Monday....need I say more?

One of my blogees asked  my hubby an  important question the other day i.e. "does her head hurt with all the stuff going on in there?"  (Kudos to you for asking an excellent question)

Yeh, pretty much.  I think if my head just cracked open today for no apparent reason, let's say it  "hatched" it would look like limp gray spaghetti.  That's how I'm feeling.

 As you regular blogees already know, I consistently waver between trying to find the positive in something only to have the negative yanking at me.  By Friday, I was hangin' out pretty much in the negative lounge of my psyche.  In fact, I was not only hanging out there, I was sitting down, feet up and  having a diet coke there.

1.  Several things were shoving  me in the general direction  of the lounge.  One of the first events was I started  having a serious disagreement with my computer.  Normally we get along fairly well but on Friday, C.C. (Cheryl's computer)  wanted to be slow and take little breaks by "not responding" and I wanted to kick it's little hard drive's ass. The only thing that saved it, is that it is fairly new so the geeks that warrant it,  probably wouldn't take kindly to me acting rashly and doing further damage.  Fighting with technology is a real buzz kill for me.

2.  Thinking a trip to the bookstore might get me on the road to recovery, mood wise that is, I haul myself over to the mall to the Barnes and Noble. I usually enjoy spending time at the bookstore.  I find it amazing what gets published. Why aren't we all authors???   These are the two books I bought. 

People that Deserve It:  Socially Responsible Reasons to Punch Someone in the Face

You Ruined It for Everyone: 101 People Who Screwed Things Up for the Rest of Us

So the outing to the bookstore didn't necessarily help alleviate the probability of my mood continuing it's downward spiral.

3.   After my little excursion to the mall, I came home and flipped on the TV.  As you regular bloggees also know that 99 per cent of the time I only watch what my pal Tivo has saved for me but as I just wanted noise to make lunch by, I happened to see the commercial for the upcoming Real Housewives of Miami.  Are ya kiddin me?? Is this what real housewives look like?? I have never watched any of these housewive's programs so I wasn't aware that in all of the major cities, this is what real housewives look like.  I guess now I know!!!

I really do live in a bubble.  If that didn't depress me enough to think that I might actually be a time warped reject of  The Waltons" (yeh, half of you are going "who in the hell are the Walton's???) a commercial came on offering a chance to win a lap band surgery.

A CONTEST FOR A BARIATRIC PROCEDURE!    What depressed me was that I don't need that surgery and I think it is grossly unfair that the contest doesn't let you choose a la carte.  If it was free ...there might be a thing or two, I would consider having/doing.   Not willing to pay for it but FREE is FREE.

4.  Hubby left for an out of town job.  That always gets me down anyway but then I had a meeting at our church that I had to go solo to.   In a past blog I mentioned our church as being large.  Well, large might be a little bit of an understatement.  Our church is the largest church of it's denomination in the country. There are over 17,000 members and that isn't counting the people that attend that aren't members.  I only mention this as how it played into my mood.  Sitting in a room with more people than what reside in the last town I resided in as a child is both a blessing and a curse.  The downside is (for me anyway) the realization of how small and insignificant one person in a pool of thousands really is and if hubby isn't sitting with me how isolated a person can feel in a room of thousands.  On a different day, I would say that having thousands of people that surround you with a like mindedness of faith would be inspirational.  (yep,still conflicted)

5    Last but not least, the weather is driving me nuts. (you do understand that the word nuts is a relative word with me?)
Last week Kansas City broke a record high of 72 degrees, to be quickly followed by dropping temperatures leading to sleet, then snow, then more snow.  Followed closely by a slight rise in temperature just so we could get an icy mix to cover the snow.  Nothing better that 6 inches of snow with a coating in ice to get you to appreciate the millions of year it took man to  evolve to walking upright.   By Sunday morning there is fog.  I mean FOG....Hubby, has a 6 AM flight out of town and I get to haul up to Kansas City International at  4 AM driving through what appears to be cotton balls.  No, it is cotton balls sitting on top of  ....something slippery....KY jelly maybe....THEN the temp rises again during the day so we can enjoy a thunderous, light show of a rain storm last night only to dip below freezing again during the night.  OK, it is official. HELL HAS FROZEN OVER AND IT IS CALLED KANSAS.

Well, now that I have spewed my negativity over the Internet to everyone, my work is done. 

Seriously, I expect that I will rebound nicely after a trip to the gym today and get back to my normal half and half self. ( Half optimistic/half pessimistic)

Here is hoping your day is going well, my blogee friends.
Hope you enjoy. I posted the Clean version for those that care.



The Good for the Day.....The sun is shining!!!!


The bad for the day....No bad today....it's going to be better

The Weird for the day....My computer is feeling better too. Back to it's peppy self and no geeks were involved in it's recovery.

Friends Talking to Friends

  With all the moving we have done, I have made a number of friends in a lot of different places.  It isn't really so different than starting a new school. (which, coincidentally, I know something about as I moved 13 times prior to getting married PM plus the 21 moves after marriage AM).  Finding the people that you "click" with is difficult.   When you are new to a school or community  it is hard to know how to meet people that share your same values, sense of humor, same interests etc.  In fact, perhaps having expectations that you are going to meet someone that thinks or lives like you might be counter productive to finding people that would make perfect friends to you.  Perhaps we should not be looking for people with identical personality traits or interests to our own.   Maybe we should look for people that we find "interesting enough to give it a chance" and that we might have "a thing or two"  in common with.  (setting the bar low for me tends to pay off a lot of the time)


When we moved to Texas, I met a few people in the neighborhood that I clicked with but the most interesting group  I came across, was a group of women that I met at the gym.  I joined the gym at Texas Womens' University.  As gyms go it is a fairly small facility who's main purpose is to be used by students and faculty.  They do, however, accept outside members for a fee.  Normally, I go to just the nearest "chain" gym but I liked the smaller environment.

What I discovered is that if I went to the gym on the same days each week at approximately the same time, the same faces were  there. That is true of all gyms but at the TWU gym, for whatever reason, we started talking to each other.  Turns out that talking is very counter-productive to actually getting a workout in.
Too late though, we had discovered a second interest.  We all liked to read and had begun comparing who was reading what.  The book club was formed. 

 The group consisted of :

A woman that creates a syndicated comic strip
An art professor
A flight attendant for Southwest Airlines.
A sculptor
Me (I had my  corporate training company at that time)
A retired grade school teacher
A rancher (not married to a rancher, she is the rancher)

Side Bar:

Our little group kind of reminded me of the John Hughes movie  "The Breakfast Club".  The teens come together with no common denominator other than the fact they are all in detention.  There is a brain, a princess, an athlete, a criminal, and a basket case. 

Our book club had components of all of those with the exception of  the criminal.  In place of that category, let's substitute someone who really marched to their own drummer.  Let's call her our group's non-conformist.


Back to the story:


But here we were, women with all kinds of different personalities, different background, different everything coming together to become friends.  Not over night but little by little discovering a camaraderie.  I am certain the reason we got past the fact we were all so very different and enjoyed each others company is that we were all latent STORYTELLERS.

