It's all good.

S'Marriage?

2010-06-13T20:23:00.002-05:00

Someone who recently became a beneficial acquaintance is also a hardcore, FOX News-watching Republican. She stated that Sarah Plain and herself both do not believe in "marriage" for gays, but the legal equivalent of it. My friend said "Call it anything else. Wed. Garriage, S'marriage...."I understand and respect that point of view because the Bible does say that God created marriage for the

It's been a while./unemployment

2010-06-06T15:49:00.003-05:00

A lot has happened. I'm still unemployed, but I have been working steadfastly at trying to find a way or ways to support myself. I'm staying hopeful. Just last week I pulled into a place because I saw a "Now Hiring" sign. Even if I am not chosen, they were the nicest people and I was complimented by the hiring manager in regards to how much I care about other people. (I was chatting with the

Goodbye, America.

2010-01-24T23:32:00.002-05:00

I killed my Facebook account tonight.I have really enjoyed almost everything about it, but I am so upset about the Supreme Court condoning corporations taking over the Government that I opened a page against corporate governance but I chose "non-profit" because it was the only choice I had for the kind of organization I was so I could start the page.It was the wrong thing to do. It's just that I

Because there's time

2009-10-09T03:30:00.004-05:00

I haven't spent time here in a long time. Even though I'm unemployed, I have been busy.Each weekday and Saturday, my alarm goes off around 4: 10 a.m.Because it's set to NPR instead of some hard rock station, it sometimes takes a few minutes to realize that the pretty music is not just there; it's there to tell me something.I open my eyes and roll off the bed, cross the cat barricade and stagger

Anniversary / Termination

2009-09-15T21:40:00.002-05:00

I lost my job today. I left the office and found four places to fill out job applications.It's also the "one-month anniversary" of our wedding.Nice gift. Maybe I should have told my co-workers....

Gay marriage, I'm getting married, merry-age

2009-08-01T08:57:00.003-05:00

I'm marrying Joey.It's not legal in Florida, but we're doing it, anyway.When I was a child growing up in the Episcopal Church, I attended a confirmation class.There was no proviso, no exclusion. The sacraments were for Christians. No limitations. Marriage is a sacrament. I am a Christian.A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.Who has the authorization to

That's What She Said.

2009-04-22T20:59:00.011-05:00

My family questioned if I'm truly happy and if I'm sure about marrying Joey.They can see that I'm not ecstatic.Early on, my friends told me that she wasn't good enough for me.I know they love me and have my best interest at heart.To be truthful, being more of a caregiver than a lover wears on a person.But none of those people read this blog...There's only one person besides me that knows I made

The Pineapple Paparazzi strikes again!

2009-04-22T20:56:00.001-05:00

Day of Pride: In praise of offensive stereotypes

2009-04-19T09:35:00.004-05:00

Today is the day that for a few hours, in the light of the sun, I can be who I am.I will walk around with old, hairy shirtless men, young men with toned bodies in short shorts, young women with short hair and piercings, tall men in dresses who look gorgeous... or somewhat like Bette Davis in"Whatever happened to Baby Jane?"Thank God for those "freaks!" If they didn't draw attention to gays, no

The pineapple keeps growing :^D

2009-03-23T18:47:00.003-05:00

Say What?!

2009-03-11T19:37:00.002-05:00

I heard that some brain in Washington wants to tax us by the mile.Obviously this guy has more money than he can ever use.I sure don't. The price of gas is already causing so many of us to have to choose driving over other items, like eating.Thankfully, our new prez has pooh-poohed the idea.Some yutzes want to charge it. Bastards. Falling gas revenue? Bullshit.The people who profit from the

The Moon and Hesperus (Venus)

2009-03-05T05:05:00.002-05:00

I'm having a baby

2009-02-25T06:05:00.002-05:00

Here she is!

Young pelican 1:22

2009-01-18T21:52:00.003-05:00

A young pelican dining on small fish. (Turn down your volume first. I had no idea the boat going by would be so loud!) Just landed... (That's his wake behind him.)

cat

2009-01-05T19:08:00.004-05:00

Freedom from Fear, part I

2008-11-29T03:19:00.010-05:00

The photo above is Norman Rockwell's Freedom from Fear. It is part of a series known as the Four Freedoms which was inspired by a speech by President Franklin Roosevelt."Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little, temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety," Franklin said. He said we are accountable for maintaining our freedoms."We know that enduring peace cannot be

It's been a while.

