Like Glitter?

The Youngest and her husband were here for a long weekend the beginning of July.  Before they came here, they spent a day and a half with The Oldest and her family.  After they left to come here, my 2-year-old granddaughter was talking about Auntie A and Uncle A to her mom.  "Mom,"  she said.  "I miss Auntie A--she is so pretty and she sparkles!"  We still aren't sure what 'sparkles,' but it's nice to know she's loved.  :D

Some Common Courtesy, Please

There are some jobs that I really wouldn't want--for example, knife-thrower's assistant or Mafia hitman.  But, those are jobs that SOMEONE has to do, just as the job of telemarketer--another one of those 'not for me' jobs.  For the most part, I understand that telemarketers are trying to make a living, trying to pay their rent and feed their families.  And I am okay with that.  What I am NOT okay with is the attitude of too many of these people.

As I said, I don't want the job and I can imagine it is a very frustrating way to make a living, but I wish they would understand ME, as well.  For the most part, I try to be as nice and courteous to the caller as I can.  (I take issue, though, with the companies that call repeatedly, day after day after day.  I don't need to be HARASSED.)  As I said, I try to be courteous and friendly, while trying to get off of the phone as quickly as possible.  And I usually can do all of this with a minimum of hassle.  There are more times than I'd like to think, that I HAVE to be rude to these people or I would be on the phone with them all day long.  Some telemarketers are like a dog with a bone, they just won't give it up!  One thing that I will say is that I'm not interested and don't want to waste their time and then I'll say good by and hang up.  I feel bad when I have to be rude, but there are times when it is just necessary. 

I think what annoys me most are the times where the telemarketer is my BEST friend in the world until I make it clear that I am NOT buying from him/her.  When s/he can just say good by and hang up, WHY get 'that tone of voice' and be rude to me?  I wasn't rude in the first place and this is one of the reasons why telemarketers have such a bad reputation:  They get all pissy when you let them know you are not falling for their sale's pitch.  I want to tell them to suck it up and deal with the rejection--sorry to say, but this IS what you signed up for when you took the job.  (I DO know that jobs are hard to come by, but it isn't a secret how people feel about telemarketers.)  And while I know the majority of people ARE rude, please be happy that there are some, like me, that don't want to be.

A Little Obvious

Living in this part of the country, I find I don't have nearly as many options as people in other parts of the US when it comes to purchasing items.  While things are getting better, we REALLY are limited in what we can get in a brick-and-mortar store.  We don't have the 'common' places that more urban areas have--for crying out loud, we JUST got a Walgreen's within the last couple of years!  Our chain stores are limited and the mom-and-pop stores just don't always have the inventory where you can pop in and buy what you want.  This is why the interwebs have been such a great addition to our lives--we can go online and order anything we can think of and have it shipped to our houses.  HEAVENLY--except, of course, for the waiting for delivery.  ;)  But, I have gotten used to the fact that I have to be patient--at least for a few days--when I want something.  It also means that UPS and FedEx have trucks that can navigate their own way to my house.

Today I got a package.  When we were in St Paul, K decided that he needed to upgrade our GPS system and bought a new TomTom.  While it has a bigger screen and free lifetime maps, I don't see much of a difference from the old one, but I'm not the one that uses it.  With the gadget being bigger, we now face the problem of where to put it when it's in use.  K used to just place the old one in one of the cup holders and things were okay--not so much with the new one, as it is just too big.  K won't mount the GPS system on the dashboard or window, as he doesn't like 'marking up' the vehicle permanently.  (And that makes it VERY difficult for me to turn my Envoy into a 'Wing-mobile,' but that is for another discussion.)  So this, along with needing an in-house charger, brought me to the interwebs for a solution and shopping.  I found what I wanted, placed the order, and waited until it was delivered today.  Nothing earth-shattering to report, just that I got a package, which was left on my back porch.  The thing that pretty much put me over the top about this whole thing is this:  There was a label slapped onto the package--obviously put there by whoever delivered it.  The label stated "Your package has been delivered."  Excuse me!?!?!?!?!?  I'm holding the package IN. MY. HANDS.  And you have to put a label on it to tell me it has been delivered?  Okay, I have, rarely, had a package put somewhere that wasn't obvious because of weather or such--they HAVE put packages in one of the vehicles or delivered them to the neighbor's if we weren't there to accept delivery--and a label has been put on the door telling where it was left, but I've not seen this.  It just kind of seemed to be a waste of a label AND the deliverer's time.

What's In A Name?

After all of the emotional excitement of finding out you're pregnant, one of the next steps is coming up with a name for the bundle of joy.  Considering what passes for names these days, I don't think everyone spends as much time deciding on a name, as I did.

One of the main considerations in a name, for me, was that no matter HOW you arranged the initials, nothing embarrassing could be spelled.  And this included all possible combinations of letters for a last name--this, if and when, my daughters would get married and change their names.  I spent HOURS working this out.

The first step of the process with each potential name was the straight-forward initials--first, middle, last.  Considering our last name starts with a 'K,' I didn't see too many problems.  I could have named my daughter 'Annie Sue' and her initials would have spelled 'ASK,' which wasn't too bad.  However, if she married someone with the last name of 'Smith,' THEN we'd have some trouble--the initials would, of course, spell 'ASS.'   Every name I could think of went through this scrutiny.  Also, I checked all combinations that would come up with a traditional monogram--where the last initial is in the middle and the first and last are on either side of it.  This brought up an entire set of additional problems.  To say this was a long process, is putting it mildly.  (Thank goodness I had almost full-term pregnancies--it took the entire eight months to go through all combinations!)

When picking names for the girls, I also had other considerations.  For my first, I wanted to give her a variation of my own first name.  Using the middle name of 'Marie' is a bit of a tradition, so my first was getting that as HER middle name.  (My great-grandmother's name was Marie, my grandmother's middle name was Marie, and The Mother's middle name is Marie.  My first's middle name is Marie and my first granddaughter's middle name is, too.  Five generations and, hopefully, it will continue.)  This gave The Oldest the initials of CMK, same as mine.  Try as I might, I couldn't come up with anything too embarrassing using those three letters--or any letter she could possibly marry into.  As it turned out, she married someone with the last initial of 'H' the first time and 'G' the second time--nothing awkward there.

The second daughter's naming took a different turn than the first's.  I wanted to give her a traditional Finnish name, but The Mother was horrified--said NO ONE would be able to pronounce it--and, like the obedient daughter I was at the time, changed my mind.  I then decided to give her names of great-grandmothers--but I needed to decide WHICH of the four to use.  (One of the great-grandmothers was named 'Josephine' and I wasn't naming MY kid THAT.)  She wound up with my M-I-L's mother's first name and The Mother's mother's first as her middle name.  THIS naming was a bit trickier, as the initials wound up being AEK.  A traditional monogram--after marriage--for her could have spelled 'ACE' or 'ATE,' but nothing overly embarrassing.  As it turned out, she didn't even have to change her initials, as she married someone with 'K' as his last initial.

I know we are 'the land of the free,' but there really are times when I don't think other countries have it so wrong with the naming of babies--some countries have an 'approved' list of baby names that you HAVE to choose from.  This would really stop the crazy names and crazy spellings altogether.  And I'm sure it would make things a whole lot easier for teachers.


***Believe me, I KNOW how OCD this sounds--but that's just the way I roll.  :D***

Yes, Sir, I'll Have Another

For some reason or another, I have always been fascinated with tattoos.  When I was growing up, I didn't see many of them and pretty much the only people that had them were military members or hard core bikers.  And I didn't spend much time around either group.  But, I wanted a tattoo from a young age.  As the years went on, my desire didn't go away, but I became a lot more cautious about getting one.  What I wanted years earlier were now out of the question, so I thought for a long time as to what should be on my body forever.  About nine years ago, I finally decided on my tattoo and I've never looked back.

I went to the tattoo shop, talked to the artist, discussed what I wanted, told her to do the design, and made an appointment.  I got my first tattoo--and it was something that was of great significance to me.  The design, to me, shows the connection that the Jewish and Christian faiths have--it is a very important spiritual symbol.  This was placed on the upper part of my lower, left arm.

After getting my first tattoo, I thought I was done.  Unfortunately, I was hooked.  For years, I thought about the possibility of getting some more tats.  Six years later, I decided to go back for another one--I knew what I wanted.  This time, I decided on the symbol for infinity--also, for me, it means 'forever' and 'eternity.'  I got this one near my right wrist.

