Merry Christmas David and Sean Goldman

David Goldman, What a wonderful Christmas gift you have recieved this year getting your son back from Brazil! Congratulations! Hopefully it won't be too difficult for you both to adjust, since you are practically strangers. I'm sure that will change very quickly. Merry Christmas!

Survivor Samoa - Nineteenth Season

Monday morning, the 21st, I signed on facebook. The post I happened to see was from Sugar saying, "I hate Survivor". My first thought was, "hmmmm, I wonder why". My second thought was, "CRAP, I forgot Survivor was on last night!! How could I have forgotten?" I do hate that it normally airs on Thursday, and they air the final show on Sunday. I guess I'm just a creature of habit. I did not have a chance to watch it until Tuesday night. I held my breath hoping no one would tell me who had won in the meantime.

When Natalie was first announced, I was not only shocked, but very upset. I initially thought she was voted for only because people hated Russell, the Snake. I quickly realized that Natalie really did play a good game. She aligned with strong players, stayed loyal to them and made some really good moves, like getting rid of Erik. Getting rid of Erik was probably her best move. Like Erik said before the vote, Natalie and Russell played two different strategies and you can't say one was better than the other. Although, Natalie's strategy was better. It seems the jury always likes honesty, loyalty and integrity over lying, manipulating and betraying.

Christmas Cards for Jacob

Recently, many of you have probably seen the word "hoax" or "rumor" in the headline of any story about Christmas Cards for Jacob, even though most of the stories out there go on to report the request for cards was TRUE as reported by WSYR-TV on December 14, 2009 WSYR-TV The family only requested people stop sending cards because of the overwhelming amount of cards that was received.

Fox news reported "Amie and Ron Hadcock say they don't know where the e-mail began or how anyone got the idea that Jacob is terminally ill." Not knowing where the email began, is a little misleading since it infers they didn't know where the request came from. More than likely the email came from the same person they gave their address to at the Santa function when the request was made. Apparently it is NOT TRUE that Jacob is terminally ill. The fact that a child might be terminally ill probably should not be posted on the Internet in the first place. The fact remains that the only part about this story that is not true, is that Jacob is not terminally ill. What great news that is!

For future reference, if someone does not want thousands of cards for their child, maybe it would be best NOT to ask a huge retailer to spread the word, especially since word travels so fast these days with the help of the Internet.

Thanks should be given to all who put themselves out to send a card and especially to those who set up information on websites to spread the word! It is nice to see so many decent people out there who are willing to put themselves out for a good cause (even though the parents cancelled the request)! I hope, since this request was only for 2009, that everyone who posted information on the Internet will now take the address information down from their websites.

And just for the record, I did not send a card because a terminally ill child requested Christmas cards, nor did I send a card because a child was ill. I sent a card because a little boy asked Santa for lots of cards and I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but YES, I DO STILL BELIEVE IN SANTA!

A Christmas Wish for David Goldman

Good luck David Goldman. I can't imagine what you are going through and hope you are able to have your son, Sean, home from Brazil for Christmas!

Pet Peeve...rinsing dishes

One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing people rinse their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. With an emphasis on being "green" these days, why are people still rinsing their dishes? I've always had a hard time understanding this concept. Of course I, like most in my age group, was brought up being made to rinse dishes before putting in the dishwasher. The first time I bought my own dishwasher, I thought "Why am I rinsing them when a. the dishwasher has a "rinse" button, b. the dishes come clean even if I don't rinse them first and c. I spent all this $$$ on a dishwasher so I could rinse the dishes first? I might as well put soap on them, rinse them again and put them away." Have the people who rinse their dishes first ever thought about the amount of time and energy that is being wasted for absolutely no valid reason?

SUGGESTION #1 - 1. Take a rubber spatula, scrape the dishes and place them in dishwasher along with the spatula. 2. Once dishwasher is full, do a test by putting detergent in dishwasher and run dishwasher. 3. Check to see if dishes are clean.

OR (if above does not work)

SUGGESTION #2 - 1. Scrape food off dishes with rubber spatula and place in dishwasher. 2. Hit "rinse only" button. 3. Run dishwasher when full. 4. Check to see if dishes are clean.

OR

SUGGESTION #3 - 1. Use paper napkin to wipe off dish (most of us use napkins when eating). 2. Throw away paper napkin. 3. Run dishwasher when full 4. Check to see if dishes are clean.

Please let me know how this works for you. With all that time and water you save, take a nice, long, relaxing bath at the end of the week!

Tiger Woods and Ambien

ABC Good Morning America reported this morning that Tiger Woods may have been on Ambien the night/morning of his accident. That would explain it all. Well, not exactly "all". It wouldn't explain any possible mistresses but what it would explain is the odd behavior the night of the accident, especially the "in and out of conscientiousness." I've seen someone on Ambien and it's not good. Someone on Ambien could potentially do ANYTHING and not remember it when they wake up the next day. I know one person who downloaded ringtones to her cell phone after taking it and when her phone rang that tone the next day said, "where did that ringtone come from?" I know someone else who does crazy stuff at night. She has gone into her kitchen in the morning and said, "how did all this stuff get moved around? It's wasn't like that when I went to bed." Another ended up in the hospital with heart-attack-type symptoms that mysteriously disappeared when Ambien was discontinued.

Any sleeping pill that causes blackouts like that can't exactly be real good. If someone is downloading ringtones or rearranging a kitchen, is that really "good" sleep? If I were to take it, my fear would be that I would drive my car and wake up hundreds of miles from my house. Could that be why Tiger left the house? Ambien? If he's smart, it will be his story!

Plants in December

Yesterday, December 5, 2009, we had our first snowfall. Thursday, December 3rd, was 69 degrees, the sun was shining and it was absolutely beautiful. Today it is beautiful, too, but in a different way. It is hard to believe that two days after 69 degrees, the snow blanketed everything last night. It's true what they say about the New Hampshire weather -- "If you don't like it, wait a minute."

I'm amazed these petunia plants have not wanted to die this year. There have been no flowers on them for months, but they just keep growing.

Twelve Days of Christmas

Some believe the Twelve Days of Christmas was written to help parents teach their children about God, Jesus and the Catholic religion. Pre-1829, when Catholics were not allowed to openly practice their faith, this song possibly allowed Catholics to practice their faith while at the same time, remain hidden.

On the first day of Christmas, my true love (symbolizes God) gave to me (symbolizes Christians)...
A partridge in a pear tree - symbolizes Jesus Christ. A mother partridge will fake an injury to draw predators from her babies;
2 turtle doves - the Old and New Testaments;
3 French hens - Faith, Hope and Charity;
4 calling birds - the Four Gospels;
5 golden rings - the first five books of the Old Testament which gave the history of man's fall from grace;
6 geese a laying - the six creation days;
7 swans a swimming - seven gifts of the Holy Spirit;
8 maids a milking - the eight Beatitudes;
9 ladies dancing - nine choirs of angels;
10 lords a leaping - the Ten Commandments;
11 pipers piping - eleven faithful Apostles;
12 drummers drumming - the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed

Washington DC White House Party Crasher Couple

I'm not real impressed that anyone would stoop to sneaking into any party, especially a White House party. I heard there may be charges coming against them, but I can't say I think they were wrong. I think Secret Service was wrong and should be embarrassed they allowed this to happen. The media should drop the story as they are helping this couple get exactly what they wanted -- media attention and fame!

Tiger Woods Accident

In all seriousness, Tiger Woods and his family are entitled to privacy. Tiger is an amazing athlete, a class act, and worthy of respect. He's entitled to make a mistake just like the rest of us. No matter what really happened Black Friday AM, it's really none of our business. Of course, that won't stop our curiosity....

Woods Accident

Back several years ago, there was an accident right down the road from my house. My husband and I heard screeching and something just didn't sound right. We ran down the road to see if everyone was okay. We didn't grab a driver, putter or a pitching wedge, nor did we go back to our house to get one.

My husband and I are trying to figure how this accident played out....

You hear an accident at the end of your driveway and a voice (possibly your husband) calling "help". You instinctively know to grab a golf club from your garage, run down to the accident and break the back window to get him out. You pull a six foot man from the front driver's seat over the back seat and out the back window of an Escalade.

OR...you hear the accident, run out, check the Escalade doors. They won't open. You run back to the house, grab that putter that's in the umbrella stand (instead of the spare key that is hanging right next to the putter), run back and break the back window of the Escalade. You climb in, unlock the driver's door and pull him out.

OR...at 2:30 in the morning you are practicing your putting because your husband is a much better golfer than you. You hear a crash, run (you just happen to have that putter in hand) break the window so you can get the person out of the vehicle and onto the ground.

OR...you are having a fight with your husband at 2:30 in the morning after a few Thanksgiving cocktails. He jumps in his car, speeds out in his SUV crashing into a tree and a fire hydrant while you are chasing him with a golf club. At this point, you say, "oh crap, this is serious, he needs help" and break the back window. Or you maybe say "you rat b****rd!!!" and break the window.

No matter which way it plays out...the back window gets broken. We can't wait to hear what really happened.