2008-11-20T21:58:00.005-05:00

Sometimes, there's a lot to write about.What have I been doing when I'm not blogging?When I'm not working or travelling to and from work:I talk to Joey. I visit my father and step-mother. I play some of the games on myspace.I watch a DVD from the library. I seek out old friends on Facebook. I watch YouTube.I contemplate human nature. I think about living life to the fullest because we all

Garth and the Ort

2008-11-10T22:27:00.002-05:00

About 20 years ago, I worked as an instructor at an Environmental Education camp run by a college. Each group which came to us received tailored instruction/facilitation.In the dining hall, we shared our ethics regarding waste. We encouraged school groups not to leave any "ort" on their plates. Now "ort" is a real word which basically means edible scraps. It became a kind of competition

White Socks/ Black Socks

2008-10-27T04:47:00.002-05:00

I just don't get why it's such a big deal what color socks you wear with black shoes. How stupid!Why do we make up such ridiculous and unimportant rules?I have black shoes. I don't own any black socks... except maybe some Christmas-themed socks that were a gift. Love me, love my socks!

Homer, Joey and the cold dark night

2008-10-06T21:34:00.002-05:00

In college, the kids taking the Leadership course had to take the first year Outdoor Recreation students out for their survival night.My baby-sitting-in-the-woods night was very cold and the ground was covered with thick snow.We led the freshmen out to get settled and after a while, walked back in to check on them.It was dark by the time I made my round. And I smelled marijuana wafting through

Here's a hint, Sarah Palin.

2008-10-06T19:42:00.004-05:00

Russia is NOT our enemy.

Great e-mail forward

2008-10-04T17:36:00.001-05:00

A mouse looked through the crackin the wall to see the farmerand his wife open a package.What food might this contain?'the mouse wondered - - -he was devastated to discoverit was a mousetrap.Retreating to the farmyard,the mouse proclaimed the warning :There is a mousetrap in the house!There is a mousetrap in the house!The chicken clucked and scratched,raised her head and said,'Mr.Mouse, I can

Yep.

2008-09-29T21:29:00.000-05:00

Link shamelessly taken without asking!

Darn near ecstatic

2008-09-20T08:57:00.002-05:00

I was walking the dog this morning and I thought I must be truly going deaf. I'm thinking I hear bees.Then I looked up into the closest tree. Hooray!!!!

make noise

2008-09-17T20:34:00.002-05:00

I was just thinking that they need to make permanent playing cards for the wheels of the new cars that are so very quiet, so that we can hear them coming.

entertainment

2008-09-13T22:04:00.002-05:00

Click title: Watch Pink rock old school style

I'd like to introduce to you...

2008-09-13T17:56:00.002-05:00

Christinea favorite video bloggerClick on the title above!I recommend starting at one of the videos on the bottom of the stack.Get to know her. She's something else!

Appropriate?

2008-09-06T06:40:00.006-05:00

I have tried to watch both conventions, but honestly I fall asleep waiting for the big speeches.I fell asleep listening to Barack Obama and was woken by Nancy Pelosi. I was grateful that she was loud. I turned off my computer and went back to sleep.I actually managed to stay awake for John McCain.It was South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham's speech which came before Cindy McCain's speech (and

Hanna

2008-09-04T19:41:00.003-05:00

This evening the eastern sky was blue with full pink cloudsand the western sky was a bright, fiery orange with fast-moving purple clouds.I only saw rain from a distancebut, tomorrow,I expect there will be more.

sister letter excerpt

2008-09-01T21:41:00.001-05:00

"You know, love is like a balance scale (or maybe a teeter-totter.)On the one side, you have what's frustrating and annoying about your significant other. On the other side, you have all the love and laughter and caring. And whichever side has is down is the one you have to deal with at the moment, knowing the other side will be back around soon enough."me, to my younger sister

Ignorance and Fear: Tools of the Devil

2008-08-24T08:14:00.003-05:00

I can't believe that people are still so widely ignorant.To wit: The Golden CompassPhillip Pullman's book was translated into a movie and it is a very good movie if you haven't read the book.Why do ignoramuses blinded by conservative religious dogma have to protest everything without examining anything first? Apparently they know nothing about literary analysis or symbolism.And the funny thing

tropical storm

2008-08-19T10:15:00.002-05:00

It's a whole lot of wind and rain.I heard that a tornado flipped a car over at a gas station about 8 miles from here.That's a real bummer for somebody!We need the water but somebody must have prayed extra-specially hard!Ironically, in the west today, there are red flag warnings. Great fire risk.If only we would put our knowledge and resources to moving water to places where it's needed. If only

