Mother Nature Needs to Change her Drug.

I love some of the pictures that I see posted on Facebook  I am particularly interested in the effects drugs have on spiders and thanks to my Doctorate in education that I have received from Facebook U, I am full on aware of these effects.  One of my favorites is the one that shows how a common house spider will make a web after being exposed to things such as marijuana, lsd, speed and (my favorite) caffeine. 

This leads me to wonder if mother nature has found said spider's stash and has made the weather of 2013 something that we have to think about.  It has truly been a cold year so far.  We have had a sprinkling of those days where we even become unreasonably optimistic that it is going to be nice from here on out and everyone pulls out the shorts and flip flops. (Well, not me, I wear them year round.)  Only to be smacked in the face with a cold blustery day.  Today is no different.  It is colder than a ducks nuts out there to be late April and for it to be Earth Day, it is ridiculous   I remember having crazy weather but this is certainly something that makes me believe that mother nature has taken a dip in the old cocaine stash of our dear spider.

Or some such nonsense.  I wholly underestimated the cold blustery that was going on outside this morning and dared only a t-shirt.  While I recalled what it was like yesterday and know from experience that it will not drastically change overnight. I did put long sleeves on the boys and allowed Joshua his normal Hoodie, head covering, and gloves combo.  That child STAYS cold so that was nothing new for him. But I tell you the cold was biting me this morning. By the time I got to the bust stop my chin was even cold. I was all like....chatter.....chatter.....O.o.

At any rate, I guess we are going to have to make more of an effort to halfway believe what the beloved weather man says on the news every night and morning. It is the only way I certainly am not going to run into that problem again.  I tell you, cold without snow is uncalled for. What is worse, is that this kind of cold is certainly insane this time of year. I don't do cold well and am so ready for the warm to begin.  I know, you don't want to hear me screaming about the blistering heat this summer but that is what fans are for and I am so ready for warm to be here, I cannot convey it to you in this forum

So, lets all make our wishes now so that this crappy cold weather will go away. At least for a few months. 

The Future of Tech Support

Many of you already know that I am a technical support representative by trade.  Good times.  Goooooood times! (Cosmoism) It never occurred to me that the children pay attention to what I do when I am at work. Yes, I work from home doing this stuff.  In every technical support situation or any electrical "fix it" situation, you begin with checking that it is plugged in properly and unplug everything and then plug it back in one piece of the equation at a time.  Simple stuff.  That will fix about seventy five percent of your issues then it goes into the more complicated stuff.

Before I began to do this, the way to fix things was to beat the holy crap out of the thing or kick it and pray that it continues to work for at least the next three months or so as you begin to save funds to replace the thing being stupid in the first place.  What did your television ever do to you?

With all that background, let me get to what I am ranting about.  I often worry about what our number nine is going to do when he becomes a functioning member of society.  I would hate to think that he is going to work at a fast food restaurant for the rest of his life as a burger flipper.  I know he loves his video games and taking things apart and he can pick apart a game to the very stitch.  That is something.  There are actually jobs out there developing video games and what not.  His math skills are excellent and he loves math period!  If reading were to be as fun for him as math, he would be dangerous! (The next Dr. Sheldon Cooper???) So we talk about that a lot and he loves electronics.  Great!  There is a future there at the moment.

I was sitting in here on FaceBook (what else do I do with my free time?) and there must have been some issue with the living room tv as I heard the following conversation:

Nine: Joshua! Don't hit it! That won't make it stop!
Six:  But that fixes the other TV!
Nine: I know but we are going to try something else.
Six: OK.
Nine: Turn the TV off first, then the cable box and let me check something.
Six: ***turns off the TV then the cable box***
Nine: I have to check and make sure it is plugged in to the wall. We may have knocked it loose playing Xbox yesterday. ***Grunts and mumbles as he crawls behind the TV stand to check the plug***
Six: Can I turn it on yet? I wanna watch Robot and Monster!
Nine: NO! Let me get out of here first. We are going to turn things on one at a time!
Six: ***pouts*** Ok.
Nine:  Ok, now, Turn the cable box on first
Six: ***pushes button***
Nine: Now turn the TV on.
Six:  Yay!!!!! We did it!  It works!
Nine: Told ya to listen to me, we have to do it one at a time or it wont work. You don't have to hit it.

For my fellow WAH peeps that have worked in Tech Support. You can imagine how proud I was sitting here listening to that interaction!  I was beaming so loud you would have thought the Sun came to visit my office.

Anyone else have a WAH story to share?

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening. By Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of the easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

I love this poem.  I learned it in the fifth grade and it is one of my favorites. Thought I would post it today. I also like Shel Silverstein. Any of you dear readers have a favorite classic such as this?

I have been away for a few days.

Just wanting to let my dear readers know that I have been working some extra hours and I will be back this weekend with some more skewed opinions and Rants.  Stay tuned!

Priorities, how did they ever get askew?

I normally do not get into politics but I promised this to be a reader driven blog and I am going to give this a go.  Our country is presumed to be filled with the most patriotic group of homosapiens on the planet. However, what is patriotism when we value fame over selflessness?
I hear that our beloved President flew the flag at half mast for the death of a superstar and not for someone who died in the line of duty defending our rights that we take for granted in this country.  Hmm....that sounds a little off to me. Before I go on with this rant, let me get some things out of the way. I do not want any misconceptions nor am I trying to start political drama on my page.
1.  I am not Obama bashing nor am I against the government or for it.
2.  I am not familiar with this story until just now.
3.  I refuse to argue politics (or money for that matter) with anyone.
Ok. Now that is out of the way, lets continue.  Often times, we become so engrossed with some thing or another (yes, I meant to separate that word) that we fail to realize the important things in our jobs and in our lives.  Obama is trying to do the job to the best that he can with the hand that he was dealt all the while showing that he is just as human or as "cool" as the next guy.  Ok, so he chose to honor someone that let their life run them over.  In her day, Whitney had it made and she allowed all that fame and money turn her into a miserable excuse of a human being.  That is how many people who endure the disease called fame.  They let it get to them and they allow it to railroad their very souls and turn them into a drug addicted monster that ends up with a sad ending to the chapter we call life.  Whitney made some music that spoke to a great many people and affected peoples lives in more ways than the music itself.
In the 8th grade, I had a lovely Mr. Henderson as our main teacher (Mary Crabtree and Carrie Andrews can attest to that) that was SO infatuated with this woman that we were forced to listen to her music and how Goddess like she was (even though I personally believed this man to be prejudice.)  Now, as a middle schooler, I was more interested in "headbanger" music and the thought of listening to one more bar of "Iiiiiiiiiiiiiieyiiiiiiiiiii will always love youuuuuuuuuuIIIIIII" made me puke.  But, nonetheless, she affected my life.  I reflected on that and wondered how old Mr Henderson felt when Whitney did overdose.
But I digress.  So Obama chose to honor her.  Ok. I get that. He IS human, after all.  As a side from that, maybe he was so busy doing presidential things that he forgot the then unknown Chris Kyle and failed to mention the acts of valor he did for this country and that he died honorably in the line of duty.  Regardless of the fact that he did have the most confirmed sniper kills and had an impressive military career, so have countless others who have died while on active duty and on leave as well.  Yes, Obama, you should have acknowledged Chris Kyle or at least chose to honor Whitney Houston in a different way.
Priorities a little skewed?  Professionally, yes.  But our dear President is human.  Humans do make mistakes. However, as president, he does need to put a little more thought into what is more important, our rights the forefathers put a great deal of thought into or someone with the privilege to allow FAME to run them over like a Mack truck.  Hmmmmmm.

