Thursday, May 24, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Wasted by ACLS
This will be a short post, as I'm about ready to hit the sack.
I spent most of the day in ACLS today. For those of you lucky enough not to be in the healthcare field, ACLS is "Advanced Cardiac Life Support". Many hospitals and emergency services require staff to be certified in ACLS in order to be qualified to perform procedures necessary to saving a life while hospitalized. I.E. administering correct medications in correct dosages, identifying cardiac rhythms in order to decide what drugs to give at when, and what steps to take to 'hopefully' prolong cardiac function long enough to have some high tech procedure done by the folks who make the big money.
The only drawback to all this educating and certifying is that unless you're employed in some very specific areas, you may only have occasion to use this info once or twice a year. In many cases, you cram all this info into your brain, only to forget it again before you use it! This is the time when I'm glad to NOT be a doctor, because generally they are in charge and telling the rest of us what to do.
Prior to the class, you're required to take the "Pre-test" to determine your current level of knowledge and what areas you may need to review. My score was 62%. Uh-oh.(Did I mention that I have to have this certification in order to actually work and earn money?) Hmmm, guess I better hurry up and start cramming! Two more tries at the pre-test and my score was up to 95%. Okay, well that's better. (I hope).
Anyway, through divine intervention and a lot of finger crossing, I managed to squeak through. It's safe for me to go back into work next week. (Too bad. I would have liked to take early retirement!) I'm safe for another two years (or until someone codes on my shift). Time to go to bed.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
MSNBC - The Last Word - Sean Harris gives 'punch gay kids' sermon
Another video going viral on Twitter that just made my chin drop. Speechless.
Amendment 1, Oh Lord
Hi All,
It's been a looonnnggg time since I last posted. Let's call it a combination of Winter Blahs, lack of ideas, and too many "to be read" books on Kindle. But one thing in particular made me pick up my pen (or laptop)again.
Yesterday in North Carolina, Amendment 1 was passed into law. Contrary to popular belief, this amendment is NOT just about gay marriage. It has the potential to affect many more people than just the LGBT people of North Carolina. My fear is that it has the potential to affect ALL people in ALL states if a movement of this sort were to pick up in other areas. Please view the video below. it's something I wish I and all the people of North Carolina had seen before voting for this amendment.
Doesn't that video give you a lot to think about? I don't consider myself a political person in any sense of the word. I'm embarrassed and ashamed to say that at my age (almost 50) I have never voted in an election of any sort. Strangely enough, Twitter, of all things, has brought things to my attention that I probably would never have been aware of. It probably sounds crazy to you, but I rarely watch television, and when I do it's not the news that I watch. We don't subscribe to any newspapers or magazines. Occasionally I may see bits of a newspaper online, but political news is not something that I would normally gravitate to. The people I follow on Twitter have introduced me to issues and ideas that I haven't known about.
I encourage all of you (few that you may be) to become informed. Learn about the issues, the people, and consider the future of this country that we live in. It's scary to think about sometimes. We have people who call themselves "christians" who seem to have an awful lot of hate inside. We have politicians running on "family values" platforms who seem to have a lack of them in their personal lives. (Didn't John Edwards run on this, as well as playing on the sympathies of the American people with his poor, sick, cancer-stricken wife? Now he's in the news for using campaign funds to pay off his mistress and support his illegitimate child. Hello...hypocritical much?) Everyone seems to feel free to play with semantics; using their own definitions of 'family values', 'christian', and 'equal rights'.
Amendment 1 in North Carolina has the potential to limit and/or revoke rights of ALL persons in the state, unless they are "one man & one woman" who are "married". To be honest, I'm saddened and afraid. I don't want to see ANYONE'S child with any fewer rights that anyone else, just because he or she chooses not to get married, or loves someone of the same sex. It INFURIATES me to hear people say that gay marriage threatens the sanctity of marriage, when more than 50% of heterosexual marriages end in divorce. It seems like "marriage" is really just a contract between two persons. What makes it "sanctified" is the deep commitment involved if it's a TRUE marriage. The ability to make that commitment depends on the values, morals, and beliefs of the people involved; NOT their physical sexual characteristics.
Ah, well. I guess I've had my rant for today. Thus is the value of the blog. I feel much better now, having gotten all that off my chest! Stay tuned for the next rant of the day, sponsored by Twitter!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Vacation Plans
I'm leaving tomorrow for a blissful week in Hawaii with my millionaire lover. We'll be spending time eating at all the best restaurants and mixing with all the upper crust of society, of course. Oh, and flying first class, as well.
NOT!! I know, I really didn't have you fooled at all, did I? I'm actually leaving tomorrow to go visit my father in Michigan. Not quiiittte as good as a week in Hawaii, but close. Since it is the middle of winter, I'm going into this expecting flight delays and weather issues. Meaning, I won't be terribly disappointed if I get delayed enough that I miss work next week and get fired. (Kidding, DH.)
Anyway...I made it to the David Garrett concert in Reno last week, and it was outstanding. Turned out my tickets were in the 3rd row; unfortunately on the wrong side of the auditorium, so most of the show had him with his back to our side of the place. But the music was great, and a good time was had by all. At least until the end of the show and we had to go outside. THEN, it was pouring rain and windy.But that took care of the wild-fire south of Reno, which ended up destroying some 20 homes. Talk about weird...I've lived here about six years, and to have two major fires in two months is kind of strange.
It's also been strange because we haven't had any snow yet. (Now that I've said it, I'll probably jinx myself and tomorrow will wake up to a foot of snow) The ski resorts around Lake Tahoe are having problems, of course. As I'm not a skier, I can't empathize a whole lot, but I'm sure they're losing money like crazy.
In any case, I need to do laundry before I can head out of here tomorrow. I hope everyone (anyone?) reading this is safe, warm, and happy. :-)
NOT!! I know, I really didn't have you fooled at all, did I? I'm actually leaving tomorrow to go visit my father in Michigan. Not quiiittte as good as a week in Hawaii, but close. Since it is the middle of winter, I'm going into this expecting flight delays and weather issues. Meaning, I won't be terribly disappointed if I get delayed enough that I miss work next week and get fired. (Kidding, DH.)
Anyway...I made it to the David Garrett concert in Reno last week, and it was outstanding. Turned out my tickets were in the 3rd row; unfortunately on the wrong side of the auditorium, so most of the show had him with his back to our side of the place. But the music was great, and a good time was had by all. At least until the end of the show and we had to go outside. THEN, it was pouring rain and windy.But that took care of the wild-fire south of Reno, which ended up destroying some 20 homes. Talk about weird...I've lived here about six years, and to have two major fires in two months is kind of strange.
It's also been strange because we haven't had any snow yet. (Now that I've said it, I'll probably jinx myself and tomorrow will wake up to a foot of snow) The ski resorts around Lake Tahoe are having problems, of course. As I'm not a skier, I can't empathize a whole lot, but I'm sure they're losing money like crazy.
In any case, I need to do laundry before I can head out of here tomorrow. I hope everyone (anyone?) reading this is safe, warm, and happy. :-)
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Bark Side
I was browsing YouTube today (you see how motivated I am when I'm not working!)and ran across this cute video. I'm not endorsing Volkswagen (even though I've had a couple), but this made me laugh out loud. In addition, Goofy Dog heard all the barking and had to come over and investigate it. He then added his own touch to the finale, giving a good old howl at the end! (I really like the one on the right hand side dressed as an Ewok, and the one who comes across the front as one of those 'walker' thingies) :P
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Pontiac, Michigan (yesterdays)
An old friend of mine, Peggy, posted this to her Facebook profile today. Because most of my relatives who are from this area probably don't get her feed, I thought I'd add this here myself. It's amazing how many old places I had forgotten about. When you go back to Pontiac now, it's really sad to see what's become of it.
For those of you who haven't a clue...sorry, but I thought my family and others originally from the area would enjoy this!
Who's Your Favourite?
I'm well beyond the 'having babies' stage in my life, but I stumbled on this video on YouTube today and thought it was worth a share. Some of my younger family members who are still having babies might find it pretty funny!
And completely on a different subject:
Did you know there's a new $1 coin out in the world? Remember the old Susan B Anthony dollars that failed so miserably 10 years ago or so? Now, there's a gold colored dollar coin that has...wait for it....Andrew Johnson on it! Okay, I think this guy was a president quite some time ago in the 19th century, but does anyone remember anything about him? How did he end up with a coin in his honor? Anyway, somehow I ended up with one of these in my change. I have no clue where I got it, but when I went to get a soda at work last night, there it was. It's just a tad bigger than a quarter, so it's a good thing they made it gold colored. I don't know if it will go over any better than Susan did, but wanted to let you know about it.
Considering how NOT up to date I am with the news, all of you are probably aware of these things, and they've been out there for a year or something!
This Friday I'm going to the David Garrett concert in Reno. If you look back, you can find a video of him that I posted. I'm really looking forward to it, but now DH doesn't want to go after all! So now I'm trying to decide if I'll go alone or take MIL (Mom in Law) along with me so the other ticket won't go to waste. Anyone out there want to make a quick trip to Reno? LOL!
Another of my favorites, Adam Lambert, made an appearance on the Jay Leno show last night. If you didn't see it, you can (I think) see video of the appearance on YouTube and probably other places. It seems that Mr Lambert is changing his look with this new album. He's not so glitter/glam with the leather gloves, spiked suits, and over-the-top makeup now. I can't be sure, of course, but it appeared he had on some kind of designer suit, along with a bright white collarless (?) shirt. (Obviously fashion is another area where I know nothing...I spend all my time in scrubs or in my pajamas!)
I hope everyone's having a great day, and I'll be sure to come by and let you know how the concert is!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Why Is It.......?
Why is it.....
.....whenever you're late for work or for an appointment, you hit every red light along the way?
.....no matter what line you get in at the grocery store, your line seems to move the slowest?
.....the more you sleep, the more tired you get?
.....when you're wearing new clothes you always manage to spill something on yourself?
I'm sure there's lots more of these questions out there; I just haven't run across them yet!
I know it's been a while since I posted; I apologize. It's a combination of too much time at work and then being too tired to post, and not having anything interesting to post! Sometimes it seems like my mind is too tired to do anything that requires mental effort! Although depending on who you speak to, that could describe me almost any day!
Anyway, I haven't given up on the blog yet...if anyone has any ideas of what I might write about, let me know!
.....whenever you're late for work or for an appointment, you hit every red light along the way?
.....no matter what line you get in at the grocery store, your line seems to move the slowest?
.....the more you sleep, the more tired you get?
.....when you're wearing new clothes you always manage to spill something on yourself?
I'm sure there's lots more of these questions out there; I just haven't run across them yet!
I know it's been a while since I posted; I apologize. It's a combination of too much time at work and then being too tired to post, and not having anything interesting to post! Sometimes it seems like my mind is too tired to do anything that requires mental effort! Although depending on who you speak to, that could describe me almost any day!
Anyway, I haven't given up on the blog yet...if anyone has any ideas of what I might write about, let me know!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Oy, It's 2012! The Year I've Been Dreading!
Sorry for only the one post in the last couple of weeks. The holidays have my schedule completely screwed up. Anyone that works in health care can tell you that the holidays are a bitch. Chances are you have to work them, and if you don't, someone else will call in sick so you'll get asked to work anyway! But enough about that. If I start ranting about work I may not stop. Don't ask why. I'm glad I'm not in health care management, because clearly I'm not rude enough. STOP ME!!!! AAAGGHHH!!