"Health Insurance Reform"

Watching Good Morning America this morning, I saw someone (Sen. Tom Harkin, I think) saying there would soon be a victory on health "insurance" reform. During that segment, someone (by this time I was starting to wake up) also said that Obama and the American public had asked for "health insurance reform" and they would soon be giving it to us (cramming down our throats might probably be more like it). They were also talking about the new government insurance that would be created to compete with insurance companies.

I must be misunderstanding this whole health care reform issue ... I thought we all wanted health care reform which, in itself, should lead to health insurance reform. How can insurance costs be forced down if the health care costs haven't changed? What am I missing? Maybe I'll understand it better if I read all 2,072 pages....

What do you think about "health care reform"?

The "Count"...

How inventive to "spell" Google with numbers! Again I find myself smiling as Google appears on my screen. This was a very welcome smile after wiping tears while watching Diena Thompson on GMA. Diena lost her 7-year-old daughter, Somer, a few weeks ago. Somer disappeared while walking home from school. I can't even imagine the grief she and her family are feeling - my heart goes out to them. I hope the monster who did this is soon found.

Sesame Street....

Don't you think every day should be "Sesame Street" day on Google? It has been making me smile all week! Hard to believe Sesame Street could possibly be 40 years old.

Is Email Obsolete? What Do You Think?

Could it really be true that email is at least becoming obsolete? I have just recently been realizing that even I have been known to text instead of email. I really hate texting. Give me a full size keyboard for my fingers and I'm much happier. All my fingers like to type. When typing with only my thumbs, it doesn't work as well for me. Although, I can't exactly fit my 17" laptop into my purse, so I'm forced to use the phone. Checking with my daughter she confirmed she typically replies to facebook or will text rather than emailing. What do you think?

11 Year Old Defends Herself - Truth or Fiction?

Ironically, just after blogging about an 11 year old who was hurt in a break in, I received this email today:

"Shotgun preteen vs. Illegal alien Home Invaders:
Butte , Montana November 5, 2007
Two illegal aliens, Ralphel Resindez, 23, and Enrico Garza, 26, probably believed they would easily overpower home-alone 11 year old Patricia Harrington after her father had left their two-story home.

It seems the two crooks never learned two things: they were in Montana and Patricia had been a clay shooting champion since she was nine. Patricia was in her upstairs room when the two men broke through the front door of the house. She quickly ran to her father's room and grabbed his 12 gauge Mossberg 500 shotgun.

Resindez was the first to get up to the second floor only to be the first to catch a near point blank blast of buckshot from the 11-year-old's knee crouch aim. He suffered fatal wounds to his abdomen and genitals.

When Garza ran to the foot of the stairs, he took a blast to the left shoulder and staggered out into the street where he bled to death before medical help could arrive.

It was found out later that Resindez was armed with a stolen 45 caliber handgun he took from another home invasion robbery. That victim, 50-year-old David 0Burien, was not so lucky. He died from stab wounds to the chest.

Ever wonder why good stuff never makes NBC, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, CNN, or ABC news........an 11 year old girl, properly trained, defended her home, and herself......against two murderous, illegal immigrants......and she wins,
She is still alive..

Now that is Gun Control!

Thought for the day: Calling an illegal alien an 'undocumented immigrant' is like calling a drug dealer an 'unlicensed pharmacist'

I like this kind of e-mail. American citizens defending themselves and their homes."

Searching the internet, it appears this is a bogus story.

And Speaking of Fire Victims - Joel Sonnenberg

I think of Joel Sonnenberg each and every time I go through a New Hampshire toll booth. Joel was 22 months old when the car he was in was rear-ended, resulting in the car being enveloped in fire. Joel was burned from head to toe and grew up without toes or fingers.

I happened to see Joel on an episode of Sue Thomas FBEye (a show loosly based on a true story) and decided to find out more about him. It was disturbing to learn his burns were caused at a New Hampshire toll booth.

Thinking of Joel and how he overcame so many obstacles gives me confidence and helps keep me optimistic. Thanks Joel for being you!

His book is "The Inspiring Story of a Miracle Named Joel" and his website is www.joelsonnenberg.com

15 Year Old Florida Boy Intentially Burned

Every morning the news is disturbing, but especially so this morning and recently. A 15-year-old boy, Michael Brewer, was set on fire by five young boys with the aid of rubbing alcohol. Michael was burned on 65% of his body and may have saved his own life by jumping into a pool. Due to the severity of his burns, the next few days are critical. According to the Miami Herald, five boys have been arrested: Matthew Bent, 15; Denver Colorado Jarvis, 15; Denver's brother Jeremy Jarvis, 13; Steven Shelton, 15; and Jesus Mendez, 15.

Rewinding to October 8 in New Hampshire - According to Union Leader, Senior Assistant Attorney General N. Will Delker has said four armed teens entered the secluded home in Mont Vernon about 4 a.m.,with robbery plans and to kill anyone they found inside. Kimberly Cates, 42, was fatally attacked in her bed with a machete and a knife. Her 11-year-old daughter, Jaimie, survived the attack, and was able to call 911. She suffered injuries that led to hours in surgery at Children's Hospital Boston. This will be a tough thing for her to live with.

According to CBS News, Four teens have been arrested. Charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder are Steven Spader, 17, and Christopher Gribble, 19, both of Brookline, NH. They are being held without bail. Charged with burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and robbery are William Marks, 18, and Quinn Glover, 17, both of Amherst, NH They are being held on $500,000 cash bail.

This reverberates to another senseless act in Dartmouth NH, in 2001 when two college professors were brutally killed in their home. If my memory serves me correctly, the reason they were killed is because they opened their door.

My heart goes out to all of these families. I can't imagine what these tradgeies have put these families through.

Last night, I sat down to watch Criminal Minds. It was about three men who broke into a home and killed two couples. The next target was a young couple - a young boy picking up his girlfriend. That is when I chose to shut off the TV. With this type of stuff going on all around us, I just can NOT watch it on Television anymore. I love the perfect meld of the actors in the show. I now hate the show.

There are many shows on TV that I'm choosing not to watch: Criminal Minds, all the CSI shows, any that show violence along with blood and guts.

Thirty years ago my parents wintered in Florida and had the Union Leader mailed to them. I remember my father calling me, shocked that he had read about someone in New Hampshire being murdered. Thirty years ago it was not the normal.

Could someone please tell me WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON???? How are we raising children who have no regard for the human life?????

NY Times front page this am...

"It's a Fork, It's a Spoon, It's a ... Weapon?" is a must-read article in the NY Times this morning. A 6 year old was suspended for bringing his Boy Scout eating utensils to school. He now could be punished by having to spend 45 days in reform school. HUH?????? I have to admit, the fork and spoon look like eating utensils, and the "knife" does look like a pocket knife, but STILL!!! Does a 6 year old even understand his eating utensils might be something more than eating untensils? I'm sure he must understand now.

An even more disturbing part of this article is the third grader who was expelled after her grandmother sent a birthday cake for the classmates. It wasn't the birthday cake that got her expelled, it was the knife she sent with it to cut and serve it. The teacher only reported it to the principal AFTER using it to cut the cake! I thought the days of being punished for someone else's actions were gone!

Have the zero tolerance laws gone too far?

Read this article here: http://tinyurl.com/yj8v3fr

Google Barcode - Something to Think About

I love today's Google doodle, the barcode. In fact, I love all the Google doodles. I even like saying "Google doodle". The bar code doodle on Google's home page contains a link that will take you to the same place "bar code" takes you if entered into the Google search field.

According to the Telegraph.co.uk, Google is celebrating the bar code's 57th anniversary (although it was originally slightly different than the straight lines we see today). It was not used in a supermarket until June of 1974 on a pack of Wrigley's gum.

I'm definitely showing my age here, but I remember standing in line while the cashier had to punch in the prices of everything. The cash register receipt did not give any specifics of anything purchased either -- just the prices and total.

I wonder, what would it be like today, without the barcode? How life would be different!!! Thanks Google for giving us something to think about.

Beware of Hidden Ingredient - Splenda / Sucralose

A disturbing fact about Splenda. Several items I'm buying lately contain sucralose, which of course is Splenda, an artifical sweetener. What I'm concerned about are two things. One that it is more or less "hidden" in the incredients list - you know those so-small-you-need-a-magnifying-glass-to-see-them ingredients.
And two, I'm very concerned that parents might be UNKNOWINGLY feeding it to their children. Please beware, if not for yourself, at least for your children's sake. Please check those indredients.

I recently purchased chocolate covered almonds and a high-protein drink that both contained sucralose. I was shocked to see sucralose in the ingredients, since NOTHING whatsoever on the front suggested the addition of any artificial sweetener. Somehow I thought any addition of artifcial sweetener needed to be noted on the front. I thought wrong.

Ameradoor - Have you had good luck?

On my blog, Lydia's Reviews I posted this:

"Ameradoor- Quality Cabinet Doors and Cabinets
We recently built a maple entertainment center for our living room. Unfortunately, when it came to the doors, we did not have the expertise or the right tools. Since we only needed three doors and one drawer front, we decided to have them built. Searching the Internet we were able to find Ameradoor. The price with shipping was less than we would have paid for a router and the rail and stile bits.