Perhaps my love of just sitting with people that I are comfortable with and talking  comes from my early childhood. When I was a little girl, I lived with my grandparents for a few years in Arkansas.  At this time in the early 1960's,  this little town would have been considered very "backwoods".  The old men, including my grandpa,  met at the gas station to sit on benches and drink Yoo Hoo and Dr. Pepper and tell stories.  Stories about their childhoods, stories about the local farms, the town gossip, their families and whatever the talk of the day melded into. They too, had their version of the book club without having to read a book.


Whether our book club was a modern version of  The Breakfast Club or of  "old men sitting on a bench"  it started meeting weekly on Tuesdays at one of our homes. Once a week we would meet for a pot luck supper  (had to be healthy) and discussed whatever we had read during the week.  We decided early on it couldn't work like other book clubs where everyone reads the same book.  We all hated each others taste in all things. Clothes, books, home decor, you name it, no common ground in our taste of "things".  As we got to know each other we did focus on our common interests, though.  We all were health nuts, liked  to exercise, like to read a lot, most of us liked to garden, and all were interested in hearing stories about the other people's adventures.  These women had great life stories.  REALLY interesting life experiences.

When you think about it, doesn't EVERYONE have some great stories.  I think, there is so little opportunity to share those stories, though.  Even given the opportunity to share them, a lot of people don't want to listen to someone else's stories. To have a dialog there needs to be storytellers and story listeners.

Is there a need or want in our culture in the 21st century for people to sit together and talk to each other at length?  Not just  small talk but real narratives, about where they come from and how they got to where they are now.  Can friends really get to know each other any more? I envy the people that stayed in one community and still have their childhood friends as their adult friends. Surely, that is a group of friends that know each other.

While I have been one of the last people in America to get on  the Facebook and Twitter train, recently I decided if I want to find out what my family is up to I'd better start participating.  I will say it is fun.  No question about it. As I am still trying to figure out all the ins and outs of social networking, I do recognize I am communicating with some people that I haven't heard from or seen in a lot of years.    Very much a nostalgia shot in the arm. I love seeing their posts and getting to know a little about where they ended up. A big thumbs up and likes for Facebook. 

In a crazy way though, it makes my miss my old friends MORE.  I want to get in my car and go see them in person,  sit down, have tea/coffee and visit.  So many questions that can't be answered in the little tidbits of Facebook or the 140 letters or less of Twitter. 


While this phenomenon of  social network is taking off like a rocket, I like the idea that a person would have a real friend(s) to talk to at length when they feel like talking,  or friends that would just sit with them quietly when they are mourning, grieving, crying or when they are so happy they have their go-to person to share the excitement with. Let's hope the growth of communicating via cyberspace doesn't diminish the act of communicating in person.

 I love meeting up with my current friends for lunch or coffee and just chatting. I miss TALKING to my old  (hate that word old but .... what to use ....not sure ) friends that I have let time and distance separate us.

For the friends that I have left behind, I hate that I have missed out or am missing out on the stories of  your lives.   While I continue to enjoy being with people and hearing about their "stuff", I also recognize this is becoming an obsolete way of having a friend.     To my friends, I will take what I can  get via Twitter, Facebook, email or text. If you want to send something by snail mail, carrier pigeon, or smoke signals, be assured that I will be thrilled to hear from you.

All the same, I sincerely  hope  that some of you have great and interesting stories  and have people to  tell them  to. For the people in my life, I want to be the listener of your stories.









The Good for the day....Reconnecting with friends that you haven't spoken with for a very long time and feeling the same connection that made you friends, way back when....

The Bad for the day....Recognizing that some people you just won't click with. They won't like you and/or you won't like them. Life is short. Move on to a new crowd.

The Weird....
My hairdresser was telling me the most interesting story about a client of his that has multiple personalities.  I am sure we all have seen movies dealing with this phenomenon but, I guess I never thought of it as a "real" disorder.  Depending on where you look for information, though, it seems there is a lot of controversy among mental health care workers as to how to correctly diagnose it.

 He was saying that the woman and her alter ego are having a difference of opinion about smoking cigarettes and the alter (as the alter ego personality is called) keeps driving off in the car and parking it somewhere. When the main personality gets up to go to work, her car is missing.  Now how frustrating that would be? There wouldn't be much you could do about it either.  Can't very well have the alter arrested or you can't punch her lights out.  Wouldn't it be better if these two personalities could be friends?

Because, I am completely conflicted today on which video reflects the subject matter, I am putting in not one BUT TWO 

New Passenger on the Bus....

For those of you that have been following along, you are already aware of my imaginary bus.  Just to bring you new blogees up to  speed here is a synopsis for you.

I have an imaginary bus in my mind. The bus is a really LARGE double decker bus that can hold a lot of people.  My bus is headed for a very HIGH cliff and the bus has no brakes.  The people that I load on the bus are seated in a strategic manner.  Some of the possible seating:

A.  Seated at the back of the bus next to the john. The bus is hot with no air conditioner

B. Seated at the very front of the bus so they will be the first over the cliff.

C. Seated in the middle of the bus near an exit door as they may get a chance to jump off.

D. There is a bus driver.  He/She is the first over the cliff.

E.  My bus has an upper deck.  Totally unprotected, windows open and no seat belts.

E.  There is a bus stop with people that may or may not be boarding soon.

****Just a note to the people out there that think this seems cruel.  YOU DO GET THAT THIS IS AN IMAGINARY BUS !!!!!  No harm, real or implied, to people or animals in the manufacturing (fabricating in my head) of this bus.

As you loyal blogees know.....Presently Snooki and The Situation are seated back opposite the bathroom.
That leaves 2 seats available in front of the john. 

In front of Snooki and the Situation, we have Lindsay Lohan.  She earned the seat for lack of common sense and no impulse control. She might be able to get off the bus prior to the cliff depending on what happens during her current court case. 




 






 

Today we have  a new passenger. CHARLIE SHEEN IS NOW BOARDING THE BUS !!!  I was considering making him the bus driver but I think I have someone else in mind for that.  I'll see...might have to rearrange at some point.


Charlie, however, for today,  is taking the first seat on the upper deck front.  First over the cliff with a birds eye view.

Mr. Sheen has earned this particular seat as an award for his on going shenanigans from the last week.
 I was thinking about him last week when he chose to call in to a radio show to offer the sage advice to Lindsay that she should really work on her impulse control.  Not really bad advice for Ms. Lohan but really....coming from Charlie.... Even with his brain swimming in booze and drugs, can he not see how absurd that is??? 

Then yesterday, he managed to embarrass himself even MORE. Who would of thought that was possible?
Seems self destruction has no limits as far as Charlie goes.  What a freakin  trainwreck !!!   Does anyone out there really believe you could get on national radio and TV stations, call your boss "a stupid, stupid, little man", oh, and lets not forget "clown", and "worm", then expect you can go back to work on Monday.

Of course, he did go on to say that he has cured his additions with his mind.  Is that the same mind that is currently swimming in a 190 proof brine?  Did his tanked brain that does magic acts also cure his addiction to strippers and drugs?
Just asking?? 