Anyway, the reason I've been dreading 2012 is because this year I turn 50. Yes, FIFTY!! As you probably figured out from my previous posts about 'How you can tell you're getting old', I don't want to get old, and am trying my hardest to deny that it's happening. People always say that getting 30 is the bad year. That wasn't bad at all for me. For some reason, 50 is hitting me like a 2 x 4 upside the head. Turning 50 makes me feel like death is just around the corner. I have a feeling that I'll be giving my anti-depressants a workout this year.
A lot of the other blogs I've been reading have been covering goals, resolutions, plans for the new year, etc. I think my goal, plan, and resolution is just to survive till 2013! Not that having goals and making resolutions isn't a good thing. Many of these writers are young and just going into the best years of their lives. I can't help feeling like I'm kind of on the downhill side of my life. Geez, now I'm depressing myself.
Okay, so what are some GOOD things to look forward to? I'm going to see David Garrett in concert in just a couple of weeks; that will be fun! It remains to be seen whether DH will go with me, but I'll have fun either way. The next week after that, I'll be traveling back to Michigan to see how my Dad is doing. Hey, if work calls me that week, I'll be able to say "NO" without feeling guilty! February means our wedding anniversary and Valentine's day...lots of chocolate, yum! Has anyone else heard that chocolate is good for depression? Some chemical in it works on the brain like serotonin & nor-epinephrine, I think. Any excuse for chocolate works for me!
By the way, our holidays were very quiet. As mentioned above, I worked Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, and New Years Day.(among others) I was so tired on Christmas, I ended up sleeping the whole day instead of going to the in-laws for dinner. I felt bad about that, but I guess it's better than falling asleep in my mashed w/ gravy. In case you couldn't tell, my DH and I are not overly-social people. We never go out for New Years Eve, so I didn't miss anything by working that night. DH did buy me a beautiful bracelet for Christmas, which I was totally not expecting. I had just bought myself a new Kindle the week before, so I was counting that as my gift. Many thanks to DH!
What would we do without social networking? I've found that I'm more able to keep up with family stuff since I installed Twitter and Facebook on my phone, lol! For years I've lived in the West of the US and felt like I was a million miles away. Who knew all I had to do was install a couple of apps? I'm also able to keep up with my favorite blogs and YouTube through my phone as well, so I'm all set!
Okay, so maybe I wouldn't want to go back to the 80's or 90's just to be younger. We didn't have all this fun technology (even tho I hate it sometimes) back then! To keep up with family and friends we had to go to bars and use the phone! I bet by the time I die we won't even have to have any personal touch at all. Remember that movie with Sly Stallone & Sandra Bullock? It took place in the future, and sex didn't involve any contact between the two people, they just put on these funny caps and were 'stimulated'? We wouldn't want any bodily fluids getting in the way of things, would we? (That movie also starred Wesley Snipes, and I can't for the life of me remember what the name of it was. Old age, you know?)
Anyway, the reason I've been dreading 2012 is because this year I turn 50. Yes, FIFTY!! As you probably figured out from my previous posts about 'How you can tell you're getting old', I don't want to get old, and am trying my hardest to deny that it's happening. People always say that getting 30 is the bad year. That wasn't bad at all for me. For some reason, 50 is hitting me like a 2 x 4 upside the head. Turning 50 makes me feel like death is just around the corner. I have a feeling that I'll be giving my anti-depressants a workout this year.
A lot of the other blogs I've been reading have been covering goals, resolutions, plans for the new year, etc. I think my goal, plan, and resolution is just to survive till 2013! Not that having goals and making resolutions isn't a good thing. Many of these writers are young and just going into the best years of their lives. I can't help feeling like I'm kind of on the downhill side of my life. Geez, now I'm depressing myself.
Okay, so what are some GOOD things to look forward to? I'm going to see David Garrett in concert in just a couple of weeks; that will be fun! It remains to be seen whether DH will go with me, but I'll have fun either way. The next week after that, I'll be traveling back to Michigan to see how my Dad is doing. Hey, if work calls me that week, I'll be able to say "NO" without feeling guilty! February means our wedding anniversary and Valentine's day...lots of chocolate, yum! Has anyone else heard that chocolate is good for depression? Some chemical in it works on the brain like serotonin & nor-epinephrine, I think. Any excuse for chocolate works for me!
By the way, our holidays were very quiet. As mentioned above, I worked Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, and New Years Day.(among others) I was so tired on Christmas, I ended up sleeping the whole day instead of going to the in-laws for dinner. I felt bad about that, but I guess it's better than falling asleep in my mashed w/ gravy. In case you couldn't tell, my DH and I are not overly-social people. We never go out for New Years Eve, so I didn't miss anything by working that night. DH did buy me a beautiful bracelet for Christmas, which I was totally not expecting. I had just bought myself a new Kindle the week before, so I was counting that as my gift. Many thanks to DH!
What would we do without social networking? I've found that I'm more able to keep up with family stuff since I installed Twitter and Facebook on my phone, lol! For years I've lived in the West of the US and felt like I was a million miles away. Who knew all I had to do was install a couple of apps? I'm also able to keep up with my favorite blogs and YouTube through my phone as well, so I'm all set!
Okay, so maybe I wouldn't want to go back to the 80's or 90's just to be younger. We didn't have all this fun technology (even tho I hate it sometimes) back then! To keep up with family and friends we had to go to bars and use the phone! I bet by the time I die we won't even have to have any personal touch at all. Remember that movie with Sly Stallone & Sandra Bullock? It took place in the future, and sex didn't involve any contact between the two people, they just put on these funny caps and were 'stimulated'? We wouldn't want any bodily fluids getting in the way of things, would we? (That movie also starred Wesley Snipes, and I can't for the life of me remember what the name of it was. Old age, you know?)
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year!
Just a quick note to say Happy New Year to all my vast number of followers! *smile* I have to work the Eve and the Day itself, but then have a few days off. Will hopefully be back with something interesting by then. Take care everyone! A little fun isn't worth an extended stay in the hospital!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Adam Lambert - Better Than I Know Myself (Audio)
Thought I'd share this new song from Adam Lambert. I think this is supposed to be the first single from his new album that releases in March 2012. Yes, I like music that isn't necessarily in accordance with my age!
Christmas Memories
DH and I did our weekly shopping at Wally World yesterday. As we were wandering through the 'seasonal items'/'toilet paper' aisle (weird combo, I know), I noticed that there sure is a lot of 'stuff' out there for parents to put in their kids stockings. There was almost as much candy as at Easter or Halloween! Then there were the little games, toys, and other treats for the little monsters. And here I thought it was just the excitement of tearing into paper and boxes that made kids hyper on Christmas. No, it's all the junk they find in their stockings!
At the risk of turning into one of those old people that are continually reminiscing about how things were when they were young, I thought I'd share a bit about how things were when I was young! Keep in mind that it was the late 60's or early 70's that comprise most of my childhood memories. But maybe that will be entertaining for some of you younger whippersnappers. (where are my dentures, anyway?)
My parents formative years were also the depression years. My dad's family lived in rural Arkansas, and he was (I think) the oldest boy of a total of 9 children. So their family didn't have a whole lot of money to begin with. You can imagine, then, that I grew up under folks who didn't have much when they were children, and so weren't the type to squander money or spoil their children!
In our Christmas stocking each year, we'd find an orange, maybe an apple, some nuts, and maybe a candy cane. Once I think I remember receiving some McDonald's gift certificates, which were amazing. I don't remember ever going to McDonald's or other fast food places as a child. It seems like there must have been other stuff in our stockings, but for the life of me, I can't remember what. Socks, maybe?
I guess you would describe my parents as people who gave gifts of things you needed; not necessarily things you wanted. This is not to say that we didn't get some fun things, but our Christmases were not about toys or the newest fads that came along.
One thing we ALWAYS got for Christmas was a new pair of pajamas, and usually a new pair of slippers as well. There were things like underwear, a sweater, and maybe a dress for us girls. We did get some games: Tinker Toys, Yahtzee, Monopoly, and Life to name a few. (The Tinker Toys were actually made of wood back then, and Monopoly had metal game pieces) As I got older, books were always towards the top of my Christmas list. I remember we were always warned that just because we put it on our list didn't mean we were going to get it! Mom was always VERY practical! Someone in my family, though, has a picture of my sister and I in front of a Christmas tree. One of us is holding a gun and another a stuffed skunk, if I remember right. I still find it hard to believe that one of us (had to have been one of my brothers) had been given a gun of some sort. Mom was very non-violent and was very much the type to say things about not pointing things at other people because "you could put someone's eye out"!
Christmas was a pretty exciting holiday; probably for all kids. Once, I must have been told by my parents that we weren't to get up too early; I remember going into my brother's room, waking one of them up and asking if it was time to go downstairs yet! We used to go to my grandparent's house to pick them up for church every Sunday. I remember one year I was sure I saw reindeer prints on their roof. They were probably more likely just bird prints, but I was SURE that this proved Santa Claus was real and had been to their house!
As we grow older Christmas changes, of course. DH put up our Christmas tree this year for the first time since we moved here six years ago. Don't know why we haven't bothered till now. Probably because I often have to work Christmas, and we don't make a big deal about gifts. It's kind of hard to buy a surprise gift for DH when he looks at the bank account on line every day, you know? We'll be going to my inlaws house this Christmas. They always put on a spread of waaay to much food for just the four of us! But then we get leftovers, too...bwahahaha!
In any case, I hope you've enjoyed my little entry about my Christmas memories. Tell me some of yours!
At the risk of turning into one of those old people that are continually reminiscing about how things were when they were young, I thought I'd share a bit about how things were when I was young! Keep in mind that it was the late 60's or early 70's that comprise most of my childhood memories. But maybe that will be entertaining for some of you younger whippersnappers. (where are my dentures, anyway?)
My parents formative years were also the depression years. My dad's family lived in rural Arkansas, and he was (I think) the oldest boy of a total of 9 children. So their family didn't have a whole lot of money to begin with. You can imagine, then, that I grew up under folks who didn't have much when they were children, and so weren't the type to squander money or spoil their children!
In our Christmas stocking each year, we'd find an orange, maybe an apple, some nuts, and maybe a candy cane. Once I think I remember receiving some McDonald's gift certificates, which were amazing. I don't remember ever going to McDonald's or other fast food places as a child. It seems like there must have been other stuff in our stockings, but for the life of me, I can't remember what. Socks, maybe?
I guess you would describe my parents as people who gave gifts of things you needed; not necessarily things you wanted. This is not to say that we didn't get some fun things, but our Christmases were not about toys or the newest fads that came along.
One thing we ALWAYS got for Christmas was a new pair of pajamas, and usually a new pair of slippers as well. There were things like underwear, a sweater, and maybe a dress for us girls. We did get some games: Tinker Toys, Yahtzee, Monopoly, and Life to name a few. (The Tinker Toys were actually made of wood back then, and Monopoly had metal game pieces) As I got older, books were always towards the top of my Christmas list. I remember we were always warned that just because we put it on our list didn't mean we were going to get it! Mom was always VERY practical! Someone in my family, though, has a picture of my sister and I in front of a Christmas tree. One of us is holding a gun and another a stuffed skunk, if I remember right. I still find it hard to believe that one of us (had to have been one of my brothers) had been given a gun of some sort. Mom was very non-violent and was very much the type to say things about not pointing things at other people because "you could put someone's eye out"!
