Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Doggie Weigh In
August 10, 2010 1:40 pm the dog weighed in at 54 pounds. DOWN 7.4 pounds from a month ago! That's all. Nothing more to report.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Everywhere I look, I am reminded that I need to organize the things in my life. If my closet is too full, all I need do is get some of those plastic hooks that hang 5 items at a time and then drop down to only occupy one hanger space on my rod. If my purse is crowded I need a "kangaroo" thing that allows me to cram my stuff into multiple compartments that keep things in their place and also I can take the container and the contents out quickly and move it to a new purse already organized. If I have too much paperwork in the house, there are decorative boxes and file folders and envelopes and furniture made to hold all that stuff. If I have lots of jewelry there are people sized cabinets, some with mirrors, to hold my gems. The Container Store, which I adore, is devoted to providing solutions for storing and organizing our stuff. Elaborate closet systems, stacking plastic trays, kitchen storage drawers on wheels, racks, shoeboxes and shelving abound here. In the bathroom there are shower organizers and linen closets to hold my stuff. In my kitchen I have a holder for plastic grocery bags, several cannisters, a utensil organizer, knife block and so on. And while I agree that these organization tools are helpful and necessary in some cases, they don't address the root of the problem. It's not so much that I am disorganized, but rather that I have too much stuff. When I think of what I had growing up compared to now, I marvel at how much stuff I actually have. It's not just me either. There are entire television programs devoted to helping people clean up the clutter and simplify their lives. As a society we have simply accumulated too much stuff. The solution to this problem isn't buying more stuff to organize the mess, it's giving away items and reducing what you have to a reasonable amount of things. After that, you can organize what's left. Having 50 plastic storage bins to hold your collection of shoes, isn't organization; it's excess.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
My Keeshond is fat...
What is a Keeshond you ask? Well I have an Amazon ad for an owner's guide for Keeshond because there are ZERO books in the normal bookstores and local pet stores available on Keeshonden. Nothing cute for Keeshonden is available anywhere here in the Midwest that I can find. If you had ever read an owner's guide about Keeshonden before you got one, you would find they are prone to being overweight, which I didn't know.
So anyway, my dog is fat. He's so fat he was having a hard time walking. Yes he's torn both ACL's in his back legs at different times (chasing rabbits) which makes walking more difficult than it would be normally BUT being fat is the biggest issue for him. Why he's fat is a long story that would involve finger pointing so let's not go there. Let's just say he was getting entirely too much food and I was not the one feeding him.
At a recent vet visit I had his thyroid checked and it's very low. So in addition to getting too much food and gaining weight, he has a thyroid problem and along with his allergies he's a lot of work and takes lots of pills. Something had to be done about his weight because in his present state he was headed for an early death or becoming crippled. In either case I felt guilty that I had let things get to the point where I was contemplating giving him away to someone who would be better able to care for him. The thought was breaking my heart.
I had to take control in a way that would not create more tension in my household. So, a shopping trip to the local Walmart yielded a daily pill box with slots for medicines Sun through Sat and with AM and PM boxes for each day, and 20, 1 cup Pyrex bowls with covers. "HUH?", you say. Let me explain. The pill box which is clearly intended for adults who have a hard time keeping track of their medicines is now being used for the dogs twice daily allergy and thyroid meds, plus benadryl twice a day. Confusing? Perhaps. Not anymore. Remember those bowls? The dog is fed twice a day and now he gets pre-measured amounts. Every 10 days I now fill his Pyrex bowls with a measured scoop of light dry food and then a measured scoop of wet food and refrigerate. Feeding him is as simple as opening a bowl. No can to open, no dry food to measure, just open and serve.
As I fill his Pyrex bowls I am amazed by how much "light" dry he was getting before this. It was easily 3-4 times what he needed, daily. Unbelievable. I'm surprised the dog wasn't fatter. But now about 9 days in he seems to be slightly more active and he looks like he might have lost a little weight. He goes back to the vet for a weigh in soon, perhaps 10 days. We'll see how it goes. I can only hope he's making some progress.