You know, I actually enjoyed his current show, Two and a Half Men, as well as some of his older stuff but....here's the thing...I am conflicted with the huge amounts of money being paid to people to behave like asses.  I could be way more sympathetic if he was some poor smuck out there trying to earn a living and got messed up with an addition.  I know there is a lot of bad stuff  that influences people to make really bad decisions.  If you read the post Work: If it was Fun, it would be Called Vacation, a couple of weeks ago, you might know that I am all about second chances. (or third chances) but you have to want to participate in trying to do better. 

It is evident that Charlie and his huge ego feel that  he is above having to be a decent guy because he makes millions of dollars.  Unfortunately, he seems to be right.  He already had a new job offer with HBO. 

How sad for us all,  that the allure of celebrities allow us to turn a blind eye to people behaving not just BADLY but unconscionably. 

So much for my rant for the day. I want us to be kind to each other and I want GOOD people to land on their feet.  Is that too much to ask??

OK, My little blogees.....Who do you want to board the bus??  Send me either a comment or email me at artofconflicted@aol.com.  Tell me who you want on the bus, where you want them to sit and why they earned that spot.  It has to be someone we would all recognize.  They have to currently be living. (really if we have ghosts on our bus we will run out of room). They  can be in any line of work. (politicians, actors, writers, whatever your wicked minds can think of.)


***Please note**** seems to be some division on if Charlie Sheen should be boarding the bus.....feel free to weigh in on this.....Don't feel like Charlie is the right passenger???? How about Chuck Lorre????


The good for the day... That after my rant about misbehaving movie stars, I will let this be water under the bridge (at least for today)


The bad for the day.... Charlies has been in various scrapes as far back as 1990 when he shot Kelly Preston. He continues getting into trouble with drugs, alcohol and violent behavior right up till....who knows?? Maybe forever....

The WEIRD for the day....Celebrity + Bad Behavior = $$$$

What is to Become of Them?

Yesterday, was a big day in Kansas City, MO.  The Funk (which is Mark Funkhouser, the current mayor) got booted out of the next general election for the mayorship of this fine city.  Actually his story is just so interesting that I couldn't help but think of all the fun political "losers" in recent years. 

Before, I catch everyone up to speed on the ever entertaining aspects of KC's version of a car full of clowns, let's take a quick trip down memory lane with some of the other DIPS. (Displaced Idiots Political Scandals).


Where oh where can Rod Blagojevich be, oh where oh where can he be??  I haven't seen any thing of him lately.  Now, mind you, it's not that I am missing him per se. You must admit, he was quite the darling of the media right after he quit being govenor  of Illinois and started being a one man freak show.  Too much fun watching him on the Celebrity Apprentice.  The part where he is going up and down the street introducing himself was one thing, but when a fan (gushingly) asked for his autograph only to figure out that Blago wasn't Donny Osmond, that was priceless.  It's one thing to think, that he thought someone was actually a fan of his  and  another that there is  such an uber idiot that can't tell the difference between Blagojevich and Osmond.

 The other fun cool thing about watching Blagojevich is that it is very much like watching a Muppet.  Really he looks more like a Muppet than some of Jim Henson's original Muppets did.

While I am on the subject of trying to find displaced politicians there seems to be a logical path to take. There is the first step of checking the trifecta of shows that they most likely will show up on, which are of course Dancing With The Stars, Celebrity Apprentice and Celebrity Rehab. Since Blagojevich has already come and gone on Celebrity Apprentice, I am keeping a watchful eye out for the other 2.

When I googled "where is Blago now"  there are some interesting answers.  One site said " he is pretending that he is still governor of Illinois, but Illinois is pretending he never was."

Not giving up that easy, I went to articles about scandals and corruption in state governments, hoping to pick up a clue to his where abouts.  No one seems to know.  The last anyone heard of him ( well, as least as posting articles where I could track him down) is right after the trial when he said he was "totally vindicated". According to him the prosecution just couldn't prove their case.  I guess he is conveniently forgetting that he was found guilty on ONE count and that he is going to be retried on 23 counts.  (starting around April according to the Chicago Tribune, so I guess I can find him then)

There is an interesting article or two  (or 100) about who gets the prize for being the state with the most corruption.  Lot of debate there.  I think I will do a blog in the next few days with the winners.  (It might not be who you suspect.)  I will post a poll today so you can begin guessing on which states might have the most scandals.

As to the where abouts of just a few of the other DIPS...

Jim McGreevy, the "love" governor is in training to become an Episcopal priest.
Gary Condit is running two Baskin Robbins.
Gary Hart became an author of  pulp novels under the pen name of John Blackthorn.

AND the most exciting one of the bunch....drum roll, please   Tom Delay from Texas started a blog.  HOT DAMN.  Aren't I an over achiever?? I am doing the same thing as a DIP. (in this case let is stand for Displaced Insipid Politician)

OK, my little blogees, I am going to tell you a fun story today.  A love story, really.  A true love story!!!
( I couldn't make this S***  up, if I tried)

In 2007 Mark Funkhouser was elected to be the mayor of Kansas City, MO. (remember blogees that half of Kansas City is in Kansas though, Kansas City, KS is a suburb of KS, MO and has its own mayor.)

Back to the love story.  Funk or The Funk as he is known here, seemed like a good idea on paper. According to his bio  "With a PhD in Public Administration and Sociology, an MSW, and an MBA, Mark has taught graduate-level courses in business administration, public administration and public affairs programs continuously over the past 17 years" he surely couldn't do any harm.

Think again!!!! Turns out that he can't go anywhere with out his wife.  I, really mean it.  He can't GO ANYWHERE without his wife, Gloria Squitiro. He claims she is his right hand.  When he set up his office at City Hall, he positioned a desk outside his office door and made her his volunteer personal assistant.  Well, it turns out his mate, that he so loves, is according to Gloria's own description of herself " a feisty, tiny, little Italian broad".   (those are her words, not mine as I wouldn't have been describing her as tiny.) The people that worked in the mayors office had their own descriptions of her. The words they used came closer to vulgar and  potty mouthed. According to The Funk, her earthiness, is just part of her charm.

Well it didn't take long for the  unelected, uninvited co-mayor to start pissing people off.  She starting giving out nick names to some of the paid staff. The proverbial crap hit the fan when she called one African American staffer Bernie Mac and another (Ruth Bates) she started calling Mammy.  Gloria said in the lawsuit that followed that those were meant as terms of endearment. Ruth wasn't feeling the love. Another staffer sued for sexual harassment.  Gloria claims she was just having fun and that she was the only fun one around there.

Here, I was going to insert a link for one of the press releases but it is so raunchy that I was fearful of you out there that would be shocked or offended.  Feel free to google   ---Gloria's Greatest Hits!!! The Best Quotes from Kansas City's racist and Raunchy Co Mayor---I actually, wasn't so offended by the bad words but the racists part is pretty inflammatory.  She clearly needs a filter on her mouth. AGAIN:  This clip has a rating of R -must be over 17, meant for mature audiences.

On with the sweet love story....


The city wasn't feeling affection or finding the fun after the lawsuit hit and the city council passed an ordinance about full time volunteers not being allowed at city hall.  BAD MOVE...The Funk started a law suit against the city. According to him it was an unfair ordinance that was impeding his job.  It turns out he needs his wife to help him run the city.  She is INVALUABLE.

Oh the fun of it all.  Now the city council doesn't want Gloria back in the building so Funk moved city hall to their kitchen in their home. 

