Saw this online but have not yet seen it in the stores. I think it is a great idea for little dogs! My dogs are not that little to need it, but if I had a miniature breed or a Chihuahua, this would be great for them to be able to see where we are going on short trips around town.

That’s a provocative statement if you have a dirty mind. But what I’m talking about is the great restaurant and bar called Dicks Last Resort that just opened up in Baltimore. They already have a half dozen or so locations in other major cities. So having one open in Baltimore says good things about the economic outlook and tourism levels in Baltimore. I can’t wait to go the new Dicks Last Resort, buy a crazy funny tee shirt, and have a lot of fun.

There was a terrible, tragic accident last week on an oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The platform was on fire, men died, and BP Oil is on the hook for repairs and lost revenues.

But even worse is that the oil is spewing from the ocean floor and they can’t find a way to stop it. It is an horrendous environmental accident. Millions of gallons of oil wasted and flowing freely across the Gul of Mexico. They expect the oil slick, already the size of the island of Jamaica, to reach landfall this weekend. God help the animals and birds and other wildlife on the Gulf coast. This is much worse than the Valdez accident, many years ago. And so very sad for America.

I loved Greensboro – it is a nice, friendly small town. Dian and her husband have a nice split foyer home and now that their family is growing again, they want to build onto the back of the house to make a new family room and two extra bedrooms with a shared bath.

Dian was telling me about their search for a good contractor to do the remodeling. Finding a good contractor is the secret to getting the work done right and within budget.

Dian asked her neighbors for suggestions on who to ask for estimates on the work they want done. One of her neighbors had used a home improvement contractor that she liked. The contractor, Tim, does all kinds of work -from kitchen remodeling, to adding a garage or deck, to foundation or roof repair. It helps a lot that her neighbors had used his company and were satisfied. Plus, Dian was able to go inside their home and see the quality of work for herself.

The best thing about Yahoo chat is that you never know who else will be online the same time that you are, and they might want to say hello when they see that you logged in. That happened tonight, when my girlfriend, Dian was online late and saw that I was on, too.

Dian and her husband have lived in Greensboro ever since they got married about 11 years ago. I met her a few months after she gave birth to their first baby, a little girl. Dian quit her job as a teacher to stay at home with the baby, and she spent a lot of time online during the day.

Dian was originally from Valdosta, Georgia, and her husband was from Charlotte. He found a good computer job in Greensboro, which was close enough for relatives to visit, but not so close as to be crowded by pushy in-laws. We’ve visited each other once or twice a year ever since we first met, even though Nashville is more than a half day’s drive away. I wish we lived closer, but since we can chat any time of day or night, that helps keep our friendship alive.

Friends, I like potato chips. I especially like real chips as opposed to Pringles. I like dip. I make my own dips and I like Dean’s dips.I don’t buy or eat chips very often, but sometimes potato chips and dip are a great snack or side item for a hot dog or sandwich.

Some people like the convenience of flavored chips, such as barbeque or green onion. But I had no idea that flavored chips were such a big business for Frito-Lay. And evidently, the popular flavors vary according to what part of the world they are furnishing their salted snack items. Here is a very popular flavored chip in the Asian markets:

For those of you who don’t speak or read that Asian language, look closely at the illustration on the bag. Yes, it really is turkey and gravy flavored potato chips. Turkey. Oh – and let’s not forget to garnish that turkey platter with some green beans and sushi rolls. And yes, they do have clam flavored chips, and other seafood based flavors, too. I had no idea. I’m not mocking them, I am just surprised at the variety flavors not on the market here in my local grocery!

I’ve only been to Mardi Gras once but it was a total blast. It had some great moments and a couple of bad moments, but OMG – what a party! I do love New Orleans for their craziness and some of the best food anywhere in the world. Wish I had a fantastic costume like this one to wear for a day. Wish I was there right now. FML

When my friend Tracy was in a car wreck, she was hit by a person who did not have insurance. Even though by law you must have insurance to drive a car in this state, the other driver had no insurance and not even a valid driver’s license. So she had to deal with a lawsuit against that driver and it dragged out for a long time. She had to sue for all the damages above and beyond what her insurance covered and she had to pay her lawyer’s expenses during the trial.

I had no idea that having a lawsuit like this would cost so much money out of pocket and take so long to be heard in court. And hers was just a little lawsuit compared to some of the big ones you hear about on the news.

Some people need help getting by during a lawsuit, so a company has figured out a way to front your money during the trial. It’s called legal finance and is a non recourse loan. That means if you unfortunately lose your case you don’t have to pay it back. If you win your case, you pay them back from the proceeds. So you might want to check it out one day.