Kaizen Daily

Weighty Issues

2011-10-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

It has been an awesome summer. So much great time spent outdoors enjoying the garden the yard, the weather & dog. I have spent so little time blogging or other Internet/computer stuff. I have still been reading a good deal of news and keeping up with current events.

Now, with fall upon us and the weather making us stay inside more often I believe I will be getting back to blogging more frequently. The story that brought me to blog today is one that makes my blood boil. It is the idea that Chris Christie was somehow too fat to be president!!

No matter what your political leanings You should also find this quite insulting. As a society that fights with issues of weight the idea that we would then look at the exterior of the person and not their abilities is very offensive.

It is a story that is oft repeated daily in the workplaces all throughout this country. Folks that work in various occupations, or those looking for work, are often discriminated against due to size.

People who order large meals, and who might be larger, are often criticized when they order a diet beverage. As a society we often question those who are in the grocery stores buying pizza when they are larger. We discuss what their possible health issues might be and question their abilities to handle work and even if they are smart enough.

Why the double standard? We never suggest that thinner folks should order a side of fries and a milkshake with their meal! No one thinks to debate the intellect of a thinner person or their ability to do a job.

No matter if you agree with, or even like his politics, the issues of his weight should have no bearing on his abilities. Same goes for all of us. As women we know especially well how weight issues can play with our heads. All of our lives we fight with trying to be thinner. we buy every magic pill. We try tons of "get thin fast" diets and schemes. We yo-yo as we loose weight and gain weight. There are times in our lives when it totally consumes us.

Myself, it has taken me MANY years to get to a place where I am tolerant of my own weight issues. Yes, I still remain concerned, but now it is out of health concerns mostly and just a little bit out of wanting to wear a smaller size. I am much more realistic in my expectations now. I try and do/make smart choices. I try to get in some kind of exercise4. I will not say that I am totally over the sensitivity and serious caring, but I am finally comfortable with myself and in my own skin.

I am sure Mr. Christy is well aware of his weight/health issues and as he has said ."I just eat too much". I am sure he doesn't need others to point it out to him. Just as the rest of us.

Another Great 2011 Summer Weekend

2011-08-22T05:13:00.000-07:00

I can not believe how fortunate I have been this summer. Great weather and awesome days off mixed with good requests had made me feel so refreshed! This weekend has marked another small, yet unasked for, mini-vacation. My boss just gave me the weekend and a Monday & Tuesday off!! Which worked out great since hubby had to make a week long trip to Iowa. Gonna check out the straw and see why these polls are so popular. :-D

Then leaving shortly thereafter for Brazil this has made for some great family time. Hanging out in the yard with the dog, grill, wine & beer. Ahhhh good living.

Bored

2011-08-15T04:40:00.000-07:00

The first word that came to mind as I began to contemplate this election season. I watched all the wonks and talking heads on the Sunday news shows. I am interested, but mostly the word that describes me is....BORED.

I have been reading about various potential candidates and their issues etc., but I have never been more bored with all of it! I am tired of them all and tired of hearing about "their" issues. Let's be honest, who REALLY talks about the things that really matter to most of us? Seriously. They give it lip service, but we all know it's just rhetoric and popular talking points, but after the recent crisis of assholes in D.C. we all know that it is all about keeping their jobs.

Those career politicians and ego-centric jerks are all about how they can keep their cushy government job. They are so afraid if they really do what people want they will get voted out. Well, if I can do my part it is going to be getting rid of EVERY incumbent and start off with a fresh group. Hell, they can't be any worse than those who already have the job.

Never in my life have I talked to more people, in my age group +/- 5 years, who are more disappointed. Several have even said that if Obama is the only choice they will either vote independent or NOT AT ALL. First time since I have been old enough to vote that I have heard that. I can't say that I am very happy with his job performance and I am sorry that I voted for him. Not that there is a better option out there, but I am disappointed that I fell for the smoke and mirrors of his speech making.

I have no desire to make any of the others my choice, but am looking for someone to come along on a white horse. Sadly, I know that there is no one and this is going to be a sad and disappointing election.

Turning 21

2011-08-06T05:05:00.000-07:00

Max turned 21. How did that happen and how did all those years get past me? Of course I got all teary when I was buying cards. Stood in the store and as I started reading them I went all mushy.

We wanted to do something different and something memorable. We didn't have much time to do it. Hubby had already been in Brazil, for a month, and could come back for just a week. I had seen a commercial for Mountaineer, in West Virginia, and thought it could be fun. So I started to look in to it and talk to others.

Friends said that they had fun and it was very casual. The other thing that made it so attractive was the hotel was attached. There are more expansive and cool casinos in Pittsburgh, but you have to stay in an off site hotel and take a shuttle. Not something we wanted with a 21 year old drinking in a strange place.

Just a little over an hour away it proved to be quite the smart choice. I got such a good package deal, since we were going mid-week, that we were able to take a good amount of gambling cash and give Max a nice little bundle as well. We also got vouchers for free breakfast the next morning. That was an excellent deal. we only paid $12 for a meal that was almost $50. Best steak, eggs and waffles I have had in ages!!

We mostly played penny and nickle slots. A few quarter, but hubby & I both won our mo0st on the penny machines. He won almost 200 an d I won 90ish twice. So we ended up breaking even since we continued to play and did a bit more the next morning. Max saved the most cash because it really wasn't his bag. Too loud and too much going on and he couldn't get the gist of the machines and honestly did not enjoy losing money!! He did have a great time and it was an excellent way to control the first big legal drinking. He was very surprised. He and dad shared the beer that hubby brought back from China just for the occasion.

Not something I would do often, but I really think it is a fun specialty trip and might go back in the fall and take my mom.

A Big Birthday Party

2011-08-01T02:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to us, happy birthday to us...happy birthday to all of us!! This weekend I attended a huge birthday party for myself and about 100 people that I graduated from high school with. We are all turning 50 this year. So the people in charge planned ,not a reunion, but a big birthday shebang for all of us.

It was a blast! Held at a pub, owned by a classmate, we had cake, food and dancing. Not to mention a few cocktails.

A good time talking to folks that I have not seen in years. Including the guy I had a secret crush on in junior high. First time I had seen him since high school.

Girls I have know since second grade, girls I was in musicals.

Glad I took the next day off!!

Three Day Weekend!!

2011-07-17T05:39:00.000-07:00

My mom just said to me, "You play, you pay"! My ass got kicked! Three nights out in a row, and working, was just too much for me. Glad I took today off because I need to get my head together, rest and try and catch up.

Thursday night the Corkscrew Girls met at Riverside, an awesome wine & cheese establishment, right on the river. They have a lovely patio that juts over the river and often trains will run by. Two bottles of wine, cheese and pasta salad meant I got home around 11 and had to work early the next morning.

Friday my oldest and best friend from high school showed up and I took him back to Riverside! He came in from New York to see his family and I could not miss an opportunity to get together with him, so....another late night! I didn't get home until one in the morning and had to get up at six! Saturday morning required a stop at the drug store for a few bottles of Five Hour Energy!! Simply espresso was not going to do the trick all by itself.

Saturday had been set quite some time back and I had taken Sunday off as a precaution as I knew it would be a very late night with huge hangover potential. Luckily there was no wicked hangover, but I was tired as hell. Three nights of late activities has really taken its toll. I actually took a two hour nap this afternoon. Gone are the long weekends of partying. Long gone!

Saturday nights party was not only huge, but awesome. The host had a fireworks show that will rival many a city. They were spectacular! He has a landscaping business and saves all the brush he deals with and has a bonfire that is several stories high. he also has a tattoo artist there and so I got some additional work added to my arm skull. Now it looks like a "piece" rather than just a random stamp.

There were three live bands and hundreds danced in to the wee hours! My feet were filthy from dancing in flip flops. Did I mention that this guy also has a peacock? Seriously...he has some chickens too and I think a rooster.

Today I have spent the day chilling, doing misc. crap and recuperating. It was so worth it, but a huge price to pay!!

Yay!!!!! It's Summer.

2011-07-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

Summer, summer, glorious summer! How I love the summer. It even makes working seem not so bad. Not when you can come home while it is still daylight, eat, be outside, have fires or do so many other things that summer offers.

How great is it to sit outside, with your laptop, and read/write. Play with the dog. Have a glass of wine or go to any of the myriad of festivals and farmers markets that seem to be every weekend in the summer.

Fresh fruits and veggies abound as do grilled meats of all varieties, some on sticks, others on plates or buns.

Music is everywhere outside. Bar/tavern patios are buzzing with friends current or from the past. What a time to catch up. talk about old times or politics...who cares as long as you have a cocktail and it is outside!

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

Summer Meeting

2011-06-17T04:56:00.000-07:00

The Corkscrew Girls had their summer meeting last night!! Great food, wine and conversation were on!!!

Love the Rules

2011-06-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Going to the movies is a favorite pastime. I love to see a good film on a big screen with larger than life sound. Summer is an especially great time because all the big, action blockbusters happen. What makes it all go to crap is the people.

I have huge respect/kudos to a theater in Austin, Texas where the rules are the rules and if you don't like it...don't go!

My favorite rule is not allowing kids under 6 years old. I get so pissed off and annoyed when I am watching an adult movie and people who are too cheap to get a sitter drag their kids to the movie. We got sitters when ours was small. What makes these newer parents think that we want to hear their toddler yapping/crying etc. during the movie we just paid top dollar to see.

ANY talking/texting they will throw you out!! YES!! I am so tired of still seeing/hearing cell phones light up in a dark theater! Even after the sign tells you to turn them off you can still see the glow as they answer them. Are they such total assholes that they believe that they are exempt from the rules? I would applaud if I ever got to see one of them tossed on their ass. It seems that there is someone in every movie I got to. At least one jerk.

More people/businesses need to get on this bandwagon and start putting their foot down and maybe people will either stay home or get a clue.

My Plate for Dummies

2011-06-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

I guess we are just too dumb to know how/what to eat. Yes, the food pyramid has been around forever and not too many gave it much attention. I saw it all through school, but it was not anything I used when cooking or food shopping. Now, it seems that the government has spent two million making a picture that any dummy can read who doesn't know how to eat!

Ever since daycare or elementary school we are told about healthy eating etc. If we choose to do it or not I don't think some group of idiots needs to make a ton of money coming up with some picture that they think we are all going to follow.

Next they might just as make little plates with compartments for us so we can just drop our food where it tells us to put it.

Just Funny

2011-05-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

Beer and a BallGame

2011-05-26T04:16:00.001-07:00

I am not a beer drinker, but when they don't sell it at the ball park one must do what one must do! Yesterday was an AWESOME day to go to a day game. It was sunny and almost hot. Glad I took a visor. We had third row right field seats. I have an odd sunburn from my elbow to my wrist. Boston v Cleveland. Sadly it was a blowout! Boston had eight runs in the first inning, but....we were having beer, hot dogs and friendship.

Moving

2011-05-23T01:13:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I ran my first 5K. Then I developed pre-patella bursitis and it was terrible pain and caused me to stop running. Once I stopped and let my knee heal I just got lazy, as is so easy to do, and now two years have passed.

I finally got to a place where I didn't want to be AND after hitting that "milestone" birthday I knew that I had to get back in the game. A friend told me about a program that she was using and it was all I needed for motivation! It is the "Couch to 5 K Program".

I looked it up online and found it to be quite simple. I am into my third week and getting back in the groove. I take Cady with me and since she is still so young I hope to get her into a running with me routine.

The race that I ran, two years ago, will be this October and I plan to be ready.

The Lamp Story

2011-05-22T04:03:00.000-07:00

While hubby was in China we would talk on Skype. He usually sat in the same spot and in his room/suite there was always this crazy clock/lamp in the background. He even sent me some pictures of it after he first moved into the room.

It was the craziest/coolest thing. Garish and loud, but it was also unique. I loved it! They were buying him so many gifts that I joked that he should tell them that his wife loved the lamp and maybe they would buy me one. More and more we joked about getting the lamp.

I finally told him that if he could find one to try and get it.

His last day, in China, he asked someone to take him out to find the lamp. They went to a small mall that just sold lamps. There were about 11 shops and everyone sold nothing but varieties of lighting. He went to eight shops before finding out that the lamp in his hotel was a three year old style and that there was a "newer" version. He called me at 3:00AM, our time, to see if I still wanted it and naturally I said yes.

So, the lamp make sit back to the States, but I never thought about how it would make the 23 hour flight and get through luggage checking etc. Not only did he have three large pieces of luggage, but he came home with two VERY large boxes! He had put twine through the tops so he could wrangle them through the airports. The lampshade was so large that it had its own box!

Amazingly the shade made it here unscathed, but we will have to get a new table top. The glass was broken into many pieces. United may reimburse hubby. I think we are going to get Plexiglas. Safer. More so than the crazy Chinese wiring! Since there are no regulations there they just all hang out the bottom of the lamp. It is cheaper than even anything sent here.

Of course the directions were only in Chinese, but hubby knows how that kind of stuff works. After we both had cocktails and bought a transformer it was ready to light! I never even thought about the electricity difference!! Not only did I have to buy a transformer, but another plug to plug the lamp in to and then plug in to the transformer!!

I never thought about all the differences and problems we would come across, but I do love it and love the effort that the hubby put forth to make it all possible! I adore my tacky, kitschy Chinese lamp.

Chowder House

2011-05-12T05:36:00.000-07:00

Check out the Chowder House!

Road Trip

2011-05-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

I hate to drive long distances. That being said I did drive my mom to Indiana over Mother's Day weekend. We went to our hometown of Michigan City which is just an hour and 20 minutes from Chicago and right on Lake Michigan. Cold and nasty in the winter!

Only a five hour drive, but I have trouble staying awake driving long distances. My mom sold her car last year and doesn't have insurance, so I had to do all the driving. Getting there was not bad, but it rained all the way home and my mom kept drifting off to sleep!

