To each his own. To me my own.

Latest

27 January

My Mother’s birthday is today – and I’d like to wish her the happiest of birthdays. ♥ Without getting all nostalgic on ya, I’ve gotta say it doesn’t seem all that long ago when we were all “three” going out to eat somewhere for her birthday. All three being myself, her and my Grandmother (her Mother). There was always much laughter involved, because Mammaw loved to laugh and to make others laugh. And for her, that was an easily accomplished feat. I know my Mother misses her greatly, they say it’s never quite the same again when you lose your Mother. I am ever so grateful to have mine here with me still. Lord, once again, I thank you for assigning this woman to be my Mother.

I’m having her and her hubby over to eat tonight in my little humble abode. I do love to cook, now moreso than ever – and I hope it turns out to be an enjoyable meal for her. I’m looking forward to it.

Today is also a big day for someone else – my guy. He has a big court date today involving his divorce proceedings, and boy does it promise to be a very chaotic one. It ain’t gonna be pretty, and keeping all emotions in check will likely take much effort. Needless to say, he’ll be on my mind all day. With all the hell he’s been through, I can think of no one else who deserves a fair outcome.

Once upon a time, life held promise of being perfect. Everyone, everything and every place was full of glory. There was no death. There were no lying cheating spouses. There was no sickness. The word pain had yet to be invented.

Then Eve bit that damned apple.

Posted by  |  January 27, 2010 | Categories: Family, Home | Leave a comment

wmd FAIL

The bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation and Terrorism has warned that ‘unless nations act decisively and urgently, it is more likely than not that a WMD [weapon of mass destruction] will be used in a terrorist attack by the end of the year 2013′. President Obama has been given an ‘F’ by this very Commission on his ‘effort’ to prevent a germ weapons attack on the US or to respond quickly and effectively should such an attack occur. The report, to be released today, details how the Obama administration failed to take key steps the commission outlined just over a year ago in its initial report.

THIS IS REAL, FOLKS.

C’mon, we all knew it was happening! ‘They’, the terrorists, are always conspiring against us – whether it be in the background or smack out in the open. Terrorism lives and lives largely. Ye ole’ paranoid Bonster has been forever voicing her opinion on it ever since 9/11.

So what’s the difference now? Well, now it’s been made a known fact that our national homeland security does NOT top the priority list of the person who has been appointed as leader of our country. Of course it won’t surprise you to hear this bothers me a thousand times more than all other issues I have with the Obama administration combined. The safety of our people is first and foremost the most important thing, period. Hell I would think a child would know that…

But apparently our president doesn’t. When it comes to weapons, Prez O is more concerned with the weapons we as free American individuals possess for our own protection. The control factor is getting worse by the day, my friends.

I know that it’s out of our hands, I do. The only thing we can really do is look out for number one. In addition, a smart option – though unfortunately many of us aren’t able to do so given the current economy…

Stockpile. For yourselves, your own well being, your own safety. Be quick about it if you can.

Because guess what? F = Fail.

UPDATE 1736 HRS: Read entire chilling 24-page report HERE. Several hours after posting the link to this report in its entirety (through the Obama-backed CNN network, no less) I come home to find the link was broken and CNN has basically buried this story along with the pdf report deep in it’s burrows. For this reason I’ve taken the liberty of uploading the report to MY OWN BLOG. It seems as though the government yanked CNN’s right to post these findings on it’s front page….but I’ll be damned if they’re taking away the freedom I have of putting it on MY front page.

Posted by  |  January 26, 2010 | Categories: Political, The Angry American | Leave a comment

The Yellow Brick Road

Do you ever stop and wonder about the order in which things take place in your life? I do.

Takes me back to the old saying, Everything happens for a reason. How about this one – That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Always liked that one. And, can’t forget, Anything worth having is worth working for. Yeah, I know.

Our kids. We would never change that part. Our kids are and always will be our heart. Unconditional love, no matter what kind of hand life ends up dealing us.

But the other stuff. All those other sets of events that we may or may not be so fond of. Have you ever wondered what would be different now if you could go back and change things or switch the order of certain events in your life? To perhaps ‘earn back’ some of that lost time?

All of a sudden the time-tornado hits ya, you turn around and you’re forty. I jumped from 20 to 40 – with a fresh-from-scratch start to life. Now just how the hell did that happen?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not sitting on a mountain of regret over here. I used to be, though. I do realize now that anything we’ve been through in life shapes the individual we are today. This wouldn’t be the events theirselves – but instead how we handled it in the end. The outcome. My own decisions. My own path.

