The strongest muscle in the body is the TONGUE. You can make what you want of that fact, but I think it has more to do with the power of words, good and bad.

Center Point is a small town in the overall scheme of things. But with the internet, it’s the center of the universe, just the way places like Birmingham, Bessemer, Midfield, Cardiff, Sylvan Springs and Graysville are too. You go online and say what you want and that’s it — someone in New Guinea might be reading it two hours later.

But all this ability to communicate can come up and bite you in the ass.  Turns out I got nailed with a defamation lawsuit for something I said about someone on the web. I didn’t know it could happen, and in fact the case was thrown out of court. But that wasn’t before I spent $3800 on a lawyer to help me fight it.

And that was NOT money I had to spare. So I did what my father taught me: use your resources for the problems at hand. That was the first time I considered a car title pawn store. Except this one is online — I used Car Title Loans in Center Point to get me that cash.  It was fast and convenient, a great way to find money when you need it.

I think we worry about the wrong things. For example, more people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes. And more people are killed by church picnic tuna salads (from salmonella poisoning) than shark attacks.

We also worry about money too much, and about how to solve problems. Certainly, we spend more than we should on things that don’t matter. Because every now and then, something will come up and slap you in the face to make you realize how pointless materials and perceptions are.

We ran into a money problem last year that really had me wondering how I would buy food that month, despite the beautiful home and cars and pool we have. It was a cash shortfall, based on a problem with one of our children. I looked at my husband and just said, “What are we going to do?” He didn’t know.

I talked to my sister in Atlanta and she told me she once borrowed $5000 against her Lexus when they had a problem.  Well, I went online and looked for car title loans, and sure enough I found Car Title Loans in Mountain Brook. I didn’t have to go anywhere – I just filled out the forms online in about 15 minutes, and got approval 15 minutes later, and the money the next day. We needed $4000.

I’d do that again, anytime necessary.  I hope it won’t happen for a long time, but it’s good to know it’s there as a backup.

I’m not sure how they figured this out, but I heard on the radio that the average human eats eight spiders in their lifetime at night.

On my diet, that has implications.

I’m a bariatric surgery patient.  We’re only allowed to eat small meals. So the spider thing actually works. Usually, I eat two bites of something and that’s it. I had the operation done three months ago and I’ve already 40 pounds, with 120 to go.

My insurance company from work wouldn’t pay for the surgery, even though I think it will make me healthier in the long run. But that’s insurance for you. I had to lose that weight. My granddaughter is two and I couldn’t babysit her, she was more than I could handle.

So where did I find the money? I went to Car Title Loans in Gardendale. They are a car pawn shop, but it doesn’t really work that way.  You keep your car, you just supply title information through the internet on their website. It’s great, you get the money in one day. I needed $4000 and my car was worth that and more.

The money is making me healthier, even if a few spiders crawl into my mouth once in a while!

My bro Dwayne told me the cigarette lighter was invented before the match. Man, that’s messed up.

It makes you wonder about all the other things that happen backwards. Like how my mother paid for her car repairs. She used her car to pay for the mechanic.  No lie! She had about $1200 on an estimate and not enough money to pay for it. But she needed that car - she drives five days a week to Gardendale for her job. So unless she got it fixed, she wasn’t going to work.

My sister came up with the fix. She is on the internet all day and night, so she found this company that loans you money for the value of your car. She went to Car Title Loans in Bessemer. They gave her the money the next day.  Maybe not so messed up if it works.