We had beautiful weather, as you can see from our trip to the lake, and spent a good deal of time outside. Aside from the lake we also went to an awesome outdoor shopping place called Lighthouse Place also on the Lake. Outlet stores, great deals! That night we went to the F.O.P for a fish fry. My cousin is a Michigan City cop and his daughter works there. I had an all - you - can eat Walleye in a delicious beer batter. Best fish I have had in ages.

My Uncle Mike has been a model, almost all of his life, and he came over to see us from Chicago. As did his best friend and our family friend Trevor. It was a good trip. Ate food, played cards and slept late. Wish I would have had more time off.

Corkscrew Girls Meet at The Melting Pot

2011-04-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

The Corkscrew Girls went to Ladies Night/Spa Night at the Melting Pot last night!

Happy Birthday Mom

2011-04-13T05:02:00.000-07:00

My mom turned 76 last week. She is in such good health that her doctors tell her she is not her age. Most people can not believe how old she is. I am lucky. Lucky that she is still around, doesn't take a single medication, and still dances and has an active life. She volunteers at the local elementary school every week. Doing office work, grades for teachers and all their copying. Does all sorts of word puzzles and games as well as plying euchre on a regular basis. When the two of us get together we play Scrabble for hours!

So for someone who has all they need there is really nothing to buy them for a birthday, so we will often go out to dinner. I like to take her to places that she would never go to or spend the money on.

There is a city nearby that has a wonderful restaurant that I love. Crave.

Crave is the name. It is also what I do! I look for any celebration to get there. The atmosphere and menu are wonderful. Mom loves good food and unusual combinations as much as I do. It was hard to make a choice because I also knew that I wanted desert. Oh the decisions!!

I ended up having the BLT. Applewood smoked bacon, lobster, fried green tomato, avocado, arugula on Texas toast. OMG!!!!!!! Sensational. Mom had a blackened catfish po'boy. It was huge.

Mothers Day is coming soon......where do I want to eat?

By the way, I am drinking a blueberry cheesecake martini and mom is having a spice-tini. Hers has jalapeno stuffed olives!

Facebook & Jesus

2011-03-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

I just found out that there is something repugnant to Jesus about Facebook. I know there are many who are not fond of the social web site, but I had no idea how high it went.

I heard on the news that many people were doing this and then someone I work with jumped on the bandwagon. I guess I am just furthering my quick passage to hell and eternal damnation.

Where the hell is the connection???? When did the "powers that be" send the declaration down that they were displeased with our social networking? That they care about what we "like" and "dislike"? That if we "LOL" at the wrong joke we will be damned?

It just makes me shake my head. I can't understand how it could be further from what the original intent might have have been.

A Fat Lip & Exhaustion

2011-03-18T10:53:00.001-07:00

I went back to work this week, after six weeks of a medical disability, and I am exhausted!! I was never so happy to have a day off. First it was mental. Having to listen to so many people talking to me at once after so much time of just me & the pup! Then a day later came the physical exhaustion. The feet and legs. Twice this week I came home and fell asleep for 10 hours! Barely a single sip of wine.

Last night I ordered two pizzas and was going to have some pizza, wine and relax. I got my favorite spinach alfredo pizza with onions, fresh tomatoes and bacon. YUM! Hubby had picked me up and we were coming home together. The kid was home ahead of us and the puppy was already out of the kennel. She heard us arrive and was quite excited.

She was running around us. I bent down to untangle her runner and at the same time she was trying to jump. Her hard ass head hit me solid in the mouth. Luckily no teeth were loose, but I have one hell of a fat lip! I had to sit, for an hour, with an ice pack. All before my first glass of wine!! Sheer insanity!! I was ready to cry. Not sure if it was the lip, the exhaustion or the fact that I really wanted that wine. Probably a bit of all three.

Corkscrew Girls Gather

2011-03-11T05:32:00.001-08:00

The girls got together last night for another round of food, laughs and cocktails. Seems that everyone was in the mood for salad. Rockne's does have a good salad and you can leave off the pita bread and add hard boiled egg. Yum.

Two of us had their Gyro Salad, which is my fave, that is made with gyro meat,
Greek olives and Feta cheese. Served with a delicious cucumber dressing. The other gals were in a chicken kinda mood. One had the Buffalo chicken salad and the other the chicken with raspberry dressing.

To finish it off, those of us not following Lent, had a mini dessert. I had the mini peanut butter pie and someone else had a mini cheesecake. Mmmmmm it was just enough!

Ahhh, another successful meeting down and the next one already planned and maybe even a future weekend at a gambling resort!! That would be fun.

Thinking About Lent

2011-03-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

This post was first posted in Feb. of 2007. It caused quite a discussion! The TV, this morning, has been chock full of those beginning to discuss what they are giving up for Lent, so I am re-printing rather than come up with a whole new post. After reading this one I still feel the same in 2011 as I did in 2007.

This is always an interesting time of year, or at least it was when I was teaching. It just also happens to be a topic similar, but in noway the same, to what the Drew talks about over at his blog today as well. This whole season of Lent and sacrifice and proving that you can give somethging up.

I worked with a fella that taught Social Studies and he claimed to be a Catholic, although I guess, as the Drew points out, many Christian religions have this activity at this time of year. He would make it a big point to tell us how he was giving up beer for Lent. This from a guy who was also not very faithful to his wife. In the bigger picture how can the beer get you in to Heaven? I hope it is not that convoluted!! He never attended any church, except at the time of his wedding, but made it out to be a very special time in his life, this whole Lent process, as if the rest of us were infidels.

I have heard others recently talk about chocolate and other food items as their sacrifice. Is it just me or is this somewhat shallow? Isn't the sacrifice meant to be something a tad more relevant and isn't the person supposed to be more repentant? Isn't this behavior something you should follow all year long and not just at the time that leads up to Easter? I was even told, yesterday, that elderly or older people do not have to give up anything for Lent according to one ladies church. If this is so does that mean that once you hit a certain age that you get an automatic pass in to Heaven? What is that age? Does it come with the AARP or Golden Buckeye card?

Also, why does it have to be such a public display? Why does one have to go around and make themselves seem to be so grand and sacrificing because they ARE giving something up? I believe that even the Bible says that when you do your good works that you are not supposed to be bragging. I know many people with good hearts that do good works, but they do them all year long. They scarifice all year long. Are they any less special because they may not ascribe to the whole lenten ideal?

I have been having a personal question and much debate recently with Christianity especially since many others also have the same ideals. I just began reading " The Way to a Meaningful Life" by the Dalai Lama and he speaks about the same guiding principles. I have been to several web sites that say that one should learn of all the worlds religions and take bits and pieces of them all as opposed to ascribing to one particulare faith.

My mom made a big deal about having to go to work early so that she could go get her "ashes" today. I asked her why? She said just because that is what you do. There was no real reason or philosophy, just because it is the outward sign to everyone else that you believe in something. Does it have to be an outward sign or symbol? Can't you believe in something and have it be internal and go about your life and good works without needing the approval or accolades of others? Isn't that the more "Godlike" way? Can't we just do our good works or random acts of kindness without worrying about the thanks we will/or should get? Why does it have to be in the public forum? Can't we just simply be good people and not worry about certain readings and writings etc.?

Why do we have to deny ourselves to prove anything?

Finish My Book or Pack?

2011-03-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

According to these guys I have 15 days to finish my book. Should I even bother? Why even go back to work? If I do, how can I pretend that I don't know what is coming AND how do I not tell everyone that I work with? Do I even tell those that I don't like?

What do I want to squeeze in theses last days? Do I quit showering? Do I really want to make up with those I no longer have contact with or just let them figure it out on their own.

Honestly, I can't believe that people continue to head off on these wild goose chases. Where do they get their info?

Sadly, I think that they have to be weak minded and lead by what they believe to be true in the bible. Folks that can not think or act on their own without being told. The sheeple.

Spot On!

2011-03-04T04:33:00.000-08:00

Mixed Nuts

2011-03-03T04:26:00.000-08:00

It's quite the dish of mixed nuts.

Sadly the first impression of Charlie Sheen is manic depression or bi-polar disorder. Drug use/abuse aside. There is a "mania" and abnormal affect to him. I can speak with a bit of knowledge from my teaching days. We did extensive drug counseling in our school and I attended many classes/workshops about various topics in that area. I know there is something just not right about his behaviors.

What is sad is that there are many small/young children involved. As well theses television/magazine people are basically just feeding his "mania" by continuing to put him in/on the news. Society continues to watch, but how many are actually watching the Middle East? How many actually care what is happening in the world? sadly, society seems to be much more interested in his crap, Teen Mom's, and what the "Situation" is up to.

Other nuts in the dish are the whacked out members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. You know them. They are the nuts that show up at the funerals of dead soldiers with obnoxious signs.

"A Kansas church that attracted nationwide attention for its angry, anti-gay protests at the funerals of U.S. military members has won its appeal at the Supreme Court, an issue testing the competing constitutional rights of free speech and privacy. The justices, by an 8-1 vote, said Wednesday that members of Westboro Baptist Church had a right to promote what they call a broad-based message on public matters such as wars."

"Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and -- as it did here -- inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority."

I know that the Supreme Court is right, but that doesn't mean that I like it. I really, really dislike these people and that they spew hate AND that they do it at such sad times. They are not good people. They use the disguise as a "church" to spread their hatred. It is disgusting and a disgrace what they do to these families.

OMG!

2011-03-02T04:15:00.000-08:00

I guess at 20 you have lived enough of life to have so much to say that it must be put down in a book.

Seriously.... she believes that we need, or require, an "inside look at her life"? Yes. I imagine that there are millions just waiting to hear about the hardships of being 20 and the daughter of a reality star. That is what that entire family has become. How anyone can take Sarah Palin seriously any longer is beyond my comprehension.

"Bristol gives readers an intimate behind-the-scenes look at her life for the first time, from growing up in Alaska to coming of age amid the media and political frenzy surrounding her mother's political rise; from becoming a single mother while still a teenager to coping as her relationship with her baby's father crumbled publicly — not once, but twice," according to Morrow.

Riveting topics. Nothing will get me out to the bookstore faster than a story about high school and an out- of - wedlock baby! Teen pregnancy is so common that I can not imagine why Bristol thinks that her story is any more engaging. Unless she is going to focus on her Dancing With the Stars period. There is another captivating chapter!

"She speaks candidly of her aspirations for the future and the deep religious faith that gives her strength and inspiration.

"Plainspoken and disarmingly down to earth, Bristol offers new insight and understanding of who she is and what she values most."

Her deep religious faith must be something new. Where was it when she and Levi were having teenage sex? Must be values that she recently cultivated.

There also must be a ghost writer. Someone who barely finished high school, or just did with no higher education, can not be very capable of writing a book. I hope they don't plan to make this a hard cover, seems there would be just enough material for a leaflet.

Oscars & Hand

2011-02-28T05:09:00.000-08:00

Getting my other hand done today. Sort of sad. It means that I will be going back to work soon. I had to admit that this time off has been refreshing and quite a bit of fun. I have had to deal with some annoyances, but spending time with friends, my dog and family has been worth it. The freedom of sleeping with no alarms has been soooooo freeing. The stress free feeling of going to bed when I want and not having to jump out of bed.

We watched the Oscars for lack of anything better to do. What a total bore. Everyone was kissing the ass of the big, boring English spectacle. The hosts were god awful! I mean so awful that I was embarrassed for them. I really think Jeff Bridges got passed over, in a very disappointing way, for True Grit. The same for the little girl that just carried that movie. All too predictable for me.

The Girls

2011-02-20T07:40:00.001-08:00

Corkscrew Girls had a recent meeting and started it off with a very delicious Cabernet!!

As usual there was a plethora of food and fun!

Political Follies

2011-02-10T05:23:00.000-08:00

It's not an issue that is confined to either side of the isle. Both sides are well known for their extramarital escapades. That brings us to today's topic...what the hell are these guys thinking?? The story is almost the same; married man with children seeking someone to engage in a fling.

Seems that he represented himself as a single lobbyist. Did he not realize by sending a picture that he was risking getting caught...and quite quickly.

I just do not understand the overwhelming urge to hook up versus your career! Not to mention your family. How little do these assholes care for their wife and kids that they can treat them like this? If this wife "stands by her man" I will be so pissed. At least Mark Sanford's wife had the strength to leave his sorry ass.

Then there is the career that is getting tossed aside. After all the time and years put in to the career washed down the drain. Is the life they are living so dull and unfulfilled that they have to look on Craig's List for excitement? Sad.

"(CNN) – Forget about Sarah. The next Palin to hold elective office just might be Bristol Palin.

The famous daughter of the former vice presidential candidate told E! News she "probably" will run for office some day if a pressing problem needs to be addressed."

After I finish laughing and pick myself up off the floor I will continue this rant.

The sad thing is that I believe that she is serious and takes herself seriously.

Part of what makes her statement, and Bristol so sad, is that she is under the impression that she could just jump in to office of some sort. Not mentioning the fact that she has had no other education than high school. Did she even graduate? Has her mother so skewed her vision that she doesn't realize the education and studying and years of serving that would be required before she could save the day.

Just another example how that family has become a "reality show" rather than anyone to be taken seriously either politically or otherwise.

One Down, One to Go

2011-02-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

Right hand done. Left hand on the 28th.

The biggest annoyance was not being able to have coffee in the morning. Since I am such an addict. I had not been looking forward to that ever since the surgery dates had been set. Luckily I was not totally put under and was able to have can of cola while in recovery right away. She also gave me crackers and my first Vicodin.

I have started to break them in half. They were making me weird, or I should say weirder than my normal. I got that feeling that I was falling through the couch. Like I was seasick and my head was in a fog. I imagine that there were times, in my 20's, that I might have paid good money to feel that way, but now it just makes me sick!

The actual time in the OR was just about 15-20 minutes. It took longer to get ready and recover than the actual procedure. I could hear them making small talk and could have opened my eyes, but there was really nothing to see except the blue sheet with them on the other side.