Yellow Dragonflies

2008-08-13T21:53:00.005-05:00

There was no rain today. Instead, yellow dragonflies swarmed over the streets.By the time I left work, I only saw a few coming at my car.When I passed the Wildlife Refuge, I saw their bodies littering the long deceleration lane.Somewhere I know a cloud of these creatures was swarming safely away from human intrusion.I had to reassure myself somehow.When I was housebound those years ago, I was

dog... with benefactor

2008-08-06T20:36:00.001-05:00

So Joey and I just became parents to an ancient terrier mix.The previous owner was Joey's old boss.:ODWe have a dog. And that ex-owner is going to help pay the bills.Only now, we have to break it to our four cats that the little fellow who's been boarding with us is not ever leaving.I guess they'll adapt.I love animals.This little guy has a short nose, floppy triangular ears and a respectably

The Case for Fear

2008-07-31T20:08:00.004-05:00

I don't pay attention to the daily sensationalist "news" so I hadn't heard about the murder of young Larry King of California.Here's a boy going to middle school in high heeled boots and make-up. Middle school.It's wonderful that young people feel comfortable enough to be out at younger and younger ages.I wonder, though, if they aren't getting a gilded view of reality for our media.The problem

The Vortex

2008-07-26T06:24:00.002-05:00

In the early years of our second family, I felt lucky to live apart from my father and step-family.There was so much turmoil all the time, I felt like I was standing alone outside of a whirling vortex and just sticking a finger in sucked me in entirely.Now that the kids are older and out of the house, there's still trouble but it's more like a fast river with lots of rocks on the bottom and I can

amoresperros

2008-07-26T05:54:00.002-05:00

I have been pet-sitting, in different houses, for two weeks and I go to another house this weekend.Life is simpler at other people's houses because I have a change of clothes and some books and movies and that's just about it.Don't get me wrong. I fill a suitcase for even a day's stay:Toiletries, a library bag-full of entertainment, my favorite pillows and a blanket, cell phone, a computer for

Mama's heart

2008-07-20T17:13:00.003-05:00

My mother had several therapies, after the stroke that left her paraplegic.Part of the therapy consisted of asking her questions to try her memory and encourage her to learn to talk.The therapist asked her what three things she would take from her house if there was a fire.My father overhead this question.My mother named her three items: my father, my sister and me.

Irony

2008-07-14T21:38:00.002-05:00

I traded in my old car in May.Today I got a phone call from the guy who I nearly had to choke $500.00 out of for the trade.He said, Cars like yours are in high demand now. If you've been considering selling, now is a good time.I laughed and erased the message without hearing anything else.

petty game

2008-07-04T08:10:00.004-05:00

I started playing on-line Reversi this morning and I was kicking ***. Then I realized that the game was set on the beginner level.I bumped myself up to intermediate and things didn't go quite as smoothly.Sometimes it seems like I've forgotten everything I've learned.You aren't ready to move up to the next level until you kick everyone's ***, but then again... getting your *** kicked is the way

Banana Conspiracy

2008-07-01T20:05:00.002-05:00

Most Tuesdays, we go to dinner at Joey's parents' home. Today I wanted to go to the chiropractor after work, so I skipped.This evening when I got home, Joey had food for me.I enjoyed it in the kitchen while she puttered in her room.I joined her after I ate. We usually spend a little time together watching Law & Order or some other show.She said, "Did you put the plates in the refrigerator?""Yes

Voices in the night

2008-06-30T18:28:00.002-05:00

Last night, I woke to the sound of a man and a woman talking, softly, in the distance.I opened my eyes. It was very dark.I turned to look out of the window. No one was outside.I started making a list:The strange and quiet couple next door? No.The young people across the yard? No.Joey's television? No.My radio? No.My alarm clock? No.Any of the other neighbors? No.I'm pretty sure we don't

Avocation

2008-06-25T22:41:00.003-05:00

Dog-sitting.I just fell into it.I dog-sit for my veterinarian and have for years.I have my own key to their house.And my friends have me watch their pets.And my parents.And people I don't know ask me about it.And people I do know inquire for people I don't know.And co-workers.I don't really want to work for people I don't really know.The vet isn't likely to sue me. I'm not licensed, bonded or

Can't say I'm jealous!