Tattle, Disappear, and Stalk

Yes, it has all happened to us.  The one person on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, MySpace, whatever that has reported you, blocked you, and is now stalking you from a fake page they created.  Of those that have such a fan, I am certain at least 2/3 of you have done it yourselves.  Don't lie.
Aside from it being dangerous (depends on the situation,) I think it is flattering that they would go to great lengths to actually go to all the trouble to block and stalk me via social network.  To take up that much time in someone else's life that they could use constructively doing something else such as finding a job, reading a book, or some other meaningful activity.  But NOOOOOOOOOOOO they want to use that precious time going to great lengths to figure out what it is that I am doing and trying to be sneaky about it.
Yes, folks, you must be important if you have a "fan."  I am sure I have a couple myself.  I am also certain my fans are reading this right now thoroughly convinced that I am talking about JUST them.  Ah, I hate to disappoint, (but I do that so well!) this rant is not aimed at any person or group, be it imagined or real.  This rant was suggested by someone that wanted to hear about it so, you, my stalker will have to keep your thrill for another day.  You know who you are.
I will even tag a few people in this posting who have fans of their own just so they can share in the joy of the fact that we are of an elite group.  No, we are not famous by any means. However, we do have that "speshul" someone that simply adores to take things out of context (especially from our Facebook status updates) and use the trusty old snipping tool to copy things from our timelines and make a lovely little scrapbook.  They honestly believe they can use that to their advantage huh?
Yes, we all have them.  The fan that believes that we spend our every waking breath thinking about them when we are, in truth, living our own lives and only merely annoyed by the fact that there is someone out there that believes that we have to think about them on a daily basis so they do retarded things simply because they have nothing better to do.
Tsk Tsk I say.  Get a life, a hobby, Hell, read WAR AND PEACE or GONE WITH THE WIND.  It will certainly keep you occupied much longer than anything I have done in the past fifteen minutes you were not looking at my Facebook (with baited breath, assuming that the next thing to pop on the screen is about you when in reality it is because the jackrabbit driving that damn Acura cut me off at the stop light on the way home.) Remember road rage?
Yes, clear example here:  How in the sam hill can my road rage about just that situation be about you when the following are true:
1.  You don't drive.
2.  You were not anywhere near where I was driving when I was referring to that incident AND how do you even know it was today if I didn't say so?
3.  You seem to think my mind was aiming that at you when you were the furthest thing from any brain cell currently in use in my COUNTY.
It is a shame isn't it?  Truly it is.  Again, here is my disclaimer:  This is NOT aimed at anyone real or imagined, nor is it intended to poke fun or offend anyone.  So, there is no need to REPORT me for no reason when it will not work in your favor, BLOCK me all day long, that way, I will not see your mug on any friends list of mine nor will I see any interaction you have with anyone I may or may not know and STALK away.  If I stress you out that much that you are drooling over my page then, I must be very, very important to you.
Thanks to Melinda for suggesting this rant and the others tagged, truly appreciate your fans.  You know who you are and your fans know who they are. Mine certainly do! :)

What is with the whole girly thing?

I remember when I was pregnant with our first child together. We found out we were having a girl and I had so many fears! Not the normal fears of a healthy child with all digits, no. Fears like, how am I supposed to play Barbie and nails and hair. Uck!  When I was a child, I was nothing like that. I hated to wear dresses and loved to collect slugs in a coffee can. Yes, Tomboy all the way.

Now I was faced with a creature that had the potential to be something that I wholly was not.

To my suprise, while she was a dainty little six pounds, she was perfect in every way!  I often tell people she was born with a football in one hand and a pair of sneakers in the other because she was my little tomboy!  She loved to dig in the dirt, play ball, and hang out with dad while he was fixing the cars. Every thing that I did as a little girl.  Certainly the twinkle in my eye and the diamond in the rough! I still had my fears. Make up, boys, etc.  However, as history proves, she is still such a gem!  She loves to do her own thing. Hates dresses, loves to throw the ball and uses very little makeup if any.

I could not be more proud.  For those of you who are new moms, fear not. Your child will be perfect in your heart no matter what they do and it is even more fun when their interests are right up your alley!  All of our children are wholly different from the next and that makes each of them perfect!  We have the shoe lover, the ladies man, the football player (our girl!), the soldier and the peace loving hippie. Each very special and very perfect in their own way.

I just had to write about that this morning. You know this is not my normal Rant but, sometimes, you are just so overfilled with love or emotion about something, you simply have to put it in words. Isn't that what blogging is all about? I think so!

Ballad of the Wolf Spider. (Epic) Contributed by Farva Hale.

The following was written by an epic soldier we shall name Farva.  While brave, the masses continue to raid his lands and invade his castle. Win after win keeps Sir Farva's spirits high but the incessant attacks of the Wolf Spider armies are commonplace at the Farva hold.  Below we enter at the latest battle in the field of Bath. Morespecifically the corner of the fields of Shower.  Thank you, Farva, for sharing your epic tale.....

So it begins....

Again..... they have returned.....

A tale of virtue, resolve, soaring triumph, and - like all stories that go on long enough - crushing defeat.

Our tale begins in the dense, oppressive, muggy heat of my bathroom this morning. There I am, in the shower, innocently performing my morning routines, when I see it. A small spider upon my shower curtain crawls. Intrigued, I watch this spider - this ...tiny creature - assured of its inevitable defeat for the folly of venturing into the watery grave of so many of its kind.

But no! This is no ordinary spider, my friends. This little fellow is a paragon among the spider kind, possibly a sleeper agent from clashes before. Rather than shy from the downpour, he valiantly attempts to cross the treacherous spray, Time and again rebuffed back to the relative safety of a fold in the curtain. But does he give up, does it resign himself to the sheltered cocoon? No! He struggles on, determined to complete his journey toward the source of his frustration.

Admiration fills me. It is hard to look on such courageous struggle without being moved. But the more I watch and think, the more I feel my admiration slowly becoming horror. I imagine legions of tiny spiders free from their debilitating fear of running water. To what heights might such a master race of arachnid ascend?!

