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 |  Here's to bloggin' around the block--one word at a time. |
| The healthcare reform debate is raging, isn’t it? I think these questions really deserve an answer, don’t you? (I can’t take credit for them since I grabbed them from a discussion board. ) hoosierdaddy4 writes: Here's a list of the signs and questions seen and heard today at the "protest" on healthcare. 1. If we don't own businesses by the age of forty, why are we going to be shot? 2. The proposal that we must all be gay-married for a minimum of five years is unfair! 3. Hear our voices! 4. My GOP congressman has informed us that on page 7,954, it states that all women must have at least one abortion. Why? 5. Why does this proposal state that we taxpayers will be paying for healthcare for all of Kenya? 6. My GOP Senator has informed us that we'll be submitted to prostate exams daily, starting at the age of 4. It's an outrage! 7. Why are Mexican illegals receiving the Senate plan, while those south of Kentucky will be provided with three band-aids, a syringe, and two aspirin? 8. Isn't a 455% increase in our premiums going to hurt us? 9. Why are atheists and lesbians getting a live-in masseuse? 10. I read on Facebook that this will increase our national debt to $455 quadrilliozillion over the next six months, afterwhich time we'll be forced to work in China, making teleprompters. Hear our voices!!! |
| You know those days when everything just flows? All your plans run smoothly and you feel great. Well I am not having those days! Instead it’s like somebody put a hex on me so every machine I come in contact with falls apart. I’m blaming it on the full moon. Friday I found standing water in the basement that we thought the maintenance guys had cleaned up after the hard rain on Tuesday. We share a basement with three other apartments with a washer and dryer and some storage areas. The water was standing in the storage bins where the crew apparently didn’t reach with their vacuum. We called the office and someone came right over carrying a big wrench. When he found no leak and we explained about Tuesday, he left. Nobody ever came back to clean up the water. Meanwhile, I loaded the first of four tubs of laundry into the washer and came back upstairs. It usually takes a half hour to wash, but I got a phone call so I took a little longer to get back downstairs. Even so the washer wasn’t finished. I thought it was strange but it eventually finished so I started another wash. An hour later the machine was still agitating in the wash cycle with no sign of stopping. The service company said they’d try but couldn’t promise to send someone before the end of the day. After lots of clicking and cajoling the machine finally started working again, but I didn’t want to trust it for the rest of the clothes. The service man never showed up. Saturday we took the laundry with us to Jack’s dad and brother’s house. His dad’s still in the nursing home and we planned to visit later. So I filled their washer, and we went for a walk. When we got back a half hour later the machine had only advanced about eight minutes then clicked off. It never did work right and we had to wring out all the bleachy laundry by hand and save it until we could get to a Laundromat. When Jack’s son showed up we walked down to the school so they could fly their radio controlled airplane, Jack’s father’s day present. Soon after they turned on the controller, the motor started smoking. The engine burned up and they were lucky the battery didn’t explode. There’s more to the day, like visiting Pop at the nursing home and hearing about his BMs. (Jack says that’s his hobby.) But I’ll just say that we made it home without tearing anything else up. Although we plan to stick close to home today, away from machines, and wait for the hex to lift. Murphy says: Trouble strikes in series of threes, but when working around the house the next job after a series of three is not the fourth job -- it's the start of a brand new series of three.{/b } |
| Many people genuinely do not wish to be saints, and it is probable that some who achieve or aspire to sainthood have never felt much temptation to be human beings. George Orwell A mother wrote to Margo Howard concerned about her daughter. It seems the girl was raised in a religious family, but she went to college and decided that she’s an atheist. The mother is upset because the father refuses to have anything to do with the daughter and is threatening to call the FBI. The FBI? Apparently he thinks there’s some kind of Joe McCarthy around for godless people. I truly understand parents’ concern, but it’s interesting to know just how much fear and ignorance there is out there. A Billy Graham column caught my eye with the question, “Why