new look

so i got tired of the other template and decided to change it. likin' the orange up top, which is kinda bizarre for me; i've never been a fan of orange...hmph! =)

been going back and forth about whether to blog this or not, but i think i will. it's been on my mind quite a bit. we got some frightening news last weekend; we have a sex offender living not just on our street, but across from us. we've (the neighbors) been getting together to discuss what to do about it. some of us have checked with the police department about how closely he can be living to a school (we have an elementary school 2 streets from our house). the detective that i spoke to said that the guy is not under supervision & doesn't have that restriction regarding schools because he's been off probation for several years. his only obligation is to report his address with the sex offender registery. we also checked into some home owner's association rules to see if he was in violation of any (the homes in our neighborhood are designated as single family residences and he seems to be renting a room from the owner of the house) but after doing some research, he seems to be within the rules' limits. this is very frustrating. we have been talking about other avenues of action...needless to say we are all concerned about the situation, especially since he just moved in within the last several months (showed up on the registery just recently). his "rap sheet" says he was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of an 8 year old girl in 1994 and served 8 years. just typing this makes me sick. and, although i hate knowing this, i'd rather know than not know. knowledge is definitely power. power to express concern for your child's safety. power to keep your child away from the potential of dangerous situations. power to help others become aware. if you have children, check the national sex offender website to see if there are any in your area and keep those kiddos safe.