It must not be! I'm sorry, but this must not be! I can not let you father a thousand thousand superior spiders, little warrior. It is my duty to all of humanity that I send you to your watery grave, just as your past clansmen, as a message to all spider kind that you will be, nay, that you must be washed out.

I fill my mouth with water and unleash a jettison above this brave creature. He slips. Falls. And to my astonishment floats. He dangles upon his silken cord, mocking my attempts to drown him. I'll not have it. Again, I unleash a torrent of water upon him, but to the same results! He mocks me as he clings desperately to that curtain, that vinyl wall. He resumes his climb.

Now my ire is the thing of legends. I will not be mocked in my own shower! Third time's the charm, as they say. This time, my rain of steaming water hits him squarely and he plummets to the slick acrylic below. Give him credit though, our intrepid friend puts all eight legs to good use! It takes three (yes, three!) waves of water created with my foot to wash him, scrambling and fighting for every inch, down the drain, but in the end, down he goes - like so many before him.

Thinking this is the end, I return to my shower, but not a minute later, what do I see? This most amazing of insect-devouring fiends emerges, seemingly unscathed, from the drain. He has climbed up the waterspout! With the WATER STILL GOING!

I'm awed. I'm humbled....but I'm terrified. Clearly my assessment of his prowess and his danger to mankind was frighteningly accurate. And yet, I'm impressed. What does one do when faced with such stalwart spirit knowing that his continued existence could one day cost you your life?

And so, with a heavy heart.....and a heavy foot, I crushed him beneath my heel. I said a prayer for his soul, and thanked God that I was there to quite literally stamp out this threat to the human experiment, as he was washed down the drain. The drain from whence his mangled, itsy-bitsy corpse will most certainly not climb up again.

No life should be worth less than another

I was contemplating the meaning of life this morning. No particular reason but the answer 42 does not satisfy the curiosity I have about the meaning of life. I see how people treat each other. Some men believe that women are less worthy of things because they are women. Racial divides are another way to devalue a life. Others believe children are less than the rest of the human race. I hate to say this, but we all come from a woman. Even test tube babies do. Everyone is in some sort of racial class, being black, white, Irish, or American. Lastly, we each were a child once upon a time. Oh, there are also religious divides. I happen to believe that so long as your religion works for you and you are not forcing your religious opinion on me, then why should I waste my heard earned air tormenting you about it.

Everyone's life is worth something and it feeds into the circle of life on this planet. Also, because human beings on this planet choose to have pets, those domesticated animals should have the same regard from their people or people in general. If you are utilitarian, treating a dog or cat as less than worthy is going against the total units of happiness for society. Therefore, you should treat pets as part of the family and not as some nasty disease in your home.

It just hurts my soul to see people being treated so badly and animals being neglected because people have no regard for the lives that are in the carriages of the bodies that are being mistreated. Everyone's soul has a purpose. No matter what you may believe, they were created for a reason and that is not for you to decide whether or not they are better, equal to, or less than you. It would be nice if everyone would assume that each life on this planet were an equal. This way, there would likely be a whole lot less hatred in this world and (out of selfish reasons of course--->) my anxiety attacks would likely come to a halt.

I simply cannot stand to see, read, or hear about atrocities people inflict on other living things on this planet. It simply makes me sick. Even old people are being treated badly.  Those people have been around long enough to EARN respect. When they become invalid, why beat them? They are defenseless. Just like children and domesticated or farm animals, beating them will get you nowhere. It is evil and mean and should not be tolerated nor should it even occur.

I am not sure if  all of these things that we read about in the papers have been going on en masse like this for all of history but it seems to have become more rampant as time goes on. Maybe there is a correlation between the acts and the growing population but it just makes me sick.

What do you think?

Tsk, Tsk, shakes head in "no-erly" fashion

I understand that priorities of everyone are different.  They are as stark as opinions, style, even the way we walk.  However, I want to believe that respect should come in the same form no matter who you are.  I want to start my rant this morning talking about respect in general.  I know, I know, I said I would start with the suggestions but I have to give those time to build and I need to reflect a little. Ah, but I digress.
Back to my "concern" for the day.  I can conceive that people treat their own belongings, also, with a different type of care than the next person. I get it that you do not care that your grass is never mowed or that you simply toss your trash out the window instead of properly disposing of it when you get home. What I simply cannot understand is how do you believe it is up to you to destroy something that does not belong to you?  That is lacking in respect to the nth degree.  Why bring this up?  Wonderful that you asked.
I come outside this morning and note tire tracks ALL THE WAY in our yard and the tree that was planted in my fathers name nearly laying on the ground and the bark skinned off one side of it.  I was alarmed NOT because they took it upon themselves to use our yard to turn their car around, (because this is not something new) but because of the lack of respect that our yard was clearly not theirs.  Further, I also happen to believe it was someone who did not live on our street.
The adage goes that you never know a person until you walk a mile in their shoes. Well, obviously nobody knew the tree they ran over either.  I have a special attachment to this tree and it was planted in Dad's honor because it was HIS tree.  When he was living, this sad little thing began to grow at the end of his place of residence.  Whenever we could come by, next to that tree is where he stood when he was getting some air.  He even told Calvin not to mow it over one day when he went to cut the grass for Dad many years back.  Well, that sad little thing, wild as it was, took root and began to grow.  The ground around the outside of Dad and Mom's place is not the most root friendly so it grew slowly.  It was about 12 inches when dad passed.  But I believe he loved it none the less.
The year dad passed, I decided to uproot the tree and bring it here. We are planting our own roots here and it would be nice to look out the window and be reminded of one of the better people that this planet had the privilege of presence.  I brought it here and it flourished.  While it is still a slow grow, it is about 3 feet tall.  Instead of growing an inch a year, I believe it to have grown about 8-10 inches per year.  I love "my" tree.
Imagine my horror to see one of the things in the world that give me happy thoughts nearly destroyed by someone with a gross lack of respect.
So, dear friends, it may not matter to you BUT it matters to someone and imagine how you would feel if someone did something similar to you.  If more people thought about things like that, then, this would be a much better place to live. Don't you think?
Feel free to comment below:                **Cheers**

UPDATE:  Since this was written, I am happy to say that the little tree survived and is a happy three feet tall now.  No permanent damage. My belief is that dad came down and used his angel powers to touch the tree and heal it. You know how it is. Daddy's little girl always believes that their fathers have superpowers! Mine is just now an angel! :)

Shh! Your Children are Trying to Tell You Something!

NOTE: This was posted across my other social networks under different titles. Here, this title is fitting.