So anyway, my dog is fat. He's so fat he was having a hard time walking. Yes he's torn both ACL's in his back legs at different times (chasing rabbits) which makes walking more difficult than it would be normally BUT being fat is the biggest issue for him. Why he's fat is a long story that would involve finger pointing so let's not go there. Let's just say he was getting entirely too much food and I was not the one feeding him.
At a recent vet visit I had his thyroid checked and it's very low. So in addition to getting too much food and gaining weight, he has a thyroid problem and along with his allergies he's a lot of work and takes lots of pills. Something had to be done about his weight because in his present state he was headed for an early death or becoming crippled. In either case I felt guilty that I had let things get to the point where I was contemplating giving him away to someone who would be better able to care for him. The thought was breaking my heart.
I had to take control in a way that would not create more tension in my household. So, a shopping trip to the local Walmart yielded a daily pill box with slots for medicines Sun through Sat and with AM and PM boxes for each day, and 20, 1 cup Pyrex bowls with covers. "HUH?", you say. Let me explain. The pill box which is clearly intended for adults who have a hard time keeping track of their medicines is now being used for the dogs twice daily allergy and thyroid meds, plus benadryl twice a day. Confusing? Perhaps. Not anymore. Remember those bowls? The dog is fed twice a day and now he gets pre-measured amounts. Every 10 days I now fill his Pyrex bowls with a measured scoop of light dry food and then a measured scoop of wet food and refrigerate. Feeding him is as simple as opening a bowl. No can to open, no dry food to measure, just open and serve.
As I fill his Pyrex bowls I am amazed by how much "light" dry he was getting before this. It was easily 3-4 times what he needed, daily. Unbelievable. I'm surprised the dog wasn't fatter. But now about 9 days in he seems to be slightly more active and he looks like he might have lost a little weight. He goes back to the vet for a weigh in soon, perhaps 10 days. We'll see how it goes. I can only hope he's making some progress.
It's been a while since I blogged...
It's been just over a year since I put anything in this blog. Wow! A lot has transpired, but do I really want to try to remember all the important things and squeeze them into one blog? More importantly do you want to read it? Probably not. So I'm left with trying to sum up the last year blog-style. My son had to have knee surgery last summer and now he's ok. I can't remember the fall or Christmas season, which is most likely my brain's self defense mechanism kicking in to keep me sane.
Then the spring-time house improvement/repair bug kicked in. I had the entire deck floor replaced in the early spring, which was under warranty thank goodness and should probably get an entire blog unto itself, but not today. We pushed back the fence in my yard over the useless berm to reveal 26 feet of previously unused backyard. It's not good for much, but it makes the yard look open and spacious. We added ceiling lights to bedrooms that didn't have them and added recessed lights in the family room and den. I got landscaping and trees for my birthday and recently added a battery back up to my storm sump pump. Oh, and updated all my insurance needs. It's not very exciting but it's necessary to keep things in good repair and to do the small things that make a big impact.
On an entirely different note, I found a restaurant a while back called Mimi's Cafe. The food is decent homemade fare done by someone who has a bit of a gourmet in him. They also do fresh breads and muffins and they are decadent. I, personally, adore the spiced buttermilk muffin. If you warm it for 30 seconds then add some fresh sweet butter on the inside, it's simply divine.
I wish I had one now.
Then the spring-time house improvement/repair bug kicked in. I had the entire deck floor replaced in the early spring, which was under warranty thank goodness and should probably get an entire blog unto itself, but not today. We pushed back the fence in my yard over the useless berm to reveal 26 feet of previously unused backyard. It's not good for much, but it makes the yard look open and spacious. We added ceiling lights to bedrooms that didn't have them and added recessed lights in the family room and den. I got landscaping and trees for my birthday and recently added a battery back up to my storm sump pump. Oh, and updated all my insurance needs. It's not very exciting but it's necessary to keep things in good repair and to do the small things that make a big impact.
On an entirely different note, I found a restaurant a while back called Mimi's Cafe. The food is decent homemade fare done by someone who has a bit of a gourmet in him. They also do fresh breads and muffins and they are decadent. I, personally, adore the spiced buttermilk muffin. If you warm it for 30 seconds then add some fresh sweet butter on the inside, it's simply divine.
I wish I had one now.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
It's hard to be green sometimes...