Christmas was a pretty exciting holiday; probably for all kids. Once, I must have been told by my parents that we weren't to get up too early; I remember going into my brother's room, waking one of them up and asking if it was time to go downstairs yet! We used to go to my grandparent's house to pick them up for church every Sunday. I remember one year I was sure I saw reindeer prints on their roof. They were probably more likely just bird prints, but I was SURE that this proved Santa Claus was real and had been to their house!
As we grow older Christmas changes, of course. DH put up our Christmas tree this year for the first time since we moved here six years ago. Don't know why we haven't bothered till now. Probably because I often have to work Christmas, and we don't make a big deal about gifts. It's kind of hard to buy a surprise gift for DH when he looks at the bank account on line every day, you know? We'll be going to my inlaws house this Christmas. They always put on a spread of waaay to much food for just the four of us! But then we get leftovers, too...bwahahaha!
In any case, I hope you've enjoyed my little entry about my Christmas memories. Tell me some of yours!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Oh, Those High School Days!
A couple of posts ago, I mentioned high school in passing so I thought I'd go back to that and tell you what my high school was like. It was probably a fairly unique experience, so maybe you'll get a laugh out of it.
I went to a very small Catholic high school. My graduating class was all of 72 (yes, seventy-two) students. At the time I went there, it was nearing the bottom of a long slide into death...I bet the whole school (7th thru 12th grades) didn't have more than 300 students. The school actually IS still alive and churning out grads, but only because it was taken over by a larger, obviously more successful organization.
The school was so small that not only did the teachers and principal know everyone by name, they also knew your family history, older brothers and sisters, younger brothers and sisters, pets, and sins you brought up in confession. (okay, I'm joking about that; they really didn't know your pets.)
You know how every class/school has cliques? Jocks, stoners, band geeks, brainiacs, etc? We didn't have so many cliques, mainly because we were too small to have so many things to do. We did have sports teams (football & basketball; there may have been track and softball.) Obviously I didn't belong to the "jock" group! Back in the day there was no money for most extra-curricular activities, so we didn't have a music department, let alone a band. (No band geeks or glee kids) There was no drama department. (When my older brother and sister went there, there was I think one play per year. By the time I got there, even that much had petered out) I think we actually did have a couple of stoners, although the worst drugs we knew of back then were beer and marijuana. Maybe that's just me; obviously I wasn't a stoner, either!
Even the teachers were characters. Seeing as it was a catholic school, there were a few catholic nuns still teaching at that time. Biology was taught by Sr. Pius, who was about as round as she was tall. Math classes were taught by Sr Mercia, who would say a prayer before each class. There was also a man (Mr. Nolan) who taught history (I think) who was famous at our house because he was the first person (as far as we knew) to ever predict that California was going to fall into the ocean. (Obviously THAT prediction hasn't come to pass yet!)
You know, looking back my school wasn't very exciting at all. Compared to the city's public high school that looked like a maximum security prison, our school was pretty tame! We got a pretty good education, didn't learn a lot of bad habits, and a good number of us went on to college. I still can't believe that it's been 30+ years since I graduated. In many ways, I'd hate to go back to that age again, but in others it would be nice to get to redo things that I screwed up the first time!
I hope this hasn't been too boring for you. This entry didn't turn out to be quite as entertaining as I thought it would! Oh well, I'll keep trying! I may never be an author after all since I couldn't even make high school more fun!
I went to a very small Catholic high school. My graduating class was all of 72 (yes, seventy-two) students. At the time I went there, it was nearing the bottom of a long slide into death...I bet the whole school (7th thru 12th grades) didn't have more than 300 students. The school actually IS still alive and churning out grads, but only because it was taken over by a larger, obviously more successful organization.
The school was so small that not only did the teachers and principal know everyone by name, they also knew your family history, older brothers and sisters, younger brothers and sisters, pets, and sins you brought up in confession. (okay, I'm joking about that; they really didn't know your pets.)
You know how every class/school has cliques? Jocks, stoners, band geeks, brainiacs, etc? We didn't have so many cliques, mainly because we were too small to have so many things to do. We did have sports teams (football & basketball; there may have been track and softball.) Obviously I didn't belong to the "jock" group! Back in the day there was no money for most extra-curricular activities, so we didn't have a music department, let alone a band. (No band geeks or glee kids) There was no drama department. (When my older brother and sister went there, there was I think one play per year. By the time I got there, even that much had petered out) I think we actually did have a couple of stoners, although the worst drugs we knew of back then were beer and marijuana. Maybe that's just me; obviously I wasn't a stoner, either!
Even the teachers were characters. Seeing as it was a catholic school, there were a few catholic nuns still teaching at that time. Biology was taught by Sr. Pius, who was about as round as she was tall. Math classes were taught by Sr Mercia, who would say a prayer before each class. There was also a man (Mr. Nolan) who taught history (I think) who was famous at our house because he was the first person (as far as we knew) to ever predict that California was going to fall into the ocean. (Obviously THAT prediction hasn't come to pass yet!)
You know, looking back my school wasn't very exciting at all. Compared to the city's public high school that looked like a maximum security prison, our school was pretty tame! We got a pretty good education, didn't learn a lot of bad habits, and a good number of us went on to college. I still can't believe that it's been 30+ years since I graduated. In many ways, I'd hate to go back to that age again, but in others it would be nice to get to redo things that I screwed up the first time!
I hope this hasn't been too boring for you. This entry didn't turn out to be quite as entertaining as I thought it would! Oh well, I'll keep trying! I may never be an author after all since I couldn't even make high school more fun!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Hi All
No real post today. Just wanted to let everyone know (all 4 of you, lol) that I've survived another week of work. I think I slept 24 hours out of 36 this time. DH doesn't understand how I can sleep so much, but I think I'm making up for all the sleep I don't get on the days when I work. I drive an hour each way to and from work, then it takes me a couple of hours to wind down enough to sleep when I get home. And that's even with the help of Benadryl to get to sleep in the first place! So if I'm lucky, I get to sleep by 11 am, then have to get up again at 4pm in order to have time to bathe and eat something before I leave the house again at 5:15pm. Have you ever tried to eat dinner within an hour of waking up? Not easy for me!
Anyway, enough whining for now. I'll try to come up with some kind of interesting, amusing, or otherwise readable post for tomorrow!
Anyway, enough whining for now. I'll try to come up with some kind of interesting, amusing, or otherwise readable post for tomorrow!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Can Anybody Help Me?
Okay, yes, I know...no one can help me. Old joke, but somebody was going to say it, so I thought I'd say it first. So there! *sticking my tongue out at you*
I've been doing this blogging thing for a few months now, and I've looked at quite a few blogs done by other people. One thing I've noticed is that nearly all of them look a lot more professional than mine! This could be related to a number of different things. First of all, I'm not trying to sell or promote anything. I'm not trying to make money off this blog, so I don't really have to impress or appear businesslike. Another reason is that I'm old. I don't like to admit that to just anyone, you know! When I was in high school, technology meant using an electric typewriter. I could do another whole post on my high school but, I digress. We didn't have classes in web design, html, dos, or any of that other 'techie' type stuff. Another problem is that I'm a nurse. As my DH has come to find since he started working in a hospital, medical/nursing type folks are generally NOT computer/electronically savvy people. Need someone to stop some bleeding or give an enema, I'm your guy (or girl. whatever). Need someone to hopelessly mess up a computer program; just call a nurse or doctor over the age of 30.
When I do something on the computer, I want it to be simple, one or two steps, and DONE. I don't know anything about writing code. Cutting and pasting is about the extent of my computer knowledge. (Unless you need something purchased. I CAN do that really well!) The point that I'm circling around (and around, and around) is that I need HELP!! I've seen several doohickeys (isn't that a techie word?) on several blogs...I think they're called 'badges'. Like a little emblem, right? And underneath this nifty little badge is a line that says something like "grab a badge" or "get a follow button" or similar. My question is HOW do I do this?? Is it like cut and paste, or different? How do I get it from another place to here, and then when I do, how do I tell it where to go on my screen (template?) and stay there? I feel like I'm trying to herd cats. sheesh.
Oh, you young folks are so lucky...sigh...(Lord, don't let me start talking about how I walked 5 miles to school in the winter...) ahem...anyway...
I know, I should just ask my lovely technically GENIUS DH to do some of this stuff for me, but I'd like to know how to do it myself, you know? If I can be responsible for someone's LIFE at work, I ought to be able to do more than buy things and email people! I've mastered Facebook and Twitter (unless all those tweets have been going to siberia...hmmm....)
After this post, there will probably be absolutely no question whatsoever that I am, undoubtedly, an old, straight, white woman. No one else under the age of 40 would be having these problems, right? LMAO. The reason I say that is because recently on blogs, web sites, and twitter there has been some controversy recently about whether or not people are being honest about who they are. This is actually kind of funny, because that's been happening since the beginning of the computer age! Hello!?! Remember chat rooms, where you could be anyone, anywhere, or be a completely different person? So now we know I am absolutely who I say I am. As much as I might like to be, I'm NOT a 25 year old Victoria's Secret model. I'm a going-on-fifty year old woman who lives in her pajamas (except when I play a nurse at work), who is hopelessly computer-stupid when it comes to real life. But I DO know how to work a mean Kindle!
Oh, and I did figure out how to put a cow mooing as my phone's ring tone last week!
I've been doing this blogging thing for a few months now, and I've looked at quite a few blogs done by other people. One thing I've noticed is that nearly all of them look a lot more professional than mine! This could be related to a number of different things. First of all, I'm not trying to sell or promote anything. I'm not trying to make money off this blog, so I don't really have to impress or appear businesslike. Another reason is that I'm old. I don't like to admit that to just anyone, you know! When I was in high school, technology meant using an electric typewriter. I could do another whole post on my high school but, I digress. We didn't have classes in web design, html, dos, or any of that other 'techie' type stuff. Another problem is that I'm a nurse. As my DH has come to find since he started working in a hospital, medical/nursing type folks are generally NOT computer/electronically savvy people. Need someone to stop some bleeding or give an enema, I'm your guy (or girl. whatever). Need someone to hopelessly mess up a computer program; just call a nurse or doctor over the age of 30.
When I do something on the computer, I want it to be simple, one or two steps, and DONE. I don't know anything about writing code. Cutting and pasting is about the extent of my computer knowledge. (Unless you need something purchased. I CAN do that really well!) The point that I'm circling around (and around, and around) is that I need HELP!! I've seen several doohickeys (isn't that a techie word?) on several blogs...I think they're called 'badges'. Like a little emblem, right? And underneath this nifty little badge is a line that says something like "grab a badge" or "get a follow button" or similar. My question is HOW do I do this?? Is it like cut and paste, or different? How do I get it from another place to here, and then when I do, how do I tell it where to go on my screen (template?) and stay there? I feel like I'm trying to herd cats. sheesh.
Oh, you young folks are so lucky...sigh...(Lord, don't let me start talking about how I walked 5 miles to school in the winter...) ahem...anyway...
I know, I should just ask my lovely technically GENIUS DH to do some of this stuff for me, but I'd like to know how to do it myself, you know? If I can be responsible for someone's LIFE at work, I ought to be able to do more than buy things and email people! I've mastered Facebook and Twitter (unless all those tweets have been going to siberia...hmmm....)
After this post, there will probably be absolutely no question whatsoever that I am, undoubtedly, an old, straight, white woman. No one else under the age of 40 would be having these problems, right? LMAO. The reason I say that is because recently on blogs, web sites, and twitter there has been some controversy recently about whether or not people are being honest about who they are. This is actually kind of funny, because that's been happening since the beginning of the computer age! Hello!?! Remember chat rooms, where you could be anyone, anywhere, or be a completely different person? So now we know I am absolutely who I say I am. As much as I might like to be, I'm NOT a 25 year old Victoria's Secret model. I'm a going-on-fifty year old woman who lives in her pajamas (except when I play a nurse at work), who is hopelessly computer-stupid when it comes to real life. But I DO know how to work a mean Kindle!