With this technology saturated world, it is quite easy to stop and admire the beauty we have around us every day.  Each time we have to go somewhere as a family, the children do not understand my reasoning for making them leave all their "devices" at the house.  I feel like a drill sergeant or a prison guard checking pockets for stuff as they go out the door. I want them to have to look up and see what is going on outside the car window.  Apparently it is too much to ask that they leave the phones, ipods, and gaming devices at the house for the ten minute ride to the store because the clouds in the sky or the tractor riding down the street is not that exciting. Or is it?

When they do see that cool car that has the Froot Loops logo on it they are all "oohhh  aaaahhh, woooowww."  That is what I want them to see. Preferably, I want them to see that clouds can make shapes and how the leaves turn toward the sky when it is about to rain (that was something I didn't notice until my late twenties.) Or to even notice the homeless man pushing his cart down the street so we can have a conversation about that. You know, stay in school, don't give up, or some other character builder like that. What about seeing the lady in the motorized wheelchair. We can talk about understanding that each of us is different and that does not mean it is a bad thing.  I love those moments. They make us communicate face to face and that is something that is lost in the modern world today.

I know what you are thinking. 'What in the world has gotten into this lady! She is normally so on it, so silly. What happened?'  A mothers love for her children and a wife's love for her spouse get in the way of the skewed version of my life sometimes and I have to remind myself that I am human and this is a living planet.  This planet is beautiful. I see so many times how parents refuse to let their kids get dirty. I mean from REAL dirt. You know, go dig a hole or make mud pies or find a worm and pick it up.  It is not going to kill you! The great benefit there is that they learn real life lessons, they have fun, and they build up immunities and NOT develop things like allergies and other illnesses that everyone seems to have now a days.

Further, active children that play outside and use their imaginations are quite fun to watch. You can see them observe the world around them and have their own inner teachable moments. It is a beautiful thing.  You are not going to catch some disease by rolling around in the grass chasing a ball. It is not the end all if they get a little bit of dirt on their clothes. Whatever happened to changing into your 'play clothes' and going outside!  It is beautiful out there! Trees, grass, dirt, fresh air, and fun. Oh yea, and flowers.  So what if it is a dandelion. Show them how it turns your chin yellow when you rub it there. Our boys bring me flowers for my desk every single day. Dandelions, and other such weed flowers are fine. They think they are pretty and are sweet enough to pick them for me then I am going to let them. Even the dandelions thay blow away when you pick them up, you know, the little snowball things. We blow them. Yes sir.  Look at your child's face as they marvel in the fact that the wind carries the seeds away.  It is beautiful.

I must admit I am guilty of the electronic addiction. We all are. Just remind yourself to step back sometimes. Your children are trying to teach you something that you have forgotten. They are trying to teach you that the world is a marvel and we need to be in awe of it. They are trying to teach you that it is a beautiful place and to enjoy it because life is simply too short. As my husband says, that phone will be there when you get done, those messages will not disappear simply because you are not tending to them.  That electronic gadget will operate the same when you get back and it will not get lonely.

Put it down, smell the roses for childs' sake!

Nothing to see here...move along now.

I am the first to admit that I am nosey.  How else do you make friends in high places unless you "know" a thing or two.  This may sound hypocritical (sp?) but I absolutely HATE it when people gawk and stare at me when I am in a situation.  While it does not happen much, it happens.

Everyone has that nightmare neighbor. You know, the one that wants to make your life absolutely miserable every chance they get. Well, we are fortunate to have one of those.  There has been some animosity over a gentlemens agreement over a fence so I choose not to say much to her and, for the most part, it stays pretty quiet. However, every now and again there are some issues.

Should we choose to mark the corners of our property, there is not much that you can do about it. It is private property and it is our business.  It is not up to outsiders to remove the marking. Especially if it is just inside the property line. I am so very sorry for you that you believe it to be in your way but that is not my problem. I am tired of you driving through my property to turn around and do your business.  Leave the marker alone and there will be no problems. The only problem that I see is that you do not know how to drive and you were the first one to bend the silly pole on MY property in the first place.

Do I sound like I am venting a little? Maybe just a little bit. I am not a big fan of conflict.  Conflict starts with the same letter as chaos and we all know that chaos is not on my list of things that make me smile. The way I see it. Live and let live. That was what the police told me anyway. I noted that I don't have to live with her but that I do have to live NEXT to her.  Now for the next few months, she will scream jamaican cursewords at me at the top of her voice every single time she sees me. Usually (10 times out of 10) I will have my kids with me and she will scare the bejesus out of them. That is not very nice. It is pretty annoying. But hey, I didn't start it. She can scream all she wants to. I am just going to sit there and look at her like she is being stupid. Because she really is.

All this drama over a property pole?  (As Bruce, from Family Guy may say.) Yes. Yes it is.  There, I feel a little better. Let's hope that this too, shal pass.

Of religion, women, and American safety.

I went to the gas station to purchase lottery tickets the other day.  While making my purchase, a beautiful young lady came in with a head covering on. I paid her no mind but did notice that she pulled back the part across her face to reveal a beautiful, flawless face.  The cashier interrupted my purchase to immediately tell this young woman that she had to totally remove the scarf or be refused service and have to leave.

She became wide eyed while removing the scarf and said "But this is for my religion!" She was quite pleasant about the whole thing but it was painfully obvious she was offended.  The cashier continued (I put my wallet down to watch this) "I don't care, for safety reasons, you cannot have your head covered and come into this store. It is a city law!"  As he completed this statement, I turned to look and see a man with a ball cap come in, purchase gas and leave without incident or so much as anything being said to him. Wow.  Mind you, I would not have thought much of the request for the young lady to remove her scarf but she was definitely NOT of Middle Eastern descent. Or, if she was, it was not that apparent.  She was black.

I began to take offense at this point but said nothing. I felt like those kids you see in the bullying commercials where they are watching a kid getting smacked around and taunted but are doing nothing. I felt like one of those kids helpless to do anything for the person that is being bullied.

So the girl removed her scarf and mumbled something to the tune of  "I can't believe this."  I made my purchase and went to my car. Because I like to scratch my tickets in the car and remained in the parking lot for a few minutes, I was present when that young lady came out. She must have prepaid for gas for her mother as she walked to a car at the pumps.  It was relatively quiet that day at the gas station and I heard that mother began to lecture her daughter on the dangers of removing her head cover and how inappropriate it was to do such a thing outside of school.  I could only shake my head but I felt absolutely awful for this child. She must have been about fifteen or so.  I could not allow this to continue. I started up my car and pulled a little closer to the mother and child speaking. (My kids were in the car and I was not going to leave them there. Besides, this is a teachable moment and I was doing a good thing.) I did note that the mother was actually listening to the girl but was wholly unimpressed with the fact that she removed her scarf.