I love to make my home look better and put in nice upgrades and when I do, I want to do so in a way that's the most ecologically friendly. I have been considering putting in wood/laminate floors on the first floor of my house. We currently have vinyl tile and cheapish carpet, basically what the builder supplied without me paying an arm and a leg for his upgrades.
So I think laminate cause it's cheap, but then I discover bamboo flooring at the local Lowes at a cost a "little" above the cost of laminate. I think GREAT this is sustainable and has a better warranty or same warranty as laminate and looks great. Oh but then I find out the cost for installation of the "wood" floor is $3.80 per square foot vs $1.99 per square foot for laminate. DOUBLE!
*sigh* I have 1520 square feet on the first floor. That's almost another $3,000! That makes bamboo way out of my budget now. I think maybe put the idea for a better floor on hold for now trying to assess if I really "must" do the floor or not.
So my thoughts turn to countertops now. I have laminate like most standard counters are. I think I'd like something more attractive more importantly heat resistant. Granite is the standard but not sustainable. I can get decent granite from $50-$85 per square foot.
So I think laminate cause it's cheap, but then I discover bamboo flooring at the local Lowes at a cost a "little" above the cost of laminate. I think GREAT this is sustainable and has a better warranty or same warranty as laminate and looks great. Oh but then I find out the cost for installation of the "wood" floor is $3.80 per square foot vs $1.99 per square foot for laminate. DOUBLE!
*sigh* I have 1520 square feet on the first floor. That's almost another $3,000! That makes bamboo way out of my budget now. I think maybe put the idea for a better floor on hold for now trying to assess if I really "must" do the floor or not.
So my thoughts turn to countertops now. I have laminate like most standard counters are. I think I'd like something more attractive more importantly heat resistant. Granite is the standard but not sustainable. I can get decent granite from $50-$85 per square foot.
Then I think recycled glass countertops would be awesome, right? They certainly are sustainable with anywhere from 80%-95% being made with recycled materials. So follow me on this thinking.. garbage like used glass bottles must be able to be purchased dirt cheap. I mean it's garbage or on it's way to being such. In its most expensive form it's GOT to be cheaper to acquire than imported ganite or marble. Certainly it's sold by the ton or acquired for a small shipping fee from a recycling plant, yes?
So then WHY does this beautiful sustainable product cost between $110-$160 per suare foot. That's $25-$75 more per square foot. It's easier to obtain, and by their own admission, these companies admit there is very little gas used for transpotation of the product to the manufacturer. Their cost is lower to begin with. Installation of the product is identical to other countertop materials. So, what's up with that.
I'll tell you. Many of the dealers for these items are in suburbs with higher incomes. It's very "fashionable" to be green among those with money. I'd like it to be more than fashionable. I'd like being green to be "the standard" by which ALL home improvement products are compared.
Why can't something that really does cost less to produce, be really affordable to the public to encourage those of us who want to do the right thing, to buy recycled products and forego the expnsive harmful products? You would think that people, if given the choice to choose green at a similar price, would choose green products over the others. I certainly would.
However I have decided for today to go with the greenest solution of all for both my floors and countertops. I'm not changing anything. That's right. The greenest thing I can do right now is NOTHING. My counters and floors are functional and NOT in disrepair. They don't "need" to be replaced; I just wanted something nice or better. What I have has already impacted the environment and I can't fix that by replacing it. What I can do is use the hell out of it until it requires replacing and THEN choose green products. Maybe by then those products will be more affordable.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
School?
Over the last few days after realizing that the probability of me getting the kind of job I want and the kind of pay I need is low, I thought perhaps going back to school might be the answer. It might not. I am currently exploring education to get certified in a few different fields all the way through to a master's in some things and a PhD in another. Of course financial aid for the older student is unlikely, but there has to be a way to do something like this right? There has to be a way to transform your life for the better right?
How do people start over in mid life? Do they know other people who pave the road? Are they somehow just more astute and know what needs to be done? How should I choose my next career? What if I choose poorly? Choices. That's what life is all about isn't it?
How do people start over in mid life? Do they know other people who pave the road? Are they somehow just more astute and know what needs to be done? How should I choose my next career? What if I choose poorly? Choices. That's what life is all about isn't it?
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
So I'm unemployed again...