Oh, and I did figure out how to put a cow mooing as my phone's ring tone last week!
New Definition of Homophobia
As a public service, I'm providing this new, improved, definition of homophobia. I give authorship to the tweeter @coyotetoo, and was then re-tweeted by author Chris Owen (@chris_owen).
Homophobia: The fear that gay men will treat you the way you treat women.
Isn't that just SO accurate?? 'Nuff said.
Homophobia: The fear that gay men will treat you the way you treat women.
Isn't that just SO accurate?? 'Nuff said.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Can Teddy Bears Fly?
I ran across this video on you tube after getting seeing a forwarded tweet. Evidently, this has become popular with some of the NHL teams in order to donate the bears to charity.
Bear (bad pun, I know) with the first 15-20 seconds of video. The good stuff comes after that!
Bear (bad pun, I know) with the first 15-20 seconds of video. The good stuff comes after that!
Monday, December 5, 2011
David Garrett - Child`s Anthem - London 01.12.11
Hey, I figured out how to do it! Can you believe it? LOL
Let's Get This Party Started!
DH is going off to SanFran today to some computer class which lasts all week, thus the title above! *Just kidding, dear!*
But seriously, now it's all up to me to remember to feed the dog (and walk it), pick up the mail, and all those other chores that DH has spoiled me into not having to do. And I REALLY appreciate it!!
To get today off to a great start, said dog just about knocked me over in the hall this morning, he was so excited to see me(or, maybe it was just the fact that he was happy he wasn't alone. *hmm*). Saturday, DH left early in he morning to take his mom to an appointment. DOG, (now to be known as GD, goofy dog) whined and cried at the door for at least an HOUR, before going outside to bark at the front gate. Needless to say, he was upset that DH wasn't spending their special weekend time together! I had to finally get out of bed to drag GD back inside the house before he annoyed the entire neighborhood! (You know, GD could also stand for G*D D**M dog, couldn't it?) GD actually is a nice dog, considering he's a pit bull. Not vicious, just big and slobbery. Oh, and he farts, too.
I talked DH into attending a concert with me in January! I was SHOCKED! This is not to say that we're a couple of sticks-in-the-mud, but we're not exactly social. For instance, we've lived in this house for going on six years, and we've never had anyone over for dinner! But anyway, we'll be going to see a performer named David Garrett. Go check him out on You Tube! (If I knew more about this blogging stuff, I'd post a video myself. Anyone out there that knows how to do this....HELP!)
He's a gentleman that is trained in classical violin, but manages to makeover classical pieces into rock, and plays rock music with a full orchestra! All while wearing long hair, jeans, and army boots. Assuming I can get someone at work to trade shifts with me, we'll be doing an actual date night with dinner and a show included! I'll try to remember to post again in January about the date night AND the show to let you know how it was.
Hmmm, #FunFactAboutMe is trending on twitter...My favorite ice cream in the world is Chocolate Caramel Crunch from Baskin Robbins! Which, I haven't had in years, because there aren't any BRs around here! *she sobs*
What can you tell me about you??
But seriously, now it's all up to me to remember to feed the dog (and walk it), pick up the mail, and all those other chores that DH has spoiled me into not having to do. And I REALLY appreciate it!!
To get today off to a great start, said dog just about knocked me over in the hall this morning, he was so excited to see me(or, maybe it was just the fact that he was happy he wasn't alone. *hmm*). Saturday, DH left early in he morning to take his mom to an appointment. DOG, (now to be known as GD, goofy dog) whined and cried at the door for at least an HOUR, before going outside to bark at the front gate. Needless to say, he was upset that DH wasn't spending their special weekend time together! I had to finally get out of bed to drag GD back inside the house before he annoyed the entire neighborhood! (You know, GD could also stand for G*D D**M dog, couldn't it?) GD actually is a nice dog, considering he's a pit bull. Not vicious, just big and slobbery. Oh, and he farts, too.
I talked DH into attending a concert with me in January! I was SHOCKED! This is not to say that we're a couple of sticks-in-the-mud, but we're not exactly social. For instance, we've lived in this house for going on six years, and we've never had anyone over for dinner! But anyway, we'll be going to see a performer named David Garrett. Go check him out on You Tube! (If I knew more about this blogging stuff, I'd post a video myself. Anyone out there that knows how to do this....HELP!)
He's a gentleman that is trained in classical violin, but manages to makeover classical pieces into rock, and plays rock music with a full orchestra! All while wearing long hair, jeans, and army boots. Assuming I can get someone at work to trade shifts with me, we'll be doing an actual date night with dinner and a show included! I'll try to remember to post again in January about the date night AND the show to let you know how it was.
Hmmm, #FunFactAboutMe is trending on twitter...My favorite ice cream in the world is Chocolate Caramel Crunch from Baskin Robbins! Which, I haven't had in years, because there aren't any BRs around here! *she sobs*
What can you tell me about you??
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Hi, :) I'm Jonah
Click the title above or the link below to view a video that was tweeted to me by several different people in the last few days. Please watch it and remember that people with smiling faces are not always happy.
The Sensual World of Stephani Hecht: Hi, :) I'm Jonah:
The Sensual World of Stephani Hecht: Hi, :) I'm Jonah:
Saturday, December 3, 2011
European Vacation
Okay, now to the post I was planning on before I got sidetracked by that lovely scientific study I referenced below.....
In the summer of 2009 I took a river cruise from Amsterdam to Vienna. I'm not getting paid anything to say this (obviously) but I took the cruise through a company called Grand Circle Travel. They do a number of European trips of all kinds, but I liked the idea of a cruise because most everything is included. I should mention that this caters mainly to the 'over 50' crowd, (which I'm NOT yet) but it was still a lot of fun. Some of those older folks can really party! LOL, just kidding!
I took this picture somewhere in Germany (I really need to make notes on the pictures as I'm taking them). You'll notice there is a hand on the right hand side of the picture. Here's the situation in it's entirety:
I'm pretty sure that's Dad's hand in the first picture, but it was such a cute setting, I couldn't help but take the pictures. In my experience, I've always found that ducks, geese, chickens, and birds in general are pretty aggressive, so I was surprised to see these get so close. But I guess food in the hand....
Yes, that was a really bad joke!
In the summer of 2009 I took a river cruise from Amsterdam to Vienna. I'm not getting paid anything to say this (obviously) but I took the cruise through a company called Grand Circle Travel. They do a number of European trips of all kinds, but I liked the idea of a cruise because most everything is included. I should mention that this caters mainly to the 'over 50' crowd, (which I'm NOT yet) but it was still a lot of fun. Some of those older folks can really party! LOL, just kidding!
I took this picture somewhere in Germany (I really need to make notes on the pictures as I'm taking them). You'll notice there is a hand on the right hand side of the picture. Here's the situation in it's entirety:
I'm pretty sure that's Dad's hand in the first picture, but it was such a cute setting, I couldn't help but take the pictures. In my experience, I've always found that ducks, geese, chickens, and birds in general are pretty aggressive, so I was surprised to see these get so close. But I guess food in the hand....
Yes, that was a really bad joke!
What the F**k??
As I muddle my way through learning how to do this blogging stuff, I attempt another experiment in this post.
If you click on the title above, you will jump to a story about a supposed 'study' in Saudi Arabia that links women drivers with prostitution, pornography, homosexuality, and divorce. Oh, and the increasing loss of virgins in that country.
As I said, "WHAT THE F**K???
Assuming that this story is not a joke, the only conclusion a person can come to after reading this is that a large number of people in Saudi Arabia are amazingly ignorant. But perhaps it is a case of the power of religion that has (or is) attempting to subvert the minds of its believers.
I don't want to get into any deep philosophical or political discussions here, mainly because the last thing I am is well acquainted with either philosophy or politics. I can't help but think I'm glad I don't live in Saudi or in some other country in which religion has a strangle hold over the citizens. The US isn't perfect by any means, but at least we're not being told ridiculous sh*t like this!
If you click on the title above, you will jump to a story about a supposed 'study' in Saudi Arabia that links women drivers with prostitution, pornography, homosexuality, and divorce. Oh, and the increasing loss of virgins in that country.
As I said, "WHAT THE F**K???
Assuming that this story is not a joke, the only conclusion a person can come to after reading this is that a large number of people in Saudi Arabia are amazingly ignorant. But perhaps it is a case of the power of religion that has (or is) attempting to subvert the minds of its believers.
I don't want to get into any deep philosophical or political discussions here, mainly because the last thing I am is well acquainted with either philosophy or politics. I can't help but think I'm glad I don't live in Saudi or in some other country in which religion has a strangle hold over the citizens. The US isn't perfect by any means, but at least we're not being told ridiculous sh*t like this!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Home Again
I'm back home again today after the last 5 or 6 days spent at the old homestead. It was great to see everyone, but in a way it sucked because of the reason. (my mom died unexpectedly).
Anyway, after getting off to a lousy start, the trip ended pretty uneventfully. I was to leave here Friday midday, but 1st flight was canceled due to high winds. Plus, there was a wildfire in the area, leading to a large amount of smoke in the air. Then I was rescheduled to leave late afternoon, which would have gotten me into Detroit at 6am Saturday morning. That flight was then also canceled, which led to me finally getting to Detroit 24 hours after originally planned. (Sorry if I'm repeating myself; I can't remember if I posted this before or not! Old age :+( )
I haven't had the best of luck when it comes to air travel in the last few years. It seems that whenever I go somewhere, I get delayed, miss connections, get rescheduled, or end up having to spend many hours somewhere I don't want to be. Surprisingly enough, today's flights actually went off as planned! I even had enough time to have a Cinnabon while in the Salt Lake airport! (Cinnamon rolls are just about my ULTIMATE indulgence food!)
For anyone who cares, it seems that Black Friday is a good day to travel by air. The airports were not any more crowded than a typical day (in my experience). I would NOT want to be traveling on Sunday, however. I suspect that day will be the definition of crazy!
As a good example of my bad luck while traveling, about 10 or 12 years ago, I flew to Detroit between Christmas and New Years to visit family. (I know, what was I thinking?) Over New Years Eve and New Years Day, pretty much all of the upper midwest had a huge snowstorm, which dumped at least a foot or two of snow everywhere. If I remember right, I was supposed to leave Detroit mid-morning of Jan 2 (Sat). It should have been a sign that it was not going to turn out well when it took well over an hour to get to the airport. This was before 9/11 when people were still able to see you off at the gate; mom and dad sat there waiting with me through flight delays, gate changes, plane changes, crew delays, etc, etc, etc. Finally about 3 or 4 pm, I sent them home hoping that they at least would be able to get home before it was too late to see where they were driving.
About this time, flights were beginning to stack up because gates were full and there were no places for incoming planes to park. After multiple delays, we were eventually herded onto a plane and told we'd be leaving 'momentarily'. Three hours later we were finally allowed off the plane and told we would need to be ready to re-board immediately when the flight was ready to depart. Needless to say, it never did depart and my night was spent (along with many thousands of others) on the cement floors of Detroit Metro Airport!