In the mean time Gloria continues to endear herself to KC by releasing a Christmas news letter that vividly describes her husbands prostate exam.  (seems The Funk can't go to the doctor alone) Her description describes The Funks response as the doctor's sausage like fingers did their job.  (remember her colorful repartee is so very charming to Funk).

She also, releases part of a diary she is keeping, that has a lot of choice goodies.  In the diary she calls Ruth Bates a Bitch and told her to go F*** herself.  Not the best choice of words before a trial on the whole Mammy calling incident.

I would guess maybe Ruth Bates is not caring overly much about being called a bitch as she got a half million dollar settlement from the city.  Additionally she got  a settlement with Gloria's insurance company.  I am not clear if that is in addition or part of.  I was too busy reading all the trash talk that Gloria was spewing. 

Needless, to say, the whole town was SHOCKED  (yeh, right!!!)  yesterday when the Kansas City Star headline was

A CITY HALL SHAKE-UP

Is anyone really surprised  by The Funks defeat?.... OR.... maybe they are just upset because now who is going to give us such fun salacious reading material in the morning paper.

The Good part of this story is now that The Funk is not going to be mayor he and Gloria can spend more time together.  Oh wait, that isn't possible.

The good for the day....The Funkhouser's life without the media glare is in the near future

The Bad for the day....That some politicians have not got the common sense that god gave them.

The Weird for the day....I totally think that Mark Funkhouser would also, make a great MUPPET.

Oh, one more thing.  Because seemingly, The Funk and his darling wife have their lawyers on speed dial.  Just want to remind you that while it is my opinion that these two are a barrel of laughs, all of this is strictly for your entertainment and not meant as a documentary of  THE FUNK.

.

If you could have a super power.....

As I was walking through the family room this morning, I heard  a blip of a news report about a survey. The survey was to determine what Super Power  people would choose if given a choice...and, of course, if it was possible.  According to the survey people chose the ability to read minds over the ability to fly or the invisibility ability.  (try saying invisibility ability three times). Unfortunately, I had missed the first part of the report so I didn't get the information concerning how this survey came to be.  Perhaps, the ability to go back in time should be on my Super Power want list.

Sooooo, if you have learned anything about me...you know I raced over to my computer to look this survey up and try to find out the what and whys of it.  The problem is that when I Googled "super powers"   10s of thousands of sites came up.  I didn't take the time to open them all or I would still be at it.

Even more interesting than the proliferation  of these surveys, were the number of  entertaining web sites and blogs that are devoted to this all consuming quest for super poweredness. A LOT of people have given a LOT of thought to this.

So, readers, what would you want as your super power?? Invisibility, ability to fly, able to read minds, stop time, X-ray vision,  or maybe shape shifting,   If those powers don't do anything for you, you have a bevy of choices.  Turns out there are web sites and blogs that are aimed at helping you pick the   perfect super power.


The first site that had some interesting answers was Highdeas.com. Keep in mind this web sites sub title says this site is for the best ideas you have when your high.  I did happen to notice that they have 178,000 + followers.  Kind of depressing really. 

If you really want to make this easy, there are quizzes to match you to your super power.  I took  a couple of quizzes  a few minutes  ago and can vouch that they  are TOTALLY accurate. (heh heh)  Who knew how important this "finding your super power" is?

http://www.gotoquiz.com/results/super_powers_quiz

http://www.youthink.com/quiz.cfm?obj_id=67211

I proceeded to take the first quiz which claimed that my best match was to master "invisibility".  Again, judging from the "far less than 178,000 followers...how much more invisible can I get???   (kiddo #2 did mention though, if I rename my blog to "XXX rated girls doing XXX things", I could have millions of readers in the next 10 minutes. (They wouldn't stick around reading my nonsense, I suppose.)

The second quiz have me the super power of "power speed".  What?? Speed reading and Power TV watching with pal TIVO isn't enough speed??  Frankly, this doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.  If I had the power of super human speed, people would expect me to do things, a lot of things....seriously that sounds like work. 

Back on point, some guy on highdeas site said he would want  the super power  "convenience". His theory is that he wants to be able to make any situation be convenient for him.  One of his examples was  if he was hungry his room mate would show up with a pizza. Some of the other answers on that site were creative but I can't repeat them,  as the inappropriateness is only topped by the illegality of it.  The word weed comes up a lot in their idealized super powers. I did happen to notice that the super power of  of  "just saying no" did not make the cut on anybody's list.

On Cracked.com they offer up 7 suggestions of awesome super powers but then tell you how those super powers could bite you in the ass.  (killjoys)   Like speeding through space only to have a head-on collision with a jet.  Again...it must be noticed that a lot of time has been spent thinking about powers that aren't really ever within anyone's grasp.

Over at Superpowerlist.com, they have a daily pick of which  of two powers would you rather have.  On today's menu we have the choice between Mirror: the ability to make people feel what you feel or Energy Blade Hands: hands that can cut through anything.  HHHmmm choices, choice, what will it be????  

Back to the original survey, I had heard on the news....that survey came out with the favorite being "mind reading".  Are you kidding me???  Who would want that?   Lot of rude people out there, I certainly don't want to know what they are thinking.  Besides, that is what Facebook and Twitter do.

I mentioned to hubby that I thought a fun super power would be the ability to shock people.  No, I mean shock as in an invisible tazer (set on low of course).  I had this brilliant idea when I was in my 30's. (yeh, before tazers came into being, I was thinking more along the lines of an invisible cattle prod back then.)

Anyway, I was working as a teller at a bank at the time.  A car load of teenage boys came through the drive up to cash their paychecks.  Five boys, five checks, no accounts but our branch cashed these paychecks as a courtesy.  (the toy store the checks were drawn on was managed by the bank manager's wife)
I retrieve the tube with the checks and while I am counting out the cash, these morons are out in the car really saying very descriptive unkind things  ABOUT ME.  They had the "speak to the teller" button on.  After, I got their money out and they left, the other tellers and I came up with the zapping super power idea.  Had I had the ability to just give them a zap every time something crude came out of their mouth, that would have been fun.

Hubby thinks that would be  a waste of a power.  Serves no purpose but revenge according to him.   Maybe, but on the right day, under just the right circumstances when someone is really ticking me off, it would be the greatest of all super powers.  I don't remember the ability to inflict revenge as a super power. Probably that is a very good thing.

Are You A Dog Person or A Cat Person?

Hi Blogees !!

On with yesterday's story......

The December before Tootsie's passing, it became apparent to everyone that Tootsie was dying. My sweet heart of a  daughter, Kiddo #1 came to Texas with her boyfriend  (now her husband) to hand deliver a birthday present to me.  I was still in bed  one morning when I was startled from sleep to find kiddo #1  and boyfriend, hovering over me. (sidebar:  I find it commendable that he didn't run far far away if one is to believe  that daughters age like their mother)

As soon as I recovered from my shock, I noticed the tiniest bit of fluff in Kiddo #1's hand.  She brought me Chantel.  My daughter, genius that she is,  knew that I was going to need a new distraction to keep me busy if something was going to happen to Toots. As it turned out, just in the nick of time.

