some things i just don't understand....

Helmsley's Dog Gets $12 Million in Will
Wednesday August 29, 6:12 am ET
Helmsley Dog Gets $12 Million, but Real Estate Billionaire Leaves Nothing to 2 Grandchildren

NEW YORK (AP) -- Leona Helmsley's dog will continue to live an opulent life, and then be buried alongside her in a mausoleum. But two of Helmsley's grandchildren got nothing from the late luxury hotelier and real estate billionaire's estate.

Helmsley left her beloved white Maltese, named Trouble, a $12 million trust fund, according to her will, which was made public Tuesday in surrogate court.

She also left millions for her brother, Alvin Rosenthal, who was named to care for Trouble in her absence, as well as two of four grandchildren from her late son Jay Panzirer -- so long as they visit their father's grave site once each calendar year.

Otherwise, she wrote, neither will get a penny of the $5 million she left for each.

Helmsley left nothing to two of Jay Panzirer's other children -- Craig and Meegan Panzirer -- for "reasons that are known to them," she wrote.

But no one made out better than Trouble, who once appeared in ads for the Helmsley Hotels, and lived up to her name by biting a housekeeper.

"I direct that when my dog, Trouble, dies, her remains shall be buried next to my remains in the Helmsley mausoleum," Helmsley wrote in her will.

The mausoleum, she ordered, must be "washed or steam-cleaned at least once a year." She left behind $3 million for the upkeep of her final resting place in Westchester County, where she is buried with her husband, Harry Helmsley.

She also left her chauffeur, Nicholas Celea, $100,000.

She ordered that cash from sales of the Helmsley's residences and belongings, reported to be worth billions, be sold and that the money be given to the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

Her longtime spokesman, Howard Rubenstein, had no comment.

Helmsley died earlier this month at her Connecticut home. She became known as a symbol of 1980s greed and earned the nickname "the Queen of Mean" after her 1988 indictment and subsequent conviction for tax evasion. One employee had quoted her as snarling, "Only the little people pay taxes."

Source: Yahoo Finance
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070829/helmsley_s_pooch.html?.v=1


*****
$12 million is a lot of dog food is all i can say.
*****

hello telephone ....

I was cleaning out my storage cabinet and i came across my first cell phone in the US. A Nokia 5165.

This cellphone doubles as a paper weight, an ironing device for minor creases, and a protective weapon in case of assault.

*wink*

disarray ...

i woke up this morning and was shocked to find out my fridge is gone. my heart skipped. i blinked, rubbed my eyes, looked around my apartment and then realized WHY there's an empty spot in my kitchen and WHY my apartment is in total disarray. i'm moving.

i grunted as i made myself a cup of coffee and secretly wished for a magic spell that will move my shtuff with a wink of an eye or a swish of a hand or a snap of a finger. i scan the chaos. the caffeine slowly sank in and of course, there is NO spell - magical or not - that will make the move easier. plain and simple, i just have to deal with it.

now don't get me wrong - i'm actually looking forward to moving in to the new apartment. i love it - private garage, big living room, guest bathroom, washer dryer in unit, the works. what i'm not too crazy about is the process in between. the packing, the physical move and unpacking is an idea i vehemently loathe.

if you haven't used it in the last 2 years then you probably never will ... ever! that's the general rule i set for myself as i started sorting through one of the cabinets yesterday. i found my portable cd player(gawd i can't believe i used to carry this around the gym), a teddy bear from an ex, notes/letters/pictures from another ex, three different chargers for cellphones i no longer have, an adapter for i don't know what exactly, a christmas tin box with candies (eek), a burned copy of Diary of Alicia Keys ... the list of crap goes on and on an on. with a little pang of guilt and pain in my heart, i tossed everything in a trash bag. and i repeated to myself - if you haven't used it in the last 2 years then you probably never will ... ever!

the insanity doesn't end there. there's a couple more cabinets to go through, some drawers and not to mention the closet. the next 2 weeks will be stressful and exhausting but i'm pretty sure it will be all worth it.

Mattel Voluntary Recall

Please read and forward info to all concerned.

http://www.mattel.com/safety/us/

sorry nick ... but you might have to return your Polly Pocket Playset.

more happy birthdays ...

i guess one of the consequences of having a ton of friends is that there is always someone celebrating a birthday. the past 3 weekends saw the birthday celebrations for me, then joel, then just yesterday - phillip. next up is eric and then marky.

no complaints though. it's always a joy to have yummy food and drinks with a bunch of crazy people.

happy birthday philip!

Umbrella

damn all these acoustic versions of rhianna's umbrella, this song is starting to grow on me! hearing the toned down version i was able to pay attention to the words. and i have to admit - the lyrics isn't so bad.

thanks to tommyknox100 from youtube for this impressive performance. rock on!

check it out..