of nitrogen and organic impurities. Currently much of the gas is decomposed before release for environmental protection. Greener processes may prevail that substitute hydrogen peroxide for nitric acid oxidation; hence no generation of oxide of nitrogen by-products.

Hydroxylammonium chloride can react with sodium nitrite to produce N2O as well:

NH3OH+Cl− + NaNO2 → N2O + NaCl + 2 H2O
If the nitrite is added to the hydroxylamine solution, the only remaining byproduct is salt water. However, if the hydroxylamine solution is added to the nitrite solution (nitrite is in excess), then toxic higher oxides of nitrogen are also formed.


[edit] Uses

[edit] Rocket motors
Nitrous oxide can be used as an oxidizer in a rocket motor. This has the advantages over other oxidizers that it is non-toxic and, due to its stability at room temperature, easy to store and relatively safe to carry on a flight. As a secondary benefit it can be readily decomposed to form breathing air. Its high density and low storage pressure enable it to be highly competitive with stored high-pressure gas systems.

In a 1914 patent, American rocket pioneer Robert Goddard suggested nitrous oxide and gasoline as possible propellants for a liquid-fueled rocket. Nitrous oxide has been the oxidizer of choice in several hybrid rocket designs (using solid fuel with a liquid or gaseous oxidizer). The combination of nitrous oxide with hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene fuel has been used by SpaceShipOne and others. It is also notably used in amateur and high power rocketry with various plastics as the fuel.

Nitrous oxide can also be used in a monopropellant rocket. In the presence of a heated catalyst, N2O will decompose exothermically into nitrogen and oxygen, at a temperature of approximately 1300 °C. Because of the large heat release the catalytic action rapidly becomes secondary as thermal autodecomposition becomes dominant. In a vacuum thruster, this can provide a monopropellant specific impulse (Isp) of as much as 180s. While noticeably less than the Isp available from hydrazine thrusters (monopropellant or bipropellant with nitrogen tetroxide), the decreased toxicity makes nitrous oxide an option worth investigating. Because of its release of very high temperature oxygen as a monopropellant the addition of even small amounts of a fuel such as hydrogen rapidly increases the specific impulse and the high oxygen temperatures simplify ignition of the fuel. Isp greater than 340 seconds can be readily achieved. Its low freezing point also eases thermal management as compared to hydrazine—a valuable property on a spacecraft which may contain quantities of cryogenic propellant.


[edit] Internal combustion engine
Main article: Nitrous
In vehicle racing, nitrous oxide (often referred to as just "nitrous" in this context to differ from the acronym NOS which is the brand Nitrous Oxide Systems) allows the engine to burn more fuel and air, resulting in a more powerful combustion. The gas itself is not flammable, but it delivers more oxygen than atmospheric air by breaking down at elevated temperatures.

Nitrous oxide is stored as a compressed liquid; the evaporation and expansion of liquid nitrous oxide in the intake manifold causes a large drop in intake charge temperature, resulting in a denser charge, further allowing more air/fuel mixture to enter the cylinder. Nitrous oxide is sometimes injected into (or prior to) the intake manifold, whereas other systems directly inject right before the cylinder (direct port injection) to increase power.

The technique was used during World War II by Luftwaffe aircraft with the GM-1 system to boost the power output of aircraft engines. Originally meant to provide the Luftwaffe standard aircraft with superior high-altitude performance, technological considerations limited its use to extremely high altitudes. Accordingly, it was only used by specialized planes like high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, high-speed bombers and high-altitude interceptor aircraft.

One of the major problems of using nitrous oxide in a reciprocating engine is that it can produce enough power to damage or destroy the engine. Very large power increases are possible, and if the mechanical structure of the engine is not properly reinforced, the engine may be severely damaged or destroyed during this kind of operation. It is very important with nitrous oxide augmentation of internal combustion engines to maintain proper operating temperatures and fuel levels to prevent "preignition", or "detonation" (sometimes referred to as "knocking" or "pinging"). Most problems that are associated with nitrous do not come from mechanical failure due to the power increases. Since nitrous allows a much denser charge into the cylinder it dramatically increases cylinder pressures. The increased pressure results in heat, and heat will cause many problems from melting the piston, cylinder head or valves, to predetonation.


[edit] Aerosol propellant

An 8g canister of nitrous oxide intended for use as a whipped cream aerating agentThe gas is approved for use as a food additive (also known as E942), specifically as an aerosol spray propellant. Its most common uses in this context are in aerosol whipped cream canisters, cooking sprays, and as an inert gas used to displace bacteria-inducing oxygen when filling packages of potato chips and other similar snack foods.

The gas is extremely soluble in fatty compounds. In aerosol whipped cream, it is dissolved in the fatty cream until it leaves the can, when it becomes gaseous and thus creates foam. Used in this way, it produces whipped cream four times the volume of the liquid, whereas whipping air into cream only produces twice the volume. If air were used as a propellant, oxygen would accelerate rancidification of the butterfat; nitrous oxide inhibits such degradation. Carbon dioxide cannot be used for whipped cream because it is acidic in water, which would curdle the cream and give it a seltzer-like 'sparkling' sensation.

However, the whipped cream produced with nitrous oxide is unstable, and will return to a more or less liquid state within half an hour to one hour. Thus, the method is not suitable for decorating food that will not be immediately served. Similarly, cooking spray, which is made from various types of oils combined with lecithin (an emulsifier), may use nitrous oxide as a propellant; other propellants used in cooking spray include food-grade alcohol and propane.

Users of nitrous oxide often obtain it from whipped cream dispensers that use nitrous oxide as a propellant (see above section), for recreational use as a euphoria-inducing inhalant drug. It is non-harmful in small doses, but risks due to lack of oxygen do exist (see Recreational use below).


[edit] In medicine
Nitrous oxide has been used for anesthesia in dentistry since the 1800s. The most common use is as a 50:50 mix with oxygen, commonly known as Entonox or Nitronox delivered through a demand valve, and frequently used to relieve pain associated with childbirth, trauma and heart attacks.

Professional use can involve constant supply flowmeters which allow the proportion of nitrous oxide and the combined gas flow rate to be individually adjusted. Nitrous oxide is typically administered by dentists through a demand-valve inhaler over the nose that only releases gas when the patient inhales through the nose.

Because nitrous oxide is minimally metabolized, it retains its potency when exhaled into the room by the patient and can pose an intoxicating and prolonged-exposure hazard to the clinic staff if the room is poorly ventilated. Where nitrous oxide is administered, a continuous-flow fresh-air ventilation system or nitrous-scavenging system is used to prevent waste gas buildup.

Nitrous oxide is a weak general anesthetic, and so is generally not used alone in general anesthesia. In general anesthesia it is used as a carrier gas in a 2:1 ratio with oxygen for more powerful general anesthetic agents such as sevoflurane or desflurane. It has a MAC (minimum alveolar concentration) of 105% and a blood:gas partition coefficient of 0.46. Less than 0.004% is metabolised in humans.


[edit] Recreational use
This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a dissociative drug that can cause analgesia, depersonalization, derealization, dizziness, euphoria, and some sound distortion.[9]

Since the earliest uses of nitrous oxide for medical or dental purposes, it has also been used recreationally as an inhalant, because it causes euphoria and slight hallucinations. Only a small number of recreational users (such as dental office workers or medical gas technicians) have legal access to pure nitrous oxide canisters that are intended for medical or dental use. Most recreational users obtain nitrous oxide from compressed gas containers which use nitrous oxide as a propellant for whipped cream or from automotive nitrous systems. Automotive nitrous available to the public sometimes has ~100 ppm sulfur dioxide and/or elemental sulfur added to prevent recreational use/abuse[citation needed]; (not hydrogen sulfide as suggested by[10]). Inhalation of such a mixture is nearly impossible after one breath due to gagging and sooner or later, involuntary clamping off of the trachea; (some with "sulfite" allergies could even die due to allergic reaction)[citation needed].

Users typically inflate a balloon or a plastic bag with nitrous oxide from a tank or a one-use 'charger' (often referred to as a cracker, as it 'cracks' open the nitrous canister), and then inhale the gas for its effects. Highly compressed liquid expelled from a tank or canister is extremely cold, and should not be inhaled directly, thus for medical and recreational use it is decompressed into something else, such as a balloon, first. Mis-cracked canisters can cause skin damage due to freezing temperatures.

Recreational users typically do not mix it with air or oxygen and thus may risk injury or death from anoxia if they tie plastic bags around their heads or otherwise obstruct their breathing.