The clock struck midnight. And the day was done.

It’s not wasted time. The times of the past, all the time that leads up to now, is not forever lost in vain. Here’s another favorite – You can’t drive forward if you’re constantly looking in the rear view mirror.

It’s amazing really, the amount of love we have inside us. The ability to heal from inside, and regain the ability to share that love….I’m speaking for myself, of course, when I say I have an enormous amount inside of me. ♥

Life – it’s umm…. well, it’s just beginning. And I really like that.

Posted by  |  January 25, 2010 | Categories: Life Struggles, Love, Thoughts | Leave a comment

Now ya know everything

Some of this stuff circulates around in an email. Because I thought it was interesting (and also because I’m low on weekend material) I thought it appropriate to share. 🙂

  • A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
  • A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
  • A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue.
  • A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
  • A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
  • A “jiffy” is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
  • A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
  • A snail can sleep for three years.
  • Al Capone’s business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
  • All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill. (But only 27 are actually shown – the Bon-ster has put a lupe on it and counted them herself.)
  • Almonds are a member of the peach family.
  • An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain. And my guy recently told me that an ostrich can live 100 years, and also that a 200-pound man can stand on an ostrich egg and not break it. (Yet the baby can bust out of it.)
  • Babies are born without kneecaps. They don’t appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.
  • Butterflies taste with their feet.
  • Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds. Dogs only have about 10.
  • “Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters “mt.”
  • February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.
  • In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.
  • If the population of  China walked past you, in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction..
  • If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at red lights.
  • It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
  • Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.
  • Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
  • No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
  • On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an  American flag.
  • Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.
  • Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
  • Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
  • “Stewardesses” is the longest word typed with only the left hand and “lollipop” with your right.
  • The average person’s left hand does 56% of the typing.
  • The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.
  • The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
  • The sentence: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” uses every letter of the alphabet.
  • The winter of 1932 was so cold that  Niagara Falls froze completely solid.
  • The words ‘racecar,’ ‘kayak’ and ‘level’ are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).
  • There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
  • There are more chickens than people in the world.
  • There are only four words in the English language which end in “dous”:  tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
  • There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order:  “abstemious” and “facetious.”
  • There’s no Betty Rubble in the Flintstones Chewable Vitamins.
  • Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
  • TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.
  • Winston Churchill was born in a ladies’ room during a dance.
  • Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
  • Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks; otherwise it will digest itself.
  • Now you know Everything.

Posted by  |  January 24, 2010 | Categories: Funny, Humor | Leave a comment

In debt

I am strong. I am beautiful. I am blessed. I am fragile. I am intimidated.

I am.

In the midst of this cold gray morning, I can see the sunshine. It’s bright.

I cry, I worry, I lose my head and I feel bruised. But I stand up again. How come? What have I done to deserve it? What does God want from me? How can I repay, I have so many debts…

No, don’t think about it. Your debt has already been paid.

I’m smiling. I mean REALLY smiling. How do I go about appreciating such a huge blessing?

Just keep loving me. Walk with me a little more often. You know how I enjoy our walks, and our talks.

You’ve been here all along, haven’t you? How do you do that?

I’m always here. I always have been. I do not decrease, I do not increase. I simply am.

Never leave me, okay?

Smile.

Posted by  |  January 22, 2010 | Categories: Religion, Thoughts | Leave a comment

A Fallen Survivor

Those who know me know that I’m a lifelong fan of the reality show Survivor. Never missed an episode of the entire 19 seasons, 10 years, that it’s ran.

Jenn Lyon is the first ever loss of a Survivor family member.

This lovely strong lady came in an impressive fourth position on the show’s 10th season, Survivor Palau. She was diagnosed with breast cancer just two short months after the show’s finale. She underwent chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, however two years later, the cancer returned in her bones. Jenn fought long and hard – but lost her battle on January 19, 2010.

It’s shocking. And untimely. She really was a beautiful soul, both inside and out.

Below is a short video arrangement made by a Survivor fan that commemorates Jenn’s time on Survivor Palau. Although the audio consists of music only, this is one awesome video. It not only features the time when she got to swim and play with the dolphins, but provides a visual of her general strength – both physically and characteristically.
Jenn’s Time on Survivor

She refused to succumb to the perils of chemotherapy, instead choosing to host as many fundraisers as possible to help find a cure for breast cancer. This past December, she had been given a final three weeks to live. Instead of retreating to her deathbed, she opened a Christmas Tree lot in Los Angeles with proceeds to benefit breast cancer research. She opted to spend what was to be her last Christmas, and bit of time left on earth, giving of herself to help find a cure.
Jenn’s Christmas Tree Lot

So it appears that our Heavens will shine a little brighter now, since our Lord has chosen a beautiful bright new Angel to reside with Him above. RIP, sweet Lady.