After 18 months of no job I finally get one for which I am overqualified and underpaid, but HEY it's money and boy did I need it. It's not like the job market is really hot for me right now. I was happy to have this job.
Now I don't even have that anymore. I could tell it was coming. I said several times to family around me, "They don't need me." They wanted to fire one woman and replace her with me but they were trying to keep her to train me on her job before letting her go.. sounds worse than it is. She knows she needs to go. They are afraid of having to pay unemployment for her. So I was let go before the legal unemployment time line kicked in. Nice huh? So I won't even get that 'cause I exhausted my old claim already.
So now it's time to think about what I can sell. My house? My car? I certainly don't need a car since I'm not going anywhwere and gas is ridiculous. Perhaps I can sell my old nice clothes and my old nice jewelry on Ebay? Would it make a financial contribution big enough to be worth it? Myself? Unfortunately I'm past my "purchase by" date. Maybe I'll sell off some of my newer furniture. I won't get near what I paid for it but It will be money, right?
Just when I thought we were getting a handle on finances and cash flow this happens. Now what? What will I have to cut out in addition to selling things? Maybe no cell phone. They are a nuisance anyway. Cable/internet? Well I'm going to need that since I'm sitting on my butt watching TV while looking for a job. That has to stay. What other luxuries? Heat? Nope, winter is coming. Electricity? Nope, need that. Water/garbage pick up? Hmm that could get nasty without it, so it's staying too. Food? Ah yes there is one place I can cut back personally.
Dog food? Yes I can give my dog regular dog food and take him off his special vet food which helps with his issues. Poor thing has allergies and chews his paws, but can I ethically make him suffer for my loss of a job? The dog is doing his job, right? He should still be paid. Keep ridiculously expensive dog food. Check.
At least I can have the surgery I need on my hernia now without it interferring with work. Of course I will need a 4 week recovery period too so I wouldn't be able to go look for a job during that time either. Surgery. There's a happy thought.
I'd take up drinking or drugs right now but I can't afford it.
Now I don't even have that anymore. I could tell it was coming. I said several times to family around me, "They don't need me." They wanted to fire one woman and replace her with me but they were trying to keep her to train me on her job before letting her go.. sounds worse than it is. She knows she needs to go. They are afraid of having to pay unemployment for her. So I was let go before the legal unemployment time line kicked in. Nice huh? So I won't even get that 'cause I exhausted my old claim already.
So now it's time to think about what I can sell. My house? My car? I certainly don't need a car since I'm not going anywhwere and gas is ridiculous. Perhaps I can sell my old nice clothes and my old nice jewelry on Ebay? Would it make a financial contribution big enough to be worth it? Myself? Unfortunately I'm past my "purchase by" date. Maybe I'll sell off some of my newer furniture. I won't get near what I paid for it but It will be money, right?
Just when I thought we were getting a handle on finances and cash flow this happens. Now what? What will I have to cut out in addition to selling things? Maybe no cell phone. They are a nuisance anyway. Cable/internet? Well I'm going to need that since I'm sitting on my butt watching TV while looking for a job. That has to stay. What other luxuries? Heat? Nope, winter is coming. Electricity? Nope, need that. Water/garbage pick up? Hmm that could get nasty without it, so it's staying too. Food? Ah yes there is one place I can cut back personally.
Dog food? Yes I can give my dog regular dog food and take him off his special vet food which helps with his issues. Poor thing has allergies and chews his paws, but can I ethically make him suffer for my loss of a job? The dog is doing his job, right? He should still be paid. Keep ridiculously expensive dog food. Check.
At least I can have the surgery I need on my hernia now without it interferring with work. Of course I will need a 4 week recovery period too so I wouldn't be able to go look for a job during that time either. Surgery. There's a happy thought.
I'd take up drinking or drugs right now but I can't afford it.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tuesday ramblings..distant loved ones
Tomorrow, assuming all goes well and fate is not a crueler @#*& to me than she has already been, I get to see my husband for the first time in 2.5 weeks. He's been away for work in Connecticut and we both don't like it. He's been packed for 2 days. I guess that means he misses me or his own pillow. Maybe the pillow more.