Nitrous oxide can be habit-forming because of its short-lived effect (generally from 0.1 – 1 minutes in recreational doses). Long-term use in excessive quantities has been associated with vitamin B12 deficiency anemia due to reduced hemopoiesis, neuropathy, tinnitus, and numbness in extremities, unless vitamin B12 supplements are taken to counteract this. Pregnant women should not use nitrous oxide as chronic use is teratogenic and foetotoxic. One study in rats found that long term exposure to high doses of nitrous oxide may lead to Olney's lesions that may become persistent.[11]


[edit] Neuropharmacology

Medical grade nitrous oxide tanks used in dentistryNitrous oxide shares many pharmacological similarities with other inhaled anesthetics, but there are a number of differences. Nitrous oxide is relatively non-polar, has a low molecular weight, and high lipid solubility. As a result it can quickly diffuse into phospholipid cell membranes.

Like many classical anesthetics, the exact mechanism of action is still open to some conjecture. It antagonizes the NMDA receptor at partial pressures similar to those used in general anaesthesia. The evidence on the effect of N2O on GABA-A currently is mixed, but tends to show a lower potency potentiation.[12] N2O, like other volatile anesthetics, activates twin-pore potassium channels, albeit weakly. These channels are largely responsible for keeping neurons at the resting (unexcited) potential.[13] Unlike many anesthetics, however, N2O does not seem to affect calcium channels.[12]

Unlike most general anesthetics, N2O appears to affect the GABA receptor. In many behavioral tests of anxiety, a low dose of N2O is a successful anxiolytic. This anti-anxiety effect is partially reversed by benzodiazepine receptor antagonists. Mirroring this, animals which have developed tolerance to the anxiolytic effects of benzodiazepines are partially tolerant to nitrous oxide.[14] Indeed, in humans given 30% N2O, benzodiazepine receptor antagonists reduced the subjective reports of feeling “high”, but did not alter psycho-motor performance.[15]

The effects of N2O seem linked to the interaction between the endogenous opioid system and the descending noradrenergic system. When animals are given morphine chronically they develop tolerance to its analgesic (pain killing) effects; this also renders the animals tolerant to the analgesic effects of N2O.[16] Administration of antibodies which bind and block the activity of some endogenous opioids (not beta-endorphin), also block the antinociceptive effects of N2O.[17] Drugs which inhibit the breakdown of endogenous opioids also potentiate the antinociceptive effects of N2O.[17] Several experiments have shown that opioid receptor antagonists applied directly to the brain block the antinociceptive effects of N2O, but these drugs have no effect when injected into the spinal cord.

Conversely, alpha-adrenoreceptor antagonists block the antinociceptive effects of N2O when given directly to the spinal cord, but not when applied directly to the brain.[18] Indeed, alpha2B-adrenoreceptor knockout mice or animals depleted in noradrenaline are nearly completely resistant to the antinociceptive effects of N2O.[19] It seems N2O-induced release of endogenous opioids causes disinhibition of brain stem noradrenergic neurons, which release norepinephrine into the spinal cord and inhibit pain signaling (Maze, M. and M. Fujinaga, 2000). Exactly how N2O causes the release of opioids is still uncertain.


[edit] Safety
The major safety hazards of nitrous oxide come from the fact that it is a compressed liquefied gas, an asphyxiation risk, and a dissociative anaesthetic. Exposure to nitrous oxide causes short-term decreases in mental performance, audiovisual ability, and manual dexterity.[20]

A study of workers[21] and several experimental animal studies[22][23][24][25] indicate that adverse reproductive effects for pregnant females may also result from chronic exposure to nitrous oxide.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommends that workers' exposure to nitrous oxide should be controlled during the administration of anesthetic gas in medical, dental, and veterinary operatories.[26]


[edit] Chemical/physical
At room temperature (20°C) the saturated vapour pressure is 58.5 bar, rising up to 72.45 bar at 36.4°C — the critical temperature. The pressure curve is thus unusually sensitive to temperature.[27] Liquid nitrous oxide acts as a good solvent for many organic compounds; liquid mixtures may form shock sensitive explosives.[citation needed]

As with many strong oxidisers, contamination of parts with fuels have been implicated in rocketry accidents, where small quantities of nitrous / fuel mixtures explode due to 'water hammer' like effects (sometimes called 'dieseling' — heating due to adiabatic compression of gases can reach decomposition temperatures).[28] Some common building materials such as stainless steel and aluminum can act as fuels with strong oxidisers such as nitrous oxide, as can contaminants, which can ignite due to adiabatic compression.[29]

There have also been accidents where nitrous oxide decomposition in plumbing has led to the explosion of large tanks.[30]


[edit] Biological
Nitrous oxide inactivates the cobalamin form of vitamin B12 by oxidation. Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, including sensory neuropathy, myelopathy, and encephalopathy, can occur within days or weeks of exposure to nitrous oxide anesthesia in people with subclinical vitamin B12 deficiency.[citation needed] Symptoms are treated with high doses of vitamin B12, but recovery can be slow and incomplete.[31] People with normal vitamin B12 levels have stores to make the effects of nitrous oxide insignificant, unless exposure is repeated and prolonged (nitrous oxide abuse).[citation needed] Vitamin B12 levels should be checked in people with risk factors for vitamin B12 deficiency prior to using nitrous oxide anesthesia.

Nitrous oxide has also been shown to induce early stages of Olney's lesions in the brains of rats. However none of the lesions found were irreversible.[11]

Nitrous oxide is also a green house gas. According to 2006 data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, industrial sources make up only about 20% of all anthropogenic sources, and include the production of nylon, and the burning of fossil fuel in internal combustion engines. Human activity is thought to account for 30%; tropical soils and oceanic release account for 70%.[32] However, a 2008 study by Nobel Laureatte Paul Crutzen suggests that the amount of nitrous oxide release attributable to agricultural nitrate fertilizers has been seriously underestimated, most of which would presumably come under soil and oceanic release in the Environmental Protection Agency data.[33]


[edit] Legality
In the United States, possession of nitrous oxide is legal under federal law and is not subject to DEA purview.[34] It is, however, regulated by the Food and Drug Administration under the Food Drug and Cosmetics Act; prosecution is possible under its "misbranding" clauses, prohibiting the sale or distribution of nitrous oxide for the purpose of human consumption.

Many states have laws regulating the possession, sale, and distribution of nitrous oxide. Such laws usually ban distribution to minors or limit the amount of nitrous oxide that may be sold without special license.[citation needed] In most jurisdictions, such as at the federal level, sale or distribution for the purpose of recreational consumption is illegal.[34]

In some countries, it is illegal to have nitrous oxide systems plumbed into an engine's intake manifold. These laws are ostensibly used to prevent street racing and meet emission standards.

Nitrous oxide is entirely legal to possess and inhale in the United Kingdom, although supplying it to others to inhale, especially minors, is more likely to end up with a prosecution under the Medicines act.

In New Zealand, the Ministry of Health has warned that nitrous oxide is a prescription medicine, and its sale or possession without a prescription is an offense under the Medicines Act.[35] This statement would seemingly prohibit all non-medicinal uses of the chemical, though it is implied that only recreational use will be legally targeted.

In India, for general anaesthesia purposes, nitrous oxide is available as Nitrous Oxide IP. India's gas cylinder rules (1985) permit the transfer of gas from one cylinder to another for breathing purposes. This law benefits remote hospitals, which would otherwise suffer as a result of India's geographic immensity. Nitrous Oxide IP is transferred from bulk cylinders (17,000 liters capacity gas) to smaller pin-indexed valve cylinders (1,800 liters of gas), which are then connected to the yoke assembly of Boyle's machines. Because India's Food & Drug Authority (FDA-India) rules state that transferring a drug from one container to another (refilling) is equivalent to manufacturing, anyone found doing so must possess a drug manufacturing license.


[edit] History
The gas was first synthesized by English chemist and natural philosopher Joseph Priestley in 1775 [2], who called it phlogisticated nitrous air (see phlogiston). Priestley describes the preparation of "nitrous air diminished" by heating iron filings dampened with nitric acid in Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air (1775). Priestley was delighted with his discovery: "I have now discovered an air five or six times as good as common air... nothing I ever did has surprised me more, or is more satisfactory."[36]

Humphry Davy in the 1790s tested the gas on himself and some of his friends, including the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. They realized that nitrous oxide considerably dulled the sensation of pain, even if the inhaler were still semi-conscious. After it was publicized extensively by Gardner Quincy Colton in the United States in the 1840s, it came into use as an anaesthetic, particularly by dentists, who do not typically have access to the services of an anesthesiologist and who may benefit from a patient who can respond to verbal commands.