This was not a good way to see man's humanity to man! All of the airline personnel wanted to get home to their own families, so eventually the airport emptied of all 'official' people. And, gee, not too many of them showed up for work the next day! There was perhaps one gate agent for every 10 or 15 gates, with thousands of upset people trying to get to wherever they called home. This was now a Sunday, and another 12 or 15 hours went by with not a single plane leaving the ground. Eventually I gave up and begged mom and dad to come pick me up get me away from the torture chamber that the airport had become. Did you know that when an airport is occupied by tens of thousands of people the restaurants run out of food? Most baggage checked had already been loaded onto planes, and many people with children were left without diapers, formula, and other vital items. Not to mention the fact that a few more thousand people were still in the planes that were stranded out on the runways with no way to get to the terminal itself!
To make a long story short, I finally left Detroit the following Wednesday. Thanks to some anonymous airline staffer, I was upgraded to first class (my first and only time) and thoroughly enjoyed my flight to Portland Oregon amid the quiet clink of china and the screaming baby-less seats that are actually big enough to be comfortable in!
Thus is the story of the FIRST, THE ORIGINAL, Runway Sunday! An experience that made me swear to never again visit Detroit during the winter! It may not QUITE be winter yet, but perhaps my jinx of Detroit and Winter has finally been broken.
Anyway, after getting off to a lousy start, the trip ended pretty uneventfully. I was to leave here Friday midday, but 1st flight was canceled due to high winds. Plus, there was a wildfire in the area, leading to a large amount of smoke in the air. Then I was rescheduled to leave late afternoon, which would have gotten me into Detroit at 6am Saturday morning. That flight was then also canceled, which led to me finally getting to Detroit 24 hours after originally planned. (Sorry if I'm repeating myself; I can't remember if I posted this before or not! Old age :+( )
I haven't had the best of luck when it comes to air travel in the last few years. It seems that whenever I go somewhere, I get delayed, miss connections, get rescheduled, or end up having to spend many hours somewhere I don't want to be. Surprisingly enough, today's flights actually went off as planned! I even had enough time to have a Cinnabon while in the Salt Lake airport! (Cinnamon rolls are just about my ULTIMATE indulgence food!)
For anyone who cares, it seems that Black Friday is a good day to travel by air. The airports were not any more crowded than a typical day (in my experience). I would NOT want to be traveling on Sunday, however. I suspect that day will be the definition of crazy!
As a good example of my bad luck while traveling, about 10 or 12 years ago, I flew to Detroit between Christmas and New Years to visit family. (I know, what was I thinking?) Over New Years Eve and New Years Day, pretty much all of the upper midwest had a huge snowstorm, which dumped at least a foot or two of snow everywhere. If I remember right, I was supposed to leave Detroit mid-morning of Jan 2 (Sat). It should have been a sign that it was not going to turn out well when it took well over an hour to get to the airport. This was before 9/11 when people were still able to see you off at the gate; mom and dad sat there waiting with me through flight delays, gate changes, plane changes, crew delays, etc, etc, etc. Finally about 3 or 4 pm, I sent them home hoping that they at least would be able to get home before it was too late to see where they were driving.
About this time, flights were beginning to stack up because gates were full and there were no places for incoming planes to park. After multiple delays, we were eventually herded onto a plane and told we'd be leaving 'momentarily'. Three hours later we were finally allowed off the plane and told we would need to be ready to re-board immediately when the flight was ready to depart. Needless to say, it never did depart and my night was spent (along with many thousands of others) on the cement floors of Detroit Metro Airport!
This was not a good way to see man's humanity to man! All of the airline personnel wanted to get home to their own families, so eventually the airport emptied of all 'official' people. And, gee, not too many of them showed up for work the next day! There was perhaps one gate agent for every 10 or 15 gates, with thousands of upset people trying to get to wherever they called home. This was now a Sunday, and another 12 or 15 hours went by with not a single plane leaving the ground. Eventually I gave up and begged mom and dad to come pick me up get me away from the torture chamber that the airport had become. Did you know that when an airport is occupied by tens of thousands of people the restaurants run out of food? Most baggage checked had already been loaded onto planes, and many people with children were left without diapers, formula, and other vital items. Not to mention the fact that a few more thousand people were still in the planes that were stranded out on the runways with no way to get to the terminal itself!
To make a long story short, I finally left Detroit the following Wednesday. Thanks to some anonymous airline staffer, I was upgraded to first class (my first and only time) and thoroughly enjoyed my flight to Portland Oregon amid the quiet clink of china and the screaming baby-less seats that are actually big enough to be comfortable in!
Thus is the story of the FIRST, THE ORIGINAL, Runway Sunday! An experience that made me swear to never again visit Detroit during the winter! It may not QUITE be winter yet, but perhaps my jinx of Detroit and Winter has finally been broken.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Good Eats!
My dad, brother, sister-in-law and I went out to lunch today to one of my brother's favorite places, Pete's Coney Island. I don't know if the 'Coney Island' is something native to the east coast or not, but we don't have them in Nevada that I'm aware of. Basically a Coney is a chili dog with mustard and onions. If I remember right, there's a couple of Coney Island restaurants in Detroit that have a big rivalry. One dresses their dogs differently than the other does. In any case, this started me thinking about some regional food differences.
For about 12 years I lived in Grand Rapids, which is in western Michigan. A common food in a Mexican restaurant there is what they call a 'wet burrito'. This is a typical burrito covered with something like enchilada sauce or gravy. (Yeah, gravy doesn't sound right, does it?) Other places I've lived, they've looked at me like I'm crazy when I mention a 'wet burrito'.
I'm sure everyone knows this, but many ethnic foods we have in the US are very different than what people actually eat in the original countries. I certainly found that out when I went to China in 2008. I didn't see a single thing that looked like chow mein or lo mein! Pizza in Italy isn't much like pizza in the US, either. Mainly because they use fewer, but fresher, ingredients than we do.
I went to Costa Rica earlier this year, and found that I really enjoyed their food. I don't know if there is a typical 'tourist menu, but every meal had black beans (including breakfast) some kind of shredded lettuce, and mainly chicken for the meat (although not a whole lot. I think the beans are their primary source of protein and carbohydrate) The fruit there is amazing. Perfectly ripe pineapple, bananas, strawberries, cantalope, and another I can't remember the name of. (Another sign of my age. *sigh*)
I've always wanted to go to India, but the food is a major concern of mine. I've never been able to tolerate spicy foods, and I think Indian foods tends to be on the spicy side. I could be wrong, though, because I've never eaten it! One of these times I'll have to get brave and try an Indian restaurant!
I think I got a little off course with this post, but that's typical for me. This gives you a little bit of an idea about how my mind works! I definitely have some 'flight of ideas' going on!
I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving! I'll be with the relatives trying to survive the chaos! *teasing*
For about 12 years I lived in Grand Rapids, which is in western Michigan. A common food in a Mexican restaurant there is what they call a 'wet burrito'. This is a typical burrito covered with something like enchilada sauce or gravy. (Yeah, gravy doesn't sound right, does it?) Other places I've lived, they've looked at me like I'm crazy when I mention a 'wet burrito'.
I'm sure everyone knows this, but many ethnic foods we have in the US are very different than what people actually eat in the original countries. I certainly found that out when I went to China in 2008. I didn't see a single thing that looked like chow mein or lo mein! Pizza in Italy isn't much like pizza in the US, either. Mainly because they use fewer, but fresher, ingredients than we do.
I went to Costa Rica earlier this year, and found that I really enjoyed their food. I don't know if there is a typical 'tourist menu, but every meal had black beans (including breakfast) some kind of shredded lettuce, and mainly chicken for the meat (although not a whole lot. I think the beans are their primary source of protein and carbohydrate) The fruit there is amazing. Perfectly ripe pineapple, bananas, strawberries, cantalope, and another I can't remember the name of. (Another sign of my age. *sigh*)
I've always wanted to go to India, but the food is a major concern of mine. I've never been able to tolerate spicy foods, and I think Indian foods tends to be on the spicy side. I could be wrong, though, because I've never eaten it! One of these times I'll have to get brave and try an Indian restaurant!
I think I got a little off course with this post, but that's typical for me. This gives you a little bit of an idea about how my mind works! I definitely have some 'flight of ideas' going on!
I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving! I'll be with the relatives trying to survive the chaos! *teasing*
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Family
I haven't posted lately due to a death in the family. For those of you reading this who may not be family members, my mom died unexpectedly this past friday. Although it was a terrible reason to be together, all of my family came together for the first time in more than a year.Some families get together much more often, but due to where we all live, we're almost never together in one place at one time. One person or another is absent for one reason or another. Distance, work, family obligations, etc. But this time all the brothers, sisters, grandchildren and great grandchildren were together in one house. We had family from as far away as Seattle, myself from Nevada, an aunt and uncle from Houston, and multiple family members from Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
Last night, 25+ members of our family (blood related or informally adopted) went out to eat at a local restaurant together. For a small place, they were amazingly organized and the food was great!
In any case, it was nice to spend time with family, remembering things from the past, things that were said and done by Mom. In most of my memories, my mother was pretty strict and serious. It was interesting to hear other people remember times with her. Many of them had different experiences with her that often showed different sides to her than what I knew. For a lot of my life, especially those lovely teenage years, it seemed like my mom and I were constantly butting up one another. Now, of course, I've gotten old enough to realize how much of what she said or did was really for my own good. Hopefully, after all the screw-ups I've had in my life, my mother did end up feeling like I was finally getting my act together. It's about time, now that I'm almost 50, right? *sigh*
At least I had been to visit in August, so I have some recent, good memories. Due to the suddenness of her death, I wasn't able to see her before she passed. Thanks to my sisters and their organization, though, I have some great old photos of my mom and dad.
For the rest of you out there, go visit your families! You never know when your visit might be the last time you see them.
And, once again, forgive any typos. I'm typing on my little notepad again!
Last night, 25+ members of our family (blood related or informally adopted) went out to eat at a local restaurant together. For a small place, they were amazingly organized and the food was great!
In any case, it was nice to spend time with family, remembering things from the past, things that were said and done by Mom. In most of my memories, my mother was pretty strict and serious. It was interesting to hear other people remember times with her. Many of them had different experiences with her that often showed different sides to her than what I knew. For a lot of my life, especially those lovely teenage years, it seemed like my mom and I were constantly butting up one another. Now, of course, I've gotten old enough to realize how much of what she said or did was really for my own good. Hopefully, after all the screw-ups I've had in my life, my mother did end up feeling like I was finally getting my act together. It's about time, now that I'm almost 50, right? *sigh*
At least I had been to visit in August, so I have some recent, good memories. Due to the suddenness of her death, I wasn't able to see her before she passed. Thanks to my sisters and their organization, though, I have some great old photos of my mom and dad.
For the rest of you out there, go visit your families! You never know when your visit might be the last time you see them.
And, once again, forgive any typos. I'm typing on my little notepad again!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Lack of Inspiration
I got an unplanned night off from work, so I've been sitting here thinking about what kind of post to do. I considered talking about the Joe Paterno mess in Pennsylvania, and decided that it didn't even deserve commenting on. Mainly because I suspect I haven't seen all the news reports, but residents of an institution of higher learning rioting because JP got fired amongst the sexual abuse scandal among his coaching staff? Come on people! Isn't the fact that children were victimized for years mean more than football team? Ok, well I guess I commented on that, didn't I? I guess you know what my feelings are. LOL
I also considered commenting on the furor that is being raised among authors and fans of a certain genre of books. It seems that this author had misrepresented his/her sex, which in and of itself, doesn't sound bad, does it? A lot of authors use pen names, right? It turns out that this author supposedly has made derogatory and supposedly 'bullying' type comments over the years to other authors. The author claimed to have had experiences and relationships over the years that were determined to have been false based on who he/she really is instead of who she claimed to be. That's clear as mud, isn't it? *grins* My taste in books is rather different from most, and I figured this whole hoo-haa wouldn't be of any interest to you anyway! Once again, I managed to comment on something I wasn't going to comment on. *sigh*
I also considered a more holiday-related post, but I think I'll save that until closer to the holidays. For lack of any further inspiration, I'll post a few more photos from my China trip in 2008. This first photo is of a peacock. I'm not sure if it's actually albino, or a breed that is just white, but I'd never seen any white peacocks before. It's pretty cool, isn't it?