Posted by  |  January 21, 2010 | Categories: Emotions, Hollywood, News | Leave a comment

Boston Tea Party

I admit, I did copy the subject line from the morning headline on Fox News. 🙂 This blog is gonna be all over the place today, because, quite frankly…. I am all over the place. I have way too much going on in my head today to dwell on one subject for too long.

Yeah, they’re havin’ a party, baby. All I’ve got to say is, GO MASSACHUSETTS. You freakin’ ROCK. For 53 years, a dem has occupied this former Kennedy seat. And the state of Mass said ‘Enough’.

And, um – we needed this ‘change’…. which is now enough to tank that damned healthcare bill.

Last night I dreamt that I was driving over several very large icy areas on a road. Here’s an attempt at interpretation via several online sources.

Driving: To dream that you are driving a vehicle signifies your life’s journey and your path in life. The dream is telling of how you are moving and navigating through life. If you are driving and cannot see the road ahead of you, then it indicates that you do not know where you are headed in life and what you really want to do with yourself. You are lacking direction and goals.

Ice: To dream of ice, generally betokens much distress, and evil-minded persons will seek to injure you in your best work. Dreams about ice often mean that you are nervous about a real life endeavor. If you dream of standing on cracking ice (or falling through ice into water), it is a warning against trying to advance at the expense of others.

Here are  15 interesting facts about dreams. This one’s got some pretty good info.

So I’m looking outside right now and thinking my guy and I may not get to play our previously scheduled game of tennis today after all. Of course the sun has been out for 2 straight days and the temps have been in the mid-60’s, but let us plan something and the rain will surely come a little earlier than forecasted. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see if we’ll be able to bop the ball.

Posted by  |  January 20, 2010 | Categories: Dreams, Political | Leave a comment

‘Scuse me, while I kiss the sky

Once in a while I like to write about something that just totally captivates me. This captivation can vary from admiration to curiosity; abhorrence to outrage; and can even be generated from the greatest of fears imaginable to me. In this case, it involves marvel and fear – my fear of extreme heights.

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, also known as the Burj Dubai, opened January 4, 2010 taking the world record by a landslide as the tallest building ever constructed. But that’s not the only thing about this mammoth architectural undertaking that breaks a record.

Current records include:

  • Tallest skyscraper to top of spire: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 509.2 m/1,671 ft)
  • Tallest structure ever built: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously Warsaw radio mast – 646.38 m/2,121 ft)
  • Tallest extant structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously KVLY-TV mast – 628.8 m/2,063 ft)
  • Tallest freestanding structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previously CN Tower – 553.3 m/1,815 ft)
  • Building with most floors: 160 (previously Willis Tower – 108)
  • World’s highest elevator installation, situated inside a rod at the very top of the building
  • World’s fastest elevators at speed of 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft/s) (previously Taipei 101 – 16.83 m/s)
  • Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previously Taipei 101 – 449.2 m/1,474 ft)
  • Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction): 606 m (1,988 ft)
  • The first world’s tallest structure in history to include residential space
  • Highest outdoor observation deck in the world (124th floor) at 442 m (1,450 ft)
  • World’s highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade, at a height of 512 m (1,680 ft)
  • World’s highest swimming pool (76th floor)
  • World’s highest nightclub (144th floor)
  • World’s highest place of worship (158th floor)
  • And, most recently – the structure is now home to the newest record of the highest ever recorded base jumping.

September 21, 2004 began the construction on this massive megastructure, with the architecture and engineering assigned to the firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill of Chicago IL. When the idea was first conceptualized it was unknown just how high a skyscraper could be built. In fact, the Burj, which is the arabic word for Tower, reaches such unforeseen heights that a new word was coined to describe its magnitude – ‘Superscraper’. I’ve substituted this with the word Megastructure, it just sounds more fitting.

The final height of the Burj is equivalent to the previous record-holding Taipei 101 Tower in Taiwan with the Eiffel Tower on top of it. A whopping 828 meters, 2717 feet, 160 stories, HIGH. That’s over half a mile high. Already-seasoned visitors to the tower have reported that the best views come from in between 70-80 stories, since it’s near impossible to make out what is on the ground from the top of the structure.