[edit] See also
Whipped-cream charger

[edit] References
^ 2007 IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) by Working Group 1 (WG1), Chapter 2 "Changes in Atmospheric Constituents and in Radiative Forcing" which contains information on global warming potential (GWP) of greenhouse gases.
^ Holleman, A. F.; Wiberg, E. (2001). Inorganic Chemistry. San Diego: Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-352651-5.
^ "George Poe is Dead". Washington Post. February 3, 1914. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/243050292.html?dids=243050292:243050292&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=FEB+03%2C+1914&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=GEORGE+POE+IS+DEAD&pqatl=google. Retrieved on 2007-12-29. "Cousin of Famous Poet and Noted as a Scientist. Inventor of the Respirator. Also First to Liquefy Nitrous Oxide. Cadet at Virginia Military Institute at Time of Battle of Newmarket. Mentioned for the Nobel Prize for Scientific Attainment in Chemistry. Prof. George Poe, a cousin of the poet Edgar Allan Poe, a noted scientist and inventor, who had been mentioned for the Nobel prize for scientific attainment, a former resident of Washington, died in Norfolk, Virginia, yesterday of general paralysis. Prof. Poe was in his sixty-eighth year."
^ "Nitrous oxide plant". Sanghi Organization. http://www.sanghioverseas.com/nitrous_oxide_gas_plants/nitrous_oxide_gas_plants.htm.
^ Synthesis of Nitrous Oxide by Oxidation of Ammonia T Suwa, A Matsushima, Y Suziki, Y Namina - Kohyo Kagaku Zasshi, 1961; Showa Denka Ltd.
^ Brozadzhiew & Rettos, 1975.
^ Reimer R. A.; Slaten C. S.; Seapan M.; Lower M. W.; Tomlinson P. E.; (1994). "Abatement of N2O emissions produced in the adipic acid industry". Environmental progress 13 (2): 134–137. doi:10.1002/ep.670130217.
^ .A. Shimizu, , K. Tanaka and M. Fujimori (2000). "Abatement of N2O emissions produced in the adipic acid industry". Chemosphere - Global Change Science 2 (3-4): 425–434. doi:10.1016/S1465-9972(00)00024-6.
^ AJ Giannini. Volatiles. In NS Miller (Ed.). A Comprehensive Handbook of Drug and Alcohol Addiction. NY, Marcel Dekker, 1991.
^ "Obtaining Nitrous Oxide". Just Say N2O. http://www.justsayn2o.com/nitrous.obtain.html. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
^ a b Jevtovic-Todorovic V, Beals J, Benshoff N, Olney J (2003). "Prolonged exposure to inhalational anesthetic nitrous oxide kills neurons in adult rat brain". Neuroscience 122 (3): 609–16. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2003.07.012. PMID 14622904.
^ a b Mennerick, S., Jevtovic-Todorovic, V., Todorovic, S.M., Shen, W., Olney, J.W. & Zorumski, C.F. (1998). "Effect of nitrous oxide on excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in hippocampal cultures". Journal of Neuroscience 18 (23): 9716–26. PMID 9822732. http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/18/23/9716.
^ Gruss, M., Bushell, T.J., Bright, D.P., Lieb, W.R., Mathie, A. & Franks, N.P. (2004). "Two-pore-domain K+ channels are a novel target for the anesthetic gases xenon, nitrous oxide, and cyclopropane". Molecular Pharmacology 65: 443–52. doi:10.1124/mol.65.2.443. PMID 14742687.
^ Emmanouil, D.E., Johnson, C.H. & Quock, R.M. (1994). "Nitrous oxide anxiolytic effect in mice in the elevated plus maze: mediation by benzodiazepine receptors". Psychopharmacology 115 (1-2): 167–72. doi:10.1007/BF02244768.
^ Zacny, J.P., Yajnik, S., Coalson, D., Lichtor, J.L., Apfelbaum, J.L., Rupani, G., Young, C., Thapar, P. & Klafta, J. (1995). "Flumazenil may attenuate some subjective effects of nitrous oxide in humans: a preliminary report". Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 51 (4): 815–9. doi:10.1016/0091-3057(95)00039-Y. PMID 7675863.
^ Berkowitz, B.A., Finck, A.D., Hynes, M.D. & Ngai, S.H. (1979). "Tolerance to nitrous oxide analgesia in rats and mice". Anesthesiology 51 (51): 309–12. doi:10.1097/00000542-197910000-00006.
^ a b Branda, E.M., Ramza, J.T., Cahill, F.J., Tseng, L.F. & Quock, R.M. (2000). "Role of brain dynorphin in nitrous oxide antinociception in mice". Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 65: 217–21. doi:10.1016/S0091-3057(99)00202-6.
^ Guo, T.Z., Davies, M.F., Kingery, W.S., Patterson, A.J., Limbird, L.E. & Maze, M. (1999). "Nitrous oxide produces antinociceptive response via alpha2B and/or alpha2C adrenoceptor subtypes in mice". Anesthesiology 90: 470–6. doi:10.1097/00000542-199902000-00022. PMID 9952154. http://www.anesthesiology.org/pt/re/anes/abstract.00000542-199902000-00022.htm.
^ Sawamura, S., Kingery, W.S., Davies, M.F., Agashe, G.S., Clark, J.D., Koblika, B.K., Hashimoto, T. & Maze, M. (2000). "Antinociceptive action of nitrous oxide is mediated by stimulation of noradrenergic neurons in the brainstem and activation of [alpha2B adrenoceptors]". J. Neurosci. 20 (24): 9242–51. PMID 11125002. http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/20/24/9242.
^ Criteria for a recommended standard: occupational exposure to waste anesthetic gases and vapors. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Center for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHEW (NIOSH) Publication No. 77B140.
^ Rowland AS, Baird DD, Weinberg CR, Shore DL, Shy CM, Wilcox AJ [1992]. Reduced fertility among women employed as dental assistants exposed to high levels of nitrous oxide. New Eng J Med 327(14):993B997.
^ Corbett TH, Cornell RG, Endres JL, Millard RI [1973]. Effects of low concentrations of nitrous oxide on rat pregnancy. Anesthesiology 39:299B301.
^ Vieira E [1979]. Effect of the chronic administration of nitrous oxide 0.5% to gravid rats. Br J Anaesth 51:283B287.
^ Vieira E, Cleaton-Jones JP, Austin JC, Moyes DG, Shaw R [1980]. Effects of low concentrations of nitrous oxide on rat fetuses. Anesth and Analgesia 59(3):175B177.
^ Vieira E, Cleaton-Jones P, Moyes D [1983]. Effects of low intermittent concentrations of nitrous oxide on the developing rat fetus. Br J Anaesth 55:67B69.
^ NIOSH Alert: Controlling Exposures to Nitrous Oxide During Anesthetic Administration. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 94-100 [1]
^ Air Liquid data on Nitrous oxide
^ vaseline triggered explosion of hybrid rocket
^ Safetygram 20: Nitrous Oxide
^ Nitrous Oxide Trailer Rupture July 2, 2001 Report at CGA Seminar “Safety and Reliability of Industrial Gases, Equipment and Facilities”, October 15 -17, 2001, St. Louis, Missouri by Konrad Munke, LindeGas AG
^ AJ Giannini. Drug Abuse. Los Angeles, Health Information Press,1999.
^ "Sources and Emissions -- Where Does Nitrous Oxide Come From?". U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2006. http://www.epa.gov/nitrousoxide/sources.html. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
^ "N2O release from agro-biofuel production negates global warming reduction by replacing fossil fuels". http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/8/389.
^ a b Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics: State Laws Concerning Inhalation of Nitrous Oxide
^ Beehive.govt.nz - Time's up for sham sales of laughing gas
^ J. R. Partington, A Short History of Chemistry, 3rd ed., Dover Publications, Inc., New York, New York, 1989, pp. 110-121.