The way it is wrapped I can move all my fingers quite easily with the pain really only on the edge of my palm. So far I really don't have any major pain complaints. Although it was just Monday, so I have a few days to see how it gets. Sadly though I seem to have a cold! I was getting it the day of surgery and now it is a full blown cold. That sucks. Hope it will be gone by the next surgery date.

Egypt

2011-02-04T04:04:00.000-08:00

There is nothing more important, or riveting, than what is happening in Egypt. I have been watching news and reading as much as I can. Like many Americans I am not thoroughly aware of the politics in that area of the world, so I am trying to educate myself. It is a huge undertaking. Multi layered with years and years of history.

My hubby is due to travel into that part of the world, in a few months, and it is an area of great concern for me. We have to admit that Americans are not received with open arms. Why do we think the people were pissed when they picked up the tear gas canisters and they said Made in the United States!!

I don't have half the knowledge to post anything deep or involved, but I am aware and trying to stay as up to date as I can. A few friends and I have been meeting for coffee and discussing it at length, but they were Political Science majors and are more aware of the politics of that area than I and they provide me with great insight. I find it sad that many of the younger people I work with are not concerned and can not even discuss the issues. I guess if it's not on Facebook or You Tube it isn't relevant.

Simply Deranged

2011-02-03T02:34:00.000-08:00

There is simply something terribly wrong with the members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas.

You know them. They are frequently in the news for protesting at the funerals of servicemen, those who have died of AIDS or those who are gay. Now they are planning to protest at the services of the two teenagers that were recently killed by their mother because their father is in the military.

It is hard to believe that these people even refer to themselves as a church or even try to convince anyone that they have a god. They simply come across as crazy, evil and just plain bad folks. They even have children among them. Holding signs and shouting crazy rhetoric while decent folks are trying to grieve.

I know that they are a very small church with limited members, but they sure make enough racket. You know how the squeaky wheel gets the grease, well they manage to garner a great deal of attention. How could anyone agree with the crap that they spread? I don't understand how anyone could find them a credible group/church to join. If there is anyone that needs to be protested...it is them!

Food, Wine & Friends

2011-02-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

Check out the new blog that my three friends and I are doing together!!

What We Need is More Unwanted Pregnancies

2011-01-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

"Drugged, raped, and pregnant? Too bad. Republicans are pushing to limit rape and incest cases eligible for government abortion funding."

"Rape is only really rape if it involves force. So says the new House Republican majority as it now moves to change abortion law."

You have got to be kidding me!! Seriously, this is just what is needed, especially when the economy is this bad and there are no jobs, is for young woman (or any woman) to have an unwanted child and no way to care for it. Worse yet to be FORCED to have the child!

Why , oh why, do these Republicans continue to make this their fight? Why do they continue, with so many other things going on in the world, to make this the highlight of their party platform? That dog just don't hunt! How long, if ever, is it going to take them to realize that they might have more appeal if they updated their battle cries. Maybe they should stick with some current issues rather than pulling this old rabbit out of their hat.

Misc. & Bitch Session

2011-01-26T06:29:00.000-08:00

I am both excited and nervous about getting my carpal tunnel surgery. I am looking forward to having six weeks off to read and have lunch with friends. I am not looking to being handicapped with one hand always in stitches and rehab. I am not sure how excited I will be to get back to work in March. Probably not so much, but at least I will get rid of these pain in the ass wrist braces that I have to wear to bed every night. The Velcro sticks to the sheets and everything in or near my bed and pajamas!

I am growing so weary of the rude ass people who never once stop talking or their cell phones as they order, or try to order their coffee/drink. I have started to openly skip them. Well that gets their attention pretty damn quick! They do not even speak to you. They sort of just hand you a card or money as they talk and never make eye contact. Sometime I should drop their card on the floor, in front of them, and see if they realize it.

Watched "RED" last night, with my mom, and it was a fun romp. Nice to see an action/comedy with great adult actors/characters! Nothing too intellectual or anything like that, but a fun, mindless romp. One to watch with the hubby when he gets home.

Last night I had a wine & cheese night out with the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Wine Glass" otherwise known as the Corkscrew Girls. Starting off with a delicious, antioxidant filled Pinot Noir. Six cheeses that also included a warm, melty Brie! Followed that with a dry, crisp Pinot Grigio from Italy. The next gathering is going to be a fondue party at one girls house. Sleep over in jammies!! It is so important to have a good group of female friends.

Yawn

2011-01-20T14:22:00.000-08:00

"OK, you've got Palin fatigue. Not to worry. So does much of the country: The latest CNN poll shows that 56 percent of Americans view her unfavorably."

Never having been a fan I grew tired hearing about her a long time ago, but I am happy to see that others are finally growing tired as well. I was never impressed and never could figure out she was able to become a governor. Seriously, how did that happen?

The article points out that her popularity has dropped greatly with women. That is good news since we all know what an important voting block women are. The evangelical women were some of her most ardent supporters.

As for me, it has nothing to do with all of her faux paux during the recent shootings in Arizona, but everything that she says and stands for. Personally I think that she is a big fake. She found a nerve that she could work and she jumped on full tilt!

Instead of being seen as a serious political contender she became a reality TV personality. She became a larger than life joke.

Asshole....... No, Fucking Asshole!

2011-01-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

I do not think that I have ever been as pissed off that I have wanted to sceam and type a title that might really offend. I may have been, but nothing comes to mind at present quite as disturbing as this. Asshole.

The new governor of Alabama, Robert Bentley, has decided to bring all of his God fearing B.S. to the statehouse with him. You can't tell me that this is the first that any of these people have heard this sort of rhetoric from this man. I would find it very difficult to believe that there were not a few people who knew that he is/was a religious whackadoo!

"Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley told a church crowd just moments into his new administration that those who have not accepted Jesus as their savior are not his brothers and sisters, shocking some critics who questioned Tuesday whether he can be fair to non-Christians.

"Anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother," Bentley said Monday, his inauguration day, according to The Birmingham News."

These are exactly the type of people I fear getting elected to public office! These are the people who take their personal religious views and directly impose them on others. Others who do not necessarily want anything to do with such religious crap.

"After his speech, Bentley said he did not mean to insult anyone."

Bullshit!! There is no way in hell that I believe that for one minute. You don't say shit like that, especially in such a public forum, if you do not want to make an impact. He thoroughly believes what he said and I am sure that he lives his life in accordance with those exact views.

He needs to shut up about his "God" and concentrate on the things that the people elected him to do, but after hearing all of this I am afraid that he has a different agenda.

Aran Sweater & Acessories

2011-01-19T05:09:00.000-08:00

Hubby just got home from a week in Ireland. For my birthday he bought me a beautiful traditional Aran sweater, some fingerless gloves and scarf.

He had a rental car and spent 2 hours driving, lots of traffic, and spent three hours walking trying to find the exact sweater I had showed him before he left. I can still not believe that he was able to find the exact one.

It was in a very highly populated shopping area in Dublin. It was in The Donegal Shop which was owned by a delightful older couple that he said were very traditional Irish. Prior to finding them he had been 6-7 other shops. They offered him a matching hat as well, but he told them that his wife had big hair and they found that quite amusing. With several months of cold weather remaining and I am anxious to get lots of use out of all these items!!

Mental Health

2011-01-14T07:41:00.000-08:00

"The mental-health-care ‘system’ in America is a broken system,” says Michael Fitzpatrick, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “The system was already in crisis, and has become even less accessible over the last three years as state budgets for mental health—psychiatric beds [in hospitals], counseling, and other services—have been cut by $2 billion. States have eliminated 4,000 in-patient psychiatric beds.” NAMI’s Katrina Gay adds, “In many cases you can’t even get an evaluation for two to three months—and that’s assuming you know how to get one in the first place.”

As someone who has had a small brush with the mental health system I think I can safely say that it is not all that it could/can be. Lucky for me, and the rest of society, I am a strong person and my situation was not at a critical level. I was not hearing voices telling me to do really bad things. Things had just gotten hairy and I found it in my best interest to call a help line.

I could not have been more dismayed. Now I can find it amusing, but at the time it wasn't. I was pacing in my basement when I called, feeling edgy and a bit urgent, and the person who answered could not have been less helpful and pissed me off more. So much so that I HUNG UP!! In my state I hung up on the help line. I tried again a few days later and the same thing happened. Astounding. This is a help line? I got a better response, late one night, from the Internet and a counselor on the Boys Town help line.

If this is the experience that I had how many people are having even worse? How many are not getting the help they need? If I had taken drugs or even been in a worse state who knows what might have happened.

I don't know all the answers, but I do credit an excellent medical doctor for getting me on the track to recovery, and I think that our system needs to be looked at and given an overhaul. My medical doctor recognized the signs and got me on the correct medication and in to see a wonderful counselor, but how many people do not have these ready options? The services that are out there, for the less fortunate, need to be revamped and all the safety nets need to be fixed and put into place.

Coming Attractions

2011-01-05T15:56:00.001-08:00

Next week may not be looking so good.

Change

2010-12-30T02:56:00.000-08:00

Today's quotation:

Since we live in a changing universe, why do people
oppose change? If a rock is in the way, the root of a tree
will change its direction. The dumbest animals try to adapt themselves to changed conditions. Even a rat will change
its tactics to get a piece of cheese.

Melvin B. Tolson

Today's Meditation:

Change is one of the most wonderful aspects of our lives, and if we can embrace change, we can embrace life itself. Another side to that idea, though, is that until we can embrace change, we cannot embrace life itself.

We have been given a wonderful gift in the ability to adapt, and it's important that we take advantage of that ability. Unfortunately, many of us have been taught consistently that change is somehow "bad," and we do our best to avoid change in the more important aspects of our lives. This avoidance leads us to hold on to situations such as jobs that make us unhappy or marriages that simply aren't working, all in order to avoid the unknown results that change will bring us. But the people I've known who have been laid off from work have almost always found work just as rewarding or even more so; most of the people I know who have left damaging relationships have found very positive ones later (unless they hook up with someone just like the other person, but that's a different story!).

The world changes constantly. The patterns of heat and cold on this planet consistently shift, bringing us ice ages and times of great heat. These shifts happen even without our "help" from global warming. Animals evolve, adapting to their environments. We change our clothes, we change our homes, we change our minds. Our tastes change, our desires change, and our beliefs change. If we want to be completely stagnant and never change at all, then we have our work cut out for us, for that's hardly possible. Change is for us to embrace and to learn from, and as we adapt to changes in our lives we grow as people, and we grow into different people. And our lives become much richer for all the changes we go through.

Questions to consider:

What kinds of changes do you love? What kinds do you dread?
Why do you dread them?

What are the results of being resistant to change?
Does that stop changes from happening? Does it help us?

How can we get the most out of the changes
that happen in our lives?

For further thought:

It seems necessary to completely shed the
old skin before the new, brighter, stronger,
more beautiful one can emerge. . . . I never
thought I'd be getting a life lesson from a snake.

Julie Ridge

This is the time of year when everyone begins to make their lists of changes, or resolutions, for the next year. It's the time when many start to talk about what they will and will not do in the coming months.

I used to be one of those people. I tried to make my lists and tried to steer the path of change that I wished to see. At the same time I also used to fight other change. I hated change. Despised when things did not go the way that I thought they should.

I had a very difficult time when situations would crop up that I did not expect. I liked things to flow in a static manner. I got over that a few years ago and feel so much better for it. I am free from any and all expectations. I just go with the natural flow of life. Shit happens and I do what I need for any particular scenario. I'm like a duck...letting it roll off my back.

I will be looking at 2011 without any kind of list and just letting the change come as it will. It happens, I don't need to encourage it.

Family, Friends and Dog....Oh My!!

2010-12-29T03:24:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe the end of the year is just around the corner. It sucks that we could not make it through to the end without getting sick, This sucks. I'm not sure if hubby brought it back or he got it from me, but we are both sick right now. It is there first time that I have called off work in four years, so I have to be sick!

Thrilled to have made it through the holidaze with my mom and get her home. She was excited beyond belief that we gave her a flat screen. She is a sports nut and could not wait to watch her basketball and college football.

Some of our good friends came by and played some euchre and had a few holiday beverages. Most of us play for fun, but my mom actually is one of those people who can count cards. I really need to get her to Vegas.

Son was home all week as well and did some bonding with the pup as we all did. Poor dog....she was out of the kennel more than usual and she was exhausted. She is also not used to this many people and activity. After the new year it will be back to normal for her. Hubby goes back to the office on the 4th. They say a trip to Ireland may happen before going back to Brazil.

For now I am sipping a latte that I made for myself in the espresso machine that Santa brought me.

Hope and wish all the best for you and yours in 2011.

Holiday Party Time

2010-12-19T03:37:00.000-08:00

Last night was the first party of this holiday season. Boy, did I need it! I did not realize how long it had been since I had been able to have a glass of wine with these friends, talk politics, play charades and just plain catch up. It felt great!

Naturally there was some awesome food involved. Another good part of this time of year. My friend James has this party every year and he has the most spectacular all stainless steal kitchen. He is renowned for his homemade holiday cider mix that simmers on the stove all night and fills the home with such a delighful aroma. Cloves, cinnamon and apples...mmmmmmm.

Loving this holiday season!

Happy Holidaze

2010-12-15T01:40:00.001-08:00

Hope everyone enjoys their time with family & friends.

Baby is Growing Up

2010-12-10T01:58:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow Cady will be 4 months old. She has gone from cute and cuddly puppy in to a dog. Complete with long spindly legs and energy worthy of the Energizer Bunny! At the vet yesterday we find we have hit the 35 pound mark. I have a hard time picking her up and am thankful that she has gotten trained and there isn't much need for me to try and pick her up!

She is operating under the delusion that she is a small lap dog and loves to ride, in the car, in the rear window. When we get in that is the first place she goes. Needless to say it will soon be difficult to see around her. Passing motorists find it quite amusing.