A couple of months later, I went back and got tattoos number three and four.  The third one was placed on the back of my right hand, up from my thumb.  It signifies the ten year anniversary of the day I quit smoking.  I had it put where I could see it if I ever decided to smoke another cigarette--I usually held the cigarette in my right hand, in the day.  And tattoo number four was placed under the Star of David/cross tat.  It, too, holds a spiritual significance for me:  It is a Trinity knot, signifying the three-in-one, or the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Of all of my tattoos, the only one that isn't spiritual in nature is the third one:

And here is the last one that I got:

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about getting another tat.  I would really like to get something to do with the Red Wings, but I won't get red ink--if a person is going to have a bad reaction to ink, it probably will be red.  I'm kind of leaning toward something that involves the Greek letters alpha and omega--again, spiritual meaning--but it isn't as unique as some of my other tats.  Whatever I get next, I don't think it will be too long before it is done.

Reality

Every time I am channel-surfing and see the movie 'Jeremiah Johnson' playing, I stop and watch it.  For some reason or another, it is one of my favorite movies.  I have always like Robert Redford and he is the star, but I also like the story.  In a few words:  'Jeremiah Johnson' is the story of a guy who decided to go west and become a Mountain Man.  He wanted to live a life of solitude and trap, hunt, and fish.  And because of circumstances, he got caught up in a 'war' with the Crow nation--and this helped him establish his reputation.  It was a story of a man who wanted to be left alone and 'do his own thing,' but it didn't happen in that way.  Despite the fact that there was a lot of killing in the movie--very little blood, however--it was kind of idyllic and beautiful in its own way.  But what else would you expect from a Robert Redford movie?

A couple of months back, I FINALLY decided to investigate 'Jeremiah Johnson' a little further, after another viewing of the movie.  I found out that there was a REAL person that this movie was based on and his name was John Johnson--and as in the case of most of the Mountain Men, he was very much different than the man portrayed in the movie.  When I realized that there was a book written about John Johnson, I KNEW I had to read it.

The book 'Crow Killer:  The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson' is in a genre that I don't normally gravitate to.  While I DO read some biographies,  I don't know if I would necessarily read one of a 'western' character.  But this book was completely fascinating--probably because it was a very truthful look at a period of US history that has been exaggerated so much over the years.  This book was published in 1958 and I was amazed and surprised at how 'unvarnished' the truthfulness of the story was.  We are so used to the days where the 'red men' were vilified as savages--as so many of the movies and TV shows of the 50s did--and today we are being brainwashed into believing that they did NOTHING wrong, whatsoever, to ANY 'white men.'  This book showed the savagery that both groups of people brought down on each other.  And this was accomplished in a way that was quite matter-of-fact--this was how living was then and the book showed it.  There was no judging, no blame, and both the 'white men' and the 'red men' were shown to be savages, as well as kind and compassionate.  The movie did, to a certain extent, have an even-handedness about it, but change was already coming and, while subtle, it was implied that the killing of Johnson's wife was pretty much justified.  (He led a group of men through the sacred burial grounds of the Crow, even though he KNEW it was forbidden--so the Crow were justified in their revenge.  In the book, it was just a group of young Crow who were on a rampage, who killed his wife.  HE was justified in going after THEM for revenge.)  Tiny, subtle difference, but very glaring when you examine the book and movie side-by-side.

Without going into the book much further, I must say that it was refreshing to read a book that really didn't have an agenda attached to it.  This was a straight-forward history of what this country was like--although it was done in a non-dry way, as too many history books are.  With the political correctness today, I really wonder if this book would be allowed to be published--OR if it would be protested because of the 'hatred' that the Native Americans had to endure in it.  I really wish we could get more plain truth and less of the PC crap that we have to have today.  For crying out loud, the word 'nigger' isn't allowed to be uttered in ANY context--in a news story or as a quote, even--because it isn't PC.  In this book, some of the Native Americans were called 'red niggers' by the Mountain Men--and this isn't something you would be allowed to write today without a horrible backlash.  I guess I'm just getting old, because I will have to say 'sometimes I wish for the good old days.'  ;)



***John Johnson got his nickname of 'Liver-Eating Johnson' because he cut out the livers of the Crow he killed and ate them raw.  (This was an insult to his enemies.)  Cannibalism as a way to survive or insult another wasn't unknown at this time in history.  This is something that I wonder how it would be handled in a book published today--would it be written as it actually was, or would it be white-washed?  I DO wonder how much of what I read today has been 'sanitized for others' possible hurt feelings.'***

Cross THAT Off Of The List

I don't know how many people actually have written 'bucket lists,' but I am one who HASN'T done so.  Of course, as I get older, there are things I want to do before I die, but nothing so important that I need to actually MAKE it happen.  I have seen Eric Clapton in concert, so that is one thing that's off of MY imaginary list.  I still have 'see a Red Wings game in person,' and 'see my Baby Boy PLAY a game in person,' on my list, but other than that, not much else.  I think most of my list would consist of  'things everyone should experience once in their life'--such as 'see the Mall of America' and 'go to Las Vegas for a couple of days.'  THAT list would be much, much longer--but, STILL not anything earth shattering.  One thing that everyone should experience at least once in their life, happened to me on Friday--and it didn't only happen ONCE, but TWICE!  I met, talked to, and shook hands with TWO famous people!  What fun!  So now for the story.

 As I mentioned a few months ago, Air Supply was going to be in concert less than an hour away from where we live.  For the past few days, The Oldest has been so excited by this that I don't know if she slept at all.  On Thursday evening, she made it to our house for a little shopping and relaxing before we had to get ready and go to the concert on Friday.  I *almost* think she was too excited to miss her family and I had to calm her down a few times because she was a bit over the top in anticipation.  (I didn't want her to get her hopes up TOO high and then have them dashed and squashed!)  Completely in line with the way she lives her life, we managed to get to the concert and slide into our seats about thirty seconds after it started.  And she was overwhelmed!  Not only was this a concert featuring the FIRST band she ever LOVED--and still does, by the way--but it was the first concert she had ever been to!  Everything HAD to go perfectly for her not to have her heart crushed, to say the least.

The concert was great.  We sang along with ALL of the songs and The Oldest was GLOWING when Graham Russell stopped and waited for her to take his picture.  (This was during the portion of the show where they came down into the audience and shook hands with the fans.  Unfortunately, we were in the middle of the row and couldn't get to the guys.)  For an hour and a half, my daughter was as happy as she has ever been.

When all was said and done, we asked one of the ushers if there was any chance of a 'meet and greet' with the band.  She told us that they would be out in 20 minutes at the ticket office window and would sign autographs and talk with fans.  About this time, I though The Oldest was going to BURST with happiness.  As we stood in line, the anticipation for her just grew and grew.  FINALLY, it was OUR time to say 'hi' to the guys.  C went to Graham Russell, had him sign his name, and shook hands with him.  She told him "Air Supply was the FIRST band I EVER loved--and you were my favorite!."  While continuing to hold her hand, he put his other hand on top on hers, looked into her eyes, and asked, "Am I STILL your favorite?"  (QUITE a showman.  ;))  And she just melted.  I shook hands with him, chit-chatted for a few seconds, and moved on to shake hands with Russell Hitchcock.  He looked at the tattoo on the back of my hand, ran his finger over it, and looked at me questioningly.  I told him it was my 10-year anniversary tat of not smoking.  He then showed me HIS tat on the back of his hand and said, "This is for 5 years of...nothing."  And he laughed.  We then went on and compared and discussed our arm tattoos.  To say it was surreal to be talking tattoos with a famous person, is putting it mildly.  ;D  But they were absolutely great, friendly, funny, and all-around nice.  My daughter is STILL flying high from the experience.

While this was on the top-10 greatest days of all time list for my daughter--she HAS given birth 7 times, so I think THOSE days top this ;)--it also was one of MY favorite days ever.  To see someone you love SO happy just makes the world seem like a good place--even if only for a short time.