does atheism seem to be growing in recent years?” Here’s an excerpt of the answer: Atheism has been in the public eye largely because of a few atheists who’ve captured the public’s attention through their books. They aren’t large in number but they do tend to be aggressive in promoting their ideas.” As opposed to the believers who are all non-aggressive in promoting their ideas? It goes on to say One reason is they know how to use the media effectively. They also appeal to people who want to be free from God or any moral restraints. Whoa, Billy (or whoever is writing your column because you’ve got be about 130 by now)! Atheists are good people, too. Just because they don’t believe in the supernatural doesn’t mean that they have no morals. I know lots of atheists who are honest and trustworthy. They don’t kill or rob or cheat on their spouse. They know right from wrong and live by the Golden Rule. I’m sure some of them do bad things (Karl Rove is an atheist after all). But it’s interesting to note that they make up a very minute percentage of the prison population. They don’t “hate God” or “worship the devil” because they don’t believe in either one. They’re not a religion. How often have you heard of atheists going around the world trying to convert people? They’re really not trying to be frightening. In fact many are very quiet about it. Some may seem or even be aggressive, but they have the right to express their beliefs (or non-beliefs). I’ve only talked about atheists here. However, nonbelievers can be spiritual, agnostic, atheist, humanist, freethinkers or “nothings.” And our numbers are growing. Pointing to another world will never stop vice among us; shedding light over this world can alone help us. Walt Whitman |
| If you live to be one hundred, you've got it made. Very few people die past that age. George Burns My father-in-law turned 97 at the end of June. He’d been living at home with Jack’s brother. He fell last Tuesday and hurt his hip and the ER doctor said it was broken. It didn’t show up on the x-ray but it did on a CT scan. On Wednesday evening they took him to surgery only to bring him back to his room saying it wasn’t broken after all. Or at least it wasn’t the kind of break that needed surgery, prescribing pain medicine and physical therapy. We found a nursing home/rehab for him since he couldn't stand and was too much to handle at home. But he fell there on Sunday, before even beginning the rehab, and definitely broke his femur. So, once again we heard all the risks of surgery on a 97 year-old, but not doing it wasn’t good either because lying in bed would likely give him pneumonia. Like the first time, we pretty much expected he wouldn’t make it through the surgery, but he did. He’s now back in the nursing home. Unless he makes some kind of miraculous progress, we don’t expect he’ll be going back home. As he says, and his mother before him, “Don’t get old, kiddies.” Longevity can have a down side. |
| I fiddled around too much today and didn't really think of anything to blog about. But, since I'm just back and would like to go for another blue month I guess I should put something here. So, since nobody took me up on the title challenge yesterday, I'm going to give you the answer anyway. You'll really be sorry if you miss out on this little gem of a song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7jcvq1lXOw |
| There are quantities of human beings, but there are many more faces, for each person has several. ~Rainer Maria Rilke In my fairly short time on Facebook, I’ve found several WdC friends and taken a few quizzes. The first quiz results I published were naming classic movies of the ‘90s. I got them all right! (Guess how I spend my time?) Then there’s the personality quizzes. I found out my Native American Indian name is Rain Pebble. You are calm and collective, [sic] you are able to see past the troubles life may bring. You are always prepared and have things planned out. “Always” is a dangerous word. On my best days, maybe. I am most like Mrs. “Lovey” Howell from Gilligan’s Island. Sweet and innocent, with a sophisticated charm, you light up the world with your very presence! Sugar overdose yet? Just wait. The Classic Hollywood Actress I resemble is Doris Day. You bring a smile to people's faces like no one else. You're the girl next door - a woman who men want to take home to their parents, and who other women want to befriend. You're multi-talented, and you know how to succeed in the world without sacrificing your values. You'll probably live a long happy life. How wholesome, huh? Well, I am happy right now. That’s what matters. I named 15 favorite books in 15 minutes, and have three more survey-like notes to fill out. And a couple of people are trying to lure me into Farming. (You know who you are  ) It’s been a good way to find some people from my hometown that I haven’t seen or heard from for awhile. One of the groups from my old high school lists all the alumni who have died. Some of those were a bit of a shocker, especially the younger ones. Anyway, it’s a good socializing site but it doesn’t take the place of right here. *Points for what song this title comes from. Hint: it’s old. Happy Sunday! |