Anyway, I keep thinking how much the 2.5 week absence has seemed like years. OK so I exaggerate but it does seem like a long time and much too long for my taste.
Hundreds of years ago women had to endure months and perhaps years of missing husbands who went off to war, or even away from town or overseas for business. I guess since marriages were based on convenience and needs for enhancing one's standing in society, loving your spouse wasn't an issue and the absence of a spouse often a blessing.
Back to my point. I thought a lot about families whose husbands and sons and fathers are overseas at war. I personally am completely against this war and think it's been one of our biggest blunders. But that doesn't matter.
What does matter is all the children who have lost fathers; all the husbands and wives who have lost spouses and all the parents who have lost children. People will say that those who are serving made the choice and knew the risk they were taking by serving in the armed forces. Maybe some did. I bet many of the younger ones were looking for a way to pay for college or to support their young family. I suspect they never really expected to be sent to war. Certainly some of the people away at war wanted to be there and are in their element.
I guess I'm just glad that I personally am not dealing with a husband at war. I suppose one day my son could be sent to war, or perhaps the government could try to send him to war. I guess I'll be blogging from prison or Canada, or somewhere else. if that happens.
Anyway, I keep thinking how much the 2.5 week absence has seemed like years. OK so I exaggerate but it does seem like a long time and much too long for my taste.
Hundreds of years ago women had to endure months and perhaps years of missing husbands who went off to war, or even away from town or overseas for business. I guess since marriages were based on convenience and needs for enhancing one's standing in society, loving your spouse wasn't an issue and the absence of a spouse often a blessing.
Back to my point. I thought a lot about families whose husbands and sons and fathers are overseas at war. I personally am completely against this war and think it's been one of our biggest blunders. But that doesn't matter.
What does matter is all the children who have lost fathers; all the husbands and wives who have lost spouses and all the parents who have lost children. People will say that those who are serving made the choice and knew the risk they were taking by serving in the armed forces. Maybe some did. I bet many of the younger ones were looking for a way to pay for college or to support their young family. I suspect they never really expected to be sent to war. Certainly some of the people away at war wanted to be there and are in their element.
I guess I'm just glad that I personally am not dealing with a husband at war. I suppose one day my son could be sent to war, or perhaps the government could try to send him to war. I guess I'll be blogging from prison or Canada, or somewhere else. if that happens.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Did I really witness this?
I was at a deli/sub place tonight eating soup and my sub for dinner. Remember all my fine food choices and you'll know why I was there. Anyway, while I was eating another person came in with her sons and ordered dinner and was about to pay for it. I was sitting nearby and overheard her conversation with the cashier. Apparently her debit card wasn't working.
**** NEWS FLASH **** It was NOT a debit card but her regular ATM card. The poor guy had to explain why her card would not work. She then went one driveway over to the Walgreen's ATM and came back with cash.
So now I'm left to wonder. Who, by now, doesn't know that ATM cards and debit cards are completely different animals? Was this woman, who appeared to be 35, at most, seriously not exposed to this kind of payment device ever in her life? Was it simply stupidity on her part? Would someone in a large city like Chicago EVER have this kind of conversation?
I left there tonight wondering if she represents the "typical" Jolietan. I hope not.
PS If any Jolietans read this blog, please tell me if I'm missing something here.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Time Life Music Infomercials...
sigh* My package finally arrived today. About 2 months ago, during one of my sleepless nights, my regular tv programming ended and "paid programming" was just about to start. I was making some smart ass comment to my niece about how she had come downstairs just in time to watch garbage with me.
So..... we started watching the infomercial, fully intending to make fun of it. I must be getting old - shut up out there already! Time Life was shilling their rock ballad CD's. A few minutes into the spiel, I realized I really really REALLY wanted these CD's. Really!
After spending several minutes on line at the Time Life website where I looked through the song titles on all the CD's, I went from really wanting these CD's to believing I NEEDED these CD's.
Do I really need to say the rest? Yes, I ordered them. Now, what floored me was that these CD's were out of stock and took 6 weeks to get to me. So I'm left to wonder if they ever were in stock, or, if the informercial was there to entice people to order and if enough of us did not order then the CD's would have conveniently never come into stock.
I don't know. I'm just suspicious like that.