2008-06-25T21:52:00.004-05:00

The further away I get from television and commercialism, the more I see what a terrible, mind-numbing, mass-hysteria-inducing influence the media as on the world.I have always liked Lindsay Lohan as an actress and singer. Now she seems to be involved with another young woman and I say good for her!What's sick is that people stand around waiting for "celebrities" to come out of their houses and

Life

2008-05-28T22:07:00.008-05:00

This bookThis movieCHECK THEM OUT!

Almost all of the coolest stuff you'll ever want

2008-05-28T21:34:00.001-05:00

Unpaid endorsement for my favorite company.The customer service is unbeatable!

;o)

2008-05-25T18:40:00.002-05:00

Florridee

2008-05-25T14:15:00.001-05:00

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a

Never heard of her

2008-05-25T14:01:00.002-05:00

Her thigh is huge, but aside from that I look just like her, even the blue skin. LOLYour results:You are MystiqueMystique 68%Riddler 60%The Joker 59%Magneto 57%Apocalypse 55%Mr. Freeze 53%Dr. Doom 50%Catwoman 49%Poison Ivy 47%Dark Phoenix 43%Venom 42%Green Goblin 40%Juggernaut 40%Lex Luthor 38%Two-Face 36%Kingpin 34%Sometimes motherly, sometimes a beautiful companion, but most of the time a

a-changin'

2008-05-25T12:55:00.002-05:00

I want to change my template without destroying the way this blog is set-up.How do other people get vanity headers?I'm kind of phobic about changing the HTML and losing stuff.Anybody wanna share advice?

I used to be Green Lantern!

2008-05-25T12:53:00.000-05:00

Your results:You are SupermanSuperman 95%Spider-Man 85%Robin 80%Green Lantern 75%The Flash 70%Supergirl 60%Catwoman 55%Hulk 55%Batman 55%Wonder Woman 45%Iron Man 35%You are mild-mannered, good,strong and you love to help others.Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

2008-05-24T19:31:00.000-05:00

wmode="transparent" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" >wmode="transparent" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" >

yadda yadda car car yadda

2008-05-16T20:27:00.004-05:00

Goodbye:Hello:That's how I roll... now.With electric windows. Wow. Can't get over those electric windows!No more leaning over and straining to roll 'em down to chat with a neighbor.(Why do they always seem to be on the passenger side?)Now I can just press button and look all suave sitting in place... "Hey!"And all speakers working (not having been subject to a collision.)And cool A/C....

Blue car blues

2008-05-12T18:23:00.002-05:00

The time came.I was hoping it would be a few years from now... years that would allow me to save up for a generous down payment... but Noooo.The transmission needed to be taken apart and rebuilt. Estimate: 1,900.00Value of car: Less than 1,900.00Now if I had that kind of money to spend freely, I surely would have gotten my car repaired and kept on chugging away for several more years. But

Green Goddess

2008-05-05T04:19:00.002-05:00

Forgive me if I have relayed this story before.I went to work several years ago as a customer service representative at a newspaper.The desks, with phones and computers, were sectioned of with partitions that were low enough that you could see everyone else.One day, I found that my neighbor to my right had been replaced by a cheerful young woman named Sasha. It turned out that Sasha had worked

Ignorance is bliss, eh?

2008-05-04T03:37:00.000-05:00

Amazing feature of this age

2008-05-04T03:31:00.003-05:00

Maybe it's not new. Maybe I just noticed it, but it seems that with the advent of blogs and video posting, we are more interested than ever in what everybody else has to say.Just making an observation.

clever video remix (Click here)

2008-05-04T03:29:00.004-05:00

Love this person's work!http://www.youtube.com/user/DS9Sisko

(I've seen) better days. Debt. Regret.

2008-05-04T02:36:00.008-05:00

Things have been rough for the past couple of weeks.I've taken Joey to the emergency room three times. They still don't know why the things that are happening to her are happening. It's bad. She's functioning, still working, but not doing well at all.And I had to trade in my car. Unless you can afford to rebuild a transmission, then it's time to go way into debt, even for a used car, all

Click this post title for some Happiness

2008-04-27T16:29:00.005-05:00

Shirley Temple and Buddy Ebsen in"Captain January"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_q-pATZIQ4

Time and Money

2008-04-26T22:15:00.007-05:00

A boon of about two hundred dollars in the form of a quarterly work bonus came my way which was perfect because I need new tires.Yesterday, I came home from work to discover a small puddle of oil in my parking place.But my engine was just sealed not so very long ago, so I mentioned it to Joey who thought that it couldn't be my car because I take such good care of it.I lit out to search for tire

Note this!