[edit] External links
Occupational Safety and Health Guideline for Nitrous Oxide
Paul Crutzen Interview Freeview video of Paul Crutzen Nobel Laureate for his work on decomposition of ozone talking to Harry Kroto Nobel Laureate by the Vega Science Trust.
National Pollutant Inventory - Oxide of nitrogen fact sheet
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - Nitrous Oxide
Erowid article on Nitrous Oxide
[show]v • d • eDissociative hallucinogens

Kappa agonists Cyclazocine • Enadoline • HZ-2 • Salvinorin A • Pentazocine • Spiradoline • Tifluadom • U-50488

NMDA receptor antagonists 2-MDP • 4-MeO-PCP • 8a-Phenyldecahydroquinoline • Aptiganel • Dexoxadrol • Dextrorphan • Dextromethorphan • Dizocilpine • Esketamine • Etoxadrol • FPL-12495 • Gacyclidine • Ketamine • Memantine • NEFA • PCE • PCP • Remacemide • PCPy • Selfotel • TCP • Tiletamine

Others Efavirenz • Nitrous oxide • Xenon

[show]v • d • eE numbers

Colors (E100–199) • Preservatives (E200–299) • Antioxidants & Acidity regulators (E300–399) • Thickeners, stabilisers & emulsifiers (E400–499) • pH regulators & anti-caking agents (E500–599) • Flavour enhancers (E600–699) • Miscellaneous (E900–999) • Additional chemicals (E1100–1599)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Waxes (E900–909) • Synthetic glazes (E910–919) • Improving agents (E920–929) • Packaging gases (E930–949) • Sweeteners (E950–969) • Foaming agents (E990–999)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Calcium peroxide (E930) • Argon (E938) • Helium (E939) • Dichlorodifluoromethane (E940) • Nitrogen (E941) • Nitrous oxide (E942) • Butane (E943a) • Isobutane (E943b) • Propane (E944) • Oxygen (E948) • Hydrogen (E949)


[show]v • d • eAnesthetic: General anesthetics (N01A)

Inhalation Ethers Diethyl ether • Methoxypropane • Vinyl ether • halogenated ethers (Desflurane • Enflurane • Isoflurane • Methoxyflurane • Sevoflurane)

Haloalkanes Chloroform • Halothane # • Trichloroethylene

Others Cyclopropane • Ethylene • Nitrous oxide # • Xenon


Injection Barbiturates Hexobarbital • Methohexital • Narcobarbital • Thiopental #

Opioids Alfentanil • Anileridine • Fentanyl • Phenoperidine • Remifentanil • Sufentanil

Neuroactive steroids Alfaxalone • Minaxolone

Others Droperidol • Etomidate • Fospropofol • gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid • Ketamine # /Esketamine • Midazolam • Propanidid • Propofol


# = WHO-EM


Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrous_oxide"
Categories: Oxides | Nitrogen compounds | Aerosol propellants | Anesthetics | Dissociative drugs | Greenhouse gases | Nitrogen metabolism | NMDA receptor antagonists | Monopropellants | Rocket oxidizers | Inhalants | Occupational safety and health | Vehicle modification | World Health Organization essential medicines
Hidden categories: Articles that may contain original research from March 2009 | All articles that may contain original research | Wikipedia articles needing rewrite from March 2009 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from March 2009 | Articles with unsourced statements from February 2008 | Articles needing additional references from July 2007 | Articles with unsourced statements from May 2009 | Articles with unsourced statements from August 2007 | Articles with unsourced statements from April 2008 | Articles with unsourced statements from July 2008ViewsArticle Discussion Edit this page History Personal toolsLog in / create account Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Search
Interaction
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact Wikipedia
Donate to Wikipedia
Help
Toolbox
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Printable version
Permanent link
Cite this page
Languages
العربية
Bosanski
Български
Català
Česky
Dansk
Deutsch
Español
Esperanto
Français
Galego
한국어
Italiano
עברית
Lietuvių
Magyar
Nederlands
日本語
‪Norsk (bokmål)‬
Plattdüütsch
Polski
Português
Română
Русский
Simple English
Slovenčina
Slovenščina
Српски / Srpski
Suomi
Svenska
ไทย
Українська
اردو
粵語
中文

This page was last modified on 31 May 2009 at 23:10. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.)
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers

Charter BLOWS!!!!

My service has been out for hours and these deadheads could care less. "We are sorry for the outage" just doesnt't work for me. I had to call these Boneheads on my cell because my home number was dead, they finally fixed there crapy assed servive but still you pay for something and you get SHIT.....Charter SUCKS!!!!!

WHAT IF MY FUCKIN' house was on fire? I guess my cell would save my ass......did I say CHARTER SUCKS?

170 MPH.....that is nasty!!!!!!

A funny song!!!!!

Kick ass car!!!!!!

Kick Ass helicopter!!!!!

Faster than a ZO6 Corvette!!!!!!!!

Luxury and a Corvette Killer too.....I owned a 1990 Corvette Rag top and it was extremely fast but nothing even close to my 300C.



Oh and just a quick sidenote to an Ahole that owns a 'Vette, yes my 300C will walk all over your POS, and yes I am into faster cars and as you say it into "Myself", so just BITE me you little bald headed pervert. Your 'Vett isn't even a ZO6, so even a "stang" could take you, LMAO.

These are wicked cars!!!!!

Mine is putting out around 400 HP at the rear wheels thanks to some upgrades which include a Diablo programmer......makes for a nasty Mustang, Corvette killer....it puts out more power than my 1969 Charger R/T ........What a ride!!!!!

Why I closed my blog for the last week.

This post will not apply to the majority of the people that read my blog on a regular basis, but I shut it down because of a few people that were and are interfering in my life. For those few scumbags, go ahead and read.......I have logged your IPs, page views and time spent reading my blog, get a fucking life already!!!!

For the GOOD people, please continue to read and post, as I do to your blogs.

I refuse to let these few spoil my blogging, so if you don't like my blog, DON'T read it and find something better than stabbing people in the back......at least IF I stab you, I will stab you in the heart as I look you in the eye, you "Few" SUCK!!!!!

PISSED doesn't even come close to how I feel about your behavior.

I am opening my blog, so read every effing word, just don't leave any comments because I don't give three flying FUCKS what you "few" think, but I want the good people to understand this has nothing to do with you.

For the few (and you know who you are) don't start shit you can't finish, I think Mickey has something to say to you pigs.

Some ZZ Top

Anyone that knows me, knows that I have.........

I have been told that my whole life, so there must be something to it.

What most of world can do!

Notice the word comes from the Germans, and I am German.....so I say it proudly.




So if you don't like it FUCK YOU too

Hood is finished and looks awesome!!!!

A few pics since it is finished......








AND the snow tires are off the car and the SRT wheels and tires are back on for the season. Guess once a gearhead, always a gearhead.....I just like fast cars, always have and always will.

My Hood is on the car.....not painted but it fits perfect!!!!

In the body shop.....it fits perfect just needs some paint.

Muscle cars, Camaro wins and I know someone who wants one!!!!

KICK SOME ASS AND TAKE NAMES.......



and another review of this KICKASS car.....

More of my youth......I love music

Some KICKASS music since I cannot sleep, HOLY SHIT I need to get up in a few hours....oh well, another day tired......



Part 2.......

New Hood is here!!!

Adds another 15 HP and looks really cool too, should be on the car in the next week or so. Adding a Diabo programmer, and jumping to 93 octane fuel, it should run 11 seconds at the track. It will already run 140 on cheap gas and it rides like a dream, thanks to German engineering.

I love this thing.

Dyno results

I put my 300C on the dyno yesterday and it puts out 304 HP at the wheels on 87 octane fuel. I am adding a Ramair hood and Diablo preditor progammer which should run the power up to around 450 HP at the rear wheels. That is over 600 HP at the crank.

The downside is I will need to run 93 octane fuel but the car should go 170 MPH, it already will run 140 MPH, not bad for a luxury car. 5.7 Hemis ROCK. I hope it will run around 11 seconds at the track in October.

Another bunch of idiots in the dumper: HSBC Holdings PLC HBC:NYSE

This is another bank that BLOWS CHUNKS....I just kicked them to the curb.

I am amazed that as the banking toilet flushes, these banks treat good customers like garbage. Once again, I voted with my money and told these morons to SHOVE IT.

I will LMAO when HBC is trading as low as Bank of America, you idiots are well on your way. I am not alone, the markets must agree....other investers agree it appears:

HSBC Holdings PLC HBC:NYSE Education help is ON
Sector: Financial Industry: Regional Banks
25.50 -1.12 -4.21% 6,036,705
26.62
Previous Close
26.48
Day High
24.92
Day Low

1.21 Beta (5yr)

88.15/5/2/08 52wk High/Date
24.92/3/6/09 52wk Low/Date
61.9 Billion
Market Capitalization
2.4 Billion
Shares Outstanding
75.70
Volatility Avg (20 day)

7.0 Million
Avg Vol (10 day)
10.8x
P/E Ratio
2.35
EPS (TTM)

0.50 (5/6/09)
Declared QRTR Div

Declared Dividend
12.55%
Yield
3/18/2009

I cannot wait to see you right there with Bank of America trading around $3.00/share, and your moronic workers out of work. HSBC YOU SUCK too.

Have we bottomed out?

Can it go lower?

Dow Jones Industrial Average
6,726.02 -37.27 / -0.55%

Mar 3 4:02pm ET †
Open: 6,764.81
High (day): 6,855.29
Low (day): 6,705.63
YTD%Change: -23.36%
Volume: 445,283,252.00
Prev. Close: 6,726.02
52-Week Range (Low - High): 6,705.63 - 13,136.69

I think the market is close to the bottom, I am watching it closely looking for signs that it is getting ready to rebound. When it looks like it is ready, I will jump back in.

I dumped when the DOW was around 13000 and my investment guy begged me to stay and he doesn't call lately....gee I wonder why? Some people think the DOW could drop another 3000, so who really knows what could happen but I remain hopeful. Watching with a hopeful eye.