And, since my car has a 6 CD player, you can bet I will have 6 of them loaded up to play at random. I can just imagine having all that cool music in my 20 hour car trips to Texas. Even better if I were ever to drive cross country to some place like, oh, Portland, (yes that's a comma) Oregon, they will be my companions on that trip too.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
9:30 F@#%*&ING RANT
EVERYTHING out here closes by 10 PM. Maybe not everything but MOST everything. I just got back from trying to get some late dinner and the family restaurant that is open til 10 closed at 9. Who knows why. So I made it to a Subway nearby which closed at 9:30, cool except it was out of the meat AND the bread I wanted. There is a Subway with a DRIVE-THRU that's open "late" or so I'm told and it was close by too. So I get there, the kids inside clearly do not want to wait on me cause it's late and they are cleaning up blah blah. It's 9:14 and the drive up is open til 10 pm, which is NOT late. Um hello? So I get my subway and go home.
So there is ONE 24 hour restaurant but it's what you'd expect from a 24 hour pace in that it's noisy and busy at night with young folks who have nothing to do and it has a wide variety of food choices. More importantly the one time I was there it didn't seem dirty but I didn't get an impression of cleanliness either. I haven't eaten there since even though the food was good.
Food is important to me and since I choose not to cook, I need to eat out a lot. It's not like I have a live in chef like some other relative who lives far away. So perhaps I don't need a gourmet chef but if I left the cooking to other people who live in my house like my mother, we'd be eating ground beef and pork a lot. I tend toward chicken. Occasionally a nice piece of steak but my meat of choice is chicken.
The husband is not allowed to cook having once made cinnamon flavored rice to add to the beef stew I had made earlier. Let's just say that I didn't know there was cinnamon in the rice until after I put the spoonful of rice and stew in my mouth. Don't try this at home, really.
Back to the rant. The point is that I have to drive at least 15 miles to place I like to eat. These are the same places that I could get to easily when I live in the city of Chicago. I love Flat Top. It's 18 miles away now that the new one opened. 24 miles before that. There are no interesting restaurants nearby. There is little variety. I can't go to my local Filipino restaurant because there isn't one. I can't get Indian food. Ethnic food is sorely lacking out here with the exception of Mexican food. I can get that, plenty of it, and it's very good. One plus.
I like space in the new house. Isn't it cute?
It looks exactly like this too, colors and all. One day maybe I will take pics of the inside and let you see how I decorate. I think I do a nice job. It's not everyone's taste but I like it. I digress....
I love my deck and my bucolic setting. I am still a city girl at heart and at least once every few months I start to wonder why I moved out this way. I know in a few years there will be a lot of shopping and eating option nearby and construction on at least 2 of them has already begun. But my problem is I want stuff now. I don't know how long I can do this. I wonder if in 5years I'll be going back to the city? All this doubt and anguish because I couldn't find dinner at 9pm. *sigh*.
Legal issues to follow. If I can copy a pic off the web to my pc then is it OK to use it in my blog here? I already did but just checking. Yesterday when I talked about the mole on Amada, I did have a picture of her but then I wondered if I pulled a pic of her off the web if I'd be violating something. Worse since I said she looked like a witch I wondered if my opinion of her looking like a witch was opening me up to liability, or even more so if I put her face to the name of Amanda something. Oh well.
So there is ONE 24 hour restaurant but it's what you'd expect from a 24 hour pace in that it's noisy and busy at night with young folks who have nothing to do and it has a wide variety of food choices. More importantly the one time I was there it didn't seem dirty but I didn't get an impression of cleanliness either. I haven't eaten there since even though the food was good.
Food is important to me and since I choose not to cook, I need to eat out a lot. It's not like I have a live in chef like some other relative who lives far away. So perhaps I don't need a gourmet chef but if I left the cooking to other people who live in my house like my mother, we'd be eating ground beef and pork a lot. I tend toward chicken. Occasionally a nice piece of steak but my meat of choice is chicken.
The husband is not allowed to cook having once made cinnamon flavored rice to add to the beef stew I had made earlier. Let's just say that I didn't know there was cinnamon in the rice until after I put the spoonful of rice and stew in my mouth. Don't try this at home, really.