Maybe it's because I am older, maybe because I am spending more quality time training this one, but it seems as though she & I have developed such a loving relationship. She is so much more loving than our last Golden seemed. Maybe it is because hubby is gone and she and I are just bonding so much more. No matter.....I am loving it.

Our morning routine begins between 4 and 5 AM. I usually work early and want her to be fed and outside when I leave. So I always take her out and put birdseed out at the same time. You know, multitasking.

There was plenty of snow and it was COLD!! I was in my slippers and robe. Just thought that it would take a few secs. As I approached the feeder I slipped in the snow and fell into a snow bank! My hands and feet were totally soaked and cold. Naturally she thought we were going to play and while I was on the ground she got all fisky and was running around me. I was trying to curse in a whisper since it was the wee morning hours! Finally got in and dumped the snow out of my slippers.

I'm sure I'll do it again. It's a long winter.

An Anniversary

2010-12-08T01:50:00.000-08:00

I was living in Fort Worth and attending UTA part time when John Lennon was killed.

I was living with a boyfriend and we had gone to bed with the TV on. I just happened to wake up and that particular news story was on. It really crushed me. John was my favorite. Even though I did not grow up with the Beatles I appreciated and loved the music. The White Album a lifetime fave.

Lennon's solo work was my favorite of all the solo Beatles. To me his stuff was/is timeless. Something that crossed all time and eras and genres.

A few years ago there was a cd with some of his greatest work. I listened to it for weeks!! With the holidays here they often play his,"So This is Christmas", and it is one of my fave holiday songs.

I will always regret that we did not get to see what else he might have accomplished.

Girls, Wine, Cheese and Alcoholic Flavored Whip Cream

2010-12-04T03:11:00.000-08:00

The four of us have been trying to get together for a year. We finally found a night when all of us could do it!! There is a quaint little wine place near me, and two of them had never been there, and we all love wine. We are also very passionate about cheese!!

It was such a great time catching up as we have all done so many things and had many experiences this past year.

We started off with a nice red zin and five cheese with friut and salami. The salami was actually made with a pinot grigio. We had a bottle of that next. Awesome food and conversation. We ended up being there for four hours.

We capped it off with coffee & Bailey's with a flavored alcoholic whipped cream. I had raspberry and two had chocolate and one vanilla. Delicious!! Next time I will have the chocolate. It was by far the best.

That is one thing about good friends; no matter the time between you can pick up right where you left off.

Need I Say More

2010-12-02T03:55:00.000-08:00

Crazy & Interesting Shit

2010-11-20T06:04:00.000-08:00

After having a good deal of time to read through news sites this morning I found three stories that were of interest to me and my life. The first being that many people are dropping cable.

We are among those people. It has been over a year since we cancelled our cable and we really don't miss it or the huge ass bill.

"Cable companies believe that the departing customers are either switching to satellite or abandoning television altogether, but a much more realistic possibility than the latter is that they're simply choosing to watch shows online; according to Ian Olgeirson, a senior analyst at SNL Kagan, "It is becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss the impact of over-the-top substitution on video subscriber performance, particularly after seeing declines during the period of the year that tends to produce the largest subscriber gains due to seasonal shifts back to television viewing and subscription packages."

Read more: http://techland.com/2010/11/19/why-are-people-abandoning-cable-tv/#ixzz15pq4lVRg

When we first got rid of it we were really bummed about missing basketball, but since we really don't have any good basketball in our area any longer it really is no loss. If there is a pro game or college that we want to watch, well there are plenty of sports bars to go to. This is a college town after all. Many of the games are on regular networks anyway.

"When an institution so central to human experience suddenly changes shape in the space of a generation or two, it's worth trying to figure out why. This fall the Pew Research Center, in association with TIME, conducted a nationwide poll exploring the contours of modern marriage and the new American family, posing questions about what people want and expect out of marriage and family life, why they enter into committed relationships and what they gain from them. What we found is that marriage, whatever its social, spiritual or symbolic appeal, is in purely practical terms just not as necessary as it used to be. Neither men nor women need to be married to have sex or companionship or professional success or respect or even children — yet marriage remains revered and desired. "

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2031962,00.html#ixzz15pfxeI5J

Aside from the very religious I think my generation may be the last to see getting married as what you do as a couple. If I were younger, and dating or in a relationship, I am not so sure that I would see it as something we would need to do as a couple. It really does not seem so necessary. Many jobs with benefits offer them to your partner. Marriage is no longer a requirement. Many people hyphenate their last names and they give both to their children, so again it is not needed just to name your kids.

Finally, we just could not end the post without a crazy bit from our favorite kook, Sarah Palin.

I laugh at many of here statements, but the fact that she calls herself a regular housewife makes me ROTFL!! Aside from the fact that there really has not been a typical housewife since the 1950's I think that she is just trying another snippet sound byte to capture the attention of her beloved Tea Party and religious conservatives that still believe that women should be barefoot and pregnant while totally submitting to their husband and his wishes etc.

She really needs to think about referring to herself as what she really is..... a reality television personality. I don't think that she can even call herself a serious politician any longer. An oxymoron if ever there was one!!

Growing Like a Weed & The Slow Burn

2010-11-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

She is only three months old, but already has such gangly legs and a unique personality. People who have dogs know that everyone of them is so different from the last. Our last Golden was raised with our Lab, Cady is the first pup that we have raised as a single dog. We have always had two, so this is making for an unusual situation as we are teaching her things that she would have learned much faster with an older dog leading the way.

Now that the hubby is in Brazil I am back to single dog duty. Luckily she will sleep at night and seems to housebroken with only a rare accident.

This has all allowed me to get back to reading and looking into what is going on in the world and around my corner as well.

I am doing such a slow burn over the state of politics in general. I am sick and tired of the extreme on all sides. Happy to still have my health plan I am mad as hell at the cost increase! Between my taxes and cost of health care I am making only 1/3 of my actual pay!! Yes, I could put my kid back on, and as a responsible parent I feel that it is something good that I can offer him, it also took my share to nearly $500 a month!! I told him that he will have to pay his own co-pays, but at least he has it.

Considering the way Obama has been rolling out his,"Hope and Change", I have become quite disillusioned. That doesn't mean that I am ready to get on board with the Tea Party or back Palin, but it means that I am reading as much as I can and the look at who might be the lesser of two evils.

As someone who has totally supported Strickland and voted for him I became so displeased with him and the way things are in Ohio, we do not need any high speed rail, no one will use it!! Why waste the money? According to reports you could drive there in less time than the train would take! People just will not use it, so let it go! The jobs they talk about would only be for a short time.

Looks as if I will have to have the carpal tunnel surgery after all. One last test on Dec. 10th to check the extent of my nerve damage and then I will schedule the operation. Damn! I was really, really hoping to avoid it, but at least the same doc that did John's knee surgery will be able to do mine. I would have to use a week of vacation time, but that would be a treat!! A full week off......delicious!!

It is getting busy here at Panera and I have to whisk myself off to physical therapy, so I'll douse the burn for now and head off to Whole Foods this afternoon.

Let's Rant!

2010-10-20T05:03:00.000-07:00

Life has been full of activities; puppy, broken leg and multiple physical therapies. Far too much to have had the time to rant about any current political escapades, but the last couple of days has given rise to some awesome fodder.

I had just been giving slight acknowledgement to the Tea Party folks, but it is/has been hard to not respond when you get wonderfully inept people like Christine O'Donnell saying things that just showcase her amazing talents.

Hopefully the dripping sarcasm is coming through here. You would have to been under a rock these last few days to have missed her showing her real lack of knowledge on the Constitution and general political immaturity to run in a political race.

There are those who think it is refreshing etc. I think it is nothing short of an embarrassment to her and those who support and surround her. The "yes" people who continue to fuel the fire and encourage her and others like her.

There may not be too much else to choose from, but do we really want someone in office with no clue about how things run? Or what the founding documents or history is all about? Someone needs to give her a high school text book.

Bringing Up Baby, Work and Living in Pajamas

2010-10-13T03:13:00.000-07:00

It has only been two weeks, but feels m ore like two months! Why don't I remember any of this from the last one? If I had remembered it being anything like this....things might have been different and other choices might have been made! Alas.....it is not so.

I have been living in either work clothes OR my Santa pajama pants, bar tee shirt and either sweater or winter coat depending on the nighttime temperatures. Flip flops or clogs, due to the ease of getting them on and off, also depending on the temps. I did not think to switch to the clogs until I had spent five days in the rain and chill in the flip flops. I was so sleep deprived that I actually forgot that I owned several pairs.

I have been working very hard to get her on a schedule. On my days off I work very diligently to make sure I follow it. Keeping her up and playing at night until she willingly, and quietly, gets in the kennel and sleeps for 7 or more hours!! Last night it was 7 1/2. Lucky me. I know when hubby gets home it will be total disruption and I'll have to teach him the routine.

Since we have lost so many employees I have been working full time and that means coming home at lunch to let her out and eat whatever is easy to grab and eat while watching and somewhat playing. Enrollment is up almost 8% at the university and our business is reflecting that increase! We are always busy. It is amazing the people who are looking for a job, but only want to work one day a week or less than 5 hours a day. Doesn't matter to me....more hours for me. With the kid back on my health insurance, Obama health plan, they are taking an additional $100 a month. I don't mind since he needs it and it's the least I can do as he is working full time and getting ready to start classes in Jan.

All in all I am busier than I have been in a long time... and managing to even read a great book!! Life is good.

She's Here!!

2010-10-04T15:47:00.001-07:00

It really is just like being a new mom. I am getting up every 2-3 hours to take her out, I am wearing my Santa holiday pajama pants, a tavern tee shirt and raggedy sweater. I have had to start wearing nightly wrist splints, since I have carpal tunnel, and it is a mess trying to put a coat on at 2 in the morning!! Everyhting sticks to the velcro straps. I went out the door, half asleep, with only one arm in a sleeve and the coat hanging down, the dog on my other hip and going ouy into the rain trying to get her to pee.

She did not eat for the first day and a half, and as you know, when you begin to research stuff on the internet you can freak yourself out. She has started to eat quite well now. I am happy about this.

I am not sure if it was so smart to get her while hubby is out of town and I am doing this alone! Trying to get ready for work while she drags the rugs around and runs from room to room with my shoes.

It is a handful, but I have to admit, once I smell that puppy breath and see those little paws I forget how tired I am and how goofy my outfit might look.

Cady

2010-09-07T06:07:00.001-07:00

How can you look at nine puppies and try to pick one? Let alone leave with just one!! This was our dilemma as we went to pick out our new Golden.

Our plan was to eventually get a dog from our local APL when we felt ready. Then a couple, who frequent the coffee shop, told me that their Golden was pregnant. I felt that it was time. With John going to China soon and fall approaching I was ready to commit to training a new puppy.

We knew that we wanted a female and by the time we got there there were three to choose from. I got into the baby pool, where they were keeping the pups, and played witht hem and let the right one pick me. After 20 minutes I put them all away from me and the one that walked back over and barked at me seemed to be the one.

Hubby and I have always had a hard time naming our dogs. It takes us forever to agree on a name, and this time was no different. I was out at the picnic table going through baby names on my laptop and he was in the house. I was in the C"s and happened to stop on the name Cady. As he was coming out the door he said,"Hey, what do you think about Cady"? I am not kidding! We knew that was the name!

They will be ready to leave between the 29th and Oct.2, so I have time to get puppy chow and toys and training pads. Ready to sleep on the couch for a week or two. Ready to spoil the new baby.

Serving the Masses

2010-08-17T05:50:00.000-07:00

Unless you live under a rock there is no chance that you have missed the story of Steven Slater, the Jetblue flight attendant, who recently quit his job with a bit of dramatics. As someone who has often worked in the service industry, and has a husband that flies the friendly skies frequently, I have a few things to add to the discussion.

I heartily applaud his aggravated state and even though he may lose his job I love the manner in which he made his exit and told off that rude customer! The public has just gotten out of hand and extremely rude to those who are in the service industry.

I do not even know where to begin........ I guess we can start with those on their cell phones. You know who they are. The people who have so much that is important to talk about, but they still want to stand in line to purchase what you sell, but they also want to hold everything up by NOT paying attention when it is their turn to order and pay. They have to tell the person they are talking to where they are, please hold on, and then they get out their money etc! They act all pissed off that they have to halt their phone chat because you are asking them what is it that they would like to order. They have come to your shop to get what you sell and then they get all huffy when you want to sell it to them and ask for payment!! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!

How about the people who have already paid and received their product, they stand there and drink a third or more and pass it back to you and ask for more milk!! I'm sorry, but when did it become a bottomless drink? It is not a Denny's or iHop and I am not walking around refilling coffee cups. You bought and paid for one item. If there was a mistake I would gladly fix the problem, but I am not going to stand there and refill your cup AS you drink it.

Your kids might be very cute to you, but as they run back and forth, as people carry hot drinks around, screaming and banging on windows they are not cute to any of us working. probably not to any of the other people who are reading or having quiet conversation. If your kids are old enough to run around then they are old enough to behave. Buying them a sprinkle covered pink donut and giving it to them with a very sugary blended cold drink is not the way to settle them down. Also, setting a group of them up at a table with a fellow child as babysitter does not work either. If you want to have mommy chat time and you all have a bunch of 2 and 3 year olds maybe McDonalds or Chuck e Cheese is a better choice for you. I think the folks trying to read a book or newspaper would agree with me as do those of us who have to clean up all the mess that your little darlings have left!

It is also very loud in our shop. Next to a major university we do a constant business. between the sound of bean grinders, drink blenders and two very large espresso machines it can be very hard to hear you when you WHISPER your order and then get really pissy when we have to ask you several more times what it is you would like!! Especially when the line is 20 or so long and you are at the end of it!! Don't get irritated with us, you came in for our product we are just trying to move the line along. And to the gentleman that said I need a hearing aid....kiss my ass!! You try smiling and getting orders in a million dollar business with all that racket for eight hours a day. I am sorry that you had to wait in line behind 15 sorority girls getting strawberry frozen drinks, but if you choose to wait you have to deal with it!! It is not my fault that they are holding up the line!!