One of favorite RC planes

This is one kick ass plane

For Jennifer

Bank of America is officially in the shitter!

I said months ago that Bank of America was sucking wind when they were trading at an all time low of just over $10.00 per share and I was right on.....today this crappy bank is trading under $4.00/share. Good luck you POS of a comapany.

Your stats speak volumes:

BAC quote (NYSE Exchange)3.95 unch
After Hours: 3.89 -0.06 / -1.52% Vol. 387,115
Previous Close 3.95 Bid 3.84
fyi Open 4.25 Bid Size 1,000
Day's High 4.89 Ask 3.89
Day's Low 3.95 Ask Size 1,000
Volume 4,700 52 Week High 43.46
Avg. Daily Vol. (13 wk.) 268.55 Mil 52 Week Low 2.53
BAC Intraday Chart5d 1m 3m 1y 3y 5y 10y Beta 1.77
fyi Dividend & Yield 0.04 (1.01%)
Earnings/Share 0.62
Forward P/E 2.22
Market Cap. 25.25 Bil
P/E 7.18
Return on Equity 1.81
Total Shares Out. 6.39 Bil

I said you sucked at 10 bucks a share, now at under 4 bucks you blow chunks!!!! I am thinking my piggy bank is worth more than your sorry ass company.

Bad Dreams........

Yes I am having bad dreams, so I am wide awake and this is the song that comes to mind at the moment......and why I sleep with a 9MM and a Doberman Pincher on duty, but I have good reasons for that too...the relatives from HELL, go figure Just great.



Hope you are having a better night, sweet dreams!!!!

There is nothing I can do about now......

I have always loved Willie and lately this song has been in heart....so to those who feel hurt this is for you...

Boys and their toys......What can I say?

I just bought my newest Helicopter(s), one for outdoor fun and one for indoor (and cold weather) My new ourdoor toy......




My new indoor toy........




And my first heli..............



There are my heli toys......but I cannot wait to fly this bad boy......



OK, so I am just a kid at heart....is that a problem?

Bank of America REALLY does suck pond water!!!!

I have been bad mouthing Bank of America for a while now, for personal reasons mind you. Apparently, Wall Street doesn't like them much either. Their stock is trading near it's lowest in a very long time OFF 70.3% in the last 12 months.



When you treat customers like dirt, they vote with their dollars and Bank of America should note that America has voted you out, why, because your company SUCKS. I should have "sold short" about 50,000 shares before your stock got flushed down the toilet. You have no one to blame, you did it to yourselves and you deserve your place in the stock market, which is at the bottom of the pond. HA HA

Stock Activity
Last Price 10.65
52 Week High 45.08
52 Week Low 10.01
Volume 242.95 Mil
Average Daily Volume (13wk) 112.33 Mil
50 Day Moving Average 15.71
200 Day Moving Average 27.33
Volatility (beta) 1.20


Stock Price History
Change Relative Strength
Last 3 Months -49.9% 12
Last 6 Months -43.3% 41
Last 12 Months -70.3% 24
As they say "That's gunna leave a mark", LMAO at you fools.

"Wild" and fun week.

What a great week!!!!. Jennifer and her crew just left (UGH) but we had a great week and New Year celebration. One of the funniest moments happened in my car, Jennifer was playing with my satellite radio stations and a song I had never heard came on and the chorus from the back seat came on......"TURN THAT UP!!!!!!!!". Next thing you know the mirrors are vibrating and the car is shaking, I laughed until my tummy hurt......here is the song they were "shaking" the car to.

For M & B:




It really was funny, and they will torture their older brother (18) soon with this utube video. He is into heavy metal and will be rolling his eyes and telling them they are stupid. GO M & B, torture J, LMAO.

Fun things we did:

----- Went Bowling
----- Saw "Marley and Me", followed by Applebee's for dinner.
----- Shared dinner with my mother, Honey Baked Ham with Jennifer's potato casserole, corn, green beans, desserts.....YUMMY!!!!!!!!
----- Played "King's Corners"
----- Played "Uno Attack"...M's Christmas gift from me.
----- Played "Uno Flash"....B's Christmas gift from me.
----- Played "Uno"
----- Played "Jenga"
----- Played "Go Fish"
----- Played "Old Maid"
----- Kids played with their Play Station games.
----- Kids and me flew "indoor" helicopters, they have "Air Hogs" and I have a "Blade CX2" and a "Blade MCX" micro heli.....DROVE Jennifer insane.


----- I grilled chicken and steaks, not bragging but those guys are pigs......they eat MORE than I can!!!!!!
----- We ate "Runts" while playing card games.
----- We ate chips and dip whenever we felt like it, LOL.
----- Jennifer texted her brother that I said the Vikings BLOW, LOL, Sorry M but they are losing as I write this, BUT I am (well, kinda sorta rooting for your team) even though I would never tell you that.


The rest is history, we are engaged after a year long courtship (well almost) but still we will get married in 09', just not sure when.

So this is for you Jennifer........



Love you Sweetie,

Ron

Dear Bank of America......

You recently declined me credit because of my former spouse's actions in 1995. I recounted those events and you still declined me credit. My FICO score is currently 761. That is better than most, even after an ugly divorce.

You can do as you wich and since the internet is a free place to tell the world the truth, I can tell anyone and everyone that your company SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can "Lick my nutsack" and since my blind mother currently banks with you Morons, I will drive her to Regions bank after the holidays so she can move her money out of your bank. If you really wanted to deny credit to someone, you should go after my deadbeat ex-wife, you apparently would rather hold me accountable for her bad debts after over 13 years of divorce.

The nice thing about the internet and blogging is that I tell the entire world that you SUCK and there is nothing you can do to stop me.

The day Bank of America goes under will be a good day. Your company BLOWS.

I need "Some Beach"

It is officially winter in the midwest. I just got off the highway after spending hours in traffic jams due to ice on the roads. Five hours to go 50 miles and I need "Some Beach".....or may not....maybe just warmer than 19 with ice would work.

Mustang Killer

Yeah, I am a speed freak and I spanked another "lame" stock Mustang GT today. I put my snow tires on yesterday so my 300C looks like a normal 300, but the "kid" in the Mustang got a NASTY surprise from this car. It has a 5.7 Hemi with a "Cold air" induction system and an exhuast system that will fool most takers. HA HA to lame 'Stangs'

Snow shoes:




SRT Tires:




Cold Air system:



Warning that this is a rather "NASTY" car:



Pipes that are hard to see but can be heard when the foot stomps on the gas:




This is one "BAD SRT" you really don't wanna mess with, the part I like is it doesn't look fast but you nail the gas and the HEMI just goes.

Innocent looking:



I know most reader have no clue what "SRT" means so here it is.....for Dodge/Crysler it means "Special Racing Team" and seeing this car go proves it, yet staying off the throttle nets 25-26 MPG on the road......




It works for me!!!!

GM is about to go "Under", I wonder why?

On my way home tonight, I passed a GMC Envoy, I would guess a 2007 or newer model with a burned out headlight. A car/truck less than two years old with a burnout light.

If I owned it, I would be really pissed. The word on the street is that General Motors is going down soon. I am guessing it might have something to do with the "quality" of product they produce. I have owned my share of GM built products and the one thing I always had problems with was electrical and lighting problems.

Back in the 70's when I was a mechanic that was one of the most common problems we saw with GM cars, lighting and electical issues, some 25 years later they still have the same issues. Some things never cahnge, or do they? Yeah, the company is almost out of business, I think people are sick of crappy cars.

Although my car was built in Cananda and sayes Chyrsler, it is 100% Mercedes desighned, I am proud to be a German. I just hope my lights don't burn out any time soon. Good luck GM.

Same stuff......different day

Ugh, more of the same. It is early in the day but it looks like another bad day on Wall Street.

DJIA
8,704
-131.73 -1.49%S&P 500
902.25
-9.04 -0.99%NASDAQ
1,554
-42.56 -2.67%NYSE
5,579
-137.28 -2.40%

UPDATE.......it gets worse


8,572
-263.63 -2.98%S&P 500
878.10
-33.19 -3.64%NASDAQ
1,530
-66.35 -4.16%NYSE
5,487
-229.07 -4.01%

Glad I am out, if you didn't bail when the market was good, hang on as it will improve it will just take time.

Holy ekkkkkkkkkkkkk the markets are going down!!!

The futures look bad. I bailed out when the Dow was around 13K, it is down to 8Kish and dropping like a rock.....the world markets are taking a bath. Wal-mart is blaming currucy conversions and Intel is taking a bath.

The markets all look bad but they will rebound eventually and when they do I will buy back my shares but until then I will sit on the sidelines.

I hate Bank of America

They did something so shocking that I closed my account and will never do business with them no matter what they change their name to next week.