When the doors arrived, we were very happy with their workmanship. "

I've since placed another order and feel that although they are slow in delivering, they have the best price and their workmanship is good. On my blog "Lydia's Reviews", several people have made negative comments. I know we usually post on the internet when we have bad experiences. I am hoping someone else may have had a good experience, and if so, and will post a comment at
http://lydiasreviews.blogspot.com/2009/01/ameradoor.html

Thought for Today...

I just came across a quote I wanted to share:
"If you make giving a way of life, you will find that you will be happier than you could have ever believed or imagined. Doing things for others fills you with a warmth you can never get in any other way." Mary Kay Ash

Diane Sawyer - GMA Jessica Lynch Ruse

Did anyone else happen to catch Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America last week talking about Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch? I don't dare quote her, for fear of misquoting, but what I heard her say is ... the Jessica Lynch story was a ruse. It was fabricated to focus us away from what was really going on at the time. Diane said this so matter-of-factly that I figured it had already been in the news and I was the last person to hear it. When I asked my husband, who faithfully reads the newspaper, he said he hadn't heard anything about it and had no idea what I was talking about. Did someone say Wag the Dog?

Would love to hear if anyone else heard what I heard!

America's Got Talent - Winner 2009

Normally I would only say, "Congratulations, Kevin". Today I'm almost speechless. The only performance I saw of Kevin's was completly out of tune. When the top ten were on stage, each and every one of them must have been shocked to hear themselves being eliminated before Kevin. I understand he probably was the one who needed the $$ the most, since he was forced to quit his job to join in the competition. Since I don't have anything nice to say, I'll say no more.

Jaycee Dugard - found after 18 years

I saw a story on GMA this morning about Jaycee Dugard, the 11-year-old who was abducted 18 years ago. The two women who were instrumental in rescuing her were interviewed. One said to be aware of your surroundings -- pay attention. Always follow your instincts and if you are wrong, apologize later. What great advice! We do have a responsibility as a society to help keep others safe. They said their mother's instincts helped solve this case.

My heart goes out to Jaycee and her entire family. I can't imagine what she and her family have been through in the last 18 years. It amazes me that in 18 years, noone's instincts were stong enough to help save this girl sooner. Maybe we all need to have a little more Gladys Kravitz in us. (For those who are young to remember, Gladys was the nosy neighbor on "Bewitched".) Gladys never missed a thing.

Please Help Me Start Something New

Please help me start something new. This help request is precipitated by my being slightly germophobic. When washing my hands with soap and water in a public bathroom, I usually look over at the paper dispenser and ask myself, "why didn't I pump out the paper before washing my hands"? Then I say to myself, "wouldn't it have been nice if the last person had left a small amount of paper hanging down? If they had, I could use that to pump out more paper if needed." It seems a real waste of both soap and water if you must touch everything after washing.

Two weeks ago I went to the beach and the next day I woke up with a sore throat. The public bathroom I had been using did not have a paper dispenser-- it had a blower dryer. To make it worse (since I had no paper to use to shut off the faucet and spaced out using my elbow), to get out of the bathroom, it was necessary to grab the screen door that swung in rather than out. Two days later my throat was worse rather than better and since I had no cold symptoms, I suspected strep. A throat culture proved it to be strep as I suspected and the nurse said, "it is a strain we don't see very often." NO WONDER I'M SLIGHTLY GERMOPHOBIC!!! I'm just glad I called the doctor so quickly.

The next time I'm at the beach, I'll bring my own soap and water and just wash my hands back at my umbrella. But in the meantime, when we use a paper dispenser in a public bathrrom, how about we all leave a 6 inch piece for the next person? (Especially with the threat of Swine Flu so imminent.)

Blast From the Past - TV show "V"

What a blast from the past I got this morning. While searching for something on ABC.com, I noticed they have a show, "V" coming out on November 3rd. I remembered watching a tv show named "V" back many years ago. I surprised even myself by watching that type of show. It was a show about aliens that looked like humans but were actually reptile-like aliens under that human skin. Searching the internet, I found it aired back in 1984 - 1985 -- wow! 25 years ago. I was hooked on that one; we'll see what happens with this one.

Have You Had Hip Surgery??? Survey

I have a friend who broke broke her hip this past February. In July, since she didn't seem to be healing quite right, she went back to the doctor and an x-ray showed she had broken the plate. She is eighty-nine and now faced with having a second surgery to replace the plate.

She is interested in knowing any details from anyone who has had a second hip surgery. If you have, are you glad you did or do you wish you had left well enough alone? and Have you ever heard of a plate breaking? Any comments are appreciated.

UPDATE - 10-12-09: My friend, who is now 90, was forced to have surgery. She twisted just right and it caused severe pain. The good news is that when the doctor went in to put in a new plate, the bone had healed and they were able to just remove the plate. She is expected to be able to go home by the end of the week. She would still love to hear from others in her same situation.

More gardening...

Yesterday I was very proud of myself that I was able to go into my garden all by myself to weed. It's that snake thing that typically scares me away....

Actually, the above picture was taken July 31 -- the same day as the other picture. Yesterday he did a good job of hiding from me which I really appreciated(unless he's moved on to someone else's garden or stone wall). I'm calling it a "he" because I can't stand the thoughts of lots of little baby snakes slithering around!

Summer 2009 in New England

This has been one of the oddest summers here in New England. Three words...rain, rain, rain!!! I might be exaggerating, but I think we've had three sunny days this year. Ok, so yes, I am exaggerating! I'm actually quite surprised that our garden is growing very well. We've been able to pick lots of summer squash -- zucchini, yellow crook neck, a round green one (that looks like zucchini that morphed into a softball).

The snake that decided to take up residence this year in the garden has not kept me from gardening. (I think we've always had snakes, we've just kept it weeded better this year so they have a harder time hiding from us - phew!)Ok, I'll admit that I try to stay on the opposite end of the snake. He seems to like the tomato and summer squash plants. I don't care what anyone says, I AM MORE SCARED OF HIM THAN HE IS OF ME!!! The proof was when my husband took a hoe to him to try to get him out while we weeded. Nope, didn't work. He stayed right there and watched us the whole time. No fear of us at all. Naturally, I did not take my eyes off him either!

2009 Emmy Nominations - and the winner is......

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Jon Cryer (Alan Harper) wins my vote, as much as I love "Barney Stinson", I think I love "Alan Harper" more. I think I've seen each and every episode of Two and a Half Men at least three times. Every time I watch the show, I just shake my head in amazement at the things Jon Cryer has had to do. What a good sport! I'm smiling just thinking of some of the episodes...like when he fell off the roof or when he got his (wrong) ear pierced.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - this one is a tougher choice - Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk or Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper (Sorry Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, I really do love your show). Even though Two and a Half Men makes me laugh out loud and Monk only makes me laugh, I think the winner of my vote is Tony Shalhoub. It has to be a tough acting job to get into that character (although I think most of us can relate at least a little). It is sad the upcoming season will be the last. Monk will be surely missed!

New Photographer

Just checked out a new photographer's online photo albums. There are some great pictures. If you have a chance, check it out StacyJo

If you click on "Add to Cart" in the upper right hand corner, it will show all the different items that can be ordered such as prints on canvas, mouse pads, coffee cups,etc. You just might find the perfect gift. I think my favorite is the fire hydrant.

Madoff, Besik ... It's all in a name...

Investing your money with someone by the name of Madoff is as bad as going to a doctor by the name of Besik.

When investing with someone by the name of Madoff, you really must ask yourself -- what has Madoff (pronounced made-off) made off with? That answer, of course, right now is crystal clear. Madeoff plead guilty to stealing billions of dollars of investor's money.

I actually went to a doctor by the name of Besik (pronounced be-sick). Duh!!! He was recommended to me by two people when I moved into a new area. It became clear to me that a doctor by that name could not actually be a good thing. I was sent to him by my OB-GYN with a tachycardia of 116, (my OB-GYN being very concerned) with a recommendation for an EKG. I sat on the table, the doctor came in looking at paperwork, looked up at me and actually said, "you appear to be in good health". I guess the make-up and curling iron make us look healthier?????

I was prompted to write this blog about funny last names, when I saw the name Hollowpeter on the news the other day. I'm not saying anything about that name, except I'm glad it's not mine!

UPDATE: I'm taking a boater safety education course with instructor Mr. Stern (like the back of a boat). We'll see how it goes. (If he had said his name was Mr. SSink, I think I would have walked out.

Congratulations Savana Redding!!!!!

According to an article by Robert Barnes, reprinted in the Union Leader, the Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1 that Arizona school officials violated the constitutional rights of Savana Redding, then 13, when they strip searched her because they suspected she was hiding ibuprofen in her underwear. Again I'll just say, "what the heck were they thinking!!!"

Congratulations, Savana and thank you. Thank you for bringing this to the Supreme Court to help school children from having to go through this in the future.