***Afterwards, The Oldest commented on my conversation with Russell Hitchcock.  She said, "What was THAT all about with the tattoos?  You two talked like a couple of old Navy buddies!"  :D**

A Political Post

While this MAY come off as snarky, I don't think I mean it to be such.  Well, not TOO much.  ;)

I am not a fan of the Democratic Party.  However, the Dems do something that the GOP can't--they can convince the electorate to vote a person into office that shouldn't be appointed dog catcher, better than anyone ever has.  If the GOP could do this, Sarah Palin would be sitting in the White House right now.  Now THAT'S something to think about.  ;)

Obsessions and a Master Race

I don't understand the obsession so many of my generation have for WWII.  It was a war, it was history, but it WAS before our time--get over it!  K is one of the obsessed.  Whenever he is channel-surfing--ALL the time, by the way--if he comes to anything to do with WWII, he has to stop and watch it.  It doesn't matter if it is a movie, mini-series, documentary, or propaganda film, he HAS to watch it because it deals with WWII.  It completely baffles me.

Today I was dusting in the living room and caught a bit of the program--a WWII documentary--that K had on.  It was all about the Nazis wanting to build a master race and the steps they went through to achieve their objective.  Of course, the WAY the Nazis went about this was very, very horrifying, but it got me thinking:  What if, at some point in time, humans decided to help evolution along and try to breed the best and the brightest that could be.  If race and ethnicity had been taken out of the equation, would people have objected so much to trying to build a better race of humans?  Is it possible that this could have been achieved, or would those that weren't 'good' enough rebel?  Quite an intriguing thing to think about, right?

A Pet Peeve

First, I have to say I never knew that air could be as hot and humid as it is here, outside of a sauna.  I hadn't been out all day and saw my window bird feeders needed filling, so got my supplies together and proceeded to open the breakfast nook window to complete the chore.  (That is why I have window feeders:  I can fill them from inside the house.)  Anyway, the air that came in when the window was opened was like nothing I ever have felt before!  I really feel sorry for those people who HAVE to be out in weather like this--and now KNOW why deaths are being reported.  So, back to my pet peeve.

If the summer temperatures around here are above normal--or even close to normal--we run three window air conditioners.  Just because they are all installed doesn't mean we run them every day, but since coming back from our trip, they have rarely been turned off.  Today for sure, they have been NEEDED and can't be considered a luxury.  (Combining heat and humidity, it feels as if the temp is over 100*.)  All day long, I have felt quite comfortable--neither too warm or too cool.  I have been happy.  But right now, K is exhibiting behavior that makes me go completely postal:  He is on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket.  AND he will not admit that he would like at least one of the a/c units turned off.  The way I see it, if you are cold while a/c is ON, turn it OFF!!!!  DO NOT wrap yourself in a blanket for warmth.  And I'm just stubborn enough to not turn the a/c off because he won't ask me to.  He can have fun paying that electric bill next month...

Yes, I am passive/aggressive.

Being a Non-Luddite

Damn You Autocorrect! is one of those sites that can suck you in and cause you to waste far too much time.  There have been times when I wondered if people just made things up for the humor, but I have to say, after spending time with the autocorrect feature on MY phone, that I believe most of them are real.

The Youngest and I text each other almost daily.  While I would much rather talk to someone, she is more comfortable texting--probably so that she can have numerous conversations going on at once.  The other day my autocorrect brought me a couple of chuckles.  First, I was complaining about the weather--what else is new--and texted how "I'm not a happy camper!"  Of course, my phone changed it and it became "I'm not a happy computer!"  Then later in the conversation, she said something I found amusing, so I texted "Hahahahahahahahahaha."  My phone corrected it to say "Guadalajara."  THAT one I found laugh-out-loud funny.

Even though the autocorrect on my phone makes 'mistakes,' I am amazed at how intuitive it really is.  Sometimes I think the phone could write my text messages without any input from me.  The thing that I'm enjoying most about the texting feature on my phone is the program/app that I'm using for my keyboard.  I'm using Swype and it is unbelievable!  Gone are the days of 'hunt and peck' typing--all you need do is slide your finger across the letters and the word you want typed comes up almost magically.  I never would have thought that this would work, but it does.  When I first got my phone, AT&T blocked third-party apps, so I wasn't able to get Swype, but as soon as it was available, I downloaded it.  Now I don't know what I would do without it.  Technology STILL amazes me after all these years--and I'm definitely NOT a Luddite, as are far too many of my generation.  It's great to embrace and learn new things.




*Yes, I'm back.  Actually--other than the few days we were out of town--I have not been away, just too lazy to post.  I will be writing about our recent trip within the next day or two, hopefully.  I MUST get out of this non-posting rut that I'm in!*

A Little History Lesson

Those of us here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan have had to endure the derision of the 'trolls'--those that live 'under the bridge' (the Mackinac Bridge)--in the Lower Peninsula, forever.  For all of history, founded or not, we have felt that we have not been given our due and that the LP has all of the power and gets most of the considerations when it comes to money, etc.  And while this may be an exaggeration, there is some truth to it.  And this all goes back to the days when Michigan was FORCED to take the UP instead of getting the piece of land it REALLY wanted.

Back in the early 1800s, Michigan was not a state.  When Michigan asked to become a state, things didn't work out that well because of a piece of land known as the Toledo Strip.  Michigan wanted this land and Ohio said it owned it.  Blah, blah, etc, etc--things happened, words were exchanged and there came a 'conflict' known as the Toledo War in 1835-36.  It turned out to be a relatively bloodless war, but ended with the Toledo Strip being given to Ohio and the UP being given to Michigan.  (You can read the entire story here.)  Case closed, but Michigan wasn't happy.  Everyone was completely convinced that Michigan came out the loser in this deal--and it seemed that way.  After all, Toledo was a very important port on the Great Lakes and it was a 'gateway' city to the west.  And the UP was nothing more than a wilderness, far, far away--inhabited by nothing more than trappers, fur traders, and Indians.  Even though this deal paved the way for Michigan to become a state, it didn't improve the 'oh, woe is me' attitude.  And really, who could blame.

As things turned out, Michigan--while not exactly a WINNER--didn't lose at all in this deal.  Copper and iron were discovered here and it brought a great deal of money to the state.  Despite the copper boom lapsing, eventually, iron ore is still being mined today.  There also has been some gold, silver, and nickel mined here, as well.  And the UP is most definitely a vacation destination for a lot of people--we have great beaches for swimming, lots of lakes for fishing/kayaking, etc, places to hike, hunting, snowmobile trails, campsites, ski hills, etc, etc, etc.  All in all, Michigan DIDN'T get screwed, no matter WHAT the 'trolls' might think.  Besides, if it wasn't for the 'great' Toledo War, would we have the Ohio/Michigan sport rivalries we have today?  I think not.

LOL

Just a couple of laughs for the long weekend:

 

Hope your weekend is great and fun!

Questions

Why is it so wrong to accept the status quo?  Why do we INSIST that things have to change?  I know that 'change is inevitable,' but why can't we leave some things alone and be happy?  As a species, we really are strange.

You Have GOT To Be Kidding

There is a financial crisis in far too many governments--local, state, AND federal--and it seems as if the powers-that-be can't figure out why.  Most of the 'common, little people' have a bit of a clue as to the reason:  OVERSPENDING!  And where is this money going to?  Services, salaries, and just, plain redundancy, in many cases.  While this story is NOT one of government excess, it does illustrate a problem that is seen far, far too often in this country.

Not too long ago, I told the story of a friend of mine, Pete, and the way he is dealing with his leukemia.  As I said in the post, he was diagnosed with AML almost one year ago.  He has spent a good deal of his time in various hospitals since getting this diagnosis--dare I say almost 50% of his days?  It has been AT LEAST one-third of his time spent in the hospital and much more of this time sick, while being under DIRECT medical care for almost all of this past year.  In that time he has been stuck with more needles than he could possibly count, been poked and prodded more times than the average person could be in several lifetimes, had more tests done, and had to give up more bodily fluids to medical personnel than a 500 pound man has in his entire system.  You would think they couldn't ask for anything more--especially considering his blood-marrow transplant is going to happen sooner, rather than later.  WRONG!!

Yesterday, Pete got a package from the hospital that he has spent so much of his time in this past year.  In the package was a 'test kit,' asking him to swab the inside of his cheek so that they could test his HLA type.  (HLA testing is what they do to find a bone marrow donor.)  Once he did this, he was supposed to send this package back--Fed-Ex Priority Mail, nonetheless.  After all of this time, after all of the testing he's gone through, the hospital neglected to test for his HLA type in anticipation of his transplant--something he was told many months ago is probably his ONLY chance for a full and (possibly) permanent remission/cure.  So, instead of doing a cheek swab when they actually had him there in person, they SENT a kit to him--via priority mail--and want him to send it back to them--via priority mail.  UNBELIEVABLE.