Since this is a public blog I cannot share any details, but they know what they did and shame on them. I might even call the BBB and file a complaint.

So Bank of America, I hope you see this and know I am waving my middle finger at you morons.

For my "LADY"

This blog has evolved from one of grief to one of passion. I write about things I love (mostly) Jennifer, but also fast cars......financial news........my wonderful puppy (big sigh) Yes, Penny I love you even when you are a royal pain in the ass.

This post is for "My Lady"......Jennifer, who has brought joy and happiness to my life. I love you Sweetie!!!!!

Black Friday

This graph shows the last six month how the DOW has tracked. All the economic indicators were there as early as January and signs finally hit the markets like a freight train. I wish the news was better but it is not. In my opinion, panic selling is driving this downturn as people try to cut their losses when in reality their hitting the panic button will cost them more over time and the savvy investors will cherry pick the markets for bargains once this crisis passes. That is my plan anyway.

Markets Overview

DJIA
8,451
-128.00 -1.49%

S&P 500
899.22
-10.70 -1.18%

NASDAQ
1,650
+4.39 +0.27%

NYSE
5,704
-105.85 -1.82%

Bad News!!!!!!

DJIA
8,579.19 -678.91

NASDAQ
1,645.12 -95.21

S&P
909.92 -75.02

Today’s numbers…pretty bad. If these trends continue, we will be at post 9/11 numbers pretty quickly. The short sellers have been shut down, DUH, they were making fortunes on a falling market. I bailed from the stock market back when the DOW was around 13.5 AGAINST my planners advice, if you stayed in, my advice is "ride it out" if you can. It will come back eventually.
Where is the bottom? Nobody really knows but when it hits bottom, I will buy back what I had at a handsome discount and profit nicely. I hope you are all watching the markets daily, I am looking for another 1987!!!!! THAT was ugly, just watch your money please.
Please be careful, our economy is "iffy" at best…..I think it is going to get much before it gets better. Good luck.
Ron

Quick Silver!!!!!

That is what Jennifer named my new car!!!! QUICK SILVER and it is bad to the bone. It will run the quarter mile in less than 13 seconds, that is one effing fast four door sedan. I am pleased with my new HOT ROD. This car runs like a RAPED APE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oppsy, my tires slipped!!!!

That is gunna leave a mark!!!!! Close to 400 HP will do that.

For Jennifer!!!!!

Black Betty

she will get it!!!!!!

Kiss my Glock

OK, I admit Ted is a little over the top, but at least he says what he thinks....and he has some really cools guns and he can shoot too. I guess I am twisted but I really like the guy, we are probably both on some "watch list", oh well, KISS MY GLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just one more reason I love Ted Nugent

He still rocks after all these years, and gets trashed for his beliefs.....Rock on
Ted!!!!

Some more awesome Ted......

Life is funky (not fair)

Yes life is not fair:

The love of my life will have been dead four years in a short time, September 14 to be exact. Carol died September 14, 2004. I will always miss her.

Four years later, I am engaged to be married!!! Her Ring is perfect, she picked it out and I must say WOW, it is stunning. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would get married again, but I am.

We were planning for April or June of 09, but as time goes by I think it will be sooner, and much colder(BRRRRRRRRRRR) We shall see but either way, I will be happy. Jennifer makes me happy!!!

Song of the day

I love Toby Keith.....so here is the song of the day.

Maytag BLOWS

I will NEVER buy another Maytag appliance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They were bouhgt out a few years ago but still they can piss in my boots. I have an electric range that has had a problem since "DAY ONE" and they refuse to fix it (they do say there is a problem with that model). BIG FUCKING DEAL Maytag. Suck my nut sack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your Company BLOWS........

They won't fix it so they can lick me.....that POS goes out with a HUGE sign (as I promished them) When my Maytag Dishwaher, and my Neptune Washer and Dryer die, piss up a rope.....my money will not got to your Company.

Maytag BLOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I KNOW why I am not a plumber!!!!!!!

I have not posted for a while for a number of reasons, mostly because half the time my Internet connection is either down or slower than "dial-up" (I hate my Internet provider). Anyway, beyond that issue, I have been too busy so I just have not been online much.

Earlier today, I was going to take my mother to the post office and some other stores she needed to stop at, no biggie. Then she asked "while you are here, could you look at my bathroom faucet? The cold water knob won't come on". "Sure, mom, No Problem". UGH, I figure I can put in a new water valve (an easy fix, right?) NOT. The valve is frozen, so I try to turn off the shut off valve so I can remove it.

That is when the fun began, the water shut off is also frozen. OK, SCREW IT. "Mom, where is your main water shut off? She doesn't have a clue. I find the main and turn off the water to her house, then I get the big pliers out to shut off the valve under the sink. SNAP, the effing valve breaks, OH SHIT!!!!! I explain that I need to replace both valves AND the faucet......off to the home center for parts.....

Now, with parts in hand I rip the whole thing apart and install new parts, BUT the sink is "kinda rusty", I put it back together but I just know this piece of SHIT is going to leak....sure enough it did. "Mom, your sink is rusted out and I can't fix it tonight, I will try to find you a new one, but it is late and I cannot fix it tonight".

Off I go to Home Depot for a new sink. I find one, buy it and tomorrow I will rip it all back apart, tear the rusty, leaky sink out and start over. She will have a nifty new sink, new faucet, new braided supply lines, new shut off valves, basically the whole mess will be brand new.

It will be fixed correctly BUT now I KNOW WHY I am not a plumber!!!!

Happy Trails,


Ron

For Mark and Carol

Music speaks to me, so I seem to post music videos on my blog. Lately, I have been thinking about lost loved ones.....mostly Carol but I have lost other loved ones as we all have. I know Jennifer thinks of Mark often and we both miss our spouses, so this song is for Carol and Mark, we will see you when God calls us to Heaven.



For other widow(er)s who listen to the words to this song, I hope it brings you comfort and peace. I always liked this song even before I "knew" death.

If only life were this simple.........

I always loved this song and associated it with good times in my life. Unfortunately, if assholes could fly, my life would be an airport right now.

Penny, my new Doberman

"Can I have another treat please?"


"Let's play Dad"




Penny and Oscar, her Bichon buddy playing "Hey that's MY TOY, give it back". They are great friends and play well together.

For my Sweetie!!!!

Yes Penny......this is all about you!!!!! I am so happy you came into my life.

Radar Love

Enough said.......just how I feel this morning.....



One person will "get it"

Life is good.......

Words that would not have rolled off my tongue nearly four years ago, I simply wanted to curl up and die. I have lived and learned so much since September 14, 2004...the day my true love died.

Carol, I will always love you but you were called to Heaven much to early. One day we shall meet again and I have no idea what it will be like but I know it will be much better than the pain and suffering here on Earth. So until then, just know that I love you and miss you but......I must make the best of what is left here for me.

I have a new doggie, her name is Penny. I am certain she was a gift from God. I have a new Lady in my life, her name is Jennifer, I am certain she is also a gift from God.

Life is good.....but I still miss you.

These songs are for Carol, Jennifer and Penny......I love you all!!!

Tuesday Afternoon

Beyond the obvious, can you tell I am bored? Must be something about Tuesdays.

My next Toy

Yup, I am getting one.

For Jennifer..............

Not much to say.......will let the music say it for me.......



PS:I LOVE YOU

This is Friggin' Hysterical!!!

This was e-mailed to me by a person that is almost as demented as me.

This is the greatest application .....what a guy!!! He should live to be a really old fella with that attitude!

This is an actual job application that a 75 year old senior citizen submitted to Walmart in Benton Arkansas.They hired him because he was so funny.....


NAME: Kenneth Way (Grumpy Old Bastard)

SEX: Not lately, but I am looking for the right woman (or at least one who will cooperate)

DESIRED POSITION: Company's President or Vice President. But seriously, whatever's available . If I was in a position to be picky, I wouldn't be applying here in the first placeï

DESIRED SALARY: $185,000 a year plus stock options and a Michael Ovitz style severance package. If that's not possible, make an offer and we can haggle

EDUCATION: Yes.

LAST POSITION HELD: Target for middle management hostility.

PREVIOUS SALARY: A lot less than I'm worth.

MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: My incredible collection of stolen pens and post-it notes.

REASON FOR LEAVING your last job.: It licked

HOURS AVAILABLE TO WORK: Any.

PREFERRED HOURS: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL SKILLS?:Yes, but they're better suited to a more intimate environment .

MAY WE CONTACT YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER?: If I had one, would I be here

DO YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD PROHIBIT YOU FROM LIFTING UP TO 50 lbs.?:Of what

DO YOU HAVE A CAR?:I think the more appropriate question here would be 'Do you have a car that runs?'

HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY SPECIAL AWARDS OR RECOGNITION?: I may already be a winner of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes, so they tell me

DO YOU SMOKE?: On the job - no On my breaks - yes!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN FIVE YEARS?: Living in the Bahamas with a fabulously wealthy dumb oversexed blonde supermodel with great breasts who thinks I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually, I'd like to be doing that now.

NEAREST RELATIVE......17 miles

DO YOU CERTIFY THAT THE ABOVE IS TRUE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE?:Oh yes, absolutely.

Another sleepless night

More strange dreams, this one was vivid and I remember details. I have been awake since 3 am trying to figure out what the hell it means.

I wouldn't call it a nightmare but just weird, how can people from different years in one's life come together into a dream? My ex-wife, my kids, Carol and my stepsons, Jennifer and her kids and my new Dobie (that I will not get until Friday) WTF?

Most nights I seem to sleep just fine but not tonight (this morning), is it being a widower? Is it, is it, is it?

Who knows, but yesterday was a wonderful day and perhaps knowing that the weather today is going to crappy plays. UGH, maybe I can still catch a few winks before sunrise.

Strange, very strange.

The new Lady in my life.

She is a beautiful four year old Dobie. She recently lost her home and I am adopting her. I should be able to begin being her "dad" in about a week, she needs to be spayed before coming to live with me. Here are some photos of my new lady. Here name is Nicki and I cannot wait to have her living with me.

A song about my mother's neighbor

Blowin' off more steam

Awake early again, trying to blow off some steam. I am sick of people trying to get a free ride off of others. I hope when I get to my mother's house later today that her SCUMBAG neighbor is not home because I might just kick his sorry ass.

Instincts always seem correct, I didn't like him from day one and it proved right. I just need to set him straight. I shouldn't be put in this position but I cannot stand around while he takes advantage of my mother. I will do what must be done.

Back to blowin' off some steam........



BTW, Anyone remember this group or song? Nevermind, guess I am getting old, LOL. Name that group and song. Let me make it even harder, name that truck, doubt anyone can but go ahead, the insignia is in the video (OK,OK not fair because I used to work on those Gawdam monsters) Ugh, I hated trucks and their flat tires.

Sorry to be short but.........

As promised I am following up:

1) I miss Jennifer, enough to make me sad and pissy.
2) My stepson only calls for money, last time I looked my forehead did not say "The Bank of Ron", sorry but I am out of that business Nick.
3) I need to help my mother, her "helpful" neighbor is taking advantage of her.

I would and could say much more but I cannot or will not.

Ron

Strange Weekend

I am pondering my weekend with mixed emotions, overall wonderful but with a couple catches. I will write about the entire thing later but for now I need to listen to some LOUD music from my college days and think about it all.
Namely:

1) I had a wonderful weekend with Jennifer.
2) I received yet another demand for cash from my stepsons.
3) My mother was taken advantage of by one of her "douche bag" neighbors.



More later when I verbalize my emotions and decide what to do.

One of my last good memories of Carol

I guess this is turning into a video blog but who cares? I recall holding Carol's hand while this song played on the radio in her new "kick ass" SUV that I bought her...oh how I wish we could have that again.



I really miss that sassy woman!!!

Almost 4 years later, I have my hands full!!!

Bad Dreams...........

For the past few weeks I have been having nightmares.....waking between 2 am and 4 am and I am just weak and tired. They never make sence, and I cannot recall detail once wide awake.

I try to go back to sleep but in the end I am just exhausted!!!



Sandman............PLEASE GO AWAY!!!!! No wonder I sleep with a 9MM, yet you cannot shoot and kill things in your head. I hate bad dreams, time to load the shotgun I guess.

And more music, this kicks ass!!!!

'nuff said



JENNIFER!!! You know exactly what that means.

Just enjoying music these days

Not much to say, just enjoying the warm weather and good music



Life can still be good even after losing my dear Carol.

Changes.................

Changes…………widowhood changes us. We all know it but we all move through it differently. I am not the same person I was when Carol died. I have been to Hell and back since she died but I survived and today I can laugh, cry, remember her, cherish her and not feel bad about feeling good about my “new life”.
I know Carol would want me to be happy, and I am trying to do just that. That is what I would want for her if I had died.

The last few months more changes, more changes, I hate change but this is different. Changes that I can handle from day to day. Just tiny little things such as better weather, less stress, more music, spring blossoms, new friends, letting go of certain things in my life and a new person that can put up with the likes of me, Prayers answered?

I have a new female in my life, her name is Jennifer and she makes me laugh more than ever since Carol died and that is a change I like. Remember I hate change but I need to roll with this……it is different. She is a very special, a caring Lady that somehow “gets” me, and for that I am grateful.

So, my point is change is not always bad (other than losing our spouse) but for now I will enjoy this new change in my life……



There it is, it for the whole world to see but especially for you Jennifer.

Stupid lawnmower!!!

I posted the following on the YWBB:

"Yesterday, I rolled out the riding mower that we bought right after we got married and engage the mowing deck and SNAP the belt breaks. I put it back in the garage and go in search of the owner’s manual. I determined that trying to fix it myself was out of the question.

I look at the receipt, and a flood of emotions rolls out. I could see Carol driving the stupid thing around the yard and court with glee, she wouldn’t mow but she sure enjoyed driving the damned thing. Now the mower is in the shop and if I am lucky I will get back in (drum roll) a month.

The grief or just the memories really choked me up, she died almost four years ago and silly things can still kick me in gut.

Stupid lawn mower did it this time."

GRIEF SUCKS

Only a gay man would act like this........

I love the Rolling Stones but Mick Jagger must be gay........



Ya think? Sorry Mick the tights just don't work for me and what is up with the "fake package"? I bet your groupies are shocked when they see the needle.

I got tagged by Lisa so here goes..............

What I was doing 10 years ago – 1998
1) Proposed to Carol in May
2) Married Carol on October, 10
3) Went to court because my ex wanted more $$$$
4) Bought another rental property
5) Had a wonderful "first" Christmas with Carol and the boys


Five things on my to-do list today
1)Make said to-do list, LOL
2) Called my Doctor
3) Loaded and actually ran the dishwasher
4) Laundry
5)Checked on my mother
****Did all of them, BTW

Snacks I enjoy
1) Popcorn
2) Peanuts
3) Smoked Almonds
4) Chips and Salsa
5) Pie (not telling what kind though)

Things I would do if I were a billionaire
1) Buy a few fast (make that really fast) cars
2) Tell Bill Gates to shove Windows up his ass (would offer to help)
3) Would "set my mother up for life"
4) Sponsor the "MOTHER OF ALL BAGOS", everyone invited
5) Start a scholarship in Carol’s name for kids of widows and widowers

Five of my bad habits
1) I eat way too much junk food
2) I crash too many R/C Airplanes
3) Did I mention I eat way too much junk food?
4) I still smoke, GRRRRRRRRRRR
5) I drive like a maniac and just had to pay for a speeding ticket

Five places I have lived
1) California
2) Kansas
3) Iowa
4) Florida
5) Missouri

Five jobs I've had
1) Mechanic (in high school)
2) Body shop worker (in college)
3) Restaurant manager (first job out of college)
4) A ton of jobs for Fortune 500 Food Company
5) Landlord

Five people I taggeed:
1) Anniegirl
2) Rob
3) Chris (I would have done Nancy but I think she was already marked)
4) Laurazoo
5) Kurt

Time marches on!!!!

Not sleeping well again, not sure why, is it grief? Wish I knew, I wake up wondering lately. I wonder and try to figure it out. When Carol first died, I found myself sleepless often but always found someone to chat with even in the wee hours of the night.

Those people are gone from my life and I wish them the best, perhaps their grief has past. I sometimes wonder why people whom comforted us after our loss just go away, but they do. Many of the people that helped me through my early grief have just gone from my life. I grieve losing them; they really helped me through my darkest hours.

This time last year I was meeting my former SO in the place we first met, just about halfway geographically at the time. Memories I will never forget…..all good memories.

Fast forward to today, that is gone and I have a new SO, I love her and am hopeful for a future with her. We laugh, we cry, mostly we laugh, she is wonderful. My biggest concern is that while I am going to hit four years soon, she is a bit behind me time wise in her grief. I just think time will tell….but as widowed I think we are all hopeful….I am hopefull.

Ron

Spring "to do" list

Spring is here; nice thunderstorm at 3 am kept me awake. Ron is going to need a nap and what a perfect day for one, misty rainy yucky outside. I need to make a “to do” list for spring:

--- Change oil and rotate tires on my truck
--- Wash my truck and get winter salt off
--- Change oil and install new belts on riding mower
--- Buy fresh fuel for mowers, trimmer, leaf blower
--- Fix the chain saw so I can…..
--- Trim Carol’s “AWFUL” plants behind the deck (secretly still hoping it will kill the damned things)
--- Drain the hot tub and refill with fresh water UGH!!
--- Clean and organize the garage AGAIN!!!
--- Probably mow next weekend
--- Go flying, or crash another plane

I really do love spring

For our brave soldiers......may you kick ass and take names

A video dedicated to our brave soldiers, kick ass and take names or just kick some ass guys. My son will soon be deployed and I pray for his safety.......so for all our troops. This vid is for your

Happy Easter

I wanted to wish anyone that stops by Happy Easter!