Justice Clarence Thomas' comment is a HUGE disappointment: "Judges are not qualified to second-guess the best manner for maintaining quiet and order in the school environment". If a judge feels he is not qualified to figure out that school officials should not be making children take off their clothes, there is something seriously wrong with our justice system.

Nuts and Weight Loss

Just a thought....
Most weight-loss diets promote giving up nuts for the first couple weeks. My thought...could it go back to the days when we were "hunters" or "gatherers"? If we were gatherers, we probably gathered nuts and berries. It would make sense that nuts and berries might help us maintain our weight (rather than cause us to lose weight). Just a thought. Please let me know what you think.

Breast Cancer

A question.....Does the toxic foam that is now used in bras contribute to breast cancer? I remember not too long ago, well maybe about 10 years ago, not being able to find any bras without foam in them. I have to wonder if the foam is contributing to the increase in breast cancer. I read somewhere that women who wear bras to bed have a much, much higher risk of getting breast cancer than those who don't. At first I thought it might have something to do with toxins not being able to escape. My second thought was that the bra IS the toxin!

I was able to recently find bras at Wal-Mart that do not have foam. They have a pretty good selection.

Pet Peeve - Zucchini and Summer Squash

One of my pet peeves is hearing people say (especially when asking what is planted in our garden) zucchini and summer squash. "Did you plant zucchini and summer squash?" Zucchini IS a summer squash. I finally figured out why people call zucchini "zucchini" rather than "summer squash", when I was at the grocery store one day. The yellow "crook neck" or "straight neck" summer squash was marked "summer squash" while the zucchini was marked "zucchini".

We plant a summer squash blend that includes, crook neck, straight neck, zucchini and patty pan. It is fun to see what grows, but the yellow and zucchini are usually plentiful.

Summer squashes, in our area, are harvested and eaten in the summer. Winter squashes are harvested in the fall and will keep through part of the winter. Oh ya, and in case Andy Rooney happens to be reading this, yes, both summer and winter squashes are FRUITS not vegetables!

Swine Flu (H1N1) -- Something good...

Has something good come from the Swine Flu outbreak (yes I'm still calling it Swine Flu instead of H1N1)? Last week I got an email from a friend. He just got back from a week in Florida and apparently picked up something while either there or on the flight back. The first day back at work chills, headache and fever developed. The next day at work (not sure why he went to work the next day with a fever), new symptoms began to develop: vomiting, dizziness and sore throat. His boss actually drove him home as he did not want the others exposed to it.

Like I said in the beginning of this post...Has something good come from the Swine Flu outbreak? It is now not okay to go to school or work with obvious infectious symptoms. Before this, it seemed it was okay to pass around something that was as unpleasant as vomiting! and diarrhea! Who ever heard of schools closing because of sicknesses? I think it is about time, when someone has fever, diarrhea, vomiting, sore throat or obvious cold/flu symptoms, that they stay home so as not to infect everyone else!

It's that time of year .... Picture of Lyme Disease Rash

Unfortunately, it's that time of year for ticks and those of us in the Northeast are at a high risk. I for one, cannot stand those little, discusting things -- my skin is crawling just writing this. I think it must be arachnophobia (yes, they are in the arachnid family).

I recently had a deer tick on me a couple years ago. Deer ticks are the nasty ones that transmit Lyme Disease. The second I saw it I freaked out. Luckily, my daughter was home to remove it for me. I'm surprised it didn't "wash" away with the sudden onset of sweat that poured off me.

Ironically, I didn't acquire this tick by working out in my yard. I acquired it by walking next door to my neighbor's on a windy day.

I did not get the bulls-eye rash like my husband did (in the picture), but I took the antibiotic as a precaution.

According to the CDC, the rash only occurs in "70-80% of infected persons". If you know you have been bit by a lyme-disease-transmitting tick, you may want to be aware of symptoms including headache, muscle or joint aches, fever, chills, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.

The rash in the picture was diagnosed by a doctor.

There is lots of information available on Lyme Disease at http://www.ilads.org/

UPDATE: I'm one of the lucky ones didn't take enough antibiotics and for a long enough time and Lyme Disease turned into Chronic Lyme Disease for me. Since my original infection that I don't know how/when I got, I've now had the "Lyme Flu," a couple times. I now know when it's the Lyme Flu vs. a regular old flu. We don't typically have flus in the summer - they typically start in the fall. Last summer I was, again, bit by a tick and three days later I became sick with a 'flu.' In the course of about three hours, I started with a scratchy, sore throat and was full-blown with migrating joint aches, that seemed more intense in my neck and knees, and a fever of 101 degrees. I felt awful, but since I had antibiotics  I took them and by the next morning, I was able to function. This happened in June and then again after a bite in October. Both times, symptoms were lessened after taking antibiotics.

There is lots of information available on Lyme Disease at http://www.ilads.org/

Just a Thought.....Fears and Phobias

Merriam-Webster defines fear and phobia as: "fear - an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger" and "phobia - an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation".
Translated, fears would be healthy emotions that warn us of impending danger and phobias would be unhealthy emotions that are irrational, unfounded and interfere with our lives.

EXAMPLE: A fear might be, not getting into an elevator with a person you instinctively think you cannot trust. A phobia might be, never getting into an elevator for fear it will fall to the bottom or the door might never open.

Bristol Palin on Abstinence

Bristol Palin, the teenage daughter of the vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, had a baby boy just four months ago. As seen on GMA on May 6, she has teamed up with the Candie's Foundation to help prevent teen pregnancy by advocating abstinence.

I'm sure preaching abstinence is a good thing to do and I'm 100% behind that , BUT there has to be a lot that goes along with it to be effective such as educating your child about sex, and the responsibilities and consequences that go along with it. Educating your child about what to do when the "right time" does come along is extremely important, because certainly it will come along eventually. I guess what I'm saying is, "educate about sex, preach abstinence and hand out condoms when the time is right." Talk with your kids and let them know you're there for them. As a parent, sometimes we need to be supportive even when it feels wrong.

I wonder -- Could Bristol Palin's young son be a good example of what happens when a parent preaches abstinence only?

Perez Hilton is really Mario Armando Lavandeira

I have to say that when I was watching "Perez Hilton" question Miss California at the Miss USA pageant, I thought, "hmmmmm....is this Paris Hilton's gay brother?" Of course I Googled him and found his real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira. Why is the media staying so closed mouth about who he really is? According to Wikipedia, it looks like the only reason anyone knows who he is, is because he has "outed" gay celebrities and sheds many celebrities in a negative light. A celebrity bashing website...how sad!

How to Increase Your Twitter Followers

How to Increase Your Twitter Followers

Twitter is the new rage. You are probably hearing it mentioned everywhere you turn; on the news, talk shows, websites and in magazine articles. At first glance, it appears to be a ridiculous service, as did MySpace and Facebook when they were first introduced. There is even a "Twitch-hiker" who is hitch-hiking across the world using Twitter to find transportation and a place to stay.

A good way to increase your Twitter followers is to join Tweeter Getter. This works in a similar way to how network marketing works. When you join, you automatically follow the six people ahead of you. When people join after you, they follow you and the five people ahead of you. They are not charging a fee at this time. It is definitely worth checking out. This link will bring you to a page where you will follow me and can start getting lots of followers http://tweetergetter.com/lydiablogg

Another way to increase your followers is to choose a random person (maybe someone who follows you or that you follow) and follow their followers. To do this, choose the random person and click on their "picture". This will bring you to their page. On the right side, click on "followers" and it will show you everyone who is following them. Click on "follow" beside those names. Proper "twittiquette" is when someone follows you, you should follow them back. It seems you will get about 25 - 50% of the number you follow to follow you back.

A third way to increase your Twitter followers is to join TweepMe. TweepMe is a brand new service that launched St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2009. If you want to gather followers quickly this is a great way to do so, although they are now charging a fee. When you join, you are automatically followed by all the other members and you follow the other members back. Check them out at www.tweepme.com

I will add other ways to quickly obtain Twitter followers as I find them.


*As of right now (April 7, 2009 at 9:45AM), I can see these services have caused my followers to grow exponentially. 24 hours ago I had 398 followers. Right now I have 482. This of course, is a gain of 84 followers in a 24 hour period.

UPDATE Today, May 5, 2009 2,740 followers.

*If you do not want lots of followers or to follow lots of others for some reason, do not use these services.

*You might want to go into your Twitter "settings" and "notices" and shut off "Email when someone starts following me" and "Email when I receive a direct message". Your mailbox might fill up quickly if you do not uncheck these.

Annie Duke on Ellen

I just happened to see Annie Duke on Ellen along with the clip of Joan Rivers on Celebrity Apprentice saying that all poker players are trash. I know that lots of those things are said/done to get the ratings up, but come on, Annie Duke is a lovely woman! Annie, you were very impressive not allowing her to get a reaction out of you -- keep up the good work!

Do you ChaCha?

No, I'm not talking about Dancing with the Stars. www.chacha.com is a website the answers questions in real-time. You can ask any question and it is immediately answered. This looks like it would be especially helpful when traveling. Check it out!