Finally, to those few who get so pissed that they write letters to the corporate offices trying to get employees fired..... how big are your egos that you are resorting to this action because you did not like your drink that day or because Jane did not smile at you today? Get over yourself. We deal with your big ass egos everyday and smile even though we know you are a jerk.

Don't get me wrong, I do like my job,but people have gotten more rude. My husband flies all around the world and has seen this crap on airplanes often. People who think that whatever they are doing is more important than what anyone else is doing. He is not surprised that that guy lost his cool. People bring on bags that are often too large for the overheads or under the seat and then try and force them in. They get up and try to be the first off the plane before the all clear is even given.

All of this has made me more aware when I am standing in a long line. It is not anyone's fault and it is just something to be tolerated. If you are going to shop or purchase something in the service industry you must wait your turn. Learn some patience or personal meditation techniques. Don't take it out on the service people!! They are just trying to earn a living.

Surgery Day

2010-07-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Today is surgery day for hubby's knee. Not nearly as invasive as the accompanying photo would suggest! We have to be there all day and since I can not take my laptop I am taking a book, one that I found at work and have just started, planning on several trips to the cafeteria and many caffeinated beverages!

I may even take a nap...who knows, but as hospitals usually do, I am sure that it will provide much blogging fodder, as this entire leg scenario has seemed to do right from the start.

The Junk Drawer

2010-07-10T04:12:00.000-07:00

It has been almost two months since the, "broken leg of aught 10", and hubby has become quite mobile on his crutches. We go to the doc next Wednesday and hopefully he will get the all clear to begin walking on it. He has three trips coming up and walking would be a good thing.

Now that Cleveland sports has completely fallen off the face of the earth I think we may just throw in the towel and start watching cricket. I mean it! We have nothing left except college sports.

Summer has been fantastic here with the exception of the ground hog family of four that has eaten everything in my gardens. I had to go out and buy potted plants to fill in the spots where they ate everything down to the ground. They have two babies this year and I have never seen them eat so much of my stuff. It pisses me off, but they are just so damn cute. So, I just get potted plants.

Work at the coffee mega giant has been so much nicer since I gave up my managerial position. I love just coming and going without any worries about the place. I have found some joy again in my work. I have been learning to back off and not always have to be in charge. I have decided that I like NOT being the boss anymore. I would rather enjoy my life than worry about work. I come home and enjoy my garden, sitting outside and relaxing. All that stress is gone. Sure, I miss some of the money, but have finally gotten it through my head that there is SO much more to living.

Just finished a nice 5 day mini vacation and read a good book, played Scrabble with my mom, and sat out and had a big fire. Life is very good indeed.

Broken Leg Story

2010-06-09T04:23:00.000-07:00

Sunday before Memorial Day hubby was putting new brake pads on the car. It was a beautiful day, I had the day off, and was sitting on the picnic table talking with him while he worked. I was doing my suburban hillbilly thing and rolling him cigarettes. I saw the car rolling forward.....................

He could not move in time and it all collapsed on his leg. The rotor hit his thigh and calf.

I dropped to the ground and tried to get that stupid jack to work, but could not do anything with it and called 911. They were here within two minutes.

They had the largest jack I have ever seen, but oh...I forgot, as I was messing with the jack I am not sure where my brain went, but I remember looking up and there was a face just a few inches from mine and I remember thinking, who is this, as I looked at her. Turns out my brain recognized her about 15 minutes later. My neighbor had heard me screaming and calling 911 and she had rushed over to assist. We even tried to lift the car, but it is a 4 door sedan and not a little Yugo!!

He was in shock and I have not ever seen a living person the color of putty. His blood pressure was down to 85! No external bleeding, just internal damage and shock. I rode in the front of the ambulance to the hospital.

After 8 hours in the ER and 8 x-rays later they tell us that his tibia is broken, the main long bone in your shin, and we will need to this leg immobilizer until he sees an orthopedic surgeon.

He has been living on Vicodin because it has been a very painful break, but now we know that surgery is not necessary. The break is too close to his knee and any metal they put in would be too uncomfortable and need to be taken back out after a year or so. NOT!!

You may think that this is the end of the story, but no............ there was something even more scary than the whole broken leg. What could that be you ask? The part where we had to get home!!

They told us that he would be getting a room and staying the night, so mentally that is what we were prepared for. Then later the nurse came and suddenly told us that we were being released! It was 1:00 AM. We were totally unprepared to go AND we had no car! The nurse said that she would call us a cab that they do it all the time. We did not want to call family, or friends, at that hour to come all the way to the city where the ER was located. It was a good drive from where we live. Our local hospital is not a Major Trauma facility.

So they wheel us out and we wait for the taxi. This rickety cab, a term I use loosely for the vehicle that arrived, pulled up and we proceeded to load hubby & myself into the back seat. It was so filthy that I could not have even tried to get in the front seat! I was smashed against the door as hubby was stretched out on the other side of me. He was still reeling from the morphine that he had been given several times that night, so he was not as aware of the scariness of this situation.

As we began to pull away this cab was creaking and grinding. When he hit the expressway, at 65-70 MPH, I was white knuckled all the way home! There is no way that car should have been going that fast! He had several engine lights on and it smelled weird in there. He had the radio up and I had to tell him how to get to our town. Once we got off the highway, as we drove through town, he was continuously crossing the yellow line! He was either drunk or very high. I was thankful to make it home.

Once I got hubby out and up to our front porch I leaned him against the wall. He chain smoked and I got a gallon sized glass of wine!! Thank god....day over!! Home in one piece.

Getting off the Roller Coaster

2010-05-22T03:57:00.000-07:00

This past year has been one big ass, crazy, out-of-control roller coaster ride for me. Hopefully I will get some closure, and medication, on Monday that will make it all seem right.

Seeing this new doctor on Monday has me all excited. I have been planning what I want to say to her ,and the quickest and easiest way to say it, for a few days now. I also know that there is a very good chance that I will start to cry and may not be able to stop for some time, so I hope she has a good chunk of time set aside for this new patient!

Due to all my anxiety and whackadoo, nut job craziness I am now appreciating the "step down" that I took from my management position at work, but most definitely not the drop in pay! That part sucks and now I have new stress and anxiety over that!! Just figures. Hubby has been very supportive over this change and has reminded me over and over again that he has thought that I did too much for them for years. He is happy that I am doing less and have more time to myself. It has made me ask myself what was I thinking when I took that promotion.

Just like anything I always take a job or activity to heart and become immersed and want to be an ultimate achiever and get sucked into the system and get to the top etc. I am trying to let go of that behavior. I am trying to say, "I just don't care."

I am also going to go back to substitute teaching this fall. Now that the economy is not so bad and schools around here are holding steady I could sub somewhere that could end up as a job opportunity. I am also looking into starting one class towards my masters. Nothing too crazy, but stuff that is more about me, us and my future. Hubby is traveling allot now, business has picked back up, and I could easily give up the insurance at this job if a permanent teaching job became available in this area.

I used to think that I had to be strong and put forth an image of thus, but trying to hold myself together this past year with all these chemical changes has been a real bitch! As have I. I have no doubt that I have been a total certifiable nut job. I have told hubby many times that if this is what mid life is going to be like that I want no part of it! I have been so desperate that twice I have called the suicide hot lines for help, but they pissed me off so much that I actually hung up on them!! Sadly they did not even try to call back and check on my safety or sanity!

Having tried all the herbal supplements etc., wine and pot I am truly of the belief that only good ol' pharmaceuticals are going to get me through this part of my life. The Internet has been a big help in researching and I feel like I am armed with enough info to make some rational choices. I am going with a legal pad of questions and hope to come out of there on my way to a happier and healthier version of me!

I have been on this ride for too long and have always hated rides! I am ready to get off.

Not Surprising

2010-04-28T05:25:00.001-07:00

Newsweek Magazine poses the question as to whether Tea Party members are racist. No surprises in that one!

"A new survey by the University of Washington Institute for the Study of Ethnicity, Race & Sexuality offers fresh insight into the racial attitudes of Tea Party sympathizers. "The data suggests that people who are Tea Party supporters have a higher probability"—25 percent, to be exact—"of being racially resentful than those who are not Tea Party supporters," says Christopher Parker, who directed the study. "The Tea Party is not just about politics and size of government. The data suggests it may also be about race."

"Surveyers asked respondents in California and a half dozen battleground states (like Michigan and Ohio) a series of questions that political scientists typically use to measure racial hostility. On each one, Tea Party backers expressed more resentment than the rest of the population, even when controlling for partisanship and ideology. When read the statement that "if blacks would only try harder, they could be just as well off as whites," 73 percent of the movement's supporters agreed, while only 33 percent of people who disapproved of the Tea Party agreed. Asked if blacks should work their way up "without special favors," as the Irish, Italians, and other groups did, 88 percent of supporters agreed, compared to 56 percent of opponents. The study revealed that Tea Party enthusiasts were also more likely to have negative opinions of Latinos and immigrants."

Just goes along with the scary remarks made by people like Sarah Palin and Glen Beck. These people and groups are only gaining more followers and momentum.

Toxic Tea

2010-04-27T04:42:00.000-07:00

If you Google the Tea Party you will find more signs and images than you can believe. These were just two of my faves.

Up till now I have been largely ignoring them and their rhetoric. I have only marginally been listening to Sarah Palin and the crap coming out of her mouth. I also include Glen Beck in that as well.

Ron Rosenbaum, of Slate Magazine, wrote an excellent article about the Tea Party and how dangerous they are to ignore. How they flagrantly misuse words like tyranny, communist, Marxist and socialist. They are also quite guilty and misrepresentation of history, but does that surprise us?

I am a great believer in used-bookstore serendipity. Sometimes when you're thinking about how to express something, you find a perfect exemplification of it just by chance in the musty stacks of such an emporium. Here's a remarkable example. I'd been trying to find a way to write about Tea Party ideology, and in particular about the fraudulent history and distorted language it indulges in. Listen to Tea Partiers on cable news—or read the signs they hoist or their Internet comments—and you frequently encounter the flagrant abuse, the historically ignorant misuse, of words such as tyranny, communist, Marxist, fascist, and socialist. "

"You hear them say, for instance, that we live under "tyranny" because one side lost a health care vote in an elected legislative body. And that, in all seriousness, the president is a communist. For many Tea Party members, the word is not just a vile epithet; it's a realistic political description. Check out this clip in which Tea Party "celebrity" spokeswoman Victoria Jackson flatly tells a flummoxed Fox News host, "The president's a communist." When the host (the Fox host!) starts to object, she responds that Glenn Beck has taught her that progressive is a code word for communist. (Time to put that ugly hammer and sickle logo inside the "O" on your I-hate-Obama T.P. protest sign!)"

How can they play so easily on the fears of the weak minded and how can these people be so lead? I shake my head when I think about this. I am continually stunned, although I guess I should not be, that people like Glen Beck can gain suck a foot hold upon the public.

These people scare me.

Going, Going, Gone!!

2010-04-23T03:44:00.000-07:00

Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most. Ever hear that one? Well, it's true.

I am solidly right in the middle of a break down. I am slowly circling the hole that will lead me into mental oblivion.

Still in my 40's I did not know what was happening to me.....I just thought that it was a year long extended session of PMS. Now we have the facts. It is the ugly word that I never thought that I would speak......MENOPAUSE. OMG!

I had the mental vision of this only happening to "older women". I never saw myself as someone that was heading into this area. Well, let me tell you I am standing knee deep smack in the middle of it and holding my nose as I sucked deep into the vortex.

I am trying to get into a new doctor since my old one, literally, has never mentioned it or talked to me about it. My mom says that she was totally done with it by the time she was my age. Done!? I can not imagine how that might be. From what I have been reading this could last for years. YEARS!!!!!!!! Are they serious. I may have to move into a quiet, padded room long before this is over.

During any day I dance through such a myriad of emotions that I don't know if I am coming or going! I have enough patience that would fit inside a thimble. Sleeping is a thing of the past. I just can't. Sleep. I toss and turn every night and that, in turn, sets me up for the emotional roller coaster that is the rest of my day.

I had talked to my "old" doc about this and he just told me to get more exercise and that it was okay to keep taking the night time PM sleep pills that I have been taking. As I stabbed him in the heart with his own pen I knew that it can not be good for my kidneys to keep taking this crap just to sleep each night. Did I also mention that I am taking them with a glass or two of wine? Oh yeah, that's safe!! Never has he mentioned that it might be the "M" word or that blood work might be necessary to see where all my hormone levels are. As if I have any left!! They have to be all wazoo. He said get more exercise....hell, I can't get out the door. I have been so depressed that I am lucky to even get dressed or go to work!

I found a new doc and am trying to get into her office. I have been reading a good deal about HRT and other drugs and I am ready to say,"Hook me up"!

Out the Door

2010-04-06T14:19:00.001-07:00

Today was the first time that I have taken a walk, without a dog, in almost 20 years. I had to force myself out the door. well, really I had to force myself to get my shorts on, and shoes, an Id then out the door. It was/is a beautiful 80 degree day here and I wanted to begin getting myself into walking/running for my 5K this fall.

Last year I did not make it due to a knee problem, but now I am slowly making my way back. Hopefully by October I will be able to run again.

It was the most boring walk ever AND i did not know what to do with my arms and hands! I am so conditioned to either walk a dog or pick up poop that I don't know what to do otherwise.

I don't want to listen to music because I want this time to be for meditative thought or reflection or whatever. I listen to music when I run, so I want my walking time to be more peaceful.

I know that as time passes it will become more natural, but for now it is hard to leave the house and take the same routes that Casey & I used to take. I think that I will change them for awhile until I don't think about it anymore.

Although it was weird the sun was shining and the 80 degree day felt good on my skin. Like they say...time heals everything.