Back to the rant. The point is that I have to drive at least 15 miles to place I like to eat. These are the same places that I could get to easily when I live in the city of Chicago. I love Flat Top. It's 18 miles away now that the new one opened. 24 miles before that. There are no interesting restaurants nearby. There is little variety. I can't go to my local Filipino restaurant because there isn't one. I can't get Indian food. Ethnic food is sorely lacking out here with the exception of Mexican food. I can get that, plenty of it, and it's very good. One plus.
I like space in the new house. Isn't it cute?
It looks exactly like this too, colors and all. One day maybe I will take pics of the inside and let you see how I decorate. I think I do a nice job. It's not everyone's taste but I like it. I digress....
I love my deck and my bucolic setting. I am still a city girl at heart and at least once every few months I start to wonder why I moved out this way. I know in a few years there will be a lot of shopping and eating option nearby and construction on at least 2 of them has already begun. But my problem is I want stuff now. I don't know how long I can do this. I wonder if in 5years I'll be going back to the city? All this doubt and anguish because I couldn't find dinner at 9pm. *sigh*.
Legal issues to follow. If I can copy a pic off the web to my pc then is it OK to use it in my blog here? I already did but just checking. Yesterday when I talked about the mole on Amada, I did have a picture of her but then I wondered if I pulled a pic of her off the web if I'd be violating something. Worse since I said she looked like a witch I wondered if my opinion of her looking like a witch was opening me up to liability, or even more so if I put her face to the name of Amanda something. Oh well.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Random deep (?) thoughts on a Monday...and The Swan
I should have gone to medical school and become a doctor.
If you tell me not to do something because it's against the rules, it only makes me want to do it more. However, I really am not a radical.
I feel sorry for my only son who has a highly developed sense of anti-authoritarianism and a harsh sarcastic humorous side. As a young person, those are things that get you into trouble. I don't know where he got either of those.
I wonder if 25 years from now we will remember 2008 as the year of the second great depression? A poll I read about said the average American is not really concerned about his/her money in the bank. Hmmm.. Last week, I was ready to liquidate all my assets, however limited, then buy a safe and a shotgun and and become my own bank. No FDIC issues there.
I don't believe the government should legislate morality. Interpret that however you will.
If I said a third, or even a tenth of what I thought about things I see and experience, I'd either be hailed as the next great mind of our century or a raving lunatic, perhaps both.
I wonder what it would take for me to turn into a problem drinker? Currently I drink one or two glasses of wine or a strawberry margarita once a month.
I watched "The Swan" all day yesterday on Fox reality TV. I was mesmerized by it and I am still speechless and dumbfounded. The only thing I can say is that all the women seemed to get a hair makeover that left them blonde or blonder with very long hair extensions. Hmmm no stereotyping there eh? I can't even begin to address the rest of the show and their surgeries and the whole premise of the spectacle. Maybe I will leave that for another blog, maybe I won't waste time on it after this comment. I wonder if I will wake screaming in the middle of the night replaying what I saw. OMG! OK Maybe I will spend just a little more time on this show.
Apparently what I saw was a marathon showing of season 2 ending with the Swan Beauty Pageant. I happened upon this thing by accident and could not turn away. Almost like the driving by an accident phenomenon. You know it's going to be ugly and gruesome but you have to look. Anyway, let's start with the hostess, Amanda or whatever her name was. Could she have gotten some of that makeover magic to take that awful mole off the lower part of her lip/chin. The mole was too large to be considered a beauty mark and she was not so attractive that I could overlook it. I was distracted by it each and every time I saw her, fixated on it if you will. To me, she had a kind of witch's look about her.
On to the "contestants". My heart went out to each woman on the show who asked for a makeover. I can relate to feeling inadequate and unattractive in your own body. What I objected to was the sheer number of procedures each woman had to endure. It was as if the goal of the program was to enhance or change every single feature that had a surgical, dental or cosmetic fix and then subject the women to those procedures. One woman had teeth that were a little large for her mouth but that were distictively her. They didn't need fixing. Did she get to say, "No I don't want that?" I don't know, she got veneers in the end. Was is that the doctors got to do whatever they felt you needed regardless of what you wanted? Again I don't know, but it seemed that way.