This next picture was taken at the Emperor's Summer Palace in Beijing. This, of course, is only a small portion of the palace and grounds, but it shows some of their architecture and how beautiful it was there. Evidently the Empress and her ladies would go to the Summer Palace during hot weather to escape the confines of The Forbidden City. Back then, of course, the Summer Palace was quite a ways away from and outside of Beijing. Now, it's within the city itself.
Last, but not least, is a photo taken at a tea plantation. I'm not a tea drinker, but it was interesting to see how tea is grown and processed. I guess it never occurred to me to think about how it 'became' tea. As you can see, it's beautiful countryside, and a lot of tea can be grown in hilly areas, so it's a big crop.
On that note, I'll close for now and try to come up with something more interesting for my next post. It's becoming clear to me that my life really isn't very interesting! If you have any suggestions (all 6 of you followers or whoever is lurking around out there) let me know!
I also considered commenting on the furor that is being raised among authors and fans of a certain genre of books. It seems that this author had misrepresented his/her sex, which in and of itself, doesn't sound bad, does it? A lot of authors use pen names, right? It turns out that this author supposedly has made derogatory and supposedly 'bullying' type comments over the years to other authors. The author claimed to have had experiences and relationships over the years that were determined to have been false based on who he/she really is instead of who she claimed to be. That's clear as mud, isn't it? *grins* My taste in books is rather different from most, and I figured this whole hoo-haa wouldn't be of any interest to you anyway! Once again, I managed to comment on something I wasn't going to comment on. *sigh*
I also considered a more holiday-related post, but I think I'll save that until closer to the holidays. For lack of any further inspiration, I'll post a few more photos from my China trip in 2008. This first photo is of a peacock. I'm not sure if it's actually albino, or a breed that is just white, but I'd never seen any white peacocks before. It's pretty cool, isn't it?
This next picture was taken at the Emperor's Summer Palace in Beijing. This, of course, is only a small portion of the palace and grounds, but it shows some of their architecture and how beautiful it was there. Evidently the Empress and her ladies would go to the Summer Palace during hot weather to escape the confines of The Forbidden City. Back then, of course, the Summer Palace was quite a ways away from and outside of Beijing. Now, it's within the city itself.
Last, but not least, is a photo taken at a tea plantation. I'm not a tea drinker, but it was interesting to see how tea is grown and processed. I guess it never occurred to me to think about how it 'became' tea. As you can see, it's beautiful countryside, and a lot of tea can be grown in hilly areas, so it's a big crop.
On that note, I'll close for now and try to come up with something more interesting for my next post. It's becoming clear to me that my life really isn't very interesting! If you have any suggestions (all 6 of you followers or whoever is lurking around out there) let me know!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Good Book
No, this post isn't about THE good book, it's about A good book. Actually a series of 3 books by Thomas Sherry. The first book is called Deep Winter. The series is about a family and their friends living in Spokane, WA. It's one of those "end of the world" type books; not post-apocalyptic really, just how people survive after a major disaster(s).
The original disaster in the book is a volcanic eruption of Mt Rainier, followed by a very large earthquake (8+ on the richter scale). Eventually, the Spokane area (and the entire US)is involved in a collapse of the US financial system, a world-wide flu pandemic (twice), a nuclear war, secession of most of the eastern US, and a Civil War. I'm sure all that sounds crazy, but somehow the author manages to make all of this seem possible.
The author goes into a great amount of detail; sometimes more than really necessary, but I suppose different things are interesting to different people. For instance, when rebuilding their house all kinds of detail is given regarding supplies, sizes of shingles, nails, etc, etc, etc. Someone who is really interested in building might be into all that detail, but it all kind of went over my head.
Anyway, it is just a very interesting series of books, because so many of the things in the books COULD actually happen. It gives you a lot to think about in regards to the financial system, preparing for disasters of one kind or another, and what you might need in the future. The books are also a little scary because these things COULD happen, and 99% of the world would be very unprepared. I know we would be! Just one thing like the power grid failing can cause a cascade of events that would change the world completely!
I read a LOT of different kinds of books. A lot of romance, I will admit. But I've also been reading a lot of zombie and post-apocalyptic stories lately as well. Laugh if you'd like...I admit I have some strange reading habits. But I don't go out to the bars, I don't go the casinos (of which there are a LOT here!), and I don't spend much on clothes!
By the way, I read these books on Kindle. I'm not sure if they are available in print or not.
Here's another photo from my China trip in 2008. I thought this photo turned out pretty well for a very amateur photographer!
Have a great day. Not sure when I'll post again as I'll be starting my long week at work on Thursday. Will have to see if I can come up with any really interesting or funny ideas!
The original disaster in the book is a volcanic eruption of Mt Rainier, followed by a very large earthquake (8+ on the richter scale). Eventually, the Spokane area (and the entire US)is involved in a collapse of the US financial system, a world-wide flu pandemic (twice), a nuclear war, secession of most of the eastern US, and a Civil War. I'm sure all that sounds crazy, but somehow the author manages to make all of this seem possible.
The author goes into a great amount of detail; sometimes more than really necessary, but I suppose different things are interesting to different people. For instance, when rebuilding their house all kinds of detail is given regarding supplies, sizes of shingles, nails, etc, etc, etc. Someone who is really interested in building might be into all that detail, but it all kind of went over my head.
Anyway, it is just a very interesting series of books, because so many of the things in the books COULD actually happen. It gives you a lot to think about in regards to the financial system, preparing for disasters of one kind or another, and what you might need in the future. The books are also a little scary because these things COULD happen, and 99% of the world would be very unprepared. I know we would be! Just one thing like the power grid failing can cause a cascade of events that would change the world completely!
I read a LOT of different kinds of books. A lot of romance, I will admit. But I've also been reading a lot of zombie and post-apocalyptic stories lately as well. Laugh if you'd like...I admit I have some strange reading habits. But I don't go out to the bars, I don't go the casinos (of which there are a LOT here!), and I don't spend much on clothes!
By the way, I read these books on Kindle. I'm not sure if they are available in print or not.
Here's another photo from my China trip in 2008. I thought this photo turned out pretty well for a very amateur photographer!
Have a great day. Not sure when I'll post again as I'll be starting my long week at work on Thursday. Will have to see if I can come up with any really interesting or funny ideas!
Monday, November 7, 2011
You Know You're Getting Old When.... Part Deux
...The music you listened to in high school is now playing on the 'oldies' station.
...You're using Tylenol for arthritis pain instead of hangover pain.
...You're glad you won't ever have to go back to the dating phase.
...You realize you have Dunlop's Disease, wherein your belly dun lop over your belt.
And Last But Not Least:
...You have a lot more in common with your mother-in-law than you used to.
An interesting trend on Twitter today...#Doctors Better Than Conrad Murray.
Hmmm....Jack Kervorkian? (Only if you have a terminal disease) Marcus Welby? (How many of you are old enough to know who that is?) Doctor Seuss? (One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish) Doctor Doolittle? (You'll need a big barn) Hawkeye Pierce? (Where's the martini glasses?) Dr No? (Where's Sean Connery when you need him?)
Another trend is #Things I Can't Live Without.
Nacho Cheese Doritos (What else do you snack on at 4am?) Books (I should have put that one at number one) Caramel Apples (I see a trend here....mostly food) Friends (except we haven't had anyone over to our house in the 5 years we've lived here. Oh Well) Travel (and on that note, here's today's picture)
This is a bus in Beijing. Just kidding. :-) This truck happened to pass us on our way to see the Great Wall, and I thought it was pretty funny.
Have a great day, and I'll see you when I come up with another idea!
...You're using Tylenol for arthritis pain instead of hangover pain.
...You're glad you won't ever have to go back to the dating phase.
...You realize you have Dunlop's Disease, wherein your belly dun lop over your belt.
And Last But Not Least:
...You have a lot more in common with your mother-in-law than you used to.
An interesting trend on Twitter today...#Doctors Better Than Conrad Murray.
Hmmm....Jack Kervorkian? (Only if you have a terminal disease) Marcus Welby? (How many of you are old enough to know who that is?) Doctor Seuss? (One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish) Doctor Doolittle? (You'll need a big barn) Hawkeye Pierce? (Where's the martini glasses?) Dr No? (Where's Sean Connery when you need him?)
Another trend is #Things I Can't Live Without.
Nacho Cheese Doritos (What else do you snack on at 4am?) Books (I should have put that one at number one) Caramel Apples (I see a trend here....mostly food) Friends (except we haven't had anyone over to our house in the 5 years we've lived here. Oh Well) Travel (and on that note, here's today's picture)
This is a bus in Beijing. Just kidding. :-) This truck happened to pass us on our way to see the Great Wall, and I thought it was pretty funny.
Have a great day, and I'll see you when I come up with another idea!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
The Lessons of Glee
As you've probably figured out, I work night shift. Because of this, I see very little television; usually just snippets while I'm at work. When I'm home, I tend to spend my time reading. Recently, though, my husband got us set up with something called Roku. I don't know how it all works, but somehow we're able to get television and movies from NetFlix, Amazon, etc.
Last night I actually turned it on and started watching old episodes of the TV series "Glee".I know it's been on for several years now. I have seen re-caps of it on the YouTube channel of Buck Hollywood. I didn't know what all the fuss was about; I though it was just a teeny-bopper show. (LOL, isn't that a 1960's word?)
Sure, the musical numbers are a bit cheesy. I don't know if the actors are actually singers as well, it's possible the voices are supplied by others. One thing I did notice, though, is that the overall theme of the show seems to be acceptance. Acceptance of who you are and acceptance of others, especially if they are different from you. I'm sure all of you remember how high school was. This must be a universal thing; I doubt that my high school was any different than yours. There were "the popular kids", "the athletes", "the stoners", "the loners", etc. I went to a very small Catholic school, but if we were larger, I'm sure we would have had "the band kids" and "the theater kids" as well.
Every episode of Glee seems to bring in a new group of kids, and shows them learning how to accept one another, even against prejudice and fear. The kids are learning that although they may have different interests,backgrounds, and families they are still basically the same. Everyone has fears about fitting in, about being accepted, and about learning to love themselves.
The last episode I watched last night was especially poignant to me. There is one character, Kurt, who fulfills most of the stereotypical ideas of a gay kid. He dresses in a bit of a flamboyant style, he loves to sing and dance, he has lots of girl friends, etc. He also has a father who is the stereotypical tough guy. He wants Kurt to be a real guy's guy; play football, not dance around in a unitard lipsyncing to Lady Gaga. One of Kurt's friends inadvertently blurts out that Kurt has joined the football team, so Dad is thrilled and wants to go to Kurt's first game. This puts Kurt in the position of having to actually try to get on the team to fulfill his father's expectations.