Miss USA pageant - Miss California, Carrie Prejean and Perez Hilton

Perez Hilton (aka Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr.) asked this question of Miss California, Carrie Prejean, in the Miss USA pageant on Sunday, April 19th, "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit, why or why not." She answered, "I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country, in my family I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised and that's how I think it should be, between a man and a woman."

Bravo Miss California for answering that question in the manner you did instead of answering like a politician and giving the answer he was looking for - even though it may have cost you the crown. Perez stated it was a "wrong answer" and obviously had a preconceived notion of what the "right answer" should have been. Would it have been a wrong answer if Sarah Palin had asked the question?

As you can see from her answer, she said she thinks it is a good thing that Americans have the choice, but her personal opinion is that marriage should be for opposite sex couples. Why isn't she entitled to her opinion? I think the question was extremely unfair and that there was NO right answer. If she said she thought all states should follow, there probably would have been as many boo's in the audience (no actually more since the applaud was louder than the boo's).

If you watch Perez's interview with Larry King, he admits to using the pageant for his own platform -- for promoting equal rights for gays and lesbians. I'm surprised Donald Trump let him get away with that! and how did a celebrity basher become a judge, anyway?

Here's my question for Perez Hilton, instead of asking Miss North Carolina if taxpayer money should go to bailouts, why didn't you ask her a question that required a more "politically correct" answer; should taxpayer money be spent on promoting gay/lesbian rights?

I'm sure that many will misconstrue this posting to mean that I'm homophobic, when in reality, I really don't care what anyone does in the privacy of their own bedroom! and even though I don't think that marriage offers more protection than legal business papers, I don't have a problem with gay marriages. I just have a problem with people bashing people because their opinion is different from their own.

And, oops I almost forgot...Congratulations to Miss North Carolina!

Savana Redding - 13 year old was strip searched

What a sad day it is that the Supreme Court will be hearing a case today involving a 13 year old who was strip searched in school. Administrators were looking for drugs on this honor student -- ibuprofen no less. This is the comment I made at the GMA website:

"NEVER should a school be allowed to do a strip search! The administrators should have been fired and arrested! Authorities should have been called and a search warrant obtained (which probably never would have been issued under these ridiculous circumstances). Consider this scenario ...your 13-year-old daughter invites a classmate into your home. You suspect she has drugs on her. You do a strip search. Hmmm...wouldn't you be arrested? How is that scenario any different than this? Just because it was done in a school? Those administrators played judge, jury and executioner and unfortunately have scarred Savana for a very, very long time. "

Savana, my heart goes out to you.

Parents every where should be very concerned about the outcome of this case.

Doctor's prescription ......

Cleaning out my office today, I came across something I had forgotten about:

"A printer went to his doctor for a checkup. The physician wrote out a prescription in his normal handwriting. The printer put it in his wallet and neglected to have it filled. Every morning for two years, he showed it to the conductor as a railroad pass. Twice it got him into Radio City Music Hall, once into a baseball park, and once into a symphony concert. One day he mislaid it at home and his daughter picked it up, played it on the harp and won a scholarship to a music conservatory." Author unknown

How NOT to Cook a Spiral Ham

Okay, so now I just had to shut off Good Morning America when I saw Emeril LaGasse tie a spiral ham so that it would not fall apart. Huh???? How many people have ever had a spiral ham fall apart when baking it? Any spiral ham I've ever cooked was cut in a way that didn't allow that to happen! Further, I've actually had to cut them to get the meat to come off.

Here's a better idea: Cover it like the directions say. Ever eaten one that was cooked without being covered? YUKKK -- The worst I've ever tasted! It was at a friends house, so I had to eat at least one piece to be polite.

SUMMARY: How to cook a spiral ham. Cover it (aluminum foil works well) as the directions say. Also follow the directions on the package (they are usually inside) for cooking temperature and how many minutes per pound.

And by the way Emeril and GMA, are you just trying to prove that we Americans are sheep and can be herded to do whatever we are led to?

GMA - Guns, Children and Gun Control

In case you missed it this morning, Good Morning America showed a segment that I remember seeing 10 years ago, when they first aired it. They put children in a room where they had placed guns in a toy box. In the other room were the parents, able to watch their children and the children's reactions to the guns. Of course the kids picked them up and pointed them at the other kids.

I remember saying to myself 10 years ago, "Why would any adult in their right mind think a child would NOT pick up a gun that was in a toy box?????????" Why would adults think kids would not think it was okay to pick up ANYTHING that was in a toy box? It's not like there is NO such thing as a toy gun. These kids looked to be around 5 or 6 years old (I can't remember how old they said they were and I can't find the video online). No, I don't think the kids found these guns in drawers or closets or anything. YES THEY WERE IN THE TOY BOX!!! I guess what they proved, was that kids will pick up anything in a toy box.

I would love to see a ban on guns -- toy guns that is. I think all metal toy guns should be confiscated and toy guns should only be made out of wood and made to look unrealistic. That way, children would be able to immediately know the difference between a real gun and a toy gun. Police officers would also be able to differentiate between a real and toy gun.

I also saw older kids on the show, who looked to be around 16, looking down the barrel of a gun. They were old enough to know better. Obviously they had never been taught respect of and the safe handling of guns; point them in a SAFE direction.

If there is no dog in the house, responsible adults teach their kids to respect dogs and how to handle them. Why not the same with guns?

GM Segway PUMA

According to the Huffington Post, Segway and General Motors just announced they would be working together on a Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility (PUMA) project. It will run at a speed up to 35 MPH. It looks like one disadvantage might be that it can only run 35 miles on a charge. Check out the picture of it at Huffinton Post article

It can also be seen at the Segway site Segway . Another amazing product from Dean Kamen.

Fox's House Dr. Lawrence Kutner suicide death (actor Kal Penn)

Wouldn't you know it....I missed Fox's House last night. I actually turned it on around 9:30 to see a blood-filled room and Dr. House saying he thought it might not be suicide, it might have been murder. Not wanting to start in the middle, I quickly turned it off figuring I could catch the rerun or download it on another night. I didn't realize I had missed such an epic episode. This morning I found out that Dr. House was talking about Dr. Lawrence Kutner, who had apparently committed suicide. Fox has even set up a memorial page at http://www.fox.com/kutner . Actor Kal Penn is alive and well.

Perchlorate - scary chemical found in baby formula and drinking water

According to www.chron.com, perchlorate (a chemical used in rocket fuel) has been found in powdered baby formula and several cities drinking water. "No tests have ever shown the chemical caused health problems, but scientists have said significant amounts of perchlorate can affect thyroid function."

What am I missing here? Wouldn't the fact that it affects thyroid function be a health problem? (Spoken from one who has a thyroid problem.) This article goes on to say, "The government requires that formula contain iodine, which counteracts perchlorate's effects." The whole article can be seen here.

Another website states "We know that the CDC has found perchlorate in 100 percent of the people they've tested,..." Scary statistic!!! Check out their article here.

Dark Shadows

The news that Dark Shadows will soon be re-made with Johnny Depp, caused me to search my Dark Shadows memory bank. I can almost picture myself running home from school, arriving just in time to hear the opening theme song. I was addicted -- addicted to all of the afternoon soap operas. Unfortunately, it was so long ago that I can't recall specific episodes. I would love to re-watch all of them. At least that is what I thought before I found a website that notes there were 1245 episodes! Yikes!

Finding out that this aired from 1966 to 1971, made me realize that I was not even a teenager when it started. Heck, I wasn't even into double digits yet. Both my parents worked, otherwise, I can't quite imagine parents, especially in those days, allowing such a young child to watch a show like that with vampires. I'm surprised I never had vampire nightmares!

It is nice to see that Jonathan Frid, aka Barnabas Collins, is alive and well in Canada at www.jonathanfrid.com.

I just found that Kate Jackson was on Dark Shadows. Now that was a big surprise.

If any of you are interested, I found the complete series here for $199.95. This one notes that there are "only" 1225 episodes. I'll have to keep my eyes open on eBay for used ones.

Kim Kardashian's Un-airbrushed Photos

I am really glad to see the photos of Kim Kardashian that were mistakenly put on the Internet without being airbrushed. Since it is an embarrassment to her, I'm not going to make any reference to find the pictures (I'm sure you can do that easily enough on your own). It is reported that the pictures were not airbrushed and therefore showed cellulite. This might be a link to Kim's blog.

I was beginning to think the actual cause of cellulite was NOT being linked to Hollywood! I'm so glad the truth is out!

Survivor 17 - Gabon

After watching Season 1 of Survivor, I decided I would not watch the show any more. I figured I didn't really need to watch a TV show to find bad attitudes and backstabbing. I guess I lied. When a good friend of mine applied for the show and did not get on, I figured I had better become a fan in case she applied again and did get on.

I watched Season 15 and decided it wasn't as bad as it was that first season. I watched Season 16 and was so upset at the outcome when Parvoti won the million dollars, that I AGAIN swore I'd never watch another one. (I can't bring myself to watch American Idol either -- Simon is much too pompous for me.) It bothers me a lot to see people publicly humiliated. I can find that too if I just look around. So this brings me to Survivor 17 - Gabon...