I had to open my mouth and say something. I told the lady that I was not aware of the city law that says that you have to violate your religion to remove your head scarf and how ludacris I thought it was for the man inside the store to demand such a thing. I explained to the mother that she did show her face and that should have been acceptable. The mother stopped fussing and looked at her daughter. The daughter, exasperated at this point, simply said. "Exactly."  The mother then apologized to the daughter and I was happy that I could have alleviated some stress for that child. Imagine what she has to go through! She has to meet demands of merchants who fear for their safety because she acts like she is from the middle east and then has to listen to the ranting of her mother about the importance of religion and this horrible thing she did simply to pay for something or make a purchase in a free country. 

Honestly folks, showing her full face should have been enough.  People wear hats inside of buildings all the time. They wear do rags and Jews wear their little head coverings all the time. Remember the Amish? What about the lady who wears the shower cap on her head over her rollers because she has to run to Kmart to get something to set her hair with? Nobody ever asks those people to remove their head coverings for our safety, do they? Nope.

Point being, we are supposed to have freedom of religion and if that said religion is part of one person that committed atrocities to this nation, it does not mean that the rest of that particular population or religion is an immediate threat. I understand the safety part and she did what she thought proper in the circumstances and still had to stand in the line of fire with an elder and the cashier never knew about it. I wanted to drag that cashier out there to see what he had done. But....Such it is that we are....I was just glad I was able to say something to help her.

What do you think about this and do you have your own experiences to share?

Working at home, MY hours this time!

Working from home again and I finally got some hours that I can deal with. Now, lets hope that I can deal with the job itself and the people. It is a family owned company and not very big but it is working with some very national clients. I like that. So far, they are very understanding of the family obligation thing and it all seems kosher for that.

I also like the fact that there are possibilites for more money. Most of the WAH jobs that I have worked in the past pay a flat rate and only offer bonuses or vesting in a 401k or tenure raises. Yech!  There is such thing as a standard of living and I do believe you should take care of the folks that have been with you for a while. After all, their spot is something you are not spending the money it takes to train them in their job for the first three months they are with you and they know the flow. Catch me?  There are a great many advantages other than tenure, family atmosphere, and the hours. The seem to understand that we are human beings! I love that! I also get to expand my social networks a little more because most of my "friends" are virtual anyway.

I love my little circle of WAH peeps. They make me laugh and they understand the statement: "They don't let me out much."  Certainly I don't get out much. But, when I don't feel like getting dressed, I can go to work in my fuzzy bunny slippers! I get a discount on my car insurance because I don't drive back and forth every day and my kids can be in the living room while I work. Now, let me explain that last statement. We have clear boundaries and expectations there. There is not a party going on out there and I have to have zero background noise. BUT, if I do not have a sitter, it is not a disaster, I can get them occupied with a board game with their older sister (shes legally old enough to babysit) and still go to work and not have to miss out on a bill or something.  I can also do laundry on my breaks and I don't have far to go to get home.

Right now the only drawback is that sickness is not a call out reason because I have the flu, currently, and I am not dying nor am I going to the ER for something that I know will pass in 7 or 8 days. So I tough it out. It is not affecting my phone voice and I can sit in here and sweat it out. (My office is like a sauna anyway.) So, yea, I have to pretty much call in dead, right?

So, don't knock it until you try it. Just be aware of scams and follow the requirements. Sometimes you may have to pay for a background check but do your homework. If it is legit, you will note that in your research.

WAH its what I do! :)

What if Gas prices led to a healthier America? Bwahahahahaha

Well, there was my ab crunches for the day. Lets pick that apart for all you philosophy peeps that I know.
If Gas prices go up, then there will be more healthy people.
If Gas prices go up (If A then)
More people will walk and become healthy (B)
HOWEVER
Not all people who walk more are health (C)
Or some such nonsense. At any rate. I have seen first hand that high gasprices lead to mass chaos in an organized society. I am not saying that what our nation's military and government are doing is wrong, I am just saying, why not look at the little things to assist in making the big picture a little more clear:
Here is what I am saying. We have been fighting in the lands of the great petrol gods for many years because we use their imports in our cars, trucks, and lawnmowers. We are doing this to protect our own interests. In doing so, the people that control those land sucks (the drillers, refineries, and such) are raising costs because of all the blood they have to clean up in the process. Further, the lovely desk fillers that inhabit the imports and exports offices of this great country seize the opportunity to add an extra zero here and another 7 there simply to fatten their pockets. When they are discovered, it is all blamed on the bottom line and to protect the interests of this country. Um....the interests of whom? Surely not the fat pockets of the upper class. Sure....they drive but not much and surely not much on their own. Besides, they have enough money to not even watch with facination the fluctuating numbers on the sign of the local gas station. Therefore, they have no reason to complain nor to even consider what is going on.
Nobody asks for the common folks opinion. Sure, some of us speak up and write our congressman or the interest groups that are supposed to lobby on our behalf, but do they really have the utilitarian interests at heart? Certainly not when it all comes down to the almighty dollar. (Shit, that is not even worth much these days. I digress. THAT is for another day.) No, I believe they don't because they are not telling their kids that the price of gas was just $3.21 not seven days ago and now I have to pay $3.52 per gallon to fill up my car with watered down garbage they call gas. No, they are not the ones that are having to purchase a crappy, bubble gum car, every year or so because they cannot afford to put the Premium gas in their tanks at the tune of (on average) $4.00 per gallon every time they get gas.
Funny thing about making your children aware: Our daughter takes it as a challenge to find the cheapest gas in the city and it is still not cheap when I can get a happy meal for less. Our middle son keeps an eye on the gas hand and when it gets to quarter a tank or less, he stresses out because we need to put more and he does not quite grasp the concept of the fact that I am holding on for tomorrow in hopes that I can save a few cents over the prices of today.
Um, Remember when Gas was $0.79 cents a gallon and it was a ten buck fill up for the trusty ole Nissan sitting in the yard? You could even afford to splurge on special occasions and CHOOSE to use premium and keep your car for a few more years. It is the same stuff if not of a lesser quality as it was then, so why are we paying more for crappy gas? Another thing that I have noticed is that the prices rise to an uncomfortable level, then drop about a half dollar or so (but never below the lowest in the previous cycle) only to go back up and start the vicious cycle over again. WTH!?!?!?!
Maybe we all should go back to the days of bicycles and walking. Healtier people and a lot less pollution and we would surely hit the pockets of those that benefit from the common folk just trying to be comfortable or at least make it. Nobody should have to take a mortgage out on their home for a fill up. I dont even think that my gas hand can remember what the F looks like on that gauge in my dashboard. I know it wants to get to know it better but that will not happen anytime soon.
Greedy rich fluckers. They are the ones keeping the prices high, get a half a brain and make people WANT to fill up their tanks. You will make more that way stupid!

Road Rage: Better off in my own mind (with a nine!)