I had never considered getting a cat. No particular reason. The only pet I had up to this point was Tootsie and I was really struggling with knowing her time was coming to an end.  I hadn't thought about getting any new pet, dog or cat.  But here she was, a little Blue Point Himalayan Persian fluff ball.  Love at first sight.


Now, I know some of you  "dog" people are feeling faint right now aren't you???  Yikes, a CAT!!
This is one of life's great debates.  The dog lovers versus the cat lovers.  There a entire books rallying for one side or the other.  One web site devoted to figuring out which  is better, had this explanation.

Cats Versus Dogs

What is a Cat?


1. Cats do what they want.
2. They rarely listen to you.
3. They are totally unpredictable.
4. When you want to play, they want to be alone.
5. When you want to be alone, they want to play.
6. They expect you to cater to their every whim.
7 They are moody.
8. They leave hair everywhere.

CONCLUSION: They are tiny little women in fur coats.

What is a Dog?

1. Dog's spend all day sprawled on the most comfortable piece of furniture in the house.
2. They can hear a package of food opening half a block away, but don't hear you when you're in the same room.
3. They can look dumb and lovable all at the same time.
4. They growl when they are not happy.
5. When you want to play, they want to play.
6. When you want to be alone, they want to play.
7. They leave their toys everywhere.
8. They do disgusting things with their mouths and then try to give you a kiss.
9. They go right for the crotch as soon as they meet you.

CONCLUSION: They are tiny little men in fur coats.

I am not sure if  ALL that really applies BUT by early 2000, I had figured out that having a cat was nice so having two cats should (in theory) be even nicer.  Now, I am guessing that you "dog only lovers" are throwing up a  hair ball, figuratively speaking.  GGHHGGk rettchhh  

 I decided that Chantel needed a pet, so hubby and I went over to the no-kill shelter in Denton, TX, thinking we needed another little cat just like Chantel.  However, when we were roaming from room to room at the shelter there was a skinny grey leg poking out of a gate smacking hubby's leg. The little leg frantically trying to get us to notice her, belonged to Carmen, a 16 week old Blue Russian/Siamese mix (all of that is supposition as she had been picked up off the street in Abilene, TX)  She continued to be very insistent.  Hubby picked her up and she latched her arms around his neck just like a hug. She had chosen her family and she was not taking no for an answer.  

Now eleven years later, our girls are with us in Kansas doing what cats do. They spend their days, eating, sleeping, shedding, sleeping, chasing,  sleeping, sleeping and sleeping.

Our girls today.

I know pets aren't for everyone. Some people like dogs and some people like cats, and  some like an array of other creatures.  I like the people that like dogs and cats and an array of other creatures.  To all the animal lovers out there, I hope your pet people are happy and healthy.

The good for the day.... My pets make me happy.

The bad for the day....Lots of animals need people in their lives to take care of them and protect them.

The Weird for the day....I find this funny. 

By the way, Chantel says HI !!!!

Are Your Pets Your People?

Yesterday, I saw a friend out walking her dog.  This wasn't her dog, Magic, that I am used to seeing her with.  She was being pulled along by a "puppy" yellow lab.  I pulled my car over and asked her where Magic was.  Sadly, Magic passed away recently and she got right back on the horse (dog) by getting a new puppy.

It got me thinking, as all topics do. In this case about my Tootsie....

Tootsalania, the Shih Tzu, made her debut into our lives in 1984.  As she was to be called Tootsie by our (then) 4th grader (kiddo #1) and our 2nd grader (kiddo #2), she came to us in the form of 14 oz. of pure sweetness.  Tootsie was to be our children's pet.  Doesn't every parent go through the "it would be a good thing for our children" to have a pet to be responsible for? 

Up to that point, I had never really had a pet in my life.  I had "nearly pets" from time to time.  Hubby bought me two "love" birds right before we got married but by the time we married and they took residence in our LITTLE Chicago apartment, they weren't  exactly endearing themselves to me.  The made horrible screechy noises, and scattered feathers and seed all over the 200 sq. ft. or so that was our home.  They went to live with a friend.  (I am not sure, if that person remained on  speaking terms with us.  Forty years is a long time ago to remember screechy birds.)  The other closest thing we had to a pet was Punky, the miniature Yorkshire Terrier that loved biting people and things.  He only lived at our house a few weeks, as the breeder was able to find someone with more stamina and thicker skin than our household.  (He led a good life with his new owner who told us that he never really got past the whole chewing, biting problem but they could deal with it).

Tootsie quickly took a hold of our household and our hearts.  She chose to sleep next to me at night with the occasionally wandering in to snuggle with one of the kids from time to time.  Ultimately, she always came to retrieve me though as she needed to go outside around 2 AM.  This was to be the way it was for the next 16.5 years.

Over the years the kids grew as kids do. They were busy with sports, friends, first loves, first heartbreaks, first cars, high school  graduations, college and college graduations .  They had moved out and began their lives independent of  mom and dad. 

Toostie on the other hand, stayed through all those  monumental moments in our life and continued  to keep hubby and me company.  She moved to Grand Island, NE with us in 1993 and again she went to Texas with us in 1998.  By the time we made the move to Texas, Toostie was showing her age.  At first in subtle ways. She slept more, jumped less.  Her eyes weren't as bright as they once were but she seemed happy. 

One of the many blessings of Texas was we met some really great people which included our vet, Randy Wuenches.  Randy was keeping close tabs on our precious girl as she started to fail.  Over the next couple of years Tootsie couldn't  make her nightly jump onto the bed.  Never mind though because I could just tuck her in as needed.  Friends started mentioning that, if it were them they would  "put her down".  Are you NUTS!!! This is my kiddo #3. 

Here is the tricky part of being a person like me.  I totally understand there are people out there that can separate animals from humans.  I am not that person though.  Randy the vet asked me early on.  Do you think of Toostie as your pet or is she your family?  Very much family!! No grey area here.  I LOVE this dog.
We need to make her final days, good days. 

For the last 2 years of Tootsie  life she went every Tuesday to a doggy day spa and where she could sit in a little whirlpool to relieve the stiffness in her older joints, get brushed and fluffed and get her little pink ribbon in her little top-of-the-head pony tail. ADORABLE.   She came home from those visits rejuvenated.  She would jump up onto the lap of whoever was accommodating.  Unfortunately, by the following Tues. she was showing her age.

 In 2000, as luck (bad luck) would have it, hubby had been working in Mobile, AL  for about 8 weeks on a consulting gig and the job was ending. Instead of him catching a flight into Dallas, we decided that I would come and retrieve him so we could incorporate a mini-vacation at Beau Rivage Casino and Spa in Biloxi, MS on the way home.  So, I lined up one of the vet techs from Randy's office to come by a couple times a day to check on our girl and give her medications, and of course adore her as I assume everyone thought she was precious. (well, she was!)

While in Biloxi, we received a call from the vet tech saying she was a bit concerned that Tootsie hadn't eaten her supper and she was going to take her back to the office so they could keep and eye on her. Hubby and I started back to Dallas.