The tower is designed to sway as much as 5.5-6 feet in the worst weather conditions. Not surprisingly, this figure has become controversial – with other experts saying it could be as much as a 10 foot sway. This gives me chills and a visual that’s all my own. You see, to me – this is the stuff nightmares are made of. Which, if you read this blog often, you already know I have some real doozies.

I’ve followed the progress of this monster for years, and the completion of such a feat is something I never could have envisioned. A few people I know say they would love to cruise to the top of this bad boy. I wish I could say the same, but unfortunately I wouldn’t even make it halfway! This thing is way massive, and oddly enough I have a kind of sick respect for the fellas that recently base-jumped off of it. The platform from which they launched from wasn’t even at the top – and it still beat the record by a sizable margin, if that tells you anything.

I cannot imagine living in the city where this colossal cloud-buster resides. To even see it in my peripheral vision would probably give me vertigo. 🙂

Of course, I’m only detailing the facts here that are of interest to me. So here’s a couple good websites to check out extra notable stats and current info on the Burj….
Wikipedia
Burj Dubai Official Site

Posted by  |  January 19, 2010 | Categories: Travel | Tags: , , | 4 Comments

Sunshine and blue skies forever…♫♪

And I’m singing this to the tune of ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ by the Beatles. This is some very enjoyable weather. Tomorrow and Wednesday’s highs are forecast to be in the mid-60’s. That’s a big switcharoo from the teens we’ve been in for so long.

Today is the start of getting back into my exercise regimen. I’ve put it off for long enough now. I know I can do this, as I did it a year ago and dropped 20 pounds within 2 short months. I was thinking that I may even use this blog as as a means to map my progress. Hey, I can hear all those groans from here. 🙂

Spring is on the forefront of my mind. I can hardly wait for the warmer weather, and to have the time outdoors again. Spring is the time when everything seems ALIVE. A real mood enhancement, if you will. I want to hear the birds singing again. The crickets chirping. Hell, I even miss the amplified screeches of the cicadas. Walks through my local Botanical Garden. Flip flops and tank tops. Beach music. The BEACH. Having our Seabreezes outside, along with a light coldplate for dinner.

Ahhh…. c’mon, Spring.

Drops of Spring

Posted by  |  January 18, 2010 | Categories: Weather | Leave a comment

Who’s America?

I know of one person in particular who will read today’s pitiful blog and literally laugh their ass off, because we were sitting together watching MSNBC when they broadcast this today.

“Obama’s America – 2010 and Beyond”. Shit, are you kidding me?

So he rises up from behind the pulpit and preaches a sermon. Here’s this ever-charismatic man, our President – who doesn’t frequent Sunday church services in Washington and has yet to find a permanent congregation for his family in the capital – standing behind the pulpit in a Baptist church. The thing that bothers me most about it? It literally took him several minutes to utter the word “God”, and finally towards the end he managed to insert the word “Lord” in there as well. So what was the word he used those first few minutes when referring to our God? “The Devine”.

Obama’s America. Yeah, I’d like to have seen them try and sell that little jingle during the Bush Administration, or the Clinton Administration, for that matter. It never would’ve flown.

I’m not even going to go any further with this. The Angry American lives on, folks. Little ole’ me does realize that everything that our entire future has already been spoken, and written. Many of the aforementioned circumstances (reference previous blogs) have already come to pass. I am very much aware that what will be, is gonna be.

Posted by  |  January 17, 2010 | Categories: Political, Rants, The Angry American | Leave a comment

More birthday bang

Had a nice evening yesterday. As I mentioned before, my boyfriend, his sister and his brother all have birthdays within a week of each other, he and his brothers being on the same day. We went out to Outback last night to celebrate all three.

Good fellowship and a lot of laughter was involved. There’s a lot to be said for having little to zero drama in one’s family. Okay, I know there’s no such thing as NO drama with a family, but at least I realize now you can get pretty damn close. I guess what I was used to dealing with in the past makes me appreciate this more than the average person. Bottom line, I just prefer not being in the position of worrying about if a loose cannon is gonna blow, or taking those hidden right hooks while remaining silent out of respect. It’s pretty simple, really – and I like things simple and non-chaotic.

The staff at Outback really went out of their way to accommodate us, especially when they learned of three siblings at the table that were there to celebrate their birthdays. Upon finishing our meals (and with the birthday boys and girl each having a celebratory Patrone double tequila shot) the waiter came back to take the plates. My guy’s brother’s wife suggested that instead of the birthday dessert they were scheduled to bring out, why don’t they switch it up and bring them out a birthday tequila shot. We really didn’t think they would go along with it, but hey, you can ask, right? Up next came the manager of the restaurant with shots for all of them on a tray – so funny!! THAT’S called pleasing your patrons. It’s also what brings them return visits, and here’s a place that actually recognizes that.