While, in the whole scheme of things, this is a drop in the bucket in terms of cost--I don't even WANT to know how much Pete and his wife are going to have to spend for his 'cure'--it is a redundant cost.  If this country--not to mention our health care system--is run so inefficiently, is it a wonder we are going broke?  Is it a wonder our health-care is so expensive?  If we could only get some common-sense people to become 'powers-that-be,' could we get back to being the great country that we once were?  Unfortunately, I don't know if even a change in those in power can help things along.  After all, "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."

PSA*

*Public Service Announcement (for those who don't know)  ;)

Every so often, I feel as if I haven't done enough with my life, so I take it upon myself to do something to rectify the situation.  Today, I will pass on some knowledge that you may or may not already know.  If you don't know this already, it may save you some time if your doctor ever prescribes a little something for that 'rash' you have.

One of the first things that a doctor will prescribe for psoriasis (for example) is a topical medication.  They can possibly be effective and they are non-invasive, so topicals are a first choice.  The term 'topical medication' seems to be very straight-forward and uncomplicated, right?  WRONG!  I have found that there are, basically, three TYPES of topicals that can be prescribed.

The first type of topical that I'm familiar with is the lotion.  Now, when you think of lotions, you probably think of hand or body lotion--a creamy, free-flowing liquid that is quite a bit thicker than milk.  A topical medicine that is called a lotion is usually thin as water and colorless.  Lotions can be used rather easily on the scalp, but aren't usually used elsewhere on the body.

A cream is another form of topical meds.  Creams usually come in a tube that resembles toothpaste.  The advantage to creams are their being somewhat thicker and are usually quite easy to apply and absorb.  Creams are usually white in color.

The third topical is an ointment.  Ointments are what they sound like--they are petrolatum based and resemble Vaseline, both in color and texture.  The advantage to ointments is that they are great for keeping the skin moisturized, but they are messy and don't absorb into the skin very well.

Many topicals come in more than one form--I have had certain meds in all three forms.  And some work better in one form than in others.  It takes a bit of experimentation to find what works best--and I had many, many years worth of using them to get to where I know one from another.  I hope this little post helps someone at some time.  ;)



(Sorry this is so lame, but I am trying to get back in the groove of blogging on a semi-regular basis.  I certainly hope all of the topics I pick to write about aren't quite as boring.  :D)

Stubbornness--I Has It

If you look up the word 'stubborn' in a dictionary, you probably will find my picture.  I really don''t know if it is because I'm Finn (the Finns I have known through my life are THE most stubborn people around); because of my family genetics (The Father is so stubborn that he didn't talk to his brother for over 20 years (long after he forgot exactly why he was mad at him--maybe)); or if it just comes with living here (you HAVE to be stubborn to continue to live where it is winter for much more of the time than it is summer).  Whatever the reason, I am quite a stubborn person.  And there is no more better example of my being stubborn than when it comes to books and movies.

Whenever I start reading a book or watching a movie, I feel compelled to finish it.  I can probably count on one hand how many movies or books I haven't finished after starting them.  I do know that I only watched about 10 minutes of 'Burn After Reading' before I had to turn it off and couldn't finish 'The Road' no matter how hard I tried.  I'm sure there are others that I couldn't continue with, but they are few and far between--just stubbornness keeps me going.  And I think I'm even more determined to finish a book that I start.  'Gulag Archipelago' is one book that I just couldn't get into--and I tried numerous times with it.  I haven't given up, though--I still may read the entire thing one of these days.  I guess I feel as if I don't want to completely waste the amount of time I have already put into a book or movie, so I keep plodding along--no matter how bad the thing might be.

The other day, I FINALLY finished a book that I had to force myself to read.  And at well more than 700 pages, it really was a grind.  My stubbornness was evident in this act, as the book was the final one in a series of six that began way back in 1980, the year the first book was published.  I just couldn't let all of the time and effort go to waste by NOT reading the final book.  I just hope that it really IS the last one, because I don't think I could do this again.

So, what exactly am I talking about?  The book I just read is called 'The Land of Painted Caves' and it was written by Jean Auel.  This was the last book of her 'Earth's Children' series, which began with 'The Clan of the Cave Bear' back in 1980.  Many people only know this title because of the movie by the same name, which starred Daryl Hannah. 

I really enjoyed 'The Clan of the Cave Bear.'  Now, I don't know if it was because it was so very different, or if my age had something to do with it.  (I really think it was a bit of both.)  And because I enjoyed it so much, I couldn't wait for the second book.   That book came only two years later and the third was published three years after that.  As far as books go, they came pretty quickly.  And considering the author is very much like JK Rowling (of 'Harry Potter' fame) and wouldn't write a book of reasonable length if she was paid to, that quick output is amazing.  Book number four, however, took five years to be published and then we waited for 12 full years for number five.  This last book took nine years to write.  All in all, I have been following the main character for over thirty years.  A long, long time.  And I am more than happy to say good-by to her.

Each of the books in this series is quite a 'brick.'  I don't believe any one of the books was less than 500 pages--and I can use a paragraph to explain the entire series.  Ayla--the main character--is a 'modern' human (Cro-Magnon).  She is orphaned and adopted by a Neanderthal woman.  She learns to be a medicine woman from her adopted mother and brings 'women's lib' to the tribe--she cannot understand why she isn't allowed to hunt, for example.  Of course, this doesn't sit too well with the male leaders, so she is pretty much drummed out of the tribe and has to leave her half-breed son behind for his own good.  After she goes off by herself, she continues to improve her hunting skills and along the way learns to make fire using flint and pyrite.  She sharpens her medicine woman skills and learns to domesticate animals.  Horses are trained to haul stuff and accept riders.  A cave lion and wolf become her substitute children.  At one point, she heals a man who has been mauled by a lion and they fall in love.  She goes off with him and joins his tribe, where she goes into training to be a spiritual leader and medicine woman.  Eventually, it is Ayla who brings the concept of monogamy into the world.  She also discovers how babies are made.  Through her experimentation of hallucinogenic plants--which she has access to with her training to--it seems as if she 'sees' the future and gets a hint of the amount of people that will eventually inhabit the world, highways, and the way humanity will abuse the earth.  And that pretty much sums up the series.

While there were quite a few interesting aspects of these books--there HAD to be or my stubbornness couldn't have compelled me to continue on--this last book could have been at least 350 pages shorter and it wouldn't have taken away from the storyline at all.  The author is VERY descriptive--to the point of absurdity.  And when she has described the exact same thing for the sixth time (plants, animals,) you want to poke your eyeballs out with a pointy stick!  And this is what the first 500 pages of this book was like.  One of the things that was completely absurd was the descriptions of the 'painted caves' that the title refers to.  I understand describing in minute detail one or two of the (supposedly) French caves with pre-historic paintings in them, but to belabor this with descriptions of cave after cave after cave--and I have no idea HOW many there were--is unbelievably painful to read.  As I said, I forced myself to get through this book and WON'T be re-reading this series again.  And that's too bad, because it could have become one of my favorite series of all time.  I'm just happy to move on.

So, do you finish books you start, even if they aren't interesting?  Or do you quickly decide to move on if it isn't your 'cup of tea?'  I'd be interested to hear how others are when it comes to books.

Who Can Hate Summer?

There is a reason why I won't wear a swimsuit--and I have pictures:

Hope your week is good!  :D

WHOA!

I really don't want to know what kind of clientele you service if you have to put this sign in your window:

(via passiveaggressivenotes.com)

Not Always Right

I found this story on the site Not Always Right--and it made me laugh.  Hope you enjoy.

(I have albinism, so I have very pale skin, white hair, and red irises.)
Me: “Hi. What can I get for you?”
Customer: “Are…are you a vampire?”
Me: “Well, my dad is half-vampire.” *laughing*
Customer: “Please, don’t bite me.”
Me: “Ma’am, I’m not going to bite you.”
Customer: “Don’t put any blood in my food either. I don’t want to be a vampire.”
Me: “Ma’am, I’m not going to put blood in your food. I’m not a vampire. We serve regular food here.”
Customer: “Let me speak to your manager.”
(I go and get my manager, and fill him in on what’s going on.)
Customer, to my manager: “Is your vampire waitress going to bite me?”
Manager: “Only if you don’t tip her well.”
(The woman looks completely horrified, but finally ends up ordering and leaving me a 21% tip.)