As we got back to Texas via Interstate 10 we hit an ice storm. Ice storms aren't necessarily unusual there but one this severe was freaky rare. The first of our many problems was my 4 wheel drive Ford Explorer shredded a tire running over the ice on the interstate late into the night. AAA and an angel of a tow truck driver towed us into some historic looking garage into a tiny little TX town, had the owner come in and open the place for us.  With renewed determination and a new tire, we thought we could make it into Dallas by morning.  Not to be as the next big twist in this debacle of a night was that Texas  authorities closed Interstate 10.  We got a room in Longview, TX for the night.   During the night Randy called to say Tootsie was sleeping peacefully but her liver had shut down and she would not make it through the night.

My sweet girl was gone and by the time the roads were open well into the next day, I didn't get a chance to say my goodbyes.  I have speculated over the years if this was the way it needed to happen.  I was so sad and truly grieving, I don't know how I would have been able to handle myself had I seen any of her final moments. 

This is what I know.  There are people that say "It's a dog, a pet, not a person".  For me the loss was real.  She was one of my people.


 Hey Bloggees, There is a part 2 to this story....tune into tomorrow for the conclusion.

The good for the day....the animal people that embrace our hearts and enrich our lives.

The bad.....The people that mistreat or abuse sweet creatures in our world

The Weird....There were a couple of weird things as far as Tootsie was concerned.

1.  She never ever barked.  Never.  She made a howling sound to "sing along with" Christmas carols from time to time but never a real bark. Licks and wags were her communication skills.

2.  When she was little, our house backed to a farm.Tootsie started scooting under the fence that separated our back yard from a small herd of cattle.   She made a BFF in the form of a bull named Pete.  Pete would lick her little 8 lbs. of fluff like she was a salt block and she seemed to love it.  It was hysterical to watch this massive cow lick our little Tootsie and how happy she was bouncing along next to a huge bull.  Who would of thought of such an odd pair were to be friends? Friends can come in all sizes.

Who's Lazy??

A realtor friend called me last  week surprised by the responses she had been getting from  people that she had confided to that she was getting out of the real estate biz.  I completely GET that this business is in the dumper and not a whole lot of laughs right now which have real estate agents dropping like fleas off a recently dipped dog. It really is the trifecta of bad jobs.  Because of the crummy market, no clients, because we're self employed, no benefits, and because of the prior two reasons, no paychecks.

In part she is annoyed by the fact  that everyone that she has told about her impending departure from the working world, is "What are you going to do with yourself???"  The inference being if you aren't gainfully employed, you must be a lazy bum.   (just to make a point, most Realtors aren't GAINFULLY employed right now anyway, so really what is the difference?) I see her dilemma. How is one to handle this??
Well, I think she has several ways to handle this. 

A.   The nice approach, "My husband is going to support me while I decide what my next career opportunity might be."
B. A more direct approach like " I am going to set my butt on the couch and fritz away the day reading, watching TV and playing on the computer".
C.  It's none of your damn business what I do with my time! Who asked you anyway???

Then as luck would have it last Saturday I noticed an interesting story headline in the Kansas City Star.  Seems there was a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control to determine the physical activity levels of every county in America.  While the CDC is calling it lethargy, all the articles about it are calling it the laziness survey.  Turns out the county that realtor pal and I live in is the LEAST lazy county in the state.
Collectively we are go-getters.  With only 17 percent of Johnson County's population being lazy, there is a pretty good chance that it's neither of us that are slugs. 

Local news release:
http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/lifestyle/CDC-report-details-amount-of-laziness-among-adults-in-counties-across-the-country


The national map showing all the counties where "lazy" resides

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDT_STRS2/NationalDiabetesPrevalenceEstimates.aspx?mode=PHY


For you that have been reading my blogs for awhile, you already know that I will have to mentally dissect all of this and find the good, the bad and the weird. 


Here are just of few of my reason for thinking this survey might be sh*&%.

A.  They didn't talk to me.   If you clicked on the above map, you may have noticed ONLY ONE county in Kansas faired well.  More importantly, that is the county that Realtor friend and I live in.  If a person is "guilty by association" does that also mean "take credit and latch onto any good trait by association".

 Obviously, I didn't get to weigh in on who is lazy locally. I know a lot of people that LOOK lazy.  The Walmart clerk that seemed annoyed that I bothered her to check out may or may not be productively challenged. The group of people at the gym this morning that were using the equipment like lounge chairs while they visited looked less than motivated.  Actually, I can think of a few people that I am absolutely sure fit the definition of shiftless. 

 What if the CDC people had knock on my door?  Where would I fit in their definition of who is lethargic?

What would the questionnaire look like?

1.  Are you employed?  Yes,  but I make next to no money and I avoid working with banks (foreclosures) and working with clients that don't qualify to work with banks  (couldn't get a loan if their life depended on it).            X       Lazy         _______Not Lazy

2.  What to you do with you time?  I write a blog      X        Lazy            Not Lazy
3.  OK we are done here.  You are in the 17 percent  lazy group, so I will be going now.


According to the study,the CDC based respondents on the presence of Diabetes II, their weight, and activity levels.  In my opinion that leaves a lot of variables.  Just sayin', there have to be some thin, non diabetic, folks out there that are lazy and conversely aren't there some over weight people that have diabetes that are working hard. What if I work hard but would actually  much rather be sitting on the couch watching TV, and shoving food down my throat does that make me a closeted lazy person?

B.  They point out a "Lethargic Belt" running from Mississippi up through West Virginia along with Oklahoma coming along for the ride.   Who did they talk to in those states and what in the world did they say???
Because I lived a large part of my early childhood in Arkansas and some of my adult life in Texas, I am curious if the survey takers weren't confused by the slow drawl.  I personally know back in the day that I had a very pronounced southern drawl there were people  who thought I was slow in more ways than one. Let's assume some people are quick to judge and slow to know.


C.  Here is the biggest point to raise my skepticism.  This study was done in 2008 and just now is being released.  It took the folks at the CDC,  THREE years to get there homework done.  Are we really supposed to believe anything dealing with "lack of productivity"  from a group that took a survey 3 years ago and just now getting around to releasing it?  The results are already obsolete. Surely, some of those lazy people from Oklahoma or Mississippi have moved to  be near the energizer bunny types that took the survey in Colorado three years ago.

My take on these types of studies are that they are so skewed that they are unbelievable and absolutely unreliable.   I have no idea how they gathered their data but there are just too many variables.  What a productive, busy, valuable life looks like to one seems totally devoid of worth to another.  I have worked at many full  and part time jobs, but some have been less fulfilling than the years I was a stay-at-home mom. There have been times I have spent  filling my time keeping our home running, doing charitable work, gardening, reading, and a host of other things that I have a passion for.  Who is to be the judge of my ambition level  other than me. (and maybe hubby.)

The good today....fulfilled busy lives take a lot of forms.

The bad today.... Stupid outdated surveys that are probably no where close to the real numbers.

The Weird today....why did it take 3 years to put that study together and release the survey results.

Also weird is this self described lazy person that didn't want to get off the couch to retrieve a beer. Yo Dude, for $1500 bucks you can be this lazy too.

Castle Doctrine Laws: Make My Day

Last  week in Kansas City, MO, a homeowner was awakened during the middle of the night with someone dragging a go cart out of his back yard.  In his "less then alert" state of mind, he grabbed his shotgun and fired into the dark. Well, I probably don't have to tell you where this is headed.  The robber was shot and killed.  The homeowner called 911 and reported the incident and when the police arrived he was promptly arrested.  Lately, I have been noticing a rash of these arrests where a homeowner is being charged with shooting an intruder.  The difference with this one is the burglar was out in the yard.