I try not to let stupid drivers get to me. I have plenty of other stuff to rage about or scream about without having to yell at some stranger for cutting me off. However, there is a time and a place for dicussions such as this and here is my forum.
One of the things that make me madder than hill is the fact that someone can run up on you super fast, cut you off, and then...........yep you guessed it............slow to a crawl right in front of you. What does this accomplish? Did you decide the moment that you got back in my lane, in front of ME, that you were no longer in a hurry to get where you were going? Truth be told, I will probably get to my destination before you and I was going the posted speed limit the entire trip!
Let me guess, you were on the phone and failed to realize that the more engaged you were in your chatter, the heavier your foot got. I call that the heavy talk syndrome. I am guilty as charged there. This is yet one of the many reasons why I do not talk on the phone and drive. It is against the law in most places these days. WAIT! Maybe you decided that you wanted to be Mr. Nugget McAssshole this morning because you woke up on the bottom side of the bed. Yeah! That is it. Well, sir, I am not the source of your frustration and taking it out on me silently by impeding my progress is something that simply should not be done. However, you chose me this morning so I am now faced with a dilemma.
Do I beat the crap out of my steering wheel (not its fault) and roll down the window to scream obsenities at you while my family slowly slides down in their seats from embarassment? What, pray tell, would that accomplish?? Nothing but another pissed off driver. Better off keeping that reaction to myself. Ok, another option would be to do the same thing. No, that will never work. Then you will beat on your innocent steering wheel and that is not called for either. Final, and certainly most difficult option? The best one, with practice, I say. You simply keep the rage in your mind and pull out your mental movie projector and play Death Race Michele in your mind and imagine how it would be to go into the next lane, push my kill button and out come the nails and just RATATATATATATATATATATATATA all over that bitchards wheels and shiny car so that they simply STOP in their progress and are successfully late for where ever they were in such a big rush to get to in the first place.
Muahahahaha. That would be great in MY perfect world. On the up side to that, remaining safe, and ignoring stupidity and getting out of the way of it is great! It also makes a lot less stress on my health and lets me remain alert for the next idiot that is surely going to do something just as stupid. Further, it is such a YES! moment when you are pulling out of Tim Horton's Coffee shop and you see that same fool, pulled over by a cop getting a ticket. Talk about stress for him.....I feel for that poor steering wheel.

Yea, I cheat and vaccuum the linoleum.

My house is lived in. No, I don't mean lived in like there is stuff everywhere or anything like that. You can just tell we spend a lot of time at home and get our money's worth out of this mortgage. (Yess!!!!) Well, this means I can do cleaning projects at my perogative because I no longer have to worry about the landlord coming for a suprise inspection or there is some appointment for the fix it guy cus WE are the fix it guys. (Unless of course I flood the house, then THAT is something on a wholly different plane!) Yea, I'll clean it.

You all have seen my random 'Im so proud I got my spring cleaning done in the dead of winter' posts. I shampoo carpets on a regular basis, I pull my own teeth (not literally) and scrub the bathroom baseboards every now and again. I clean the blinds and the ceiling fans on a regular. Yes, I get 'er done. However, in the routine of things...I must admit...I cheat.

Every time I vaccuum, I notice things that need my attention. I need to dust the tredmill (when I don't use it much) or the teenage room needs a good sweep and mop. WAIT! I will vaccuum it and it won't look so bad! Woot! When I close the windows after a nice day of airing out the stale air from the house, I have (on occasion) wiped the dust from the sill with my fingers and wiped a lovely hand print across my jeans. These are my cleaning jeans so, it doesn't matter. Finally, while I like to dust the old fashioned way, I can attest to the truthfulness of a swiffer duster. I, too, have experienced the elation of finishing a dusting job a whole hella lot earlier than I expected and not knowing what to do with myself afterward. Heck, I took a nap, you KNOW that!

Yea, so sometimes I vaccuum the linoleum. The whole purpose of a vaccuum is to suck up loose dirt that is lighter than anything I can imagine and transport it to a recepticle that has the intent of being dumped into a larger wastebasket. Eventually this larger one goes to a dump somewhere and biodegrades only to end up as dirt in someone elses home years and years from now. (You guessed it! There is the digression!)

Dear readers, so long as you maintain your home and it is relatively clean. It does not have to be immaculate like my sisters homes have a tendency to be. (Some of us work very hard and have a half a football team to raise and not just one child to raise or are blissfully unemployed.) DISCLAIMER: Any relation to persons real or fake in regards to the last statement is purely unintentional and not meant to point the finger at anyone nor is sarcasm intended. END OF DISCLAIMER. But cleanliness is in the eye of the beholder and I can assure you, if it means anything to you, you are more discriminatory at your own cleaning skills than others are. Just keep the place picked up.

My own travels to the Dark Tower.

In the courts, it is all about who tells the best story. The juries believe the story tellers (the attorneys) who paint the most vibrant, believable tale.
I must have been about 13 or 14 when I first picked up the Gunslinger, by Stephen King. Never did I fathom that this story teller would take me on adventure that would take nearly 23 years to complete. Now that I am reading the final Dark Tower (VII) book, I have a certain melancholy feeling about me. I have come to love this story and its characters like a woman to her soap opera. Now that the tale is coming to an end, the sadness that I feel was similar to that of Roland the morning that Susannah went through the Artists door. They were so close to Roland's coveted Tower and now, just as the story begun, the Gunslinger enters the tower alone.
I was always told by literature experts that great stories go in a circle. Here is ours, sai Gunslinger. Another thing that enrages me but brings home thiat this story teller has successfully done his job is that the end leaves you begging, no PLEADING for more. While I have not yet red the part of Susannah in New York or what happens to Roland in the tower, I just KNOW I will be left wanting more. Just like a junkie wanting their next fix.
Yes, sai King, I do have The Wind Through the Keyhole, and while I have nearly all of your other tales, mere mention of Roland and his Ka-tet will not satisfy the thirst there is for the true story of the Gunslinger and his beloved Tower. His Darling.......
This is homage to you, sai storyteller. Thank you for this lovely tale. In my court, you have prevailed. I even cheer that the story is done because in an epilogue, you mentioned one sad little chained teddy bear that I know will now survive and go free, to search for his own tower. While I am considering taking the time to read the whole tale over again, I know it will not be the same as it was the first time.
Yes, I do truly understand, just as the artist Patrick Danville did as he drew and erased the Crimson King in the Dark Tower Vii......with vivid understanding as my eyes light up so approve.......

NOTE: This was a post to my Facebook blog that I posted last year. Yes, I did finish the book and yes, I was yearning for more. It was a marvellous ending!  I have also since found a map that shows the intricacies and how the world of Stephen King is just that....a world.  All of his books are tied together in some form or fashion and I absolutely revel in that fact!  Like this ending, I am still living my own journey to the Dark Tower.  What about you? Have you read these books or any of the Stephen King books?  What about your journey?