2008-04-19T07:41:00.002-05:00

One of my co-workers found a note on her car one afternoon.It read: You're so hot!She wasn't sure what to make of it until she realized it was her husband's handwriting.I thought that was really sweet.Then I thought wouldn't it be fun to stick that note on random cars to give people a boost?But then I thought, no... that might cause strangers more trouble than you can imagine.Alas!

Bits & Pieces

2008-04-19T06:26:00.004-05:00

Bit:I'm sorry. I just don't like Barack Obama. I never have. I've tried.I don't feel the same nauseating revulsion that I have always felt for Tom Cruise, I just have one of those deep gut feelings about Mr. Obama. I'd love to find out that I am wrong.Piece:Right now the person who would be our ideal president is doing their own thing and has no interest in being president.I have no idea who

Bush legacy 1

2008-04-12T11:59:00.002-05:00

"Humanity is the first casuality of war."-quote from one of the actors during an interview about the movie In the Valley of Elah

the "Normal" lie

2008-04-12T09:30:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I was in the hospital with Joey, this time because she has hurt her arm and needed an x-ray.While we waited we met a young man who couldn't have been 21. He was very gentle and sweet.I sat next to him in the hall way while Joey rested on a stretcher.After a while, we learned that the young pregnant girl who'd been with him in the waiting room was his wife.I was turned away from what

Thanks, gangster.

2008-04-09T21:01:00.003-05:00

The other day I wanted to get out of work as soon as possible in order to get to an appointment.Naturally, I got a call at 4:59 from someone who needed something time-consuming.So I did what needed to be done and finally headed out... into the rolling cluster of traffic I was hoping to avoid.I found myself in the left lane behind a van from Wisconsin. I knew that the fellow in the van was not

Naughty, offensive, inappropriate, self-righteous and in bad taste?

2008-03-31T20:33:00.004-05:00

Joey and I didn't close out Pride this year.I was worn out by about 3 p.m.As we rolled through the streets, I mentioned that I wouldn't mind if she wanted to stop any place because we don't get to wonderful Lake Worth very often.The quaint City Hall flies the Pride Flag. Love it!We stopped at a favorite store with gifty, goofy, kinky stuff.We paused first at the shirt table outside the

Things we did NOT do

2008-03-31T19:17:00.003-05:00

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.-- Sidney J. HarrisThanks to Heatherfor sharing another great quip from one of my favorite 20th-century pundits.Sidney J. Harris was a gentleman, a scholar and a very clever columnist at the Chicago Daily News and his barbs have peppered life just as much as any other writer you

great quote

2008-03-29T09:15:00.003-05:00

"Love is not a feeling, it's an ability."-- from the movie DAN IN REAL LIFEWell, it is a feeling. But in reality it is an ability, even more so.

Charo, too

2008-03-27T20:47:00.006-05:00

I need to talk about Charo before the evening fades from my head.Charo looks fabulous.She thoroughly engaged the audience.She told us she would read our minds and had us put our hands to our heads and hum.Then she said, "I got it. I know what you are-a thinking. You'rea thingking how old essa dat beetch?"She told us that she came to America when she was sixteen after having been discovered when

Mangos, maracas, Malagueña

2008-03-26T19:34:00.003-05:00

Jean, why is there a picture of teen-aged Charo and Xavier Cugat here?It's just biding time until I can transfer one of the pictures Joey took of the virtuoso guitarist last night.And yes, she was FABULOSO!

Clean, sweet, clever and funny

2008-03-23T08:03:00.002-05:00

http://www.happyslip.com/

Wheee!

2008-03-08T09:05:00.002-05:00

unexpected Saturday

2008-02-24T12:43:00.004-05:00

A quiet Saturday.Joey away in Puerto Rico.Clean the kitchen.Pet the cat.Watch an "old" movie from 1983.Phone call.Dad.Step-brother not taking his grandmother to a concert, step-mom too tired to go.OK.Dad and I picked up the step-kid's grandmother and took her to a grand old refurbished theatre.And we saw...Gordon Lightfoot, 70.

perfect tattoo

2008-02-20T18:49:00.002-05:00

Organ DonorThe only question is where to put it.I mean, one never knows how one will die.And that's the time you want it to be seen.