There is no debate that the robber was robbing him.  In fact, this homeowner had been robbed 3 times in the recent  weeks.  The initial newspaper article said that the prosecutor was going to indict with Murder in the 2nd degree.  I was surprised by that.  I would have guessed that would only warrant an involuntary manslaughter count. Shows what I know??? Clearly the guy would have not been thinking clearly under these circumstances.  Probably shouldn't pick up a gun when you are half asleep, just a thought.


I suspect that in any state in the union, under these circumstances the  shooter would be  in a big heap of trouble.  The intruder was not in the house, was not armed and didn't threaten the homeowner.  He was just stealing stuff.


All of this got me thinking, of course....ya knew it would.


What are the laws in my current state??  Why I felt the need to know is any one's guess. As I don't own a gun and wouldn't know how to use it.  Just more trivial junk I need to stow in the nether regions of my brain.

 I looked up the laws in Kansas concerning the Castle Doctrine Laws.  Generally, the “castle doctrine” provides that someone attacked in his home can use force, which can include deadly force, to protect his or an other's life without any duty to retreat from the attacker. It is defined differently in different states. 


 At the present time there are 31 states that have some version of the Castle Doctrine Laws. In recent years, a number of states have adopted or considered bills referred to as “castle doctrine” bills. These bills expand the circumstances where a person can use self-defense without retreating and contain other provisions, such as immunity for someone who legally uses force in self-defense.


Each state's laws vary in wording and intent. Turns out this is the tricky part.  Just in case you are planning on shooting an intruder anytime soon.  You better read your law clearly.

 Some states have added provisions such as the  "No Retreat Laws" which add the clause that you don't have to attempt to remove yourself from a threatening situation. Another version is some states is "Make My Day Laws".  (I am serious here).  These laws are based on the attitude that Dirty Harry had in the Clint Eastwood movies.  (in this version someone for sure is going to get hurt) and my personal favorite is the "No need to retreat anywhere" law.  This is the Texas version that says they don't expect you to retreat at all.  (it's nearly daring you to blow someone to bits) Here are a couple of web sites that break down the laws by states and do a pretty good job of clarifying the extent of the Castle Laws in that state.

http://www.cga.ct.gov/2007/rpt/2007-R-0052.htm


http://redensign.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/castle-law-stand-your-ground-2/


Now some of you are jumping to the conclusion that I would want to shoot an intruder.  Not so fast on your jumping there folks.  First of all, I have already noted that hubby and I don't own a gun.  Hubby was in a branch of the military,  so I guess he could figure it out but we are pacifists (whooses if you will) so you can jump to the conclusion we will just be scared S***LESS  if we wake up to a robber.


With that being said, for you guys and gals that have legal weapons and someone is breaking in your place, I guess given the right circumstances I am ok with you shooting them. (not that you need my permission, so shoot away) 


 I hesitate to endorse shooting someone that is burglarizing your place but basically these dumb asses need to not be in your house messing with you and your things. Further more if they do break in, they need to take on the risk that they might get shot.  I don't want to hear them whining about their injuries (if they survive).  I especially don't want to hear about them suing you, which seems to happen from time to time.  If I am on your jury, I might be the tie breaker in your favor. (Well unless, you were doing something outrageous and mean spirited to your burglar. Let's assume he was asking for trouble.)


I liked the Texas attitude as far as home invasions go.  Back on the blog post where I  was talking about good neighbors, I failed to mention that my immediate next door neighbor in Texas was a Texas Ranger.  Roland  was a really good neighbor.  Neat guy. 


Shortly after we moved in and got to know each other a bit, he came over.  He asked me if I had a gun in the house and of course, I said no.  He said " I know your hubby travels a lot.  If he is out of town and you have any trouble you just call."  He proceeded to tell me about the "no need to retreat law".  Roland said he would be glad to shoot someone for me if they broke into my house.  How sweet is that???  Now there is a neighbor that has your back.


Anyway...Back to the fact that I now reside in Kansas.  Turns out Kansas does  have a version of a Castle Doctrine Law but it was updated in 2010 by a Castle Doctrine Bill.  I have read it and reread it and just don't get it. Doesn't it sound (see link below) like if you threaten your intruder, you had better carry through or you are breaking the law.  If you don't warn him you better not hurt him.  I am totally confused.  If you kill him, how is he going to tell anyone "Hey he didn't warn me."



https://docs0.google.com/document/d/1lW6hcx9GsZsUVI6US0pekrvTKHW4IEG_TMkzJ5cgYUU/edit?hl=en#



I can't help but think of the little old lady that was trying to get out of Cairo, that said she had an arsenal comprised of hot water, rolling pin, knife and a pan.  Perhaps that is the safest approach if you don't want to get charged with shooting someone.


The good for the day....Our homes are "Our Castles"


The bad for the day....There are idiots out there that have no respect for your castle. 




The WEIRD for the day ....speaking of gun rights (and wrongs) I always find Tom Lehrer's takes on subjects pretty funny.

Idiots Using Smart Phones

Recently in Kansas, a new bill has passed. You can't text and drive (simultaneously, anyway) within Kansas any longer.  There are several things that about these laws that continually puzzle me.  Are there so many people that are out there texting while driving that state legislatures have to reign it in?  How is it even possible?  If you are texting with both hands, driving with your knees (I guess), looking at the phone, how can it be that you are still alive??

Couple little facts to consider.  There are 30 states that have laws preventing texting while driving.  There are 8 additional states that don't let novice drivers or school bus drivers, text.  I would have liked to been privy to the state Congress/Senate sessions the day those laws passed to hear the discussion.  "Fellow lawmakers, let's enact some law that only experienced car drivers and truck drivers can text and drive at the same time.  Those 16 year olds should pay attention at least for a couple of years before being inattentive and killing someone.

Cellular phones and Smart phones, have changed how we all live.  How far we've come.

AND HERE WE ARE!!! 


Texting, as previously mentioned, seems to be the rage.  In or out of the car people are texting their fingers down to nubs.  I find a lot of conflicted viewpoints on the whole issue of texting.

• Why do people text things that would take much less time to just say? Wouldn't it be easier just to talk?
• You have to learn a whole new language. 

(angry girlfriend)
BF  SRSLY WTF    R U 2 BZ 2 Cm   U R PITA  Cm ASAP  >:-(

(happy girlfriend)
BF WUWH  UR2d4 ILU IMI :-x

Texting surely, is undoing a couple hundred years of teaching school children how to spell and use punctuation.

Really, by the time you figure out the appropriate symbols, wouldn't just pushing the programmed number on your phone to call the person be faster.  The worst that is going to happen is you speak your message to voice mail.

Filming:
Another new rule.  Yesterday on one of the talk shows, the ladies were hashing over the policies that hospitals are now imposing.  Fathers can no longer bring camera cell phones into the delivery rooms.  Don't want any mistakes on film, I guess.  Actually, I am on board with this one.  I don't give a crud about the liability to the hospital  if something goes wrong, but if I were the mommy-in-process I wouldn't want hubby's cell phone at the baby-in-process end of me.