Heads and Shit Rolling Downhill

2010-04-01T10:50:00.001-07:00

I can't help laugh as the latest Catholic follies are coming into light. The church/leadership that has always acted so far above everyone else is now being shown for the liars, hypocrites and fakes that they really are.

I think that Maureen Dowd, of the NY Times, says it the best in her recent editorial.

"It doesn’t seem right that the Catholic Church is spending Holy Week practicing the unholy art of spin.

Complete with crown-of-thorns imagery, the church has started an Easter public relations blitz defending a pope who went along with the perverse culture of protecting molesters and the church’s reputation rather than abused — and sometimes disabled and disadvantaged — children.

The church gave up its credibility for Lent. Holy Thursday and Good Friday are now becoming Cover-Up Thursday and Blame-Others Friday."

Instead of playing all pious as the Easter weekend comes upon its followers they are instead ignoring all of this and focusing on things as they wish to divert attention. I don't think that this is going to happen!.

"The Catholic Church can never recover as long as its Holy Shepherd is seen as a black sheep in the ever-darkening sex abuse scandal.

Now we learn the sickening news that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, nicknamed “God’s Rottweiler” when he was the church’s enforcer on matters of faith and sin, ignored repeated warnings and looked away in the case of the Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy, a Wisconsin priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys.

The church has been tone deaf and dumb on the scandal for so long that it’s shocking, but not surprising, to learn from The Times’s Laurie Goodstein that a group of deaf former students spent 30 years trying to get church leaders to pay attention."

These most recent abuse revelations are some of the worst yet! Still the pope tries to cover it all up under that big hat. Then they also trot out the blame for the gays defense as well!! They must either be on drugs or so out of touch with reality that they think that that age old line still works.

With this much heat coming down it might be time for the millions of followers to finally toss in the towel and look at these men for who and what they really are. It's a sham.

Farewell Good Friend

2010-03-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

March 28th we lost Casey. She just suddenly passed away on a Sunday afternoon. She had been having some back trouble, pinched nerve, and was recovering nicely. Her death came as quite a shock. We were, and are, still numb.

She was just eleven and we had expected her to live at least 5 or so more years. John and I were having our usual Sunday. Eating some junk and watching Weeds. I walked into the dining room to put the disc in the Netflix envelope and noticed that she looked odd lying on the floor. An unusual position. That was when I realized that she was not breathing.

Monday we buried her in the spot where she used to lay behind our yard chairs. It was the very same hole that she had been digging last summer. We figured it was her favorite hole and it was only fitting that she be buried in it. I plan to plant many red impatiens there this summer.

It will be the first time, in almost 20 years, that we will not have a dog in the house. It is so quiet.

Catholic Follies

2010-03-27T03:56:00.000-07:00

You would have to be either living in a cave or under a rock not to know all the latest about the Catholic church and their carrying on with little boys. Not to mention the cover up. Ah yes, the cover up. How crafty and clever they had been with the cover up. Their solution ? Just move the offending individuals to new locations, yet still near and involved with children. Let's just put the fox right in the middle of the hen house!!

"Pope Benedict XVI’s latest apology for the emerging global scandal of child abuse by predatory priests — an issue that the Roman Catholic Church should have engaged years ago — is strong on forgiveness but far short of the full accountability that Catholics need for repairing their damaged church. "

More than falling short on accountability it holds no one accountable and seems to let them roam about unhindered still within the church! Forgiveness my ass! The axe should be falling and heads should be rolling...including the pope's. The fact that he had knowledge long ago just makes the situation worse. The church has hidden behind the big hat for too long. They are a black eye on and for all who belong to that church.

Now there are deaf men coming forward to say that they had been abused, as children, by the priests! Deaf children! Is there anything more repulsive! Not just children, but those who are less able to report and respond to what they were going through.

"Three deaf men who say they were repeatedly sodomized and abused by priests as children confronted the church diocese yesterday about why it had not punished their abusers, saying they wanted justice.

The three men first interviewed last year by the Associated Press, appeared on a prime-time talk show on Italy's state-run RAI television, squaring off with the spokesman of the Verona Diocese amid a global sex-abuse scandal that has inched closer to Pope Benedict XVI."

By the time the pope apologizes to every person and country that has suffered abuse by his priests it might be the "end of times". He might just as well throw in the towel, put the big house up for sale and take the big hat and get out of Dodge. The church is falling down around him. Just like the pants of the priests!!

Pitchforks & Torches at the Gates

2010-03-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

Just like the days ,when the angry mobs were at the castle gates looking for the Wolfman or Frankenstein, I expect them to show up at the gates of the White House any day now. Yes, now that health care seems to be on its way, their are Republicans that are ready for blood.

In the mornings, as I get ready for work, I listen to talk radio. The guy is not a real big name, but syndicated I believe. As you might suspect, VERY conservative. The caller told him that he, Rush and Sean Hannity are the voice of their future. The torch bearers for the voice of the party.

They scare me. It reminded me of the way the villagers would storm the gates of the castle. They get people riled up after they are already not happy with the way things are going. I just get so pissed off at the juvenile ways that they pick at and on people to stir the pot. Very high schoolish.

Health Care Reform & Welcome to Barbara O'Brien

2010-03-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

Owner/proprietor of The Mahablog (est. 2002)

Guide to Buddhism at About.com.

After several years of editorial and production management in the book and magazine publishing industry, I set out to be a freelance web content provider. My personal politics blog, The Mahablog, was launched in 2002. I am a frequent contributor to several websites, including The Guardian’s Comment Is Free site. Since 2008 I also have been the Guide to Buddhism for About.com.

Note: I’m looking for work as a writer — permanent, temporary, part time, full time, on location (New York City area) or telecommuting. Contact me by email if interested.

Barbara contacted me, via e-mail, and asked to be allowed to publish on my little blog. As someone who appreciates those with liberal and vocal viewpoints I heartily welcome her and add her to this little corner of the blogosphere! She has an excellent blog of her own and you should think about checking it out.

http://www.mahablog.com/

Would Health Care Reform Help You?

Many obstacles and stumbling blocks remain in the way of health care reform. The House and Senate bills will have to be merged, and then the House and Senate both will vote on the final bill. We don’t yet know what will be in the final bill, or if the final bill will be passed into law. Passage will be especially difficult in the Senate, where it will need 60 votes to pass. It is still possible that after all this angst, just one grandstanding senator could kill the whole thing.

But just for fun, let’s look at what conventional wisdom says will be in the final bill and see if there is anything in it that will be an immediate benefit to people with mesothelioma cancer and other asbestos-related disease.

It is likely that the final bill will provide additional funding for state high-risk insurance pools. Currently more than 30 states run such pools, which are nonprofit, state-sponsored health insurance plans for people who can’t buy insurance because of pre-existing conditions. The biggest problem with such pools is that, often, the insurance they offer is too expensive for many who might need it. Both the Senate and House bills provide $5 billion in subsidies for state high-risk pools to make the insurance more affordable.

Under the Senate bill, beginning in 2014, private companies would no longer be able to deny coverage to adults with pre-existing conditions, nor could they charge higher premiums for people with pre-existing conditions. Until then, the state high-risk pools could provide some help.

Closing the Medicare Part D coverage gap — also called the “doughnut hole” — is another potential provision that could help some patients with asbestos-related disease. The “doughnut hole” is the gap between the coverage for yearly out-of-pocket expenses provided by Medicare Part D and Medicare’s “catastrophic coverage” threshold.

For example, in 2009 Medicare Part D paid at least 75 percent of what patients paid for prescription drugs up to $2,700. After that, patients must pay for all of their prescription medications until what they have paid exceeds $6,154. At that point, the catastrophic coverage takes over, and Medicare pays for all but 5 percent of the patient’s drug bills. The final health care reform bill probably will provide for paying at least 50 percent of out-of-pocket costs in the doughnut hole.

You may have heard the bills include budget cuts to the Medicare program, and this has been a big concern to many people. Proponents of the bill insist that savings can be found to pay for the cuts, and that people who depend on Medicare won’t face reduced services. But this is a complex issue that I want to address in a later post.

The long-term provisions probably will include many other provisions that would benefit patients with asbestos-related disease, including increased funding for medical research. Although there are many complaints about the bill coming from all parts of the political spectrum, on the whole it would be a huge benefit to many people.

— Barbara O’Brien

March 16, 2010

Divider & Hater

2010-03-16T04:18:00.001-07:00

Glen Beck is just another, in a long list, of TV talking heads that pisses me off and drives me insane! He is another one of those talking heads who is also not very nice. Sure, some may call that his "schtick", but I don't think so. I think he is just as narrow minded, racist and fear mongering as many of his contemporaries.

Fox may claim various things about him, but they have to be loving all the attention that he and their network are getting due to his asinine behavior on air. Someone once said that there is no bad press.

He epitomizes the typical conservative Mormon man. Anything that is not like him or his faith is suspect. As someone who spent many years around them, and is a recovering Mormon, I know what I am talking about. They are rigid and afraid of anything that is not part of their faith and church. This is why the crap he spews on his show is real. He really IS that conservative, religious whack job.

Jefferson Who?

2010-03-14T04:48:00.000-07:00

Are they or have they gone crazy in Texas? I can not believe that they are still so backwards and conservative. I lived there in the early 80's and found them to still be very critical of the North. They used to say, about the Civil War, that there was nothing civil about it! Until I adopted the local accent I would get all kinds of comments and stares. That was 20 years ago...yet they are now re-writing history. ACTUALLY!

Jefferson who? Yes the Texas school board is opting to leave Thomas Jefferson out of their new text books and replacing him with John Calvin.

"The Board removed Thomas Jefferson from the Texas curriculum's world history standards on Enlightenment thinking, “replacing him with religious right icon John Calvin.”

How can this even happen in 2010?

"After three days of turbulent meetings, the Texas Board of Education on Friday approved a social studies curriculum that will put a conservative stamp on history and economics textbooks, stressing the superiority of American capitalism, questioning the Founding Fathers’ commitment to a purely secular government and presenting Republican political philosophies in a more positive light. "

"The board’s far-right faction has spent months now proclaiming the importance of emphasizing America’s exceptionalism in social studies classrooms. But today they voted to remove one of the greatest of America’s Founders, Thomas Jefferson, from a standard about the influence of great political philosophers on political revolutions from 1750 to today. "

“We are adding balance,” said Dr. Don McLeroy, the leader of the conservative faction on the board, after the vote. “History has already been skewed. Academia is skewed too far to the left.”

I actually laughed at this one, BALANCE? How can they even think that they are offering any balance when they are taking pieces and parts out they THEY disagree with and do not like.

Just another example of the conservative movement to make the world into what they want it to be. They don't like history, so let's just change it and make it into what they want it to be with the values they want to reflect.

Home School Scary

2010-03-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh, welcome back from your brief hiatus Mix!! Nothing says welcome back like a good scary post about the crazies known as "home schoolers". I know it might be hard to believe but can you even imagine that they actually have text books that dismiss Darwin and state that the Christian worldview is the only correct view of reality. It's true!!

"Christian-based materials dominate a growing home-school education market that encompasses more than 1.5 million students in the U.S. And for most home-school parents, a Bible-based version of the Earth's creation is exactly what they want. Federal statistics from 2007 show 83 percent of home-schooling parents want to give their children "religious or moral instruction."

As a parent I have no problem with parents giving their kids the necessary tool of morality, and even religious training if that is their bag, where I draw the line is when they want to begin to act as if religious crap is REAL and science is the fake.

"The textbook delivers a religious ultimatum to young readers and parents, warning in its "History of Life" chapter that a "Christian worldview ... is the only correct view of reality; anyone who rejects it will not only fail to reach heaven but also fail to see the world as it truly is."

The fact that they are telling kids that folks will not reach Heaven if they do not believe this shit is outrageous!! How can any decent parent even fall for this shit. This is why home schooled kids and their parents are frightening. To everyone.

Granted, there are some people who home school and they are serious about the academics and NOT the Jesus curriculum, but they are getting lumped in with the nut jobs for sure. Sadly the squeaky wheels are the ones that get noticed and the Jesus nut jobs are making all the rest look like they do. Crazy and unintelligent.

Farewell Good Friend

2010-03-07T03:47:00.000-08:00

It is with great sadness that I and others are bidding a fond farewell to our good friend and fellow blogging Mixter. Mixter and I met by accident on the world wide web. I just followed a link which lead to a link and then.....it is history. I fell in love with Mix's point of view and began to be a regular reader and commentor.

Through all the social commentary and changes and points of view I followed along and was eventually asked to join the Mix and become a fellow writer. Thus began our reign of atheistic terror!! We began to have many months of religious discourse with several followers. Now....we must bid it all farewell.

I am sad at the loss of the Mix and hope to continue some of her spunk here in my little corner of the world. With far less readership, but with lots of heart! I hope her spirit sticks with me.

Best of luck Mix in all your future endeavors. That includes Guy too.

Go Directly to Jail

2010-02-26T06:02:00.000-08:00

I have been watching this story for a few weeks now and this dad just continues to piss me off. He may be heading to jail for violating his divorce decree by taking his three year old daughter to church.

Having taken my son to church for several years I think that I can say that a three year old doesn't get anything out of going except a snack and color time. There really is no reason to take a small child unless it is what the parent wants. Kids have no real concept until they are older. It is something for them to dread and have to sit still while their parents listen to long, drawn out speeches by people standing in front of the congregation.

When parents of different faiths get together, as these folks did, it should be decided what is going to happen when kids are born and what should be done or not done in regards to any religious education. In this marriage it was decided that they would be raised Jewish. Then after the divorce this guy gets something stuck crosswise up his ass and decided to bring his former religion in to the mix.

I would be as angry as this mom too. He got a television crew to follow him as he blatantly flaunted his disregard for the courts order. Granted they should both let it go until the kid is older and let them make their own choices, but since they have decided to go this route, I think the guy needs to get what is coming to him and go to jail.