How can people be so damn stupid?

A Follow-Up

Following up the last post about the 2nd granddaughter:  She still is being a Drama Queen.  She walks around the house, clutching her lower belly and whimpering/groaning quietly whenever someone notices her.  Her oldest sister--15 years old--just rolls her eyes.  What a kid.  ;)

This whole thing brings to mind another story.  My oldest sister-in-law went into labor with her oldest.  Because it wasn't time to go to the hospital, she went and sat at my in-law's house, to spend time with her mother--hopefully, to get a little sympathy.  In typical fashion, my mother-in-law was very laid back about the entire thing and continued with what was on her agenda, which included setting her hair.  My s-i-l sat at the kitchen table, groaning and moaning whenever she had a contraction, and said, "But you don't KNOW how much this hurts!!!!" My m-i-l just continued setting her hair and said nothing:  SHE had given birth to five kids--the last of which were twins.  :D

Fantasyland

Our 2nd oldest granddaughter is quite a hoot.  Her goal in life has always been to be a princess--and she still wants that at the age of 12.  She has told her parents that she will never leave home--and after they are 'gone,' her older sister will take care of her.  She is the Drama Queen of all times--EVERYTHING that happens to her is worse than anything that has ever happened to anyone else.  She is a bit of a 'space cadet.'  Her mother will send her to do a chore and five hours later, when The Oldest asks her if she's done, she answers, "With what?"  She is the family 'Informer'--she knows everything that is going on and lets her mom know, too.  Also, she is the 'Recorder.'  I try to give gifts of equal value to each of the grandchildren and this grandchild makes sure of that--she remembers what everyone has received and lets it be known if the next gift to come into the house is of lesser OR greater value.  I can count on her to remember things I have forgotten.

Today, The Oldest called to tell me that The 2nd got her period for the first time.  In fine, Drama Queen fashion, she told her mother:  "THIS is GROSS!!!  NO ONE has EVER had ANYTHING so gross happen to them EVER!!!!"

The Oldest only has six girls to raise--she is going to have so much fun for the next 18 or so years.  :D

Completely Self-Serving

This post is completely, 100% self-serving.  This is to pat myself on the back and make me feel good.  So, here goes:

Earlier, I was at the grocery store and got into a conversation with a woman about the strawberries we were looking at.  She looked very familiar to me--later, I realized I knew her from that very store where she used to work--and we talked more about where we were from, etc.  As it turned out, she was from 'back home' and we were trying to figure out whether or not we ever had come into contact years ago.  After exchanging names and hometowns, she mentioned that she had graduated in 1971.  To that, I responded that I had graduated in 1972.  "Really!?" she said.  "I would have thought you were much, much younger than me!"  Fireworks went off, rainbows appeared, the sun came out, butterflies flew about, flowers bloomed--right there in the grocery store!  I came thisclose to doing cartwheels--and I don't know HOW to do cartwheels!  Talk about an ego boost.  I came home in a very good mood.  ;)

Interesting Things Seen On Our Travels

Part of our time out-of-town last week was spent shopping.  While I do my best to shop locally, I HAVE to go out-of-town to get certain things.  For example, our fabric stores--of which we have one (2?) and Wal Mart (what a joke)--lack anything that I would want or need for most sewing projects.  So, I need to shop whenever we do our road trips.  K, also, needs to shop away from home, at times, and this is where this post comes from.

K is required to wear steel-toed boots at work.  While they aren't hard to find, K has a hard time finding anything comfortable, so he continues to get the one brand that he KNOWS will fit fine.  It has been easiest for him to get his boots whenever we go to Wisconsin, partly because he works for a Wisconsin company and gets a discount at the store he buys from.  This past weekend found us at the strip mall where the shoe store is located.  Because I had no particular reason to go into the store, K went by himself and I stayed in the Envoy and people-watched.   As I was looking around, I noticed the signage for some of the stores:

 

You can see there is a Sally Beauty Supply and a Fantastic Sams and a  Game Stop, along with a cash store.  The sign that caught my eye, though, was the blue one, so I needed a closer look:

 

 

And there, right in the middle of a strip mall is a place called Any Lab Test Now!  Really?!?!  It just blew me away.  Does ANYONE need lab work done NOW! and without a doctor's order?  WHY would you need this?  Maybe I'm just old-fashioned and think a doctor should be the one to order lab tests, but what do I know?  I guess there might be 'emergency situations' where you need lab tests RIGHT NOW!  Might help in determining your kid's Baby Daddy before the wedding, I suppose.

"Oh, What A Night..."

Yes, I went there with the title of this post.  ;)  Anyway, we saw "Jersey Boys, The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons" on Friday night.  O.M.G.  It was a little bit of a play, a little bit of a concert, all rolled into one.  The performances were incredible.  Joseph Leo Bwarie sang the part of Frankie Valli and was simply awesome--his voice is amazing!  The entire cast seemed to really enjoy what they were doing and the energy reached us all the way in the balcony!

So, this play is (obviously) about the musical group The Four Seasons.  It began around the time Valli sang with the group for the first time and brought us through their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  Most of the show centered around their rise and break-up, with the very end focusing on the change to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons.  While the storyline was very interesting, it was the music that made the play for me.  I still find myself singing one of the songs at odd times during the day or night--they had some memorable hits, for sure.

All performances at the venue where we were, prohibit any form of electronic recording device or cameras.  Fine, no problem if that's the policy.  But, I never imagined there was a ban on taking pictures of the empty stage BEFORE the play began--but there is.  I decided to take a pic with my phone and as I was trying for a second one, an usher practically had a stroke yelling at me that "pictures are prohibited!!!"  You could have sworn that I was trying to copy government secrets, for crying out loud.  And I'm sorry, but using the excuse that cameras, etc, "may interfere with wireless technology" is very lame as a reason for prohibiting the use of electronic devices.  Just give the REAL reasons:  A GOOD REASON--they can be a HUGE distraction for the audience and actors;  A CRAPPY REASON--it keeps the theater/production company/etc, from being able to make a crapload of money by selling overpriced items to the public; pictures, etc.  But, I DID manage to get a decent pic of the empty stage:

The entire play was done on a very minimalist stage--not many props at all.

At this particular venue where we see plays, we have noticed that 'drinks'--and we're usually talking alcoholic here--cannot be brought into the theater itself.  (Water bottles--without their caps, I believe--are allowed in the theater.)  So, before the play and during intermission, you will find people milling about, trying to finish their beverages before the doors are closed and they are not allowed entrance to what they paid to see.  On Friday, we noticed something different:  cups with lids.

 

We weren't sure WHAT these were for, but because they were on the wine tables, next to the wine glasses, we thought (and were correct) that they could be used to bring wine into the theater.  Now, we were happy that we were able to enjoy adult beverages of our own choosing while seeing the performance, but the glasses really left a lot to be desired.  First, the lids on the cups that we bought are blue.  And the wine that was in them was a pale yellow.  Imagine this for a second and you can see how much like doctor's office specimen cups these resembled.  Yeah.  The best thing about these is that we can bring them back the next time we go to the theater and have them refilled--and we don't have to purchase the cups again.  YAY!  (Of course, we STILL have to pay for what we want put IN them.)

I'm already planning on what we will be seeing in the future. The theater has announced some of their performances for next season and there are quite a few that should be interesting:  West Side Story, Mary Poppins, Rain (Beatles tribute band), Les Miserables, Million Dollar Quartet (about the one-time recording session that brought together Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley.)  Now, to get K to commit to how many of these we will see...

 

Almost A Life!

Starting from the Doobie Brothers concert, this is how my life is stacking up for the summer:

• end of May:  Doobie Brothers concert
• beginning of June:  Jersey Boys
• early to mid-July:  Pharaoh exhibit at Science Museum of Minnesota
• late July:  Air Supply concert
• early September:  Renaissance festival
• mid-September:  Red Wing training camp, followed by pre-season

And this is only the list of things that we have SCHEDULED!  This doesn't include our regular road trips and unexpected mini-vacations.  I'm hoping that I can put off a too terrible bout of hockey withdrawal by actually having a life.  :D

Surreal

I am the one who played MC5's "Kick Out the Jams" on the school PA system.  As soon as we got FM stations, I left AM top-40 far behind.  I just saw Alice Cooper in concert.  Eric Clapton is my rock god.  I have music by Cream, Iron Butterfly, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin.  So, could someone please explain to me why, on 22 July, I will be sitting in row 8, center section, at an Air Supply concert?