The camera part of Smart Phones is always in the news.  Good and Bad.  Look at all the catastrophes we get to see now thanks to cell phones, earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides, and fires for example.  It's just not natural disasters though.  If you are acting badly you can bet someone is filming it for you.  Lawyers have just got to love these cell phone clips unless they are  representing the bad boy/ bad girl that is. 

Sexting
On past posts, I talked about the whole sexting debacle.  Seems that the act of actually making a phone call is somewhat incidental to why some people buy these phones. Being able to make X rated pictures and videos in the palm of your hand. How precious.

Talking
The people that do actually use cell phones for the sole purpose of making and receiving telephone calls have their own issues.  It is a common belief among cell phone users, I believe, that they think when they talk on the phone that no one around them can hear the conversation.  There perhaps is an invisible cone of silence that protects them from being heard.  This must be true!! This is perhaps why people talk so loud. You have to speak extra loud when you are in the cone. 

The one thing you might want to be conscious of, as you work up to a slow boil,   while listening to some highly intellectual type drone into their phone " Oh, my god.....like...for real....like....no way....SHUT UP!....really...no way...for real???" is right after you  complain about them being a  rude moron, your phone will ring and you will answer it.  But of course YOU ARE IN THE CONE!!!!

Also, let's make up a axiom for that: "The first to complain is the first to offend."  That should rank right up their with Peter's Principle and Murphy's Law but what should we call it?? Any suggestions??? Post a comment if you have some clever thought on what to call our new rule.
Ringers

To really liven up the place (and that can be any place including but not limited to, restaurants, offices, churches and meeting with the Pope). Be sure to turn the volume on your ringer full blast and find the most offensive song you can find as your ringtone.  That should get the heads a turnin'.

Not so long ago, I was at a dinner theatre with some friends, when someones phone started ringing during the performance.  The phone was ringing loudly with some kind of musical ringtone.  (nothing I recognized).  The person was continuing to ignore it when one of the actors on stage actually stopped and said something to the effect of " if you would like to answer that, we will wait".  The actor that stopped the show should have gotten a standing ovation right then.

Last but not least:
Wasting time while havin' fun with our portable little computers

Now this is one of those conflicted areas.  There are so many fun apps out there.  Who wouldn't want to load some games and other fun stuff on the phone. Tex Pal, who you may remember is a surgical nurse, said this is what all the people working at the hospital do in all their "spare" time.  I know I want my anaesthesiologist to be preoccupied with "Angry Birds". 

 It is hard not to succumb to the powers of the App Store. So to be fair, those near and dear to me (oh, yeah, and ME) are semi-addicted to some of this foolishness. I say semi as we are all still trying to be considerate of the people around us. No playing with phones in public places where people might be disturbed. 

Hubby loves some of those apps that you scan the bar code of anything in a store and it tells you where you can buy it cheaper.

Three year old grandson loves to do puzzles. (Scary that at three he knows how to open the apps)

And who doesn't want to Google things when you have some random thought while out and about?

OR read a book OR watch a TV show OR buy stuff OR log in, OR social network.....

  How did we ever manage without these little wonders??


The good for the day....our fun techy stuff

The bad for the Day...when we use it rudely, or dangerously, or inappropriately


The Weird for the Day...The fact that I can remember most of these phones and have owned more than a few. YIKES

Copy Cat Galore (get the reference to a James Bond movie character)

There is some serious copy cats out there!!  I have noticed a lot of repeats and more-of-the same in the news of late. 

Let's start with the most important.  That slutty dress Lindsay Lohan wore to court. You know the one that the major news outlets had to have fuzzy little cover ups in strategic places when they showed clips of her. Turns out "things" were showing through it.   BUT....the dress has completely sold out.  OMG... Were women out there saying "I have to get me that slutty dress and show off my business." (am I leaping here thinking only women were buying this dress?  Sorry if I am stereotyping. If there are any  guys that are into that sort of thing out there,  I am sure you  would look great in a slutty dress.)

*Note to reader.... You might be saying at this point that it seems that I pick on Miss Lohan a lot.  Yes, I do.  Because her impulse control is NIL, non-existent  Oh, yeh  and she is still on my imaginary "Bus Headed for a Cliff" and Charlie Sheen is getting on board to sit next to her.  As well as all of the Jersey Shore FPV. (future parole violators)


 On a bigger scale have you noticed all the protests in the Middle East  that came out of the gate as soon as Egypt got their leader to step down.
Now Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, Algeria, and Iran., all had the same "original" thought. "Damn, if  that worked in Egypt, let's try it here."  Maybe it is like doing the wave at a baseball game. It is just those countries doing the WAVE.  If that is a legitimate theory that might explain a lot about the conflicts in the Middle East. 
They are doing it, why can't we???

The other copy cat story that I was somewhat surprised by.  Notice I didn't say shocked.  NOTHING shocks me anymore. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the Mom that killed her children for being mouthy.
(a couple of days after that post, I did notice the story in People Magazine which leads me to think that the People people need to give me a call about upcoming material.  (Are you reading this People people??)

Anyway....on to my point....right after that a father killed his kids for the same reason. They were disrespectful. Again, one has to wonder "what the hell was he thinking?"  Oh, snap!!! Great idea!!!

Aren't we all just a bit of copy cats in our world today.  When hubby got the latest version of his iphone, my Palm product couldn't hit the junk drawer fast enough.  The same could be said for the cars we drive (well, not in my case as I am a cheapskate. That would only apply if I were copying the people in Seoul) the clothes we wear, the shoes and purses we buy.  Everyone wants the "thing to have".  (Well again not everyone as some people (me) think of copying more as in copying the original for a cheap knockoff).  I know you people that put stock in brand names are "tsk tsking" me right now.

There is a status symbol that goes with being one of the "in crowd".  The cool kids remain the crowd to be in.
On the red carpet at an awards show, Vera Wang means something.  I would doubt if someone said, I bought my dress at K-Mart or Walmart, that it would carry quite the same ooohhh and ahhh factor.

One extreme example of "follow the leader" came into play on our local news lately. 

Our major interstate highway that dissects Kansas City is Interstate 35.  A major new road project was underway that was putting new multi-lane exit ramps to get traffic off of  Interstate 35 onto 87th St.  During rush hour traffic a lady on her way to work decided it looked "done enough" so she takes the exit in spite of the barricade.  SIX other cars followed her.  Turns out the concrete was still wet and two of the cars sank down to mid-wheel and were stuck.  ( I guess the others stepped on the brakes pretty quick when the two in front quit moving forward) The other sorta-kinda funny (for twisted minds) was the KS dept of Transportation had a tow truck try to pull these cars out and it too got stuck.  The leader of the pack lady was on TV saying that the barricade had left enough room for cars to go through so she thought it would be all right.  (another person with no impulse control)

So the Good for the Day---  Seemingly we never have to have an original thought, just find a person to imitate.

The Bad for the Day... There is a pretty sizable crowd that seems to be following bad examples.

The Weird for the day...The video for "Follow Me" seemed appropriate for today's little coffee break/blog. I hadn't noticed in the past that the group, Copy Cat is in it several times. (and Mark McGrath too)