In the end, the women looked great and they appeared to be happy with their change in looks. Oh and yeah there was weekly therapy and coaching, HA! Ok that's off my chest. I don't know if there will be a season three, and I don't know if I am way late in discovering this abomination of a show. However, my thoughts will live on in this blog.
With all that is wrong in this world, is having 4 or 5 plastic surgery procedures and risking your life for beauty really worth it? Perhaps. Perhaps I am the one with mixed up priorities.
Maybe my next blog will be about why I believe Jesus was a hippie.
If you tell me not to do something because it's against the rules, it only makes me want to do it more. However, I really am not a radical.
I feel sorry for my only son who has a highly developed sense of anti-authoritarianism and a harsh sarcastic humorous side. As a young person, those are things that get you into trouble. I don't know where he got either of those.
I wonder if 25 years from now we will remember 2008 as the year of the second great depression? A poll I read about said the average American is not really concerned about his/her money in the bank. Hmmm.. Last week, I was ready to liquidate all my assets, however limited, then buy a safe and a shotgun and and become my own bank. No FDIC issues there.
I don't believe the government should legislate morality. Interpret that however you will.
If I said a third, or even a tenth of what I thought about things I see and experience, I'd either be hailed as the next great mind of our century or a raving lunatic, perhaps both.
I wonder what it would take for me to turn into a problem drinker? Currently I drink one or two glasses of wine or a strawberry margarita once a month.
I watched "The Swan" all day yesterday on Fox reality TV. I was mesmerized by it and I am still speechless and dumbfounded. The only thing I can say is that all the women seemed to get a hair makeover that left them blonde or blonder with very long hair extensions. Hmmm no stereotyping there eh? I can't even begin to address the rest of the show and their surgeries and the whole premise of the spectacle. Maybe I will leave that for another blog, maybe I won't waste time on it after this comment. I wonder if I will wake screaming in the middle of the night replaying what I saw. OMG! OK Maybe I will spend just a little more time on this show.
Apparently what I saw was a marathon showing of season 2 ending with the Swan Beauty Pageant. I happened upon this thing by accident and could not turn away. Almost like the driving by an accident phenomenon. You know it's going to be ugly and gruesome but you have to look. Anyway, let's start with the hostess, Amanda or whatever her name was. Could she have gotten some of that makeover magic to take that awful mole off the lower part of her lip/chin. The mole was too large to be considered a beauty mark and she was not so attractive that I could overlook it. I was distracted by it each and every time I saw her, fixated on it if you will. To me, she had a kind of witch's look about her.
On to the "contestants". My heart went out to each woman on the show who asked for a makeover. I can relate to feeling inadequate and unattractive in your own body. What I objected to was the sheer number of procedures each woman had to endure. It was as if the goal of the program was to enhance or change every single feature that had a surgical, dental or cosmetic fix and then subject the women to those procedures. One woman had teeth that were a little large for her mouth but that were distictively her. They didn't need fixing. Did she get to say, "No I don't want that?" I don't know, she got veneers in the end. Was is that the doctors got to do whatever they felt you needed regardless of what you wanted? Again I don't know, but it seemed that way.
In the end, the women looked great and they appeared to be happy with their change in looks. Oh and yeah there was weekly therapy and coaching, HA! Ok that's off my chest. I don't know if there will be a season three, and I don't know if I am way late in discovering this abomination of a show. However, my thoughts will live on in this blog.
With all that is wrong in this world, is having 4 or 5 plastic surgery procedures and risking your life for beauty really worth it? Perhaps. Perhaps I am the one with mixed up priorities.
Maybe my next blog will be about why I believe Jesus was a hippie.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
I or me
I know my grammar is not perfect. Heck, maybe it's even poor, but we must stop people from using I as the object of a sentence! When I first heard I used that way I didn't think much of it. Now, years later, hearing it has become a major pet peeve for me. What really frightens me is that people who consider themselves educated are using I when they should be using me. It's almost as if people think that using I sounds more educated or upper class. To me, it sounds horrible and it sets my teeth on edge each time I hear I misused.
So let's hear it for sending the report to John and I, or for talking to Karen and I about whatever!
So let's hear it for sending the report to John and I, or for talking to Karen and I about whatever!
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