A couple of weeks ago it came to my attention that Air Supply will be doing two concerts close by here.  The Oldest was THE biggest fan when she was quite young.  I KNEW I had to offer to take her to the concert and she gladly accepted.  So, we will be seeing Air Supply the end of July.  I still can't believe I'm saying that.  ;)  While I'm not a huge fan, I can handle their music in small doses.  I mean, it's not like it's country and western, right?  I will know most, if not all, of the songs, as we owned all of their albums at one time.  And even if I were to absolutely LOATHE the concert, seeing The Oldest's face will be worth whatever I have to go through for two hours.  I think this will be my happiest concert because a person I love will be ecstatic.  I can't wait.

Adventures With Wildlife

I would never go into a court of law and SWEAR everything happened exactly the way I am saying it did, but this is how I remember the events...

Last night I had to go out to buy a new coffee maker.  When I woke up yesterday, I poured the water into the Bunn, as usual, but all I got was light-brown colored cold water instead of coffee for my efforts.  To say I wasn't pleased, is putting it mildly.  And I knew I had to go out shopping.

K is on night shift, so I waited until he went to work before getting myself ready to go out.  After putting myself together--which is a job in itself--I finally was ready to leave the house.  Just before I open the storm door to leave, I ALWAYS look out the window to see if there is anything sitting on the porch that might impede my exit.  I could have seen the neighbor's dog looking for a hand-out, a raccoon scouting for garbage, a bear checking out the bird feeders, or any number of other scenarios.  What I DID see in the middle of the porch, was a chipmunk.  Because our chipmunks are so tame, I refuse to open the door with one anywhere close by--I'm too afraid it will come into the house.  And we don't want THAT to happen again.  The chipmunk looked up and we glared at each other for a nano-second.  He KNEW I wanted him gone, but I could see the look in his eye that said, "In your dreams, lady."  Being much, much bigger than the chipmunk, I figured I could scare him off of the porch.  Yeah, right.  To try to get him to move, I decided to make some noise.  After I yelled at him, he laughed.  I stomped my foot and he stuck his tongue out at me.  I banged on the door hard enough to break my hand and he gave me the finger.  Finally, he sat up, looked at me as if to say, "I leave when I want leave," and s-l-o-w-l-y moved to the edge of the porch and jumped down to the ground.  The last I saw of him, he was going into the entrance to his den that is right next to our sidewalk.  I distinctly heard a maniacal cackle as he went underground--and I believe I heard him say, "I'll be back."  It's going to be a long, long summer.

A Shared Belief

Many people don't understand others who have strong religious/spiritual beliefs.  Now, I'm not talking about the ultra-conservative, right-wing nut jobs that the media would have you believe are what ALL people of faith are--I'm talking about your everyday people who live their lives according to their faith and use their faith to help them get through.  Two of these people I would like to talk about.

The first man I want to tell you about, I don't REALLY know.  The man is Brian Rafalski and he is a hockey player.  Today, he retired from the Red Wings and had a press conference to announce it.  In his speech, he gave his reasons for walking away from the $6 million he was to earn next year.  Among the reasons were his health and his family.  He said that this past year had been hard on him physically, mentally, and spiritually and after talking to his wife and advisers, he felt that God was leading him in a new direction.  He said that his life is now about serving God, his family, and others, and that hockey is not a priority, so he is retiring.  He made it clear that God was very much in his decision-making process and was very humble about it.  Quite a few people were extremely bummed about his saying this.  As a person of faith, everything that he does WILL involve God.  He didn't stand there and try to get anyone else to believe the way he does, he just gave his reasons for what he is doing and the process involved in coming to this decision.  If he would have come out and said he used voodoo dolls and a Ouija board to decide his life, I really think there would have been much less of a hullabaloo.  I'm very saddened by the way some people reacted to this and the amount of intolerance, which bordered on hatred.  If someone were to say they called on their earth goddess to help in all decisions, I certainly wouldn't belittle them in public.  I don't know why Brian Rafalski wasn't given the same consideration and why, at the least, his remarks were considered 'eye-brow raising.'

I have known the second man for somewhere around 45 years.  Pete is a shirt-tail relative of mine, but I have always considered him more of a friend.  We used to talk on the phone a lot and we would go out as friends to the movies once in a while.  As we got older, our lives took us on very different paths.  We saw each other only a few times the last 30 years, but we seem to take up where we left our friendship the last time.  Whenever we were together, we had an easiness between us that comes with being friends for many years.  And, no romance between us--we're both long-time married.  ;)

A few months ago, I got some very distressing news about Pete.  On 22 July of last year, Pete was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia--AML.  He had a sub-type that killed half of all those diagnosed with this devastating disease within 9 months.  He underwent chemotherapy, but was told he needed a bone marrow transplant to ever be considered 'cured.'  And so, he has been working toward that end for months and was expecting to have the transplant in the next couple of months.  Pete, too, is a man of faith and through this entire ordeal, he has had the attitude that whatever happened was how it should be.  He never wavered in his belief that God was in control.  The other day, he was told that his chance of ALREADY being cured is in the 20-40% range and each month he has no signs of the cancer, means he is closer to being declared cured.  Somehow or another--and the doctors don't know why--the chemo worked, despite the odds being extremely low, and he has had no cancer since December.  As it stands right now, having a marrow transplant might be the worst thing for his condition, as the procedure isn't without risk.  He will continue to take it a day at a time and see what God has planned for him.  He will trust that any advice he gets will be the correct advice.  He will use his faith to make the decisions he has to.

Both men have a deep faith and both men rely on it for help in making life-changing decisions.  Neither one is shy when it comes to acknowledging where his strength comes from.  In private and in public, both let people know Who is in charge of whatever happens to him.  Neither one is obnoxious about his faith, but many would deem it inappropriate for them to say what role their faith has in their lives.  Why there is so much intolerance, I don't know.  It seems as if people would be so much happier and easier to accept if someone was to say that advice came from the neighbors or psychic or deli owner than they are when God is given the credit.  It really is a sad state in our world when tolerance is at such an all-time low--especially when everyone 'says' how tolerant they are.

Good Idea, or BAD?(tm)

Today, we'll play another, shorter, version of Good Idea, or BAD?(tm).  (I'm STILL trying to trademark this and get someone to give me millions of dollars for the idea, but it isn't happening.  {sigh})  And here goes: 

DREAM LOOK INSTANT EYE LIFT

I really have the feeling that this picture is a bit over exaggerated.  While I can see where the product might do something, I don't believe it will make as dramatic a difference as this pic suggests.  Putting a piece of tape on the eyelid just doesn't seem to be enough to give an 'instant eye lift.'  But then, if it is anything like the BARELIFTS, it might actually work.

I am probably the first person who would gravitate toward any product that makes it this easy to appear younger.  I don't do surgery, unless it is absolutely necessary--pain is NOT my friend.  But, I don't really mind looking my age--I have earned every mark, wrinkle, and age spot I have and am proud that I'm still standing.  There are no 'boy toys' standing out in my yard, wanting me for themselves, so I have no reason to want to look less than my age.  After all, K is not looking like a spring chicken, either--so we are a good match.  However, if these actually worked, I could see using them for a special occasion--something to make the photos that will be taken look a bit better.  But I really have my doubts as to whether they work or not. 

So, Good Idea, or BAD?

Best T-shirt

I saw the BEST t-shirt on Saturday night.  A guy--our age--had one on that said:

"I MAY BE OLD BUT I GOT TO SEE THE BEST BANDS"

I thought that was hysterical.  :D

Weekend

We went to the Doobie Brothers concert on Saturday night and had a great time!  It is nice that all of the bands/acts that we were unable to afford when we were younger are still around--and we get a chance to see them.  Yes, they all are getting old(er), but so are K and myself.  ;)  The friends we went with had never been to a casino, so THAT was also a fun part of the night.  I think they realize now how much fun a person can have in this atmosphere and that it does not have to involve gambling--which they don't do.   I do believe a trip to Vegas is in our future--they want to see Elton John before he decides to retire.