Posted by  |  January 16, 2010 | Categories: Entertainment, Family | Leave a comment

More of the Angry American

Well, the curmudgeon-at-large is at it again. I need to vent.

The tragic quake in Haiti has been devastating and my heart truly goes out to the victims in the wake of it’s tragedy. Although the wholeness of has yet to fully sink in, I do realize the magnitude of the situation.

But now, making headlines, is the fact that they’re ‘angry’. Well. They’re angry. Angry at the miniscule amount of aid they’re receiving. At the lack of sufficient medical supplies. And they say that ‘anger’ is now turning to ‘violence’.

We’re looking at over 9 million people in a country smaller than the state of Maryland. Cripes, people. NINE MILLION. Trying to land a plane into the airport of Port-au-Prince itself is a joke. Planes are being turned away and rerouted because of the limited space availability.

Angry? One must look at the many countries that have literally jumped in to afford them search and rescue, aid and supplies. To see all these different nations, including our own, coming together as one in the aftermath of this great catastrophe, is well, nothing short of amazing.

So we’re bringing many of the injured over here to the US to aid in healthcare. AND GRANTING SAID INDIVIDUALS TEMPORARY CITIZENSHIP.

WE’RE DOING WHAT? What the FUCK is this all about? Listen, I have no problem with providing medical attention to wounded individuals. None at all. But since when did granting any type of citizenship, even temporary, become a prerequisite to providing healthcare? Simple. It didn’t, and it’s not.

In the first place, it’s been determined that literally thousands of escaped prisoners are now running mad among the commoners. It’s just a guess of mine that some of these convicted felons could be the machete-bearing tyrants currently taking over in the streets. If you think for one second that the US is going to background check even one of these injured Haitians, I’ll be first in line to call you a fool.

Secondly, the sister country to their immediate left, the Dominican Republic, has very graciously offered FREE HEALTHCARE to all Haitians. Not discounted. Not reduced. FREE. Is this offer not being heard to the rest of the world? Hmm, I’m kinda confused because see, I myself heard it announced on the evening news….

Thirdly, do you really think these individuals are ever gonna go back to Haiti? Seriously?? NO! What’ll happen is this. They’ll disappear into the crowd. Just fade away, blending back into the masses of all the other imports that we have so wrapped our ever-lovin US of A arms around.

Shhh, do you hear that?? It’s the sound of uncontrollable laughter at the US coming out of the other Nations.

Posted by  |  January 15, 2010 | Categories: News, Political, Rants, The Angry American | Leave a comment

Revelations and more

The subject came up last night. Ever since then I’ve been thinking back on the subject of Bible prophecy, and of those that have already come about.

My grandmother could almost be labeled a Bible scholar. I learned alot of what I know today from her. She knew how to keep it interesting to me, instilling that thirst for more knowledge of those ‘great and terrible’ foretold events. Even when I was in my late 20’s to early 30’s, we’d have long conversations about the Word that is written. It honestly could scare the living crap out of the average person, just being in the same room with us during one of these conversations. I think that’s why I’ve always found it so interesting. It’s written, it’s real – and it’s happening. No man, woman, or force can stop it.

The rejoining or ‘coming together’ of Israel in 1948, Israel regaining the city of Jerusalem in 1967, construction and availability of weapons that can destroy the world, the nation with the ‘great military power’ to the extreme north of Israel in the land of Magog (this is Russia), the nation to the far east of Israel that will have an army of 200 million (this is China), the one-world currency (the EU) that has already come about and put into place in many of the European Union nations, incurable diseases such as AIDS, cancer and new ones taking over on a large scale, and the massive quantity of earthquakes and floods.

The above are only a few of such written prophecies that have actually come to pass. There are many more that hold much significance. I realize this always has and continues to be a subject of intense debate. However, I have and will continue to hold strong to my convictions, and on what I myself believe to be the truth.

Posted by  |  January 14, 2010 | Categories: Religion | Leave a comment

The day you were born

Today is my guy’s birthday. His brother and sister also have birthdays right around this time, so Friday we’ll be going out together to celebrate all three. As for tonight, I’ll be cooking what I hope turns out to be a fab dinner at home for him. I’ve already got the bottle of wine ready, and yes I match the wine up with the entree. Ha ha!