The kid is three and has no idea what the parents are thrusting upon them. Just more nonsense in the name of God and religion!!

It's Lunch

2010-02-10T05:21:00.000-08:00

No matter who you talk to everyone will have stories, or nightmares, about what they were either served or purchased for their school lunches. It is becoming the chat du jour these days with the First Lady getting gung-ho about juvenile obesity.

I applaud her efforts, but...what about the learning and examples that kids are meant to learn and see at home? Why is it that it has become the total responsibility of the scvchool systems/staff to ensure that kids get everything they need in/for life?

When I was in school my mom either packed our lunch and we ate what we got or traded. When I got to high school and could buy things I almost always bought the kind of stuff we did not regularly get at home. Stuff like pizza and burgers and most often the sweet treats and goodies.

At home my mom would make meals that had vegetables and fruits, some of them I really hated, but she insisted that we eat them. I still have a huge aversion to warm beets. I have a friend who will make separate meals for her kids if they do not like what the main meal is going to be. Are you kidding me?! Seriously I say no way. I never did that for my kid. He either ate what was for dinner or went to bed hungry and with no snack. It is not a crime to make your kid eat the food you buy and cook.

Granted I had more treats in my home, for my kid and myself, but I still turned him on to salads and other good food. he did not live on junk and did not take it to school either. What they do when they get older, in cafeterias and lunch places, is out of our control. They offer taco bars, pizzas with veggies and other decent fare. If you take away everything and try to go strict healthy I can imagine that most of them won't eat at all and will save that money to hit McDonalds after school.

When I was teaching many of the kids got free breakfast and lunch. Most of them either threw the lunch out, sadly, because there was fruit and raw veggies often. The breakfast was cold cereal and pop tarts. Nothing that they would not normally eat, but the kind of stuff that some would have done away with.

There could be some adjusting and creative, healthy changes made, maybe less sodas available and candy, but why not put the responsibility on the home and less on the school.

Wine & Scissors

2010-02-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

The other night I got a bee in my bonnet. Or maybe I should say scissors in my hand!! This is what can happen after very long, stressful work days, several glasses of red wine and an attitude with the hair.

I have just gotten to the end of my rope with my hair. I am at work so often, with a sporadic day off and rarely two together, so I just got tired of the long hair. I have to pull it up to work and just got tired of having it down just one day here and there. Why wash it and go to all the trouble for one day and then pull it back up the next.

I had been toying with getting it cut. Well, once I did the bangs I felt bolder and did the rest of it. Actually my hairdresser thought it looked decent. He is just going to fix it here and there when I get the color done next time.

It does feel liberating!!

It's About Time

2010-02-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

It's about time that the top military brass decided to let those who are gay openly serve! Seems that the top guys are now agreeing that "don't ask don't tell" just doesn't work or is not the right rule.

"The military's top uniformed officer declared Tuesday that gays should be allowed to serve openly in uniform, arguing that it is "the right thing to do.""

Yes it is. There is no telling the number of service personnel, who are gay and have taken the pledge to serve their country, but are afraid of losing it all if their secret would come out.

Little White Lies?

2010-01-30T03:35:00.000-08:00

Seems that the group, Focus on the Family, may be telling a little white lie. With their much ballyhooed Tim Tebow choose life Superbowl Ad.

The story about his mothers possible, or offered, abortion in the Philippines may just be a tad untrue. Seems that abortion was illegal at the time and any doctor suggesting one could have faced death.

Interesting how the Christians can manipulate the truth when it fits the fact/story they wish to convey. Kind of like the bible too. Appears they have been doing it for quite a long time.

Let's Not Get Serious

2010-01-27T16:26:00.001-08:00

The reason I watch the Superbowl is for the commercials. Although I am actually supporting a team this year too! Go Saints!!

Anyway..... I do not want to be bombarded with information about God, fetuses, Christianity and the like.

I know that money talks and they were probably hurting for revenue during this weak economy, but I want to have fun and laugh, I do not want to have someone else's moral etc. rammed down my throat. I will either watch so I have something else to blog and bitch about, or I'll just leave the room or change the channel.

Round Two

2010-01-21T05:32:00.001-08:00

Kudos to Maureen Dowd, of New York Times, for writing an excellent editorial/article about the two conservative, Republican gentlemen who are now fighting the good fight on behalf of gay marriage!

Ted Olson and David Boies are fighting the good fight on behalf of those who continue to get besmirched by those calling down the power of heaven and hell to disallow them the same rights, as human beings, that the rest of us are allowed.

Great read!

Same Sex Marriage is an American Value

2010-01-16T05:14:00.000-08:00

"Legalizing same-sex marriage would also be a recognition of basic American principles, and would represent the culmination of our nation's commitment to equal rights. It is, some have said, the last major civil-rights milestone yet to be surpassed in our two-century struggle to attain the goals we set for this nation at its formation."

YES! Newsweek has an excellent article about California's Prop 8 that would legalize gay marriage. It is about time.

Ted Olson, a lifelong conservative Republican, has joined the ranks of those who support the initiative. He is taking a good deal of crap for doing so. I applaud and respect his guts for going against the natural grain of his own party. I am thrilled that he sees the value.

"Many of my fellow conservatives have an almost knee-jerk hostility toward gay marriage. This does not make sense, because same-sex unions promote the values conservatives prize. Marriage is one of the basic building blocks of our neighborhoods and our nation. At its best, it is a stable bond between two individuals who work to create a loving household and a social and economic partnership. We encourage couples to marry because the commitments they make to one another provide benefits not only to themselves but also to their families and communities. Marriage requires thinking beyond one's own needs. It transforms two individuals into a union based on shared aspirations, and in doing so establishes a formal investment in the well-being of society. The fact that individuals who happen to be gay want to share in this vital social institution is evidence that conservative ideals enjoy widespread acceptance. Conservatives should celebrate this, rather than lament it."

"This bedrock American principle of equality is central to the political and legal convictions of Republicans, Democrats, liberals, and conservatives alike"

AMEN!

Besides God, What the Hell is Wrong with Pat Robertson?

2010-01-14T04:50:00.000-08:00

Pat Robertson needs a good flogging! Has this man no tact?

'In short, Robertson claimed that the quake was divine retribution for a pact with the devil that was sworn long ago...... '

Why doesn't someone just tell him that he needs to shut up!

He continues to open his mouth and spew absolute crap and then pins it on people's lack of God in their lives. Personally, I can't think of anything that would turn me more away from organized religion, or God, than Pat Robertson and his ilk.

Hello Angry Christians

2010-01-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

Overweight & Godless

2010-01-07T05:01:00.000-08:00

As someone who has never been model thin I was thrilled to see that someone was finally using models/beautiful women who are a far cry from stick-like! It's about time that the clothing industry/fashion folks got a good look at who the real women are and maybe make clothes for all of us! There are a few fashion lines that I have looked at and their largest size is a medium!!

'In the '00s, the fashion industry talked the talk about curvaceous models. In the '10s, it might actually walk the walk.

Top model says sometimes she thinks it would be nice not to be so nice.

The upcoming issue of V magazine, on newsstands Jan. 14, features a bevy of Botticelli-bodied beauties, flaunting their figures in everything from cut-out Gucci bathing suits to bottom-hugging Guess jeans to nothing but red lipstick, gold jewels and a pair of heels.'

Some magazines have been known to use computer work to minimize the size of Kelly Clarkson and Demi Moore on their covers. Clarkson raised hell after Self Magazine did it to her and many were happy to hear it.. There is nothing wrong with hat girls size and it was good to hear her put these fashion people in their place!

"Body size. Presently, it's a subject of great debate in the fashion industry. In one corner, editors are calling for an end to size zero clothing samples; in the other, designers are whittling down the women in their ad campaigns to cartoonish proportions. Everyone, it seems, has voiced his or her opinion on the issue, making it one of the most highly blogged and heavily Twittered about topics of the day. Here's our stance: big, little, pint-sized, plus-sized -- every body is beautiful. And this issue is out to prove it."

Tiger Woods may need many things in his life, but the suggestion of Brit Hume that what he needs is Christianity is a big, fat joke! Really Mr. Hume? Just another arrogant example of a Christian that feels that his way is the right way and it is the balm for every one's woes.

I have yet to find any use for it during any personal strife. It never did anything for me when I used it and now that I am free of its stranglehold I am free to think for myself and make my own decisions.

Tiger and his wife have many decisions ahead of them, but none that I see God stepping in to. The arrogant Christians should try and keep their opinions inside their churches and sheeple hordes. The evening news is not the place to state your personal religious views. You haven't heard any prominent Atheists coming forward to offer them advice. If I were to offer any it would be," Deal with it on your own terms and tell everyone else to butt out"!

Freethinking

2009-12-23T03:22:00.001-08:00

"Humanism and Secularism will receive some great national media attention this week as Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe, by Harvard Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein, will be the subject of this Wednesday 12/23's episode of NPR's "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross, and of a segment on Sunday 12/27's ABC World News with Diane Sawyer."

Something to look for if you are home this weekend.

I was recently informed that there IS a group on our local college campus for freethinkers! A fellow atheist told me about it and I looked them up. They will be resuming meetings when the semester resumes in January. I am looking forward to meeting with and talking to like minded folks in my area.

It's about time.

Such a Day!

2009-12-10T11:41:00.001-08:00

Yes, I spent most of this morning in the ER. Not something that I had planned or relished. I thought that I was having a heart attack at work. It was scary. I finally called EMS. They took me in and this is where the story picks up.

By the way, John took the pictures to get me to smile, he takes that camera everywhere. I did smile.

I have been feeling a heart flutter for about two weeks. I have also been feeling anxiety, an inability to deal with life & work in general. Light headed, feeling like I was going to pass out at work. Waves of nausea and light headedness. I have a girlfriend who had a heart attck at my age and it had me even more anxious.

So they hooked me up to all the gadgets & gizmos. Took me in with oxygen on and all kinds of pokes, pricks and prods! Not to mention all the blood they took. Enough that I was craving a big, bloody hamburger afterwards!

After a few hours of waiting for the blood work to return it turns out that I have a totally non-functioning thyroid. If you were not aware of this fact, your thyroid controls your metabolism. Since mine does not work at all it was contributing to depression and other health issues.

I am taking some beginning meds and they said since I have none that I should begin to feel a vast difference soon and I am looking forward to that! It means blood work regularly and I will be taking them for life, but it beats the alternative!!

By the way, the nurses loved my hair!!

Welcome Back

2009-12-02T05:23:00.000-08:00

A recent article, in Newsweek, states that activism for AIDS is returning. Something that I have been wondering about for some time.

I have always been a supporter of the movement, but in recent years I was quite dismayed that so few people were seemingly concerned or active in doing things about awareness etc.

I was most surprised, when teaching, at how little correct information kids seemed to have. Both high school and middle school students still carried around such outdated ideas about HIV/Aids and all related issues. So I had activists and speakers come in to school and do presentations. I personally continued to make donations, wore tee shirts and ribbons and bracelets to keep myself visible. I have looked for local groups, but there are none around here. Sadly, one would have to go to Cleveland to find the nearest activist group. Even on a college campus the cause has lost momentum.

"In my early days as a board member and earlier, there was a great deal of concern, worry, angst about HIV that has settled into this kind of benign complacency," says Marjorie J. Hill, CEO for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Many people, she says, thinks AIDS can be treated with a pill, and that living with the disease is now similar to living with diabetes or heart disease.

Of course, HIV/AIDS is not nearly under control: it affects 33 million people worldwide, and in America, it's the No. 1 killer for women under 35, according to the MAC AIDS fund. The Centers for Disease Control reports that new infections have not declined in the past decade, and while people under 30 are at the greatest risk, so are those in their 50s and 60s. As patients living with HIV/AIDS get older, more potential side effects of the drug cocktails become apparent, including premature aging and dementia. And while many people think AIDS as a medical condition is no big deal, people are still afraid to confront it. "The stigma against people with HIV is still so strong," says Hofmann, who notes that fear of social consequences has kept many patients silent. '

How can it be the number one killer of women under 35 and people are just not that interested anymore? Especially when it is just not a "gay disease" any more! Like they say, the stigma is still quite strong, and people do not want to talk about or be associated with it.

Not only was I personally involved with someone who died from AIDS complications, but my brother-in-law had been the first person in Northeast Ohio diagnosed back when it first came out as a named disease and he was an active motivator in and with issues involving HIV/AIDS for many, many years. Sadly it did not kill him. Asthma did.

Even though I have many conflicting feelings towards my employer I am at least happy to say that they do make donations, like yesterday fro World AIDS Day, they donated 5 cents from EVERY hand crafted beverage sold. We sell mugs and coffee for the cause.

There are many other places, such as the GAP, who sells tee shirts, there are others who have bracelets that will make donations from their purchase. There are those still involved and still caring.

Maddness

2009-11-28T04:23:00.000-08:00

I watched this show once or twice, it was humorous and snarky, but not anything I want to go out of my way to DVR. That being said I did have to laugh when Time asked in a recent article if the show was "anti-Christian". Who cares!! I am SOOOO tired of this whole movement, started by the Christians, that suggests that everyone is out to get them.

For a better part of this year we have had to endure an onslaught of articles and news chatter about how the entire well-being of Christians is at stake. Maybe they just need to get rid of their televisions, stop reading books other than the Bible, and just stick with folks of a similar mind. Seriously, maybe they need to find new places to hang their hat and leave the rest of the world alone!

There is still a great deal of unoccupied land in the Western U.S.

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

2009-11-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

Had my eyes opened. Took my corporate blinders off. The company comes across with all their cool,"we support causes and act on conservation", B.S. Yet they are really just another corporate entity complete with typical conservative values, beliefs and behaviors.

Guess the economy must be getting stronger because our fearless leader is giving himself a nice raise, or maybe it is just a cost of living increase! He had seemed to be feeling our pain when he decided to take a salary of $10,000 in 2009, but looks like he is jumping up to 1.3 million for 2010. Mama must need a new pair of shoes!!