The next concert I might be going to is at the end of July.  The Oldest is one of the biggest Air Supply fans and I told her that we could go if she wants.  I am waiting for her decision before buying the tickets.  While I really am not that big of a fan, I think it will/would be a good time--I would love to see her reaction when they first come on stage.  :)  I would imagine it would be pretty close to how I was when I saw Clapton for the first time--basic idol worship.

This is just a short update to what has been going on and I will do a longer post within the next few days.  Until then...

This Is News?

I have said, ad nauseum, that I don't bother with the news anymore.  I really think I used to be a news junky, but the stuff that passes for news these days has completely turned me off.  And we have three 'stories' that put me over the edge--the kind of things that make me want to shoot my TV.  (Again, there IS a reason I don't own a gun...)

Our first story deals with a group of organizations trying to strong-arm McDonald's into retiring Ronald McDonald.  Their idea is that HE is a big part of the fattening of America's kids.  Bullshit.  I'll say it again:  BULLSHIT!  Okay, okay--I see what everyone else sees and I do realize that there is a problem here in the US when it comes to weight.  (Believe me, all I need do is look in the mirror.)  But, cartoon characters selling food is the least of the reasons for it.  The number one problem in this country is this:   a family can be fed McDonald's food OR Kraft Mac & Cheese or any number of processed foods for MUCH, MUCH less money than it costs to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.  Until the cost of fresh, 'healthful' (sorry, but I HATE that word) food is as cheap as processed food, people WILL gravitate toward what they can feed their children for less.  And, with the number of mothers who also hold jobs outside the home (I also HATE the term 'working mothers'), time is also a factor--and it does take a lot more time to cook a meal with fresh foods than with packaged.  Obesity in America is more than commercials and it would take days for me to write my impressions--which I won't do here.  Food and exercise are not the only factors at play here--we have society and career choices and other things, as well.  I'm sorry, Michelle O, but getting kids to 'move' is NOT the big solution to the problem we have here.

The second story that sent me reeling was about a 'pageant mom' who Botoxes her 8-year-old daughter and then went on Good Morning America and TALKED about it!  Is there ANYTHING that can be said about this story?  To begin with, I have hated 'beauty pageants' since I was quite young--I always thought the participants were ridiculous.  And then when they came out with pageants for little girls--who, by the way, dress up like little sluts--I was completely appalled.  To find out that these poor little tykes are getting Botox injections isn't surprising, but IS completely disgusting.  This is another reason why the rest of the world hates America.  (And with that statement, I'm thinking that little girl beauty pageants are mostly a US thing--although I COULD be wrong.) 

Story number three has to do with the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver split.  To begin with, this is a non-story for me.  I'm really surprised they lasted as long as they did--they just looked awkward together.  So, the split isn't surprising.  The story that sent me over the edge comes from the LA Times and it is titled 'How To Talk To Kids About Arnold Schwarzenegger's Infidelity.'  Really?  Is he relevant enough these days for kids to even know who he is?  I asked The Oldest about this and she said the story wouldn't even be on her kids' radar, as not one of them knows--or cares--who Arnold is.  So, who exactly is making this a much bigger deal than it is?  Don't most kids have friends who have gone through parents splitting up and haven't parents had the 'talk' with them?  This is a topic that most parents have to get to at some point--just like they have to do the 'facts of life' talk.  So why is this a topic that is so upsetting to kids just because it involves Arnold and Maria?  Am I smelling a publicist at work here?  Unbelievable.

When stories such as these are headline-inducing, I wonder if it IS true that the world is going to hell in a hand basket.  Far too many issues are being ignored by the news people and we allow it.  If we quit 'following' the junk news and actually tried looking for relevant stories, maybe we would go back to the days of insightful and meaningful and informative journalism.  But I highly doubt it.  And so, I will continue to ignore the news and wrap myself in a little cocoon of isolation.



 

Getting A Life

Last Thursday, my heart was ripped out of my chest, thrown to the ground, and stomped into the mud.  Yes, the Red Wings lost and their season has ended.  And now that I no longer have a horse in this race, I am done watching hockey for the year--I don't care who wins the Cup and will pay very little attention to what is going on.  And all this while--well, for a few weeks, anyway--the IIHF World Championships have been played in Europe and no one here knew/cared.  Surprise!  Something is happening in another part of the world--something HUGE in an another part of the world--and no one in North America gives a damn!  But, isn't that the way it is--we are either TOO involved in other parts of the world or we don't give a shit at all.  Oh well, it is what it is.

So, the other day the championship game was played between Finland and Sweden.  It only took two days for me to be able to watch the re-play of the game.  But, North America didn't care because Canada and the US didn't even make it to the semi-finals.  We only have 4,396,265 sport channels here in the States--and we get about half of those on our cable system--but no one broadcast the game while it was being played.  So be it.  I was thrilled to be able to watch the re-play.  Finland beat the snot out of Sweden--and don't even try to imagine how big a deal THAT was in Finland--and they get to have the finals in Helsinki next year.  I loved watching the game because the names of the Finnish players were so familiar to me.  I would say almost half of the names are names that I know from here--many, many people that I know personally share the last names of Finnish players.  I was thrilled and surprised to see one of the players with the same last name as The Mother's maiden name--a name that isn't very prevalent here in the US.  Quite cool.

So, what will I do with all of my free time?  I think I will be able to get some more of my crafts done--sewing is a possibility.  I have already begun to watch some of the DVDs that I own and haven't gotten around to.  Right now I am watching Homicide:  Life On The Street--only one of the best shows ever made.  Of course, I will watch my hockey movie trio that I watch every summer:  Slap Shot, Mystery Alaska, and Miracle.  And before I know it, I will be getting ready for next season.  YAY for October, the end of summer, and hockey season.  I know, I have problems.  ;)

The Slobby McSlobbersons Have Left The Building

*I write this post with a great deal of amusement and amazement--and NO amount of meanness is intended.  I have a lot of affection for the persons named.*

I have never raised boys, but I think I can say this without much worry:  While boys are messy--and dirty, at times--girls are the biggest slobs on the face of this earth.  I am totally amazed at how slobby girls are.

In the past, we have opened our home to young men to stay with us while they attended our local university.  The first time, G was trying to stay in school for one more semester.  He was having a great deal of financial difficulties, so we offered up our basement family room for him to stay in.  He was with us for only one semester and then he took a break from school, finally completing his education a year later.  A couple of years ago we had one of K's nephew's sons here for a semester.  Both guys were absolute sweethearts and didn't really make much more work for me than I normally had--extremely low maintenance.  And then, we had a couple of young women stay with us the last two weeks...

Another nephew of K's has a daughter who just completed her 3rd year of nursing school.  She was required to come to our town for six shifts at the local hospital.  Because she was only going to need a place to sleep for six days/nights, she asked if we would let her and a friend stay in our spare room.  This was a no-brainer for me and I said 'yes' immediately.  (I figure this is the generation that will be taking care of me when I'm in my dotage, so I better be nice to them.  :D)  Two weeks ago this coming Wednesday, the girls arrived.

Let me say this, whenever someone is a guest in my home--whether it is short- or long-termed--I try my hardest to not invade their privacy.  However, there are times when I have to go into their space, and it isn't always convenient for me to let them know ahead of time.  When the guys lived here, I had to go into their rooms a couple of times, and it usually was to get towels on laundry day.  Of course, the beds were never made and the guys had some personal items spread out, but for the most part, I 'spread out' much more whenever we stay in a hotel.  Not horrifying, in the least.  The girls?  A much different story.

On Thursday, less than 24 hours after the girls descended on our house, I had to go upstairs to close the windows.  They had left the windows open and the rain had started, so I needed to go up there.  O. M. F. G!!!!!  First, there BARELY was a path for me to walk from the stairs to the window.  They had, literally, dumped everything they brought with them onto the floor and spread it out from one end to the other.  Every flat surface, every inch of floor space, was covered with their stuff.  And I'm not sure WHAT they did to the bed.  I didn't even SEE the quilt or blanket that had been on it and the top sheet was in one ball in the middle of the bed.  I didn't know anyone could cause that much destruction in that short of an amount of time.  It just blew me away--but it was fine.  If they wanted to live like that, more power to them.  ;)  (At one point, the blanket found its way onto the curtain rod--I believe they were trying to shut out the sunlight so they could sleep during the day.)