Illegal love

2008-02-13T17:48:00.004-05:00

Saint Valentine was a martyred, according to legend, for marrying Romans in secret.Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage because he saw love and family as the primary reason that men would not come to soldier for himValentine defied the emperor and conducted ceremonies in secret around 270 A.D.For espousing love and togetherness, he was clubbed and beheaded.Perfect set-up for talking about gay

Keep the dog, lose the bitch.

2008-02-11T19:16:00.001-05:00

Joey came home tonight and told me that her ex-boss, the one for whom we were dog-sitting this weekend, got married while he was away.I'd met the bride several months ago and felt an instant "icky" feeling. I could tell she was haughty and self-important. And I had a sense that she was stingy/greedy.Joey then told me that they wanted to give us her ex-boss' older dog.I took a breathe.I like the

The true story of the last time I was drunk

2008-02-09T07:19:00.001-05:00

It must have been at least three years ago now.I'd had a heartbreak when a gal I was gaga for broke up with me.As I started to recover, my friends decided to try and hook me up.Cristy took me to the Byrd Cage and her mom was coming a little later with friends.Cristy bought me a drink. That was really all it took. I can't drink. It goes straight to my head. She had bought me a pretty little drink.

maybe grains

2008-01-30T21:43:00.000-05:00

If it is legit, the following website helps feed the hungry.All you have to do is know big words.Check it out:www.freerice.com

Martin Luther King, Jr.

2008-01-22T04:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I listened to National Public Radio (as I usually do) on the way to work, and they were talking about Martin Luther King more than usual because he had been invoked by both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.There was also an interesting segment on Dr. King's image on wall murals and talk about a statue of Dr. King which would be from China while only it's base would be from America.And

I've received an honor

2008-01-20T14:48:00.000-05:00

http://bungz.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-very-first-blog-award.htmlI'm going to have to follow through on the responsibility that goes with it when I am not studying for my safety talk. Give me a week?Thanks, Bungi!

darling Clementine

2008-01-18T22:54:00.000-05:00

Clementine tangerines from Spain have landed at the grocery store.It's enough to give you hope. For less than five dollars you get a box of them and eat them all day long.These exotic treats peel easily, have one seed (or sometimes none) and range in taste from tangy to a subtle and romantic flavor like perfume.Folks don't understand them sometimes because they aren't like other tangerines.They

Show yourself

2008-01-01T22:03:00.000-05:00

This year, I promise to love my fiance, openly, daily.It is an act that fills me with fear but the world has been showing me that people who know me, as well as many people who don't, are supportive and understanding.I came to terms with my sexuality, my "orientation" in an era when killing, beating and harassing gay people was more or less hunky-dory.I went to the Take Back the Night march and

Without question

2007-12-19T21:05:00.000-05:00

During the research that I did for the Safety meeting about stress, I read that Mother Teresa confessed "I have no time for myself" and would take a week-long retreat every so often to revive herself.I mentioned it during our guests' lecture and he stopped and looked at me. He was genuinely frustrated that Mother Teresa's writings about her dark and questioning times were giving the Vatican

how my grandmother died

2007-12-16T07:54:00.001-05:00

My grandmother was incredibly strong.She lived alone to the day she died and nothing stopped her from getting things done.After my mother died and I finally had a car, I would go to see her (150 miles) fairly often because I needed to.I would take her to the store, over to my aunts, out to see friends, to Bingo....My grandmother was asked to speak to some young people, probably in their teens,

What do you do with that?

2007-12-13T21:48:00.000-05:00

Love.Learning to love is what life is about.I went to the Singing Christmas Tree and the conductor stated that if Jesus had been a philosopher they could have debated him, if he'd been a warrior they could have fought him and if he'd been a religionist they could have dismissed him, but he was Love... "and what do you do with that?"Yep.

word to the wise

2007-12-13T05:20:00.000-05:00

"For fast-acting relief, try slowing down."--Lily Tomlin

bonus feature

2007-12-13T05:13:00.000-05:00

I was nominated to become the new "Safety Leader" at work several months ago. It's a challenge because, as a corporate office, there just aren't as many daily hazards as there are at our branches and plants where industrial safety is an every moment concern.So instead of technical details and industry standards, we talk have been talking about things that help keep us safe enough to be able to