I enjoyed spending the day with my mother. We talked about Carol and much we miss her, Mom wanted to visit her grave in spite of the cold and rain so I took her and she just lost it. I think she needed a good cry. I am worried about my Mom’s health, she is almost 73 and has a number of health issues. She is always tired and insists she won’t be around much longer. I just wonder if there is "something" she is not telling me and I worry.

I wish I could have spent the day with my Sweetie, but she went to her sister’s for a family gathering there. Maybe next year

Feel free to add me to your blog, and let me know if you would like me to add your blog

If you want to add me to you blog....feel free. If you want me to add you to mine, leave a comment with a link and I will add you to mine. I enjoy so many blogs and have learned much from so many. Below is what I posted on the YWBB.
---------------------------------
To fellow widow/widower bloggers, I read and “lurk” on many blogs. I would like to add links from my blog to other widow blogs but will not do that without permission of the blog owners.

If you wish (or don’t mind me adding) a link to your blog, either post a link here or send me a PM. For those of you that want to add a link to mine, feel free. I find the collective of our thoughts comforting and many of us post thoughts that either do not belong on the YWBB or we hesitate to post there.

If you want me to add a link to your blog, either post a link here or PM.

Ron

More of my sick and twisted humor

You will either love or hate this video. If you love it, you have joined the ranks of the sick and twisted and if not, go read a boring blog (J/K).

My new toy

I doubt this will interest most but I love flying remote control airplanes. I seem to crash more than I fly but I still love the hobby. I recently bought a new plane but the damned thing has a "glitch", cheap electronics, I had to exchange the first two and the third proved equally inferior with "glitching".

"glitching" means that the receiver on the plane picks up interference that causes problems controlling the plane, thus it jumps around. The company that builds the models denies that a problem exists but just put the bird in the air and watch it “glitch”. No big deal if you have enough altitude but upon landing or low altitude fun you risk a crash.

I finally installed new electronics, 2.4 Spektrum to be exact. A damned computer system!!!!! Still have not figured it all out yet but it worked better than the cheap crap that comes with the plane “out of the box”

Anyway, here is a cool video of someone flying the same plane, I love this model. Very cool for a cheap toy.

3 1/2 years ago today.

Three and a half years ago today, the love of my life died. It is hard to believe it is possible that much time has passed and I am still standing. She was the woman I planned to grow old with. I will grow old (however long that is) with fond memories of her though. I will always love you Carol.

It is hard to believe just how much has changed since she died. I had a relationship that lasted over two years. Ultimately that ended but it was comforting at the time and I have no regrets. It showed me that I could love and be loved again. I learned many things about grief and myself (some good, some not so much) but I am sure Carol would have approved.

I am now in a second relationship since Carol’s death and I have no clue where it will go but it feels right and I am sure Carol would approve.

One thing I know for sure is that Carol is with me always, right here in my heart. I love you Carol.

LOUD and PROUD.....Part 2

More LOUD music and Cars......it is what I am about. Carol never bitched when I gave her a Corvette ragtop for her birthday. She never complained about my need for speed, although I was very practical "most" of the time. She did love the 'Vette I gave her, that woman could shift gears faster than most men, all six.

Smart Blonde chick that can run a Corvette to over a 100 MPH, yup Ron is just a putty in her hands. Carol, this is all about you and my missing you dear.......I will always love you

LOUD and PROUD.......a blast from my youth.

Today I just needed to revisit my youth and this song is a favorite. It reminds me of my carefree days when LOUD music, FAST cars, FASTER girls and cold beer were what I lived for. I was a rowdy one, but I sure as hell had some fun. If you like Lynyrd Skynyrd you will enjoy this video. Come on CRANK IT UP, you know you want to.


This was what I drove back in those days, or should I say RACED. I still love fast cars.

The Spring of my widowhood

On the eve of spring, I have been thinking about the seasons and grief. I have always loved spring and fall. Summer is fine but the humidity here can be brutal. I never much liked winter because I hate cold weather.

As the seasons relate to my grief, I think I am finally beginning to feel like it is spring in my life. A time when things begin to grow. Flowers bloom, the grass greens up, the trees blossom and regain their leaves. It is a time of renewal. After 3 ½ years being a widower and I am finally feeling some renewal in my life. I feel alive once again. I met Carol in the spring of the year and although I miss her now as spring approaches, my heart is not heavy with grief as it once was.

This fall, Carol will have been gone for four years. I hope this fall at four years that I can remember her with a smile and the sadness of losing her will not cloud the beauty that fall brings and that she so dearly loved.

The market did it again, go figure?

Dow
-146.70
-1.22%
11,893.69
NASDAQ
-8.01
-0.36%
2,212.49
S&P
-10.97
-0.84%
1,293.37

I know this is going to sound awful but since I bailed out at 13K I want the market to drop like a rocket. When it is stable again (I think it will tank around 10ish) then I will come back and reap a harvest.

Yup, I am a Bear right now. When the market changes, I will become a Bull again. What difference does it make either I growl or I am full of shit? Been told both many times, LOL, and I know both are true. Bear......Bull.....either way just keep an eye out.

Today I say bear, tomorrow is another day where it could change to Bull or Bullshit. Oh wait.....now it is Saturday, we have to wait a few days for it to start over again......damn.

More rantings tomorrow, assuming I am still kicking (OK morbid widow humor). One sleeplesss widower signing off in the wee hours, but I promise I will be back to "mess" with you again.

Ron

Watch your piggy banks

Crude oil hit another record high overnight, almost $106 a barrel!!!! Seems it doesn’t take much to make the market jittery these days. This happened on news of a bombing of a military recruiting center near Times Square and uncertainty as to what OPEC might do with production.

The US Dollar hit another low against the Euro as well. I guess we will be shipping cheaper goods overseas? But what can we ship out? US companies have already moved operations out of the US. I am amazed that anyone here even has a job. One of these days we will all work for Wal-Mart.

The financial markets are not looking so hot either, so I think the Dow and Nasdaq will close lower today and will close lower for the week again. Watch your piggy bank folks.

-------------

Edited to add today's market closings:

Dow 12040.39 -214.60 -1.75%
Nasdaq 2222.50 -52.31 -2.3 %
S & P 500 1304.34 -29.36 -2.2%

Don't speed in Illinois

I was unlucky enough to get a speeding ticket in Illinois last week. A fine member of the Illinois State Police using a Laser Gun just happened to nail me doing 80 MPH in a 65 MPH zone. The fine is not that bad, $75.00 but in order to avoid points they are requiring "driving school".

I have three choices, (A) just pay the fine and take the points. (B) Admit guilt, attend said "driving school" and they will not assess points or (C) ask for a trial (Yeah, right).

So the hassle is trying to figure out how to fulfill the damned "driving school" requirements without driving back to Illinois. Now I must talk to the prosecutor in the county where I got nailed to see if I can take an approved course online, or take on locally that they will honor.

Don’t speed in Illinois!!!!!!! What a pain in the ass.

Sleepless in St. Louis

It is 5 am and the rain woke me up. Carol loved hearing the rain hitting the skylights in our bedroom. She loved the sunshine, rain, snow........it really didn't matter to her what the weather was doing, she enjoyed living.

I sit her missing her and wonder why God is putting me through this Hell called being a widower and I realize that there are so many others in the same boat. The rain hits me again and again, I want it to stop because it reminds me of what I have lost.....my dear wife who loved the sound of the rain. I know I am not alone here, I read other's thoughts on the YWBB and widow blogs and I am once again reminded that I am not special ,yet I want that status.

I want to feel loved again. I want to be held again, I know I can be loved again. Love comes with a price but still we crave it and I have loved after Carol and I have no regrets. I fell in love with a widow after Carol died and I really loved that lady but it didn't work out, lots of reasons but she still holds a special place in my heart, Yes Alicia I will always love you.

I do feel loved by "Q", not ready to reveal who she is but I am sure she feels the same. Back to bed, the rain stopped. I still miss Carol.

I needed to cry today so..............

I listened to this Alan Jackson song again.



Today was one of those beautiful days that Carol always loved. As I was driving along I began to wonder what we would have been doing together. My heart began to ache for Carol again and for the things we didn't get to do since she died that awful day in September 2004.

Thank you Carol for all the love and thanks Alan for helping the tears flow as I continue to grieve the loss of my beloved wife.