That aside, I don't know him personally so I can only speak about the people that are in my personal orbit. That is where this all begins. I just am not the cookie cutter type management people that fit in with them. Seems that their idea is to use me for some ones maternity leave and then let them stay at my current location and move me a drive from home. Or I could just turn down the promotion, stay where I am and make enough money to get by AND go back to subbing until I can get back in to a school.

I went to a training class this week and they sent my boss a really crappy e-mail about my look and a few other tid bits. They had asked for us to share anything that we felt needed to be anonymous and then they went and included that in the e-mail too! Now this is going to stir up a whole ton on crap for me and others at work. So much for trust and anonymity. Assholes.

John says that I have been doing WAAAAY too much for my boss and the company for no increase in pay. That is just how I am and I am sure that some of you can relate. You just want to see stuff get done and you are driven and want it to be done right. I have always been a leader. That is how I ended up in charge of many different organizations etc.

It is hard to back off and let go. Today made it much easier. My regional person was in and did not even speak. Walked right past me as if I was nothing and that is the person who knows about my desire to get promoted AND is responsible for said promotion! Hell, even my boss did not introduce me to the regional other guy even as I was standing there putting my coat on!!

Needless to say I am tired and pissed off with the whole bunch and ready to throw in the towel, but like most of middle class America I am stuck because I need the health care. I am just another statistic stuck in a job I hate because I need the health care.

Moral,Schmoral!!!

2009-11-19T04:14:00.000-08:00

Something needs to happen with the health care system in this country. End of story. I won't claim to have all the answers or even begin to dissect all the arguments.....BUT.....

I am sick, sick, sick to death of hearing about the abortion issue holding crap up. I am tired to death of people STILL using this outdated argument as a reason to argue!!!! I can not believe that there are so many kids/families out there who can not afford to care for themselves and yet abortion is still a sticking point.

This article, at Newsweek, points out that there are MANY other so called "moral issues" involved in our health care debate than just abortion.

Married Gay, Stoned and Vacationing in Cuba

2009-11-15T05:18:00.000-08:00

Slate magazine says that it is time to end the prohibition on gay marriage, travel to Cuba and the legal stigma attached to pot.

Aside from the Cuba issues they are topics that I have felt strongly about and have spoken of often. It's time.

Weird is Good

2009-11-13T04:11:00.001-08:00

We must overcome the notion that we must be
regular. . . it robs you of the chance to be
extraordinary and leads you to the mediocre.

Ute Hagen

Today's Meditation:

In our family, "Weird is good." Whenever one of us does something that goes against the norm or that seems to be a bit strange, we tell that person, "You're so weird!" And the response is always, "Yeah, and weird is good!"

In this way we allow ourselves to stray from the normal--and not just to stray from it, but to embrace the abnormal, the different, the unusual. In the regular things of life, there's very little--if anything--left to be discovered. Because so many people strive to be "regular" every day of their lives, they take away the new and the extraordinary from that regular side of life, and they convert it into the boring and the usual. Mediocrity rules in the regular because the regular doesn't encourage us to take chances or to move in new directions or to try to find the new and extraordinary.

Our whole lives long, we're encouraged to be regular by teachers, parents, friends, relatives, and other members of society. If we're "regular" kids, we won't embarrass our parents. If we're regular in the classroom, the teacher won't face any new or different challenges.

There are times when being regular can be valuable. My employer would like it if I can maintain a certain degree of regularness in my job. My step-kids would appreciate it if I'm regular in my financial dealings so that they don't face serious financial problems in their future.

But regular doesn't have to rule our lives. There's much of the extraordinary out there in the world, and if we're to find it, then we have to look for it. And we can't do that by settling for mediocrity and boring status quos.

Questions to consider:

From where do we get the notion of the value of being regular?

What kinds of new and different things do we discover when we're focused on conforming to what society sees as "regular"?

What's the value in settling for mediocrity?

I loved this thought today. It has been a very long time since anyone, including myself, have seen me as a "regular" person. I tried for many years to change my image and inner self. Tried to be what I saw as acceptable in society. By the way I dressed, wore my hair etc. That was also a big part of my "church shopping" years as well. The trying to fit in and be a regular part and person of the acceptable parts of society and the community.

It wasn't until a few years back that I began to find my way back to my "real" self. The person that I had been in my early 20's. The girl that did not fit into any particular mold. The girl that read a great deal and questioned many things. A funny thing happened as I was bringing her back....I began to feel comfortable, once again, in my own skin! But....I also began to face opposition from the "main stream". I had forgotten how that felt. The churchy folk did not care for the "real" me and that was when I saw the hypocrisy and silliness of it all and got out of there ASAP!

I had been brainwashed for much of my child's life thinking that in order to be a good parent that I had to look and be just like the rest of them. I had to do things the way they all did them. I let myself be molded by mediocrity.

Now that I am free from it all I have discovered so many exciting things about life and myself and my place in the world. I enjoy it all so much more while traveling to a different drummer. Finding your own beat can make all the difference.

Doing the things I need to do in my work life, even when I was teaching, can all still have a flavor of me. I don't have to succumb to the demands of the status quo. Freedom is liberating. Breaking the bonds of regularity & mediocrity has made all the difference!!

Viva la difference!!!

Playing Dress Up

2009-10-31T09:57:00.001-07:00

My pal and I dressed up as beverages today at work. Our other friend dressed as "Toddlers and Tiaras". I hope to have some of those pictures later. I wanted to get therse out there. It is the first time in a very long time that I have actually made something to wear for Halloween. It was fun and a big hit as well!!

The Time has Come

2009-10-28T05:06:00.001-07:00

With everything else that is going on in the world and in the U.S. isn't it about time to leave marijuana alone? Legalize it and let the medical marijuana shops and people be! As hard up and in dire financial straits that California finds itself they should legalize it first and make some money! It could be a cash crop for many and all states.

All that being said, it is also time to think more about the sick that it helps. I have spoken many times on the topic and talked about my friend that needed it to eat during his last months. Until you go through the experience you just can not imagine how ill many harsh drugs can make someone and that by smoking some pot they are able to tolerate food. These people are not just smoking to get high, but to be able to just get some food down to stay alive. For others it is to alleviate the pains associated with other medical conditions.

I am not saying that I would not buy it if it were legalized, hell yeah I would, but for those who really need it I believe it needs to be available and the government needs to back off!!

Peckerheads & Jail Time

2009-10-25T11:01:00.001-07:00

Got arrested this week. Spent some time in jail. Luckily I was able to raise my bail. Oh, did I mention that it was for Muscular Dystrophy? I went to jail as the representative from Starbucks. My boss was on vacation when they called and I said that I would do it. I have never participated and thoroughly enjoyed my time. My Starbucks gave me $100 towards my "bail".

The Red Bellied Woodpecker is on the picnic table in our backyard. We put out peanuts, corn and seed. Seems that the woodpeckers like nuts.

Max and I are both recovered from our illnesses. In case you didn't catch it on Facebook etc. aside from his H1N1 I also was ill, always one to keep up with the Joneses, I concocted an inner ear/throat infection. A good ol' Z Pack working its magic!

Today I am watching Green Bay kick some awful Cleveland ass!! You guys rock up there Mix!!

It's About Time

2009-10-21T05:10:00.000-07:00

"The advertisements ask the question, written simply over an image of a blue sky with wispy white clouds: "A million New Yorkers are good without God. Are you?"

A group of Atheists have gotten together and have purchased a month in the New York subways to promote freethinking! Yippee! Slowly but surely this cool idea, started in England, is coming our way and why not. Fair is fair and every church that you pass has some sort of signage outside that promotes their business, so it is high time that the ideas and thoughts of the freethinkers has its time on display!

"First, the coalition hopes the promotion will enhance awareness of New York City's secular community. He explained that the coalition also hopes to encourage "talking and thinking about religion and morality," as well as support involvement in groups that encourage a sense of a social community for non-believing New Yorkers."

If the Christianity pushers ever got their heads out of the clouds and looked around them they would see that there are far more non-believers out there, or people who are fed up with the pushing promotion of said materials, and it is refreshing to finally hear from the other side. Luckily, I live in a more liberal area and do not have worry so much about expressing my thoughts and beliefs as there are many who share them.

With the holiday season fast approaching I think it is time to pull out "Religulous" and have a good laugh while reminding myself how the whole "holiday story" was stolen/borrowed/taken from so many stories before it.

The Swiney Among Us

2009-10-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

After four weeks of living life SANS kid, and learning the routines of a COUPLE, Max decided to move back home. Seems that one of the stellar citizens he was living with lost their job and the whole scene was falling apart. Well, that is not really a problem, but the fact that he has brought the disease and pestilence with him IS!!!!

Sunday while he and John were moving all his stuff he was very ill and looked like crap. He had most of the sign of flu, so it was off to the ER for him. Since I have asthma and in the "high risk" group I could not sit there while he waited to get looked at, so we told him to call us when he was ready to go home. About two hours later he was done. Yep, H1N1 confirmed.

Fever 103, lots of technicolor vomiting, severe body aches.....everything that the networks are scaring you with. They forget to tell you that the Tamiflu costs over $100 bucks for kids and folks without health insurance!! We paid for it, but OUCH!!

Nothing says fun like the odor of bleach in your dishwater and vomit in the house!! I feel like I am now working in a hospital!! Not to mention the fifty, or so, boxes of kleenex that he has gone through. They say this could last about five days. I can not wait to see what this new day brings!!

Sunday Afternoon

2009-10-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

Nothing says Sunday like a nice bottle of Evil Chardonnay!! Walked in to my favorite wine purveyor, after work today, and saw this nice little bottle was their feature. I think I have discovered my new fave for taking to parties and cozy "get-togethers"! Also comes in a Cabernet.

Misc. Ramblings

2009-10-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

Let's start with this whole mess with David Letterman..... is it really necessary to STILL be discussing this? We shake our heads that it is still fodder for the evening news and talking heads. The man was not married. Adults are entitled to conduct their personal lives anyway that they see fit. If he felt like having sexual relationships with people that he worked with...so be it. Who's business is it anyway? Work place affairs happen all the time. It is easy and often safe to hook up with people that you work with, besides you spend so much time together you often know them well. I can't believe how much they are making out of this. They are all adults and until this other dirt bag dug into it there was nothing that anyone one else was talking about. Let it go!!

The weather here has gotten chill and quite "fallesque". When there is sun we are trying to spend as much time outdoors as we can. This weekend we went and got mums and pumpkins. We went back to the pumpkin patch where we used to take Max as a small child. It is a huge thing in this area. Many, many people attend and they have many other attractions besides pumpkins & mums. Carmel apples freshly dipped, hot cider, corn mazes and much, much more.

We went through the corn maze, a thirty minute walk, and then came home and had a nice fire in the backyard. We even cut sticks and cooked our own hot dogs over the fire! I haven't had a fire cooked hot dog, on a stick no less, in a very long time!

We used the rest of the weekend to watch the last episodes of Season One of Weeds. That show has such a fantastic soundtrack. I love it when a show stretches out and gets obscure music by little known or listened to artists. Even the theme song is funny!

Max hit week two of his new life living with two guys from school. Typical basement aptartment. Full of furniture, game playing stations and laptops. Each guy has his own room and all utilities are included. He came over yesterday to do laundry and we wnet out and had a nice lunch. hey, he's paying his bills and looking to the future, so what can I say? I moved away and lived life for many years before I settled down and went to school. At least he is making good choices thus far AND employed. Now we have to decide what to do with the empty room!! Thinking about looking on raigs List for a day bed so my mom has somewhere to sleep when she comes over. She can't hack the water bed!

Getting ready to read Dan Brown's new book. Working on mine. Living and loving life!! The way it's meant to be.

Gold Stars

2009-09-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

My job is NOT who I am. It is not what defines me as a person, writer, wife, mother, friend etc. So...why then do I continue to let it bother me that my boss is a jerk that does not give out recognition, but rather uses people, manipulates and rarely treats you as well as you should be for the work that you do?

I have been arguing with myself, since yesterday, that I should not give a shit. That I should just let it go and act like I don't care. BUT I DO!! All morning as I was running at the gym and then while trying to do my yoga, and simply concentrate on my breath, I kept telling myself to get over it and just move on.

A hard task. I just spent a week trying to NOT have overtime in a company that does not like to see it happen. I worked a 12 hour day on Monday doing HIS work while he was on vacation. Payroll and other tasks that are really not in my job description yet, but he did not want to have to come in and do it all while on vacation, so he taught me how do it all. Something that is good for me to know prior to a promotion, BUT... I took great care to keep things smooth, keep spirits high as we are busier than we have ever been and shorter staffed than we have ever been as well.

It was one of the most exhausting weeks that I have ever worked. Yes, I did it all as part of my plan to prove my worthiness for a promotion, but there should always be a little recognition for a job well done. I took the time, often, through this past week to thank those that I worked with and even bought meals over the weekend for the entire store. I fully recognized how hard people were working and on what short fuses. We never seemed to have a slow down moment where one could catch their breath. Not one.

I even did an interview with a potential new hire that I thought was excellent and recommended that he hire this guy upon his return. I know that I am pretty much his flunky right now as he takes advantage of the fact that I have something to prove,BUT...

A little thank-you, a note, or just some recognition of the effort that was put forth. He knows that I worked a 12 hour day and did not even ask why. he knows that things were smoothly attended, but he has chosen to say nothing. He came back and got right back to work without a single word about the work that was done in his absence.

Hard to get over and even though I know that I should not even let it phase me...why does it? That job is just what I do for money to allow me to write AND have health insurance for John & I. So why do I care if he recognizes my contributions or not? I guess we all want someone to continue to tell us what a good job we are doing no matter what stage of life we find ourselves entering or leaving. I guess it all started with that first gold star in our first year of school. After that we were all hooked.

I am still chasing the gold star. Are we all?