The other thing that amazed me was the condition of the bathroom after it was used.  Now, the guys weren't great about cleaning up the little hair bits after shaving, but very rarely did they make the mirror unusable--at least, not like the girls.  After the girls were done in the bathroom, there was water and face-cleaner residue from one end of the vanity top to the other.  There were spatter marks on the mirror and other things I couldn't identify.  The room was just a mess.  And this wasn't just them being inconsiderate, because there always was an attempt to clean up after themselves--they just didn't succeed very well.  On first glance, things didn't look TOO bad--they took all of their possessions with them, as well as their wet towels--but things were FAR from well.  ;)  I still have a hard time believing what they did in that bathroom.

Part of me wonders if my OCD tendencies make me see some things as horrible, but are only 'normal' in other households.  When I was a teen, my room wasn't always neat as a pin, but I NEVER came close to these two girls.  And both of my girls were slobs, but not to this extent.  So, I don't know if these two are 'normal,' or not.  However, from talking to others, I think I can say with a great bit of confidence that girls ARE the Slobby McSlobbersons of the human race.



*And, to give these wonderful, adorable, sweet, and friendly girls their due, they wrote a marvelous thank you note to K and me and gave us a gift card to a local restaurant for us allowing them to stay here.  NOT something that we expected or needed, but a wonderful gesture on their part.  Still, I can't help but wish we had a guest bathroom that they could have used instead of us all sharing the same one.  :D

Blogger Problem--Again?

Once again, comments seem to be disappearing from this blog.  And now I'm wondering if they might not even be showing up at all?  Is anyone having problems with commenting?  Let me know at chrkos@gmail.com if there have been any problems lately.  Thank you.

Comfortable?

My cat was a bit pissed at me because I piled pillows on my recliner so she couldn't sleep there.  She decided not to let a few pillows bother her and climbed up to go to sleep.

Tell me she REALLY looks comfortable. 

A Wonderful Friend

When K and I joined a church here, I found a woman who became one of my best friends.  She was a year older than me, a stay-at-home mom like I was, and had three children my girls' ages.  We connected instantly and have been great friends for 20+ years.  She has been there for me throughout all of the problems K and I had with our girls and she was always a shoulder for me to lean on.  She has listened to me, cried with me, and given me great advice.  She has been a spiritual adviser and one of my 'rocks.'  And I love her dearly.  To top it all off, we share the same first name.  :)

After many years of marriage, C's husband divorced her.  She didn't want it, but there was nothing she could do--we live in a no-fault divorce state.  C is a very private, stoic Finn and she never told me why her husband divorced her--although I have my own opinion on that subject.  I hope I was able to help her in some small way while she was going through her worse days.  She has said that she will always love her ex, but she has moved on.  Today she has a male companion, but she has said she would never remarry.

C is a very funny lady and whenever we get together, we laugh until we're on the verge of peeing our pants.  We try to go out to dinner once a month in order to keep up with each other's lives, but we don't always succeed.  Tomorrow night we will get together for the first time since before Christmas.  And that is a shame that we have let it go so long.  We will have a good time, as always.

As I said, C is very funny.  She has a subtle, dry humor which I gravitate to, because it is the same as my own humor--and I have two examples to share.  First, she is 'suffering' from age like most of the rest of us and has that 'middle-aged spread' and accompanying weight gain that is all too common.  Whenever she goes to see her doctor, as is usual, the nurse wants to weigh her.  C allows herself to be weighed only once a year and that is at her annual physical.  Every other time she goes in, she tells the nurse to put down 'Still fat' as her weight.  :D  Second example:  She just went to see her doctor recently and the office is putting all of the patient records on computer.  This meant that the doctor had to retake C's health history.  When the doctor asked C if she had any STD's, C said 'I wish.'  :D  C said the appointment went downhill from there.  A funny, funny lady--and I can't wait for our dinner and a visit.

 

Selling Snow to Eskimos

PT Barnum has been credited--erroneously, it seems--with saying 'There's a sucker born every minute.'  I will take that one step further and say that there is at least one customer for ANYTHING that someone wants to sell.  If you don't believe me, look at Craigslist or Etsy--OR have a garage sale.

I have had a few garage sales in my time, but not enough to consider myself an expert, by any means.  BUT, when I say that people will buy ANYTHING, I mean that literally.  Not only have I sold books and audio tapes and VHS tapes and household goods, but I have actually sold bottles of spices that were half-full.  Yes, people will buy used spices.  I haven't tried to sell used bars of soap, but I may the next time I have a sale.  I'm sure someone will buy them.

So, with the idea that people will buy anything, I have come up with a product that will probably make millions:  hypoallergenic, fragrance-free perfume.  I know, I know, you laugh.  But think about all of the people you have ever known.  You done?  Now, defy me by NOT finding one person who would think this is a good idea.  We ALL know that one person who is so ditzy that she would buy this product by the gallon.  And if each one of us can think of one person that would buy this perfume, I KNOW I could make millions of dollars selling it.  :D

He and She and She and She

I KNOW this isn't the right way to begin this post, but I have to do it like this.  I am NOT trying to be judgmental with what I am about to write--I really am confused and wanting to understand.  The questions I have concerning this topic have nothing to do with my feelings of whether any of this is right or wrong.  Now, with that said, on to my post.

I remember when Renee Richards became a woman.  It quite possibly was the first time that a sex-change was talked about openly, even though it still was discussed in slightly hushed tones.  Now, almost 40 years later, sex changes are discussed quite matter-of-factly on talk shows and in magazines.  A bit of a difference.  Agree or disagree, this is something that is here to stay.

While I don't understand why someone would want to undergo a sex change--sorry, sex reassignment surgery (damn PC police!)--I don't think those of us who are comfortable in our own skins are really supposed to.  This is another of those things that is supposed to be between a person and his/her doctor and shouldn't concern anyone else.  From what I understand, a person is supposed to go through quite a bit of counseling and therapy so that it can be determined if there is a just cause to having the surgery and not just some whim--and thank goodness for that!  I would assume that reversing the surgery wouldn't be a walk in the park, by any means.  A psychiatrist/counselor is supposed to determine that the person seeking sex reassignment is, in fact, a male/female trapped inside a female/male's body before the surgery takes place--and this is for the good of everyone involved.

Now we will examine the story of an individual who had reassignment surgery.  We'll use a male as an example.  We'll call him Sam.  Sam always felt as if he wasn't 'right.'  He always gravitated more towards the feminine and as he got older, he KNEW that he was in the wrong body, that he was meant to be a girl.  Over the years, he tried to deny his true self and be 'one of the guys'--he drank, played football, dated, had sex, but it didn't 'feel' right.  Eventually, he sought sex reassignment.  After the surgery, Sue--as she was now called--was happier than she ever had been.  She loved to dress in feminine clothes and have her hair and nails done.  She embraced her femininity to the point where she was almost a stereotype/cliche, but she was happy.  And, finally, she began to date again.  And she dated women, because she now was a lesbian.

Using the above example as a starting point, here is my problem:  If someone wants to be the opposite sex because he is 'in the wrong body,' shouldn't he have been gay BEFORE the surgery?  Wouldn't he have been attracted to men because he truly was a woman inside?  Doesn't this just prove that he WASN'T a woman trapped in a man's body all along?  It doesn't make any bit of sense to me and I really wish it could be explained in a way I could understand.  But then, I guess I'm not meant to understand.

TMI To The Max

The other night, I went to Office Max to pick up some printer paper.  As I hadn't been in the store for quite a while, I walked through all of the aisles to see what there was to see.  (I have an obsession with office supply stores--I HAVE to have a 'talk' with myself before I go in them or I will spend far too much money.)  Anyway, I stopped to look at the mouse pads in the computer accessories aisle and I saw this on the packaging of several of them:

"...stain and odor resistant..."

Thank you, but I DON'T want to know WHAT you are doing if you need a stain and odor resistant mouse pad.

REALLY??? I Mean, REALLY??????

According to a mental_floss tweet earlier today:

"The Journal of Animal Ethics says the term 'pets' should be replaced by 'companion animals.'  'Owners' should be 'human carers.'"

What?  Are we afraid we'll hurt their feelings if we call them pets?  I love my cat, but REALLY????  I think some people have too much time on their hands AND need to get lives.