To make a long story short, Kurt does manage to get on the team and eventually finds the acceptance (although grudging) of the jocks. Kurt goes home that night and 'comes out' to his father as gay. Surprisingly enough, Kurt's dad says he's known that Kurt is gay since he was three years old.(All he wanted for his birthday was 'sensible heels'!) Exceeding all of Kurt's expectations, his dad is accepting and tells Kurt that he loves him no matter what his orientation is.
I thought this was a wonderful example of how life should be for all the teenagers (and even adults) who are having trouble accepting who they are. I suppose that's naive of me, but there you are. There are probably millions of people out there who live lies because they are afraid they won't be accepted by those closest to them. And certainly there are lots of examples of kids or adults who take their own lives because of this. Jamey Rodemeyer is the most recent example.
This show has long since been shown on national TV. I hope that there were a few families who watched the show together and were able to find acceptance in their own lives.
You all have probably also picked up that I have strong feelings about suicide, from my own experiences. I've never had anyone close to me go through this, and I hope I never do. But I also hope that if there's anyone out there struggling with feelings of fear, worthlessness, or despair that they find someone close to them they CAN talk to. The loss of one person is the loss of something precious, and the loss of great potential. Can you imagine how our world might be without just one person?
Last night I actually turned it on and started watching old episodes of the TV series "Glee".I know it's been on for several years now. I have seen re-caps of it on the YouTube channel of Buck Hollywood. I didn't know what all the fuss was about; I though it was just a teeny-bopper show. (LOL, isn't that a 1960's word?)
Sure, the musical numbers are a bit cheesy. I don't know if the actors are actually singers as well, it's possible the voices are supplied by others. One thing I did notice, though, is that the overall theme of the show seems to be acceptance. Acceptance of who you are and acceptance of others, especially if they are different from you. I'm sure all of you remember how high school was. This must be a universal thing; I doubt that my high school was any different than yours. There were "the popular kids", "the athletes", "the stoners", "the loners", etc. I went to a very small Catholic school, but if we were larger, I'm sure we would have had "the band kids" and "the theater kids" as well.
Every episode of Glee seems to bring in a new group of kids, and shows them learning how to accept one another, even against prejudice and fear. The kids are learning that although they may have different interests,backgrounds, and families they are still basically the same. Everyone has fears about fitting in, about being accepted, and about learning to love themselves.
The last episode I watched last night was especially poignant to me. There is one character, Kurt, who fulfills most of the stereotypical ideas of a gay kid. He dresses in a bit of a flamboyant style, he loves to sing and dance, he has lots of girl friends, etc. He also has a father who is the stereotypical tough guy. He wants Kurt to be a real guy's guy; play football, not dance around in a unitard lipsyncing to Lady Gaga. One of Kurt's friends inadvertently blurts out that Kurt has joined the football team, so Dad is thrilled and wants to go to Kurt's first game. This puts Kurt in the position of having to actually try to get on the team to fulfill his father's expectations.
To make a long story short, Kurt does manage to get on the team and eventually finds the acceptance (although grudging) of the jocks. Kurt goes home that night and 'comes out' to his father as gay. Surprisingly enough, Kurt's dad says he's known that Kurt is gay since he was three years old.(All he wanted for his birthday was 'sensible heels'!) Exceeding all of Kurt's expectations, his dad is accepting and tells Kurt that he loves him no matter what his orientation is.
I thought this was a wonderful example of how life should be for all the teenagers (and even adults) who are having trouble accepting who they are. I suppose that's naive of me, but there you are. There are probably millions of people out there who live lies because they are afraid they won't be accepted by those closest to them. And certainly there are lots of examples of kids or adults who take their own lives because of this. Jamey Rodemeyer is the most recent example.
This show has long since been shown on national TV. I hope that there were a few families who watched the show together and were able to find acceptance in their own lives.
You all have probably also picked up that I have strong feelings about suicide, from my own experiences. I've never had anyone close to me go through this, and I hope I never do. But I also hope that if there's anyone out there struggling with feelings of fear, worthlessness, or despair that they find someone close to them they CAN talk to. The loss of one person is the loss of something precious, and the loss of great potential. Can you imagine how our world might be without just one person?
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Pimp Your Blog
Okay, I know I don't have too many followers, but you have to start somewhere!
I have to pimp this blog, http://www.pepperlynn.com. This is a very interesting blog by my niece,Christie Ellis. Yes, it's okay to publish her name, as she does so in her own blog. She doesn't know I'm pimping her blog, however. :)
Anyway, it's an interesting foodie blog, with healthy recipes and information. Why am I pimping her blog, as I'm neither healthy nor a cook? Some of you out there may be both, of course!
So if you get a chance, take a look at her blog. It's new, it's interesting (even for someone like me, who is worthless in the kitchen), and it looks a whole lot more professional than mine! Seriously though, it looks like she's got some great ideas for food that's healthy AND fun.
And while you're at it, maybe you can tell someone about my blog? I'm just a pretty normal person in a small town in Nevada talking about odd and interesting things in my life and in the world. Maybe I can hit TEN followers!
Thanks for all you do!
If you'd like me to pimp your blog, just give me a shout out. I might be good for one new follower; myself if no one else!
I have to pimp this blog, http://www.pepperlynn.com. This is a very interesting blog by my niece,Christie Ellis. Yes, it's okay to publish her name, as she does so in her own blog. She doesn't know I'm pimping her blog, however. :)
Anyway, it's an interesting foodie blog, with healthy recipes and information. Why am I pimping her blog, as I'm neither healthy nor a cook? Some of you out there may be both, of course!
So if you get a chance, take a look at her blog. It's new, it's interesting (even for someone like me, who is worthless in the kitchen), and it looks a whole lot more professional than mine! Seriously though, it looks like she's got some great ideas for food that's healthy AND fun.
And while you're at it, maybe you can tell someone about my blog? I'm just a pretty normal person in a small town in Nevada talking about odd and interesting things in my life and in the world. Maybe I can hit TEN followers!
Thanks for all you do!
If you'd like me to pimp your blog, just give me a shout out. I might be good for one new follower; myself if no one else!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Followers!
Hey, I have SIX followers! Unfortunately at least two of them are me and DH, but at least I'm not talking to myself any more! Thanks to one and all of you!!
The Kardashian Effect or How to Ruin the Sanctity of Marriage All By Yourself
The big news on Twitter, blogs, and probably everywhere else this week (while I've been working!) has been the news that Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce after a whole 72 days of marriage. Evidently she (and her family) has been crying for privacy "in these trying times". All this from someone who, along with her sisters, has become one of the biggest media-whores of the last year or two. Oh, and lest we forget, the mother (Kris Jenner, I think) has a new book out (such a coincidence that it is released the SAME week as Kim's divorce news!). (Poor Bruce Jenner; once an olympic champion, now just a bad reality show daddy)
I think I've written before that I don't understand how people like this become so well known for actually having done little to nothing of merit. People spend millions of dollars, hours (if not days) of time, and god knows what else, following the ridiculous escapades of people like this. In fact, I probably shouldn't even be writing about this, because I'm giving them their own 15 minutes of fame for no reason either! I really don't know what this woman and her family are all about; I spend my time either working, reading, or sleeping. Right, DH?
But I have to agree with one of my favorite YouTubers, Buck Hollywood (What the Buck)(Michael Buckley) who is completely fed up with people like this who throw themselves into the public eye, make MILLIONS of dollars off them, then cry like babies that they want privacy when they do something ELSE stupid to make even more money!Of course, all this controversy does is allow them more time and money for doing NOTHING REDEEMING with their lives!!
But I guess that's typical (or maybe, usual would be a better word) for folks who suddenly achieve a certain level of fame. They must want to be famous, because they pursue things like singing, music, acting, NFL, NBA, golfing, etc etc etc, but once they become well-known they start whining about how they don't want to be anyone's role model, poster child, or political activist. HELLO!?!?!!!! That's what happens when you put yourself out there for BILLIONS of people to see, talk, gossip, laugh, and make fun of! How can you become angry with the effects of something you did to yourself?
I suppose you really can't know ahead of time what the effects of fame will be. And once you have it (fame) you can't give it back. Celebrities, for the most part, seem to handle things well. I won't mention people like Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Charlie Sheen, and the afore-mentioned family Kardashian. Or, gee, Tiger Woods, OJ Simpson (now a resident of the Nevada Dept of Corrections, lol), the dog-fighting football guy, the multitude of sport stars accused of rape, the many rock stars who destroy hotel rooms, and the hundreds of temperamental actors!
What was the point of this post? Oh, yeah, the effect of celebrity. Having never been a celebrity and probably never will be one in the future, maybe I'm a bit too critical. But what do they expect? What do you guys think?
P.S. How was your Halloween? I had to work, DH stayed home and turned off the lights so he wouldn't have to answer the door, and now we'll be eating candy till NEXT Halloween!
P.P.S. Oh Yeah, and people say that same-sex marriage will ruin the sanctity of marriage? I think Kim K. is doing a good job of that all by herself!
I think I've written before that I don't understand how people like this become so well known for actually having done little to nothing of merit. People spend millions of dollars, hours (if not days) of time, and god knows what else, following the ridiculous escapades of people like this. In fact, I probably shouldn't even be writing about this, because I'm giving them their own 15 minutes of fame for no reason either! I really don't know what this woman and her family are all about; I spend my time either working, reading, or sleeping. Right, DH?
But I have to agree with one of my favorite YouTubers, Buck Hollywood (What the Buck)(Michael Buckley) who is completely fed up with people like this who throw themselves into the public eye, make MILLIONS of dollars off them, then cry like babies that they want privacy when they do something ELSE stupid to make even more money!Of course, all this controversy does is allow them more time and money for doing NOTHING REDEEMING with their lives!!
But I guess that's typical (or maybe, usual would be a better word) for folks who suddenly achieve a certain level of fame. They must want to be famous, because they pursue things like singing, music, acting, NFL, NBA, golfing, etc etc etc, but once they become well-known they start whining about how they don't want to be anyone's role model, poster child, or political activist. HELLO!?!?!!!! That's what happens when you put yourself out there for BILLIONS of people to see, talk, gossip, laugh, and make fun of! How can you become angry with the effects of something you did to yourself?
I suppose you really can't know ahead of time what the effects of fame will be. And once you have it (fame) you can't give it back. Celebrities, for the most part, seem to handle things well. I won't mention people like Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Charlie Sheen, and the afore-mentioned family Kardashian. Or, gee, Tiger Woods, OJ Simpson (now a resident of the Nevada Dept of Corrections, lol), the dog-fighting football guy, the multitude of sport stars accused of rape, the many rock stars who destroy hotel rooms, and the hundreds of temperamental actors!
What was the point of this post? Oh, yeah, the effect of celebrity. Having never been a celebrity and probably never will be one in the future, maybe I'm a bit too critical. But what do they expect? What do you guys think?
P.S. How was your Halloween? I had to work, DH stayed home and turned off the lights so he wouldn't have to answer the door, and now we'll be eating candy till NEXT Halloween!
P.P.S. Oh Yeah, and people say that same-sex marriage will ruin the sanctity of marriage? I think Kim K. is doing a good job of that all by herself!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
You Know You're Getting Old When....
...You start thinking about retirement, how soon you can take it (years, months,
weeks, days) and what you'll do when it's upon you.
...You color your hair to cover the gray, not because it's fun!
...You start calling popular music "noise".
...You begin to appreciate and understand all the things your parents said and did
for you when you when a teenager.
...You recognize less than five people featured in an issue of People magazine.
...You no longer think it's fun to go out to the bars and get drunk.