When I'm making Roman shades, 75% of the work is hand stitching, which can become quite boring. I said ah, what the heck, I might as well watch Survivor 17. I know I'm a little late, but I just got done watching the reunion show.

Randy - I didn't like him at all. And Randy, it was NOT a million dollar cookie -- you never would have voted for Sugar even before the cookie episode. As bitter and angry as Randy is, I get the feeling he must have been cheated on by a woman and hasn't yet gotten over it. It was nice, though, to see he invited 6 strangers to the reunion show. Even if he only did it because he lost his best friend, his dog, and didn't have any friends of his own.

Corrine - If I could have jumped into the screen and personally strangled Corrine, I would have. She was pompous, arrogant and mean. I can see why she wouldn't have many friends. It looked to me like she was very jealous of Sugar (and with good reason I'd say).

Sugar - Generally speaking, I loved Sugar. I did not, however, like it when she could not stop laughing at Randy when he used the fake idol. It's that public humiliation thing. It looked to me like Sugar played an admirable game (aside from the cookie and laughing at the idol) and is probably able to live with the choices she made. I would like to know why noone voted for her. I did get the feeling the producers portrayed her differently than she really was. (I must admit, I did think the cookie thing was pretty funny.)

I have to wonder if Sugar had brought Corrine and Randy to the final three with her if she would have won. Did everyone there dislike them as much as I?

What did you think of Season 17?

...and here I am, addicted to Season 18.....

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

Oops, sorry about that, I really was not yelling. Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hope you are able to enjoy a corned beef and cabbage meal today. If you need help in how to cook it check this out How to Cook Corned Beef . And remember, corned beef can be enjoyed any day of the year, not just today. Cook it this weekend, if you didn't have a chance to cook it today. You should be able to find it on sale just about anywhere.

Threw Shoe at President Bush....

Just saw this Twittered by CNN Breaking News (cnnbrk) "Muntadher al-Zaidi, the man who threw his shoes at then-U.S. President George W. Bush, is jailed for three years." Yikes! I don't think it is nice to do something like that to anyone, especially the President of the United States, but come-on, three years? That seems a little stiff to me. I would think a shoe-throwing incident would only yield about a one-year prison term.

Speaker Pelosi - G5

Is anyone else out there upset by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's hypocritical comments about G5 jets not being available for her (and others) for the Memorial Day weekend????

Cover of Oprah...

Happened to see a twitter message by Nandoism regarding the new Oprah magazine coming out this month. You can see it at Oprah.com or at Nandoism's website . Nandoism's blog is about Oprah sharing the cover. I think it is great that she decided to share the cover with our first lady.

I know I'm not a fashion queen, but I feel the need to comment. Michelle Obama looks absolutely stunning and classy! Oprah, however, hmmm ..... how shall I say it. The dress looks like a Donna-Reed-What-Can-I-Do-For-You-Honey Dress. It's not the most flattering clothing I've seen her wear. I know that type of dress is "in style", but we can't always trust those who set the standards! Oprah is a beautiful woman and I am dissapointed that it doesn't show on that cover.

Katie Couric, VP Biden, and there's the white guy comment

I was glad to get up this AM and be able to find online, Katie Couric's lame comment, "and there's the white guy". When I heard it last night, I found it very disturbing, but I couldn't quite figure out why. After thinking about it this morning, I think it was not what was said, but more about the tone and laughs that came after. I felt the laughs and tone were not poking fun at our white Vice-President Biden. I felt they were poking fun at an African-American president and a female speaker of the house. In case you didn't see it, Katie said, "Nice to see a little diversity for a change, we have an African-American president, a female speaker of the house and there's the white guy, Bob, hahahaha", with the camera on Joe Biden. It was almost said as if there should have been white guys in those other positions?
You can find a clip at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/24/katie-couric-on-biden-the_n_169695.html if you happened to miss it.
And here, just yesterday, I naively said I didn't believe things were always about race. Today it's looking like it's not only about race but about gender, too. Am I the only one who thinks this comment was not about "the white guy", Vice-President Biden?
I wonder how would this have gone over if Imus had said it? I would love to hear your thoughts....

NY Post Chimp Cartoon Compares Stimulus Author to Dead Primate

I just can't hold it in any longer....I wrote this comment in reply to "Mr. Dreadful" who was commenting on Sam Stein's article "New York Post Chimp Cartoon Compares Stimulus Author To Dead Primate" in the Huffington Post who was commenting on the New York Post's chimp cartoon (boy that was long).
My comment below, is in response to this comment in the Huffington by Mr. Dreadful.

Bravo, Mr. Dreadful! My translation of this cartoon is that the chimp relates more to the stimulus bill itself than any person or race. To me it infers that the bill was written in panic (maybe by crazed lunatics) to save the economy. If I were going to relate the chimp in this cartoon to people, it would be the Democrats. As reported in this paper, Nancy Pelosi commented in regards to Republicans not voting for the stimulus package, "We won the election, we wrote the bill." A little pompous, I"d say.
And yes, I totally agree with you, what does it say about those people who saw this as a racial issue? I might be naïve, but I don"t think things are always about race or black and white...and speaking of Al Sharpton, isn't he the one who wanted the innocent Duke boys hung and has still not apologized almost two years after the charges were dropped?


Things I maybe should have added to the post: In my mind African-Americans are NOT synonymous with monkeys. I do realize, however that this cartoon could have been hurtful to some people and maybe the NY Post should have been a little more sensitive to racial stereotypes. However, it upsets me that I need to be sensitive to racial undertones because of narrow-minded bigots. If those people did not exist, maybe no one would have to worry any more about any comments ever being racial slurs or cartoons like this being offensive.

Our President a smoker?

Okay, am I the only one who did not know that our President, was (maybe is) a smoker? According to Albert B. Southwick, in the Telegram, "Barack Obama, trying to quit cigarettes, admits to sneaking an occasional smoke." I don't know how I missed this, being a former smoker myself. Here's my big question....if Mr. Obama had openly smoked on the campaign trail, would he have been elected President?

And BTW, this is really old news. I found another post on ABC's blog that is dated June 10, 2008. This blog states that he had been "open about his smoking past". Still shaking my head that I missed this one!

What a sad day in the world of Ezra (Better Than Ezra that is)

What a sad, sad day this is in the Ezralite world to hear that Travis McNabb, Better Than Ezra's drummer (according to The Times-Picayune) is leaving to take a full-time job with country band Sugarland. I've had the pleasure of meeting Travis on several occasions and I can tell you, he is not only an impressive drummer, he is a great guy with a lot of class.

The really sad part of this is that Better Than Ezra is finally coming out with a new CD, in May, and we will not be seeing Travis on their tour. They haven't had a new CD since "Before the Robots" in 2005.

Travis' last performance with Better Than Ezra is Sunday, February 15, 2009. His replacement is Michael Jerome.

Wishing you the best of luck in your new job, Travis. Sugarland is lucky to have you!

Dr. Oz on GMA

I just love Dr. Oz! I've only seen him a few times, but every time I see him he says stuff that just makes sense! If you didn't happen to catch him on Good Morning America yesterday, you really missed it. I don't know if I had previously missed his sense of humor, if he just developed a sense of humor or if what I saw yesterday was not intended to be funny, but boy did I laugh! I hadn't laughed that hard for quite some time!

He was talking to a group of men about health. He said, "You men have an advantage over women; you have a dipstick for health." There was enough of a pause that I said to myself, dipstick, hmmmm..... he can't be talking about a penis. Sure enough, he then said, "It's called your penis." I have to say, I was shocked to hear him say that, well...on Good Morning American anyway. He went on the explain that if the arteries were working properly in that area it should mean they are working properly every where else.

It gets better. He went on to measure a couple of the guys around the waist. He said our waists should be 1/2 the size of our height. While he was standing there after measuring the second man he said, "for every 35 pounds you lose, you gain one inch down here", as he took his tape measure and motioned as if he was measuring the guys penis. Then he said, "Because you can see it again." I chuckled off and on throughout the day as these images popped in and out!

Iman Crossman

I just love Iman Crossman. If you don't know who he is, he is President Obama's dancing, singing impersonator. He seems like a great, classy guy. If you haven't seen him yet, youtube him!

UPDATE 10-12-09: Iman, where are you?

Bonnie Newman to be Judd Gregg's successor

According to the Union Leader Bonnie Newman is scheduled to become Judd Gregg's successor, which will be announced by Governor Lynch at a 4:30 pm conference. The Union Leader further comments, "Newman, 63, was Sen. Judd Gregg's chief of staff when he was in the US House in the 1980's." Reading the Union Leader article, it looks like her resume is quite lengthy. Don't know why I had never heard of her until today.