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of the easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

This is one of my favorite poems as a child. Thought I would share. Kind of makes you think. Huh?

Cheley

Daddy truly knew.

I just finished a book (for my own enjoyment not for an assignment) that I had started to read a very long time ago. My favortie part about reading a book is the feeling you get when you read that last sentence on that last page. It is a gratifying feeling that only readers know. This time, I had quiet to enjoy that feeling and noted it gave me chills. I love it. I love to read. It is a pleasure that causes no disease, cancer, and can take you away from any hell you are in and temporarily place you somewhere else. Further, upon returning from that else, your mind is, if only for a brief moment, clearer and refreshed.
Dad knew what that was like. In his final years, I often wondered why he would go through a stack of books in the blink of an eye. The man read so much that he was on what I called the library honor circuit. You see, there were about four libraries within driving distance of where he and my mother live. Every now and then I would ask him what he was reading and it was always something new. Just about every other time I inquired, he would inform me that he was on the honor books of the next library because the one he had been going to, had nothing more to offer for the moment. He had read every single damn honor book they had. I know for a fact that some of those honor shelves would take up more of two stacks! The closer to the end of his life story he got, the faster he went through those books. 

Now I understand why.

He could hardly breathe and the oxygen was not helping. The threat of the VA to take it away to convince him he did not need it did not help matters any. When dad came for his final visit to our new home, he predicted his own fate....almost to the day. But still he read. He read until he could not do it anymore. Chasing that feeling of accomplishment and of enlightenment only true readers know. Next to his deathbed he had a plastic grocery bag filled with his last round of honor books from the library. One of them "The Old Silent" had his mark in it and his glasses on top. I still have that bag of books. I still have the glasses, "The Old Silent," and that mark is still there.

While I find it hard to read something other than a textbook and my favorite author, Stephen King, I now intend to finish that book for him. I started it right after his passing and I find it quite interesting, but life got in the way. Now that I have finished my book, I will pick this one up. With dad reading over my shoulder.

Why do I say he will be reading over my shoulder? Stephen King calls his die hard fans "constant reader." That is my Dad. He needs to finish that book. Those glasses have since broken, however, I still have mine. It will be through my eyes that "The Old Silent" will provide that enlightenment not only for me but for Daddy who stands constant watch over me, my family, and, yes my Mother.
I love you Daddy. Even the things that come to light from your wisdom now make me proud to be the glimmer that was in your eyes for so long. Yes, he knows. I know too.

The Dollar as the Ball to My Chain.

I seen a picture on a friends Facebook wall a moment ago. It was an innocent picture of the back of a one dollar bill. However, there, someone took a sharpie and wrote upon it:

"I am only a piece of paper, yet I control your life."

Hmm. That is food for thought. (No, don't eat the dollar, it still buys a CAN of soda from the vending machine at Food Lion.) Yea, here I sit at a crossroads while I see that. Do I still look at the job boards daily, send out countless virtual resumes to HR departments that dismiss them as mediocre or overqualified or underqualified or for whatever reason? Do I keep looking for that golden opportunity when the truth of the matter is that money is the number one reason to accept a job anymore?

I remember as a kid, people spent 20-30 years at a career and never bounced from place to place because the "at will" laws were not as well known as they are today. It seems like such a tiresome dilemma. Companies want to pay as little as possible for qualified (or warm bodies) people to fill positions that people are looking for the highest pay they can get. What is the fallacy there? What happened to the best qualified gets the job and it is based upon ones experience and qualifications. There are no such things as careers anymore as people graduate from college under crushing debt with the hopes of getting the ONE job of their dreams that countless others are competing for. No one I know can be so lucky. Those people are only on TV or they know someone very influential that owes them a favor or two from back in the day.

That dollar is what motivates me to surf job boards not only for myself but for those I know who are in the same boat I was in when I got laid off. It hurts and it is about as dry and as fun as car shopping and I LOATHE car shopping. Nothing makes my stomach curl more than a car salesman (other than a shitty supervisor that makes me HATE a job I once loved....at......the......newspaper.) Ok, minor digression <----over p="" there.="">
The dollar controls us all in this awful economy. You can blame it on the government, you can blame it on the job market, stock market, foreigners, corporations, whatever. What it boils down to is outright greed. Remember the 30's when there was the "Great Depression" and countless so called rich people jumped out of windows to their deaths because they lost everything they owned. They didnt lose everything they owned? You cannot buy your own life nor can you buy your family and there is always this thing called starting over. Done that before. While it is not easy, it is a great learning experience that many people would rather not learn.

I witnessed that with a dear loved one that ended up being the Cracken of the human race. She married poor and became the queen of her own little world and when that magic carpet was snatched from under her, she blamed everyone around her. Including her children. Yes, I know that hurt and karma is a blitch and starting over sucks. However, if you play your cards right and not hurt those closest to you along the way, starting over can be an experience that will mold and shape who you are. However, that dollar bill has its grips around her. Quite possibly around her neck and will not let go. Yet, she is family and she has nothing else to hold on to. I just hope that she turns around one day and realizes that it is a learning experience and to pick up the pieces and make for the better. Nobody wants to be alone like that. We do not talk anymore because we are on opposite sides of the field but she is family and I do still care for her. (No, no sarcasm here folks. I am certain she will see this and rage and see blood run down the walls of her home. However, I cannot feed off that as I need to deal with my own and continue on. I will leave that to a greater power and let it be taken care of that way.)

Nobody should have to have an outlook on life that makes them hate every thing in life and depend wholly on the money in this world. When the world was created, it wasnt about money. What happened to it takes a village? What happened to the fact that status does not matter and that how we treat each other does? Sure, there is a cost to living in this world. But it is not the end to a means.

Rich people everywhere should take that into their inventory and reflect upon that when they have a minute free of their greed. Sure, it would be nice to win the lottery and take care of all the bills that I have and not have to worry where my next bit of grocery money is coming from. It would be nice to live in a Scarlet Ohara mansion and not live check to check. So, with that little dollar mentioned before, it is the ball to the chain that is on each and every one of us. Even our children. Some have 500 dollar bills (yes, they still exist) and some have dollars. Just depends on where you are in life.

Think about it. What denomiation is your dollar at the end of your chain?

Its yet another holiday...Bah humbug.