| Imagination... its limits are only those of the mind itself. Rod Serling We’ve been watching the old Twilight Zone series on DVD. We watched the second season first and just got Season One in the mail. Some of them look a little hokey compared to today’s standards, but some of them hold up really well. One of the best ones is called “Shadow Play” with Dennis Weaver caught in a recurring nightmare as a death row prisoner. It’s summed up: We know that a dream can be real, but who ever thought that reality could be a dream? We exist, of course, but how, in what way? As we believe, as flesh-and-blood human beings, or are we simply parts of someone’s feverish, complicated nightmare? Think about it, and then ask yourself, do you live here, in this country, in this world, or do you live instead…in the Twilight Zone? When I was a kid sometimes I felt like life was a play and I was somehow on stage with people watching. Maybe that’s the self-absorption of a child or maybe I was just weird. Have you ever felt that way? Rod Serling was an interesting guy, very talented. I guess it should be encouraging to writers that Rod once received 40 rejection slips in a row. How lucky for us that he forged ahead and didn’t give up. When he hosted the show he always had a lit cigarette in his hand. Sometimes he advertised for Oasis Cigarettes. He smoked four packs a day and died during surgery after a heart attack at age 50. That was 1975. (His dad died at 50, too.) Here’s a couple more of his quotes: Every writer is a frustrated actor who recites his lines in the hidden auditorium of his skull. There are weapons that are simply thoughts. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy. |
Forty eight hours away from my blog being deleted for good… I didn’t really leave during my month of free membership since I seemed to need to keep an eye on Bloggsville. And I have to admit sometimes I missed blogging. Just when I was trying to decide if I should renew my paid membership, the very generous peachbug came along and made the decision for me. Thank you, Janie! You’re a peach!  The break did me good though. I’ve just about reached my novel reading goal for ’09 (I’m on book number 50 now) and the year is only half over. Here’s my list if you’re interested.
Now all I have to do is remember how to write. Until I figure it out, I leave you with this timely message. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| I think they'll be blocking my blog tomorrow at noon so...this is the last entry. It doesn't seem to be helping me "around the block" right now so...I'm going to let it go. I wavered a couple times, but I've deleted most of my port, left all my groups, thinned out my email, and just need to give away my few remaining gps. I think I'll still have the free membership with email so I might wait on those since I haven't decided where to send them. (there aren't that many anyhow) It's been great fun and I'll miss you all. Maybe I'll come home in the spring. (That's the title of an old TV movie.) Meanwhile I'll be popping in to say hi and catch up on the latest. And I broke down and joined Facebook so I may see some of you there. Have a great summer!! |
| My life has a superb cast but I can't figure out the plot. ~Ashleigh Brilliant I’ve been cleaning out my port, and it’s been a long time since I’ve written much of anything new. My WDC membership expires at the end of June and I’ve decided not to renew, at least for the summer. I’ve been on here since February of 2003 and I think I must need to take a break. I have no criticism of the site or big plans for a writing project. And it’s not that I can’t pay for my upgrade. It’s just that I haven’t got much enthusiasm for writing right now. I’d rather be reading and looking for something that I am enthusiastic about. I’m kind of at loose ends. So since you can’t have a blog with a free membership, I’ll just stop in and continue to read yours. After all, I know I would miss you all if I just went away. And I’m not gone yet, so I might even come up with another blog entry or two before I leave. Living involves tearing up one rough draft after another. ~Author Unknown |
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So glad to see your blog again, and I like the idea of a 'new' Clean Slate. I may just do that myself! I look forward to reading more from you! 