Florida Avacados and Pineapples

As I'm cutting up and tasting a pineapple, it occurs to me that this is the second one in a row that tasted absolutely delicious! I know that Florida Avocados are in season and delicious at this time of the year (well January), but I did not know this would be a great time to be buying pineapples. I did find, at Produce Pete, that there are several seasons for pineapples: April/May for Hawaiian pineapples and December - February and August/September for Caribbean pineapples. Checking the tag, sure enough, this one is a "product of Costa Rica". I'll have to pay better attention to when pineapples are the best!

Happy Ground Hog Day 2009 !

Happy Groundhog Day! The news is in, Punxsutawney Phil managed to see his shadow, even though it was cloudy. Six more weeks of winter. Personally, I think there are only six (or seven) more weeks until spring!

Octuplets - Now that I've heard the details....

Ok, now that I've heard the details about the newest octuplets... I have to say I think it is horrible that doctors would have implanted 8 embryos into any woman. I think implanting that many is wrong, wrong, wrong! It is just not natural or normal for a woman to give birth to 8 babies. Even if the doctor had explained to the mother that she might have to decide whether or not to terminate some of them, if all of them took, I still think it is ethically wrong. I think it makes a lot more sense to implant only 2 or 3. What do you think?

"Bacon Explosion: The BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes"

I can not believe that the bacon explosion is still in the news - it must be yummy! When I have reached my goal weight, which is only 14 pounds away, I think it will be the first thing I eat!

I did check out the recipe the other day. It looks pretty simple to make:
Weave bacon into tight lattice, cover with bulk sausage, sprinkle on your favorite BBQ rub, add cooked, chopped bacon (soft or crunchy) and your favorite BBQ sauce. Tightly roll, add a little rub to the outside and place in smoker for 2 1/2 hours. When done, baste entire bacon explosion with BBQ sauce. Can't wait to try it. http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/bacon-explosion/

According to Chris Cuomo on GMA this morning, anything you eat on Superbowl Sunday is only half the calories :-) With this at 5000 calories and 500 grams of fat (and cutting it into 10 slices), I will still have to wait until I've reached my goal weight. Darn!

Bacon Explosion

It might be time to switch to the Atkins diet. (I'm posting on this blog rather than my diet blog to save anyone who might be on a low-calorie diet from wanting to eat this.) The "Bacon Explosion", which seems to be the recipe of the day, looks very yummy. Click here to see it: BBQ Addict's Blog Be prepared to want a slice after checking it out.

Of course it must have a gazillion calories in it so it won't work on a low-calorie diet. Hmmmm....we'll see what the scale says on Monday....I might be saying "Atkins here I come."

Oh ya....

Almost forgot to mention....It's my birthday today....I'm 39 again!

"Wicked" Winter Weather

It seems that only in New Hampshire (or New England) would you see on your local news (WMUR) station "Wicked Winter Weather". I always get a "look" when I am traveling outside the area and use "wicked" in my vocabulary. Of course we use it here in NH as a positive adjective, not just a negative as in the Wicked Witch of the West.

It is 12:15 pm right now and we only have a winter snow warning right now. From what I'm hearing it will probably turn into a snow emergency before long. It's expected to fall at a rate of 1 1/2 to 2 inches per hour. YIKES!!! I don't know about you, but I think the ice and snow should be finished for this winter by Groundhog Day. Don't quite think it will work out that way though.

Today in the news....January 27, 2009

The most disturbing thing I've seen in the news so far today, was on GMA this morning. Click here for GMA article. The story of Julie Amero, the Norwich, Connecticut teacher who was forced to plead guilty to disorderly conduct and can not work in any classroom again. Amero checked her personal email on a school computer then went to the ladies room. When she came back, there were children looking at porn pop-ups on the screen. She was accused of surfing porn sites.

I have had this same thing happen on at least two occasions. I don't remember what type of sites they were, but they were probably porn. When those pop-ups occur, trying to click the X to get rid of them only seems to cause more to pop up. The only fix I've ever found for this problem is to hold in the power button as quickly as possible until the computer powers down.

I'm not a computer expert by any means, but along with my firewall and pop-up blocker, I run anti-spyware and anti-virus software. It seems to me that the Kelly Middle School in Norwich is directly to blame for what happened to her and these children for not having an adequate firewall and pop-up blocker. Another fix could have been to run anti-spyware on their computers.

Why didn't any of those Kelly Middle School parents come to her aid? Like Julie said, "If it can happen to me it can certainly happen to you." And oh, ya, isn't this the same state that allowed Pfizer to take many people's homes by eminent domain? This is not a state I'd feel comfortable living in.

On a lighter note...Congrats to the parents of the octuplets that were born yesterday in southern California! I can't quite imagine what it would be like to have to take care of EIGHT babies all at once!

Wow, can you believe it has actually been almost 5 years (February 1, 2004) since the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction during Superbowl halftime? It seems like it was just yesterday!

2009 SAG award best and worst dressed

I decided a long time ago that I would try to keep my blogs towards the positive side. This is an impossible thing to do today after checking out the SAG award photos. Lots and lots of "worst dressed", in fact, too many to mention...I stopped keeping track after finding 9 hideous gowns in just a couple of minutes.

Of the photos I found, I think Ann Hathaway and Penelope Cruz tied for having the classiest dresses while Marcia Cross and Teri Hatcher (and maybe Paula Abdul) tied for the most hideous (I haven't seen all the photos yet, so I could be wrong).

Tina Fey looked lovely in a short dress with coordinating shoes and purse. Thanks Tina, for not committing a fashion crime with your shoes and purse (shoes and purses should disappear rather than jump out).

...and when is someone going to stand up to and tell these designers that women are not supposed to need to lift their dresses when walking to avoid tripping over them? Naturally, it is a great way to sell more dresses. It would be much too obvious that we are wearing last years model if the hem is too short. I've included a picture (above on the left) of myself taken last year at a party in a gown that is the proper length. As you can see, it just hits my instep. I refuse to give in to their marketing ploy...you'll continue to see me in this length gown!

Marina Franklin

Occasionally I like to check the Google trends to see what people are talking about. This morning, I saw Drunken Negro Head Cookies as number one and Marina Franklin listed as number two. I couldn't figure out why "marina franklin" was being Googled or if this relates to Marina Franklin the comedian or a marina in Franklin somewhere. I checked out the comedian, Marina Franklin, on youtube and was very impressed. Check her out!

Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year!

Good Morning America, Governor Rod Blagojevich

I have been a longtime fan of GMA.... but today I must say...Shame on you Diane Sawyer!

I could not have been more disappointed with Diane Sawyer this morning at her rudeness towards the Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich. In about a minute she must have interrupted him at least 4 times. Whether he is guilty or innocent of the charges of attempting to sell a senate seat, he deserves respect. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not so sure he was able to finish more than a sentence or two. It must have been very frustrating for him.

Inaugural Ball, Michelle Obama's Dress

I must say I was a little surprised to see the dress Michelle Obama wore to the Inaugural Ball. Not that it was not nice or pretty, but it did not suit her. It was a little too foofy (not sure if that word really exists, but you get the picture) for her personality. Sleek, classy and stream-lined would have suited her much better. Maybe a winter white might have been more appropriate than a stark white.

It was also too long; she must have needed to lift it, when she walked. Beyonce's dress was also too long. Who wants a style you can't walk in?

Someone, that I thought was an expert, told me to hem a bridesmaid's gown just above the heel because that would be the correct length. I did hear about my bad hemming job from the bridesmaid; she was tripping over it all night long. I later learned gowns should be hemmed to just hit the instep.

And why didn't Mrs. Obama have gold/yellow leather gloves (instead of green) to match that beautiful, classy, a-little-flashy-for-daytime-except-she-is-the-first-lady-outfit that she wore for the swearing in? It seems there just are no rules any more when it comes to fashion.

Flight 1549 - The Miracle on the Hudson

I know this is really becoming old news. I was listening to WZID this morning and heard there was talk about a US Airways Flight 1549 movie and I heard the name Tom Cruise. The DJ (Tracy Caruso, I think) said she hated to always hear news about a movie so soon on something like this.

Personally, I would love to see a movie done about this flight. It would be nice to be able to see (from a movie goers perspective) what it was like to be on that airplane, how all those passengers were able to keep it together and how they helped each other. Of course it helps to know that it was a happy outcome - if it had not been, it would not be a movie I would want to see. I hope if a movie is done, it will be very realistic.

It really makes me wonder how people could keep it together during something like this, yet a Wal-Mart worker can be trampled to death as shoppers rush to save a dollar. My condolences to that family of that tragic event.

Robin Givhan, Michelle Obama's clothing choices

Robin Givhan is a Pulitzer prize winning fashion editor for the Washington Post. I wish I had been available for her Q & A today regarding Michelle Obama's clothing choices. I read most of them and must disagree with most of her answers. I posted this comment:

I wrote:

I think Michelle Obama is a beautiful, classy woman. Her designers should take this into consideration when “dressing” her. Her yellow/gold outfit was stunning for the swearing in, but what a fashion faux pas those green gloves were. (I gasped the second I saw them.) Green shoes would have been as big of a fashion faux pas (I didn’t happen to see her shoes).