As a child that didn't know any better. Holidays (any of them) were favorite days. They were out of the ordinary and we did things that we normally didnt do. Further, I loved to watch the joy my mother got in decorating for the holidays. When I was in grade school, she had window clings for ever single holiday of the year.
January-Baby new year and hats and other festive new year stuff (I got to stay up late and drink sparkling grape juice and, on occasion, try real champagne)
February-hearts and candy clings for Valentines day (Decorating valentines and eating whitmans samplers that mom always got.)
March-Shamrocks and lepracahns (sp?) all over the windows (New green something bought at the stoore and green cupcakes. MMM)
April--Easter eggs and bunnies on the windows (Easter egg hunts a new dress and shoes and Dressing up all snooty to go out to eat at red lobster or somewhere, we didnt go to church...)
May-Mothers day...Mom didnt decorate for Mothers day but there were always pretty flowers all over the place from dad and me. (Going shopping with dad to find something pretty for mom on her special day.)
June-Fathers day and the end of school. (Mom spent a lot of time outside during this month due to the warm weather and crabapples were to be picked! No decoration but the crabapple jam was the best!)
July-Firework clings on the windows (Also some BIG fireworks show somewhere.)
August- My birthday. Balloons everywhere. (With the exception of birthday number 7 where we went to Chuck E Cheese)
September- Leaf clings for the fall. (No special holiday here but it was also the return to school so we went school shopping for new clothes and stuff.)
October-Scary cat and tombstone clings. (Halloween candy for the kids we would never see because we were out getting the goods and costume shopping was fun too.)
November-Turkey and pilgirm window clings.(Mom LOVES making her famous bread on thanksgiving. There are also many funny stories for Turkeyday. Remember the Becky fart??)
December-Christmas must be her favorite holiday. Not only did we get the present and christmas tree and frosty christmas clings, the tree was always a big to do and moms tree always was (and still is) loaded.
I try to do some of these great things with our kids. However, I try to be a little creative. I did window clings for a while when Alyssa was a toddler but money always seems to be tight when a holiday comes around (hence, the Bah Humbug.) Therefore, we get creative.
Anyone who knows me knows how proud I was of our decorated cieling when we lived on 34th. I also make it a point to have home made costumes for our kids. Kitties, chefs, zombies, and kids are great costumes. One day, I will get all extravagant and put some money into it. I don't feel bad about it when I see kids in hoodies running around with NO costumage at all. Christmas is always a challenge but thank goodness Santa visits grandmas houses and knows we are not home or we would be in trouble! Valentines, we do cards and for a special teacher, maybe some cool home made thing. Fathers day is fishing, and other days we just wing it. Money was tight this year and the easter bunny was busy last year for egg hiding so this year he magically had a hole in his basket and dropped candy EVERYWHERE while hopping around the house hiding eggs. So, yea, we have our own special days. I just hope they remember little things like I did when they get older.
What special things do you remember about the holidays from your childhood and what do you try to do for your kids?

Will God ever forgive us for what we've done to each other? ~Archer, Blood Diamond

I love that movie. I also happen to love quotes that move me so. This movie, Blood Diamond, has one such group of words that really make me think. While I am not much to talk about religion here, it is not that we are speaking of religion when Archer, the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio, utters the following:
"I wonder will God ever forgive us for what we've done to each other? But then I look around and think; God has left this place a long time ago."
Come on now, does that not make you think just a little bit? For all of the evil in this world, for some people who are in the thick of that, there is always that question, eh? Yes, I know, for the philosophers that I have become acquainted with, there is the whole Good vs. Evil argument and I get that. However, what about reality and not this religious or philosophical plane that many people love to contemplate.
Look at some of these things:
1. child soldiers
2. war
3. communistic and socialist societies
4. hate (be it racial, gender, or just out of plain old fear)
5. distrust
6. need I say more????
It always makes me sad when I see that movie and it makes me think too much. For those of you needing some great bathroom reading material, you should pick up something about purchasing conflict free diamonds versus any other diamond you can walk into the store and purchase. It will open your eyes to something that we, as Americans, are totally against but are feeding into it blindly.
I don't expect you to make every purchase based upon the fact that there was no harm done to anything. We as a species are consumers and there will always be something that is harmed by our consumption. Paper and wood are harming the rainforests. Slaughterhouses supply our need for meat. Farms wipe out treed areas in our own country to supply the fruits and vegetables we need to eat. Diamonds, while very lucrative, enable the slave trade, training of child soldiers, and pitting of people against their own kind simply as a means of survival or to satisfy their own greed.
This does not take into account various other evils that I see mentioned on countless facebook pages every day. Yea, helping one man may not seem to make a difference but its affects are far reaching and nobody ever see's that. However, in our cushy America, we say it every day. "Smile, its contagious!" Not so contagious when you are tramping the jungle just to survive or live another day (so called) free.
Just sit and think about the things you take for granted everyday that people all over the world are fighting for at this very moment. It is not something easy to think about no is it something that would normally consider in our day to day goings.
Tell me, what do you think?

Haters be hatin....for what?

Everyone has their own talents and life. Why should someone be so jealous of you that they have to gawk and stare at you everytime you are in the same vicinity?  If you are so miserable in your own life, then, why not change it?  Is that not the entire reason for change? To make things better?  That is what I was thinking.  Things are not meant to come to someone easy.  If you see a person that is in the place in THEIR life where YOU want to be, then, why not make a change and get there yourself?  Apparently, they have worked hard to get where they are and it is not up to karma to hand that to you with a silver platter. Life does not work that way, folks.

With that being said, I must confess, that I do not practice that mantra because I see people all the time that are in a place in life that I would rather be than where I am at. Don't get me wrong, it has nothing to do with my marriage or house or anything like that. It is little things that I am "hatin" on. Skinny blitches make me mad. However, I do not want to put that much work into getting there because where I am took many lazy days and chocolate days and years of not eating right. Why should I put all THAT hard work to waste just to go back to like I was when I was 17? (Joke folks, Bazinga!) I also want to be making a whole lot more money than I am making now. The way to get there? Work for it! Scratch and claw your way to get there or it is not going to happen. Ayup, I have people I am insanely jealous of because they make easy money. However, they did not get there just by happenstance.  They worked to get there. Do the work girl! Do the work.

Now, I also see kids that are about 12 or 13 that seem to think that the world owes them because they have had parents that divorced and they have learned the "poor me" routine and it has become so ingrained in their personality that they truly believe that everyone they come in contact with is going to dump money and opportunity in their lap. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! Well, if it does, it will be short lived because people will see through that ruse and walk away from that.

Many folks love to have drama in their lives and will be miserable no matter what. Others will work hard at the wrong things and get nowhere and others will make really big mistakes in their lives and end up paying for them for the rest of their lives. There is no way around that. So, you take that learning experience and use that as a hint to take a different path because some ungodly sized tree has fallen in your way and you must move on.

While at times, it may not be the way you want to go, work with what you have and do everything you can to make the best or better of it.

Wow, I certainly wish I could take my own advice and run with it. But who wants to run on the treadmill three hours a day and work out all day long to get to the skinny blitch part (while I am not working I should do that.) Yup, I am going to be mediocre until something in me snaps and wakes up.

Ya, haters be hatin, but so am I....it is just easier that way. That is why!