The perils of kicking it up a notch

2007-11-25T23:54:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I boosted my player level to "Intermediate." I figured after 20 years, it was time.I just had myself WHOMPED in multiple consecutive games of Reversi."There wasn't no way."My opponent knew something I do not know and I failed to learn from his or her unerring mastery of the game.WHAT does that person know that I don't???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I wish so much that I knew something about my

fuel economy

2007-11-18T08:48:00.000-05:00

At 10 years old, my car is averaging between 28.6 and 30.9 miles to the gallon, depending on how I drive, how much cargo I have, tire inflation, how recently I've had service.This year, car makers are bragging about fabulous fuel economies of 17 to 27 mpg.Naw, I don't think so. That's so ten years ago.The Zap! SmartCar (electric) gets 40 mpg. (Zap stands for "Zero Air Pollution.")The Toyota

fair and/or equal

2007-11-15T23:48:00.000-05:00

People close to me sent their two children to a "special" school because one of them had learning difficulties.The other child was quite bright but was sent along to the same school because it wouldn't be "fair" otherwise.Now, one of their grandchildren has some problems and the child's sibling also attends a "special" school in the name of fairness.I don't believe it's fair to keep a child from

The nearness of spring

2007-11-12T05:45:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's happening so fast.Joey's grandmother, the woman I made sure I slipped the right card onto the discard deck for, is taking her leave. My unvanquished Canasta foe.I want to tell her it's okay; I'll take care of Joey now.

Mmmmm!

2007-11-12T05:27:00.000-05:00

One day last week I was outside of the building I work in, walking back from the CVS across the parking lot when I caught the sunset.The blazing orange of the sunset was mellowed by such a luscious purple which also wove pinks and blues and and red and yellow and white I could almost taste it.It was so gorgeous I would have to say it was uncaptureable, but I would have to say the only comparison

I did not know...

2007-11-05T20:14:00.000-05:00

... that if you post a link in the "Link:" field under the "Title": field that it makes your title bar into a link to the thing you're linking to.How'd I miss that?(Don't know what I mean? Go to the entry entitled "accepted" and click on the title. Wizard!)

accepted

2007-11-04T21:40:00.000-05:00

I came out to my father 15 years before he ever said that he accepted me.I had kissed a girl who came to freshman weekend at my college. Afterward we wrote back and forth and her father found a letter and called my father.Hell, I hadn't thought to ask the age of the gal who followed me to my room one evening because she was attracted to my "energy." She landed the first kiss.So my father and I

Hear-Say

2007-10-25T19:01:00.000-05:00

Joey told me last night that her mother had said something about me.I said, "Oh yeah? Do I want to hear this?"Joey responded, "I was talking to her yesterday and she said that before I met you I was a miserable bitch."I looked at Joey in surprise, "That's not about me....""Yes, it is," she answered.Today I was in the grocery store going through the check-out line with my dinner.The cashier rang

Do Something

2007-10-22T22:34:00.000-05:00

Tonight I read to Joey from Joy Behar's book, When You Need a Lift :But Don't Want to Eat Chocolate, Pay a Shrink, or Drink a Bottle of Gin as we waited together in the Emergency Room for her pain medication to kick in.Famous and noted people weigh in on how they deal with being "down in the dumps." As for me, nothing brings me back from the blue room like getting something accomplished.I was

wild ride through winter

2007-10-14T20:23:00.000-05:00

Joey's grandmother has slipped, in just the past two days, into a transient delirium.She was coherent enough to talk on the phone to a relative tonight, but she kept seeing people who weren't there and bugs crawling on the walls and counter tops.She kept searching her knit blanket for a deck of cards and calling out to family members who are in other states.We gave her a deck which turned out to

so tiny

2007-10-12T01:15:00.000-05:00

My friend had her baby two days ago.I went to see her and her daughter yesterday,It reminded me of my father.The first thing he ever said to me was, "Baby, it's just as easy to marry a rich man as a poor man."He was giving advice to my newborn self.I would tell this new person in the world that money only matters as a means to survive, that rich or poor, no matter who you love, KINDNESS is what

The Sacred Body

2007-10-09T20:29:00.000-05:00

This entry is really not for the squeamish or sensitive.Today at work, The Queen Bee was talking on the phone about the elderly woman she advocates for. The topic was a "DNR" or "Do Not Resuscitate" order.When you reach a certain age or a certain point in your health at which dying would be preferred over extreme measures to keep you alive, you can post a DNR by your door. That way rescuers