...You wonder "What the hell was I thinking?" when you remember the years you were
going out to the bars.
...You begin to look forward to menopause rather than dreading it.
...You realize you are closer to your death than your birth.
...You begin to wonder how you'll pay for your child's marriage instead of
their schooling.
...You notice your health care provider is young enough to be your child (or
grandchild) YIKES!
...One of your coworkers is pregnant and you think "I'm glad it's her and not me"!
...You realize you could become a grandparent at any time now but you pray it
won't happen for years.
In case you're wondering, I've been thinking a lot lately about how old I am! It seems only yesterday I was still young!
Big thanks to DH for fixing my laptop so I could get online again!
weeks, days) and what you'll do when it's upon you.
...You color your hair to cover the gray, not because it's fun!
...You start calling popular music "noise".
...You begin to appreciate and understand all the things your parents said and did
for you when you when a teenager.
...You recognize less than five people featured in an issue of People magazine.
...You no longer think it's fun to go out to the bars and get drunk.
...You wonder "What the hell was I thinking?" when you remember the years you were
going out to the bars.
...You begin to look forward to menopause rather than dreading it.
...You realize you are closer to your death than your birth.
...You begin to wonder how you'll pay for your child's marriage instead of
their schooling.
...You notice your health care provider is young enough to be your child (or
grandchild) YIKES!
...One of your coworkers is pregnant and you think "I'm glad it's her and not me"!
...You realize you could become a grandparent at any time now but you pray it
won't happen for years.
In case you're wondering, I've been thinking a lot lately about how old I am! It seems only yesterday I was still young!
Big thanks to DH for fixing my laptop so I could get online again!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
An Apology
I was just reading over some of these posts, and have found numerous spelling and grammar errors. I'd like to blame this on this notepad computer I'm working on, but truthfully it's more my editing ability. I've recently been reading what I think are some self published books on Kindle. (Mainly because they're cheaper. DH isn't too happy with my Amazon/Kindle addiction) A lot of these writers are pretty good, but the editing of some of these books leave a lot to be desired. Obviously I should take my own advice (which I commented on someone else's blog today) to not throw stones in my own little glass house.
So bear with me until I figure out how to work this notepad better, or get better at typing with two fingers. I better not try to publish any books myself until I get this down!
Oh, and by the way, I'm due to go back to work to morrow night for my 7 day stretch, so I may not have time to post again for a week. Not that there are hundreds of folks out there waiting with bated breath for my next installment!
So bear with me until I figure out how to work this notepad better, or get better at typing with two fingers. I better not try to publish any books myself until I get this down!
Oh, and by the way, I'm due to go back to work to morrow night for my 7 day stretch, so I may not have time to post again for a week. Not that there are hundreds of folks out there waiting with bated breath for my next installment!
Technology Today; Positive or Negative?
As DH and some of you out there may know, I'm not particularly tech savvy. I know enough to muddle through this blog, use email, surf the net, and order things online, but that's about it. DH, of course, is a tech genius, writing his own code (whatever that is) for his web site and others, seems to be able to do all sorts of sneaky things online, and has two degrees in electronics thanks to the US Air Force. DH has also learned through his job in a hospital that nurses and doctors are about as dumb about computers as a box of rocks. If I go to him with a question or a problem, I have to have him "dumb down" his explanation to about a first grade level.
So that's my question today: Is technology today really worth it? There are some things that I couldn't do without. I LOVE my Kindle e-reader and wouldn't leave home without it. How else can you carry around hundreds of books in the palm of your hand? (I have 800 and counting on mine currently) I also really like my android phone, now that I can actually do more with it than just talk on it. I keep up with the Facebook stuff a lot better than I did when I had to get on the computer to do it, and I've become obsessed with Twitter.
BUT...we recently switched from satellite internet to cable internet. (I think that's what happened, but I could certainly be wrong) Now for some reason when I go to get online with my laptop I get some weird messages preventing me from getting to Google. But if I use my tablet (which I'm using now) I can get right on. What's up with that? Okay, logic says it's probably a problem with the laptop, right. The problem with the tablet, though, is that the keyboard is right on the screen, so it's not easy to type on. ( in other words I'm back to the two finger style of typing) And with the tablet you can't be as precise with cursor placement as you can with a mouse. So for instance, if I find a spelling error at the top of this page, it's really hard to go back and fix it. Maybe this is a problem with the operating system more than anything. This tablet doesn't run on windows, it's android. See my frustration?
In any case, I'm sure when DH reads this he'll have an appropriate detailed explanation for these issues, most of which I won't understand. *sigh* What's a computer-retarded nurse to do?
By the way, does anyone else think that computer companies are crazy like foxes because as soon as you buy a piece of electronics, they become obsolete within a year when the "next best thing" comes out? I'm on my second Kindle since they originally come out (maybe 3 years ago?) and the Kindle Fire releases in November. It's now going to have s color screen for TV, movies, magazines, and books. I've started to lust over it, but DH is also talking about a different kind of tablet with a REAL keyboard you can use with Bluetooth.
Never fear. Even though I've thrown out all these fancy words, I still don't really have a clue when it comes to this kind of stuff. I can only hope that my hospital will someday get a computerized charting system so I don't have to triple chart everything when I get a new patient admission. It's still hard to believe that the little 40 bed hospital I worked for before this was more advanced than my current employer. I guess you can never win!
So that's my question today: Is technology today really worth it? There are some things that I couldn't do without. I LOVE my Kindle e-reader and wouldn't leave home without it. How else can you carry around hundreds of books in the palm of your hand? (I have 800 and counting on mine currently) I also really like my android phone, now that I can actually do more with it than just talk on it. I keep up with the Facebook stuff a lot better than I did when I had to get on the computer to do it, and I've become obsessed with Twitter.
BUT...we recently switched from satellite internet to cable internet. (I think that's what happened, but I could certainly be wrong) Now for some reason when I go to get online with my laptop I get some weird messages preventing me from getting to Google. But if I use my tablet (which I'm using now) I can get right on. What's up with that? Okay, logic says it's probably a problem with the laptop, right. The problem with the tablet, though, is that the keyboard is right on the screen, so it's not easy to type on. ( in other words I'm back to the two finger style of typing) And with the tablet you can't be as precise with cursor placement as you can with a mouse. So for instance, if I find a spelling error at the top of this page, it's really hard to go back and fix it. Maybe this is a problem with the operating system more than anything. This tablet doesn't run on windows, it's android. See my frustration?
In any case, I'm sure when DH reads this he'll have an appropriate detailed explanation for these issues, most of which I won't understand. *sigh* What's a computer-retarded nurse to do?
By the way, does anyone else think that computer companies are crazy like foxes because as soon as you buy a piece of electronics, they become obsolete within a year when the "next best thing" comes out? I'm on my second Kindle since they originally come out (maybe 3 years ago?) and the Kindle Fire releases in November. It's now going to have s color screen for TV, movies, magazines, and books. I've started to lust over it, but DH is also talking about a different kind of tablet with a REAL keyboard you can use with Bluetooth.
Never fear. Even though I've thrown out all these fancy words, I still don't really have a clue when it comes to this kind of stuff. I can only hope that my hospital will someday get a computerized charting system so I don't have to triple chart everything when I get a new patient admission. It's still hard to believe that the little 40 bed hospital I worked for before this was more advanced than my current employer. I guess you can never win!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
What's New With You?
Let's see; what day is today...It's Tuesday, isn't it? That's kind of funny because part of what I do at work is assessing my patients. One of the main things is to find out if they're oriented. I.e. do they know where they are, what day it is, who they are, etc. Half the time I'm not even sure what day it is, and I'm trying to find out if they know! This happens if you work nights. You're never really sure what day it is, and if you're trying to pass something on to another nurse, it's hard to remember what day it happened on! Oh joy *sigh*.
It's also a challenge to keep up with relationships. I work nights and DH works days. On the days we both work, we see each other for about an hour per day. He leaves for his job at about 5:30 am and I get home about 8:00 am. Then he gets home about 4:15 pm, and I leave for work at 5:15 pm!
But maybe that's one thing that holds the relationship together. We don't see much of each other so there's no time to fight! Sometimes we talk more in texting than we do in real life!
It's getting on towards Halloween. I have to work Halloween night so it will be up to DH to pass out candy. Somehow I suspect the light will remain off and we'll have a lot of candy for ourselves! Besides I think our dog would probably scare off all the trick or treaters. Mainly he just likes to lick you, but at 70 pounds he is a bit intimidating, especially to little kids!
Speaking of Halloween, I put a link to a video on my Facebook just a little while ago. It's a great light show for Halloween. Go check it out. I think you'll enjoy it!
There was an interesting link on Twitter today. According to the Wall Street Journal, something like 86% of working Americans are obese and/or have some type of chronic medical condition that causes them to lose time from work, be less productive while at work, plus cost billions of healthcare dollars. It was interesting to see it in print, but I have to say I'm not surprised. The majority of patients I have seen in the hospital in the last 10 years are I'll due primarily due to some type of self-inflicteddisorder. Lung disease from smoking, liver disease from drugs or alcohol, multiple side effects from obesity, etc. This is not to say that I or any nurses are blameless. There are a whole lot of obese nurses, a lot of respiratory therapists that smoke, etc. It's the usual "Do as I say, not as I do" kind of thing. I've often thought, though, that the most effective way to keep young kids from smoking or drinking would be to show them someone in the last stages of lung or liver disease. It's not pretty, believe me!
Anyway, I certainly don't mean to be so preachy....
So to end today's post, let me share with you a picture.
This is another photo I took in China in May 2008. It's funny how you can take literally hundreds of pictures, and you get probably less than 10 really good shots. This is one of mine!
It's also a challenge to keep up with relationships. I work nights and DH works days. On the days we both work, we see each other for about an hour per day. He leaves for his job at about 5:30 am and I get home about 8:00 am. Then he gets home about 4:15 pm, and I leave for work at 5:15 pm!
But maybe that's one thing that holds the relationship together. We don't see much of each other so there's no time to fight! Sometimes we talk more in texting than we do in real life!
It's getting on towards Halloween. I have to work Halloween night so it will be up to DH to pass out candy. Somehow I suspect the light will remain off and we'll have a lot of candy for ourselves! Besides I think our dog would probably scare off all the trick or treaters. Mainly he just likes to lick you, but at 70 pounds he is a bit intimidating, especially to little kids!
Speaking of Halloween, I put a link to a video on my Facebook just a little while ago. It's a great light show for Halloween. Go check it out. I think you'll enjoy it!
There was an interesting link on Twitter today. According to the Wall Street Journal, something like 86% of working Americans are obese and/or have some type of chronic medical condition that causes them to lose time from work, be less productive while at work, plus cost billions of healthcare dollars. It was interesting to see it in print, but I have to say I'm not surprised. The majority of patients I have seen in the hospital in the last 10 years are I'll due primarily due to some type of self-inflicteddisorder. Lung disease from smoking, liver disease from drugs or alcohol, multiple side effects from obesity, etc. This is not to say that I or any nurses are blameless. There are a whole lot of obese nurses, a lot of respiratory therapists that smoke, etc. It's the usual "Do as I say, not as I do" kind of thing. I've often thought, though, that the most effective way to keep young kids from smoking or drinking would be to show them someone in the last stages of lung or liver disease. It's not pretty, believe me!
Anyway, I certainly don't mean to be so preachy....
So to end today's post, let me share with you a picture.
This is another photo I took in China in May 2008. It's funny how you can take literally hundreds of pictures, and you get probably less than 10 really good shots. This is one of mine!
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