Here’s a bit of birthday ‘history’, courtesy of This Cool Site…

We are so used to celebrating our birthday every year that it seems like it’s been a tradition almost forever!! But there too is a birthday history, and a place and time it all began…

When early people had no way of keeping track and marking time (except by the moon, sun or by some important event) little attention was paid to the anniversary of a person’s birth. Everyone realized, of course, that people grew older as time passed; but they didn’t mark any special milestone for it. Only when ancient peoples began taking notice of the moon’s cycles, did they pay attention to the changing seasons and the pattern that repeated itself over and over and so they began to mark and note time changes. That’s the start of birthday history.

Eventually, the first calendars were formulated in order to mark time changes and other special days. From this tracking system came the ability to celebrate birthdays and other significant anniversaries on the same day each year.

It is also said that Birthday celebrations began as a form of protection. It was a common belief that evil spirits were more dangerous to a person when he or she experienced a change in their daily life, such as turning a year older. To protect them from harm, friends and family would gather around the birthday person and bring good cheers, thoughts and wishes. Giving gifts brought even more good cheer to ward off the evil spirits. Noisemakers are thought to be used at parties as a way of scaring away the evil spirits. The birthday history custom of lighting candles originated with people believing that the gods lived in the sky and by lighting candles and torches they were sending a signal or prayer to the gods so they could be answered. When you blow out the candles and make a wish this is another way of sending a signal and a message.

Even though historians are certain that people have observed their birthdays for quite some time, there are very few records of such celebrations that still exist. The only ones documented in birthday history are those birthdays of kings, high-ranking nobility, and other important figures. Common people and especially children never celebrated their birth when the idea came about. This trend has been explained by a theory that nobility were the only people wealthy enough to throw such celebrations, and quite possibly were the only ones thought to be important enough to have been written about or remembered. Some historians believe these early birthday bashes resulted in the custom of wearing birthday “crowns” as time went on.

The Germans are given credit in birthday history for starting celebrations of children’s birthdays. These celebrations were called “kinderfeste”. The word “kinderfeste” is derived from two German words ‘kinder’ meaning children and ‘feste’ meaning festival or party.

A bit more of birthday history: The song “Happy Birthday to You” was composed by two sisters, Mildred and Patty Hill, in 1893, but nobody really paid much attention to it until the original words “Good Morning to You” were changed to “Happy Birthday to You”, words that are sung in virtually every home across the world at least once during the year.

Happy Birthday baby!! Here’s to celebrating you. 🙂

Posted by  |  January 13, 2010 | Categories: Miscellaneous, Thoughts | Leave a comment

In the sick tank

So worried about my babygirl, she woke up sick again yesterday with flu-like symptoms. She went to the doc, who informed her she didn’t have the flu or strep, just a bad virus with flu-like symptoms. So I’m on the way to work this morning when my phone rings. It’s her, in tears and can’t even hardly talk. Apparently, she says, she’s been misdiagnosed because she has this huge lump in her throat and can barely swallow. She has constant chills associated with fever. We’re trying to get her back into the doc this morning, umm strike that – she WILL get back in there this morning.

Just made the call and got her in around 11 today. You never stop worrying about your kids no matter how old they are, and wishing the illness upon yourself instead. God, the worst was last March when she had her wisdom teeth removed and the oral surgeon didn’t administer the proper amount of novacaine. She came out of the anesthesia in screaming pain. It took several hours to finally get the pain meds to kick in, and by that time she had exhausted herself into pretty much passing out. Which she did actually pass out once in the bathroom, thankfully her father was standing behind her at the time and caught her when she fell backwards. Her Dad and I both shed tears for the kid that day. I can only imagine what parents of kids with serious illnesses must go through, having to watch their kids suffer.

There are constant blessings all around us. One has only to look around to see them.

Update:
She just got out of the doctor and was very pleased with the doctor she saw today. This man is actually one of the top Internal Medicine MD’s in our entire state, he makes the list every year – I’ve seen him many times in the past myself. Sure enough, there is an infection going on in her throat as well as tonsillitis. He mandated antibiotics for her illness (wonder why the doctor yesterday couldn’t have done that??). Even though she was told yesterday that she didn’t have a fever (she has been really concerned about the chills) he assured her that she did, just most likely wasn’t registering because everyone’s average body temp is on a different scale. Thank goodness we still have a few people out there who know what they’re doing when it comes to our health. I shudder to think of what we’ll be enduring soon if we get pushed into public healthcare.

Posted by  |  January 12, 2010 | Categories: Family, Thoughts | Leave a comment

A Simple Life?

For over a year now I’ve been taking my showers in the evening in lieu of early morning showers. I’ve been told by more than a few people, ‘Oh I just can’t do that! I simply have to have my showers in the morning.’ I used to think the same thing. But no, you don’t have to.