The white dress was also beautiful, but not for Mrs. Obama. I’m in the custom window treatment business. It is my job to help match the style of a curtain to the style of a person. I would never recommend a Priscilla curtain for someone whose style would be the clean lines of a traditional Roman shade. This is what happened to Mrs. Obama. She wore a “Priscilla” instead of a “Roman shade”. And I agree she should not have had to worry about tripping over her dress or about her husband dancing on it (which he did) – train or no train.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/mypost/index.html?newspaperUserId=LydiaBlogg&plckUserId=LydiaBlogg

Scoot Coupe

Oh my gosh! I just heard about the Scoot Coupe and I want one! I guess living in New Hampshire it would not do me any good for the winter, but what a fun summer "car". I say "car" even though it really is a scooter. It's a scooter that looks like a car. Well, living in the sticks, it might not make the best transportation, but I can just imagine heading to the beach on a hot summer day in one of these. It only goes 45 MPH, but it gets an average of 60 - 70 MPG from what I'm finding online. It only seats two people, but what more would you want in a scooter?

A link to Scoot Coupe on the Ellen Show.

John Harrington's Sunday Column

Right next to the "tufted titmice" article that I read on Sunday in the New Hampshire Sunday News, was John Harrigan's column. I don't read his column very often (I'm not much of a hunter/fisherwoman), although when I do read it, I usually enjoy it.

In this column, entitled "Night tracks and day thoughts", John asks where do we get off judging one species as "good" and another as "bad"..? You might have to read his article to understand my post, but in a nutshell, he defends the fisher cat and fox and wants to know why people want to feed the cute deer (although that is never recommended) but not the other animals that work so hard to stay alive (like the fischer and fox).

Well I think I can answer that one...It's really quite simple....the "bad" ones are the ones we fear. I've never heard of a rabid deer biting some unsuspecting person, while I have heard of rabid foxes sneaking up on someone and biting them. It seems we hear about that just about every year. A deer has never woken me up in the middle of the night either, even though they walk right up to my bedroom window to nibble on my evergreen bushes. I wish they would stop nibbling and eat them; I'm looking for a reason to pull them out. However, a fisher cat (at least I think it was a fisher cat) was outside in my yard last year in the middle of the night. It made enough noise that I thought I was at a football game. I can't even explain the sound I heard. The next day, I looked up information, on the Internet of course, and was surprised when I saw their teeth! I would not want to meet one of these in the middle of the night (or daytime for that matter). I think we dub the good species the ones we are not afraid of and the bad ones are the ones we fear.

Which brings me to bees....I personally think we should annihilate all bees. Well, maybe not honey bees or bumble bees. Okay, maybe only yellow jackets. Do yellow jackets really have a purpose? I'm hoping someone out there can tell me what might have dug up this yellow jacket nest in my yard...


We discovered this hole on October 26, 2008. The weather had been a little cold and there were yellow jackets crawling around the bottom. It seemed they were "sleepy" from the cool temperatures. The hole was quite large; maybe 12 inches wide and 8 to 10 inches deep.

I'd like to personally thank whatever creature dug this up. Well maybe I could just leave a thank you note in the area in case it was a bear or a skunk... I'm very glad that I, or another member of my family, did not happen to find it last summer. If one of us had stepped on it, I think the consequences could have been quite severe.

And by the way, I do not have a fear of bees. I only have a fear of being stung by bees.

Pet Peeves - Have Got

"Have got" or "has got" has to be one of my biggest pet peeves. It drives me crazy to hear it and see it in print. It seems that these two words are being used together more and more. I have never seen these two words used together when "got" can't be removed without anyone even noticing. If you can find a sentence with "have got" that the got is necessary to the sentence, please send it to me.

Tufted Titmouse (not Tufted Titmice)

I just read an article in yesterday's New Hampshire Sunday News about birds that dare to stay in New Hampshire for the winter, like most of us tough Yankees, rather than go to Florida . The article mentions several different birds including the "tufted titmouse". It then mentions "titmice". Is there really a bird called titmice, as in "tufted titmice"? If we try to turn the "mouse" portion of titmouse into mice to make it plural, aren't we then changing the type of bird?

New Thin Water Bottles

I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't stand the new, thin water bottles. More than once I've tried to open them and had water spurt all over me! I went out to Wendy's for lunch the other day with a friend of mine. Neither of us could open our water bottles. We were able to get them cracked open so that the water spurted out, but could not get the top to unscrew the rest of the way to get the top off. I actually had to go ask someone to open them.

The Miracle on the Hudson

I am still just stunned at the "Miracle on the Hudson" as Mayor Bloomberg called it and the wonderful outcome of US Airways Flight #1549 . I'm not one who loves to fly, so I can just imagine the trauma that these people had to endure even with such a great outcome. How did they keep it together and not panic?

Purchasing US Garlic

For years I've been purchasing garlic (without any hair on the bottom) at those warehouse clubs at a very good price. I happened to be watching a tv show about garlic that is grown in California. I was quite surprised to find out that the garlic with the "hair" on the bottom comes from California and the one without the hair comes from China. Since I saw that show, I've been purchasing the one with the hair.

Pet Peeves - A group is singular not plural

It is one of my pet peeves to hear people refer to a group as if it is plural. We wouldn't say a group "are" plural. A group is always singular unless you are talking about the individual members of the group. Would you say, "A group are plural?"

Dictionary - Fracquaintance

I have not been able to find a word for someone who is more than an acquaintance but less than a friend. My new word "fracquaintance" will have to do.

the ellen degeneres show - D.L.Hughley on Ellen, December 2, 2008

Electing a black president...

One of the funniest things I've heard in a long time, was on the Ellen DeGeneres tv show. Ellen's guest was Comedian D.L. Hughley about the election. He said, "You know you are a bad president when you are replaced by a black man." Of course only a black person could get away with saying that. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, you have to admit it's funny. If Larry the Cable Guy was listening, he certainly would have said, "I don't care who you are, now THAT was funny".

It makes me feel good to know that as a society, we are not racist.

US Airways Flight 1549

Most of you have probably already seen the news about US Airways Flight 1549 that was crash landed in the Hudson River. Kudos to the pilots and crew! It is amazing that the pilots were able to land this Airbus A-320 with the fuselage intact! and that the crew was able to get all 150 passengers out safely.

I hope the next plane trip I take, I get this same crew!!!

Tina Fey - dianefan, cougar-lover, BabsonLaCrosse

Anyone know the web addresses for the blogs...dianefan...Cougar-Lover...BabsonLaCrosse? I've had no luck finding them. Apparently, there is too much news on them right now. I would love to read their blogs to see what all the fuss is about.

Bonnie Hunt show - January 8th Coffee

I am becoming more and more of a germaphobic these days! I can not get one of the subjects that Bonnie was talking about on the January 8th show, out of my mind; it is still disturbing me. She said she takes the top off her store-bought coffee and rinses (with hot coffee) the part of the lid that you drink from. She talked about how annoying it is that those coffee-shop employees stink up the place with perfumes and use perfumed hand creams. I had never before thought about how the lid got onto the coffee cup and that the employee's hands would be placed completely over my lid! (I'm in the sticks and use the drive-through so I don't see those hands completely enveloping my coffee lid.) Now I have one more thing to be germaphobic about. Thanks a lot Bonnie.

I have a good fix, though. I'm going to keep disposable, washed coffee cup covers in all sizes, in my car in a Ziploc-type bag. I'll take off the cover from the new coffee, keep that one to wash for the next coffee, and put a new, clean one from my bag! Wa-la!

Ellen - the ellen degeneres show and the Bonnie Hunt Show

I have determined today that I would get absolutely nothing done if I were to keep the television tuned in to Ellen Degeneres and Bonnie Hunt each morning. It's bad enough that I tend to keep GMA on until 9:00 am.

Bonnie Hunt Show - Tony Shalhoub OCD

I hope you were able to see Tony Shalhoub on the Bonnie Hunt Show today. I love Tony Shalhoub and I love his character, Monk. He's great! I know I have a little OCD in me, but I think we all have at least a little in us.

Two things he mentioned -- First, he mentioned that one year he would like to not make any New Year's Resolutions. That has worked for me for my whole life. It takes the pressure off. Although this year, I feel I've made my first, since I am determined (I think) to lose weight and look decent (notice I didn't say good) in a bathing suit. I guess my expectations are a little low on the bathing suit thing.

Second, he mentioned menus - Tony mentioned that he's had a terrible revelation about menus. He didn't think anyone ever cleaned them. I'm with you on that, Tony, but you also mentioned that everything around them was clean, the silverware, etc. I can't even tell you how many times I've had the menu placed on those clean silverware! or placed on a plate. YUK! One of my biggest pet peeves -- menus on flatware / plates!

Love the shipoopy, but don't have any dogs anymore! Bichon Frises and Golden Retrievers were my preferred breeds. If anyone ever crosses those two, I'll be first in line.

Anyone know what those witch hazel wipes were that Bonnie mentioned?

Andy Rooney EAT MORE FRUIT April 13, 2008

I have always loved Andy Rooney. Up until now anyway. (Okay, I still probably love