Certain things just don’t matter as much to me anymore. A fanciful outfit. Things that match, ha! So I’ve finally come to the realization that I’m cutting certain things out of my life, bit by bit, in order to simplify it. This is a true sign of getting older.

I’ve carried a ‘black bag’ to work every single day for almost 20 years. That bag contains my dayplanner as well as a portfolio and pad, and a few other odds and ends. If I need to print out anything at work, I’ll stick it in my black bag for transport, you get the drift. Guess you could call the ole’ black bag a ‘work purse’. Well, not only have I yet to refill my day planner for the year 2010 (okay the refills are over $20 and I’m still trying to justify the expense) but I haven’t carried my bag to work since the new year started. All the other things I’ve cut out or simplified don’t bother me. But the black bag and planner thing do. I’ve written in a dayplanner for many years, just like carrying the black bag. It may be considered an old-fashioned thing to do in the current day and time. Still though, I like being organized and quite frankly, if I don’t write things down, well they just don’t get done. I’m finding myself littered with sticky notes – notes in my purse, on my wallet, and on my computer. Hell there’s even a note on my bathroom mirror. Gotta do better in this area and score myself a refill on my dayplanner. And, get the ole’ black bag out again.

Just this weekend I traded in my big hair of the 80’s for a sleeker, shorter simpler style. That’s gonna take some getting used to. There’s a part of this that just doesn’t make sense to me though. With the simpler hairstyle, I’ve gone from 10 minutes of styling to what now is 30 minutes or more. I’ve seriously gotta work on shaving that time down.

Simplify my life. The phrase itself has always reminded me of the movie Steel Magnolias, when Shelby goes for the shorter simpler haircut upon learning of her illness. I can’t help but think of all of the women in the film, actually. Every single woman depicted in that movie had survived a curve ball that life so often throws. Don’t worry, I’ll save that for another blog.

When I finally realized what I was unintentionally doing, it almost hit me like a ton of bricks. In a way, it was almost disparaging to me. It’s funny how our mind and body ‘knows’ it’s own timeclock – and when it’s time to start slowing things down, or simplifying things in your life. Guess it’s true, there’s no turning your back on Father Time.

Posted by  |  January 11, 2010 | Categories: Miscellaneous, Thoughts | Leave a comment

More of The United States of the Offended

I started not to even go here. I say that because even writing about it gets my blood pressure elevated. But I haven’t wrote about it in a while now…. actually since the day after the Ft. Hood massacre. And that’s just what it was – a massacre. A massacre constructed by a terrorist that we let infiltrate our US Armed forces. A massacre that was allowed to happen because there were people who knew things were wrong or amiss with asshole hasan, and they failed to say anything.

The constant fears of terrorist attacks on our American airports are getting continually worse, and those fears are very justified. It seems to me that the asshole pigs sit there and salivate, maybe even more than that, just from staring at a picture of one of our airports.

Here she is folks. In all her glory, or madness… one hell of an Angry American. Forget that I’m female. Forget that I’m white. Forget (only temporarily) that I’m a Christian. You can take all that away and there will still be one thing left, which is my freedom as an American individual. And I will have my say.

Full body scanners. Wands. X-ray machines. Patdowns. Obviously this shit’s not working, it’s not enough. What’s it gonna take? I’ll tell ya what it’s gonna take. It’s gonna take some good old-fashioned stereotyping. That’s right, I said the word. And I don’t give a multiple shit WHO the hell I offend by saying it. Profile those bitches!!

If someone even hints to have the middle-eastern look about them, pull ’em right out of the lineup. Immediately. Call a spade a spade. Men, women and children – all of them. And don’t forget about those babies! You see, a terrorist will blow their own baby up if it holds promise of taking out a few Americans.

What, you say? We can’t do that? Speak a little louder, did I hear you say it would be offensive to the muslim community to “profile” them? I honestly don’t give a flying FUCK if it offends them or not. September 11th, baby. This day is no longer on the forefront of most American minds, and that in itself is a major problem. Who would’ve thought that horrible catastrophic day would’ve ever faded in the slightest from ANYONE’S mind, but sadly it’s done more than just fade. Nobody wants to talk about it anymore, to go back and revisit what I perceive to be the most abominable day in history. I can honestly tell you there is not a single day in my life since September 11th that I have NOT thought about it. Believe it or not, I was actually told once that I dwell on the horror of 911 too much. To say that made me angry is an understatement, and suffice to say I don’t think that person will ever tell me that again in their lifetime. I’d rather have nightmares about September 11th every single night for the rest of my life than to ever let it become passive in my mind.

The bottom line? ‘My way’ would mandate a complete agreement and understanding on the many stringent new ‘filters’ put into place when dealing with these high-risk passengers. Snags and delays for them should not only be expected, but planned. However long it takes to ensure the safety of our people. Deal with it, towelheads – it’s tit for tat if you want to come into our country. Believe me, you’re getting a real deal!! Your cost still ends up being much lower than the high price many thousands of Americans paid when they lost their lives to unmerciful terrorists who, still to this day, use your Muslim religion as backing for the foundation of their terror plots.

A spade is a spade is a spade. Call ’em as you see ’em, I sure do. Of course I realize all terrorists don’t have that middle-eastern look. But let’s face it – the vast majority of them DO. So pick ’em out of line then instead of allowing the assholes to pass through. Begin the filtering process before anything even has a chance to happen. Stringent filtering on the middle-eastern/muslim look. Would this seriously be a huge shock to anyone? And if it was, by now you realize what I would say to that. But I’ll spare you that one last profanity.

No, we will never be ‘allowed’ to do this. Apparently our government places more importance on public relations and not offending what could very well be the enemy than to implement tactics to defend the American population.

Land of the Free. I still say Profile Away, Baby.

Posted by  |  January 10, 2010 | Categories: Opinion, Political, Rants, The Angry American | 1 Comment

Resolution perception

During my recent trip to the beach, I heard a very good commentary on television about New Years resolutions. This was on some sports show on ESPN and the guy was a radio commentator. I didn’t pay enough attention to know who he is, or I else would give him credit for inspiring me to write this.

He initially caught my attention with the next few comments.

‘People are always worrying about what they’re gonna drop or eliminate from their lives for their New Year resolution. Why is this? Why do people think they have to completely cut out a habit or feature from their lives in order to improve it? Or, quit something? Now, the quitting smoking I can understand. But as for the rest….’

‘Instead, why not add something to your life, to that which already exists? Improve on it. Instead of quitting drinking, start drinking a finer wine. Add something. In your venture to lose weight, assign the newly devoted workout time to also become family time. Take your family with you and use this time to everyone’s advantage.’

This hit me like a ton of bricks. I could sit here right now and incorporate this with my own resolutions. We’re ultimately so concerned with the elimination of certain things, habits, features, etc. that we usually only see one path to take to accomplish our goals. Maybe enhancing the things we want to eliminate IS the way to go. Maybe, just maybe – there’s a chance of this working. Maybe there really IS more than one way of “getting there”.

Posted by  |  January 9, 2010 | Categories: Opinion, Thoughts | Leave a comment

The ever-elusive fifth day

The heat is fixed here at work, glory hallelujah. No more 32 degree hands. It’s been one hell of a cold week. But it’s Friday, that wonderful 5th day of the week that we work so hard to reach. Ah, sleep-in day tomorrow.

Of course it didn’t snow here last night. The piles upon piles of salt and slag poured on the roads was all in vain. Guess we had to be prepared, though – I remember what happened when that 18″ surprised us a couple years ago and nothing had been done beforehand in preparation for the storm. People were screaming mad all over the local news.

You know though, you just can’t please everybody. There’s always gonna be that one character with the differing opinion, the individual who wants to go the other way, or the person that’ll slam you for doing what you believe to be the right thing. It’s taken me almost a lifetime to learn this very true factoid.

I was just telling a friend this morning that at least we know Spring is on it’s way. I have a feeling by the time this Winter’s done with us, we’ll ALL be ready for it.

Posted by  |  January 8, 2010 | Categories: Weather | Leave a comment

Arctic Blast

How cold is it? Baby, it’s cold outside.

Record lows are being made here in the south – and well, a lot of other areas too. Someone told me yesterday that the farmers almanac nailed the prediction on this frigid winter. And so far, it appears there’s no end in sight.

So I broke my less than one month-old ice scraper on my windshield this morning. Dangit, it was a good one too. Guess it wasn’t as good of one as I originally thought.

We’re supposed to get a little snow tonight, but just a dusting they say. It’s going back down to 18 so maybe it’ll be too cold to snow. Our poor mountain folks are getting pounded and I know they’re sick of it. They still haven’t dug out of the 20 inches they got before Christmas!

Which gets me to thinking (yeah, that can be a dangerous thing). If the long hot days of summertime are called the dog days of summer, what shall we call these short frigid days of winter?

I’ll get back to ya on that one.

Posted by  |  January 7, 2010 | Categories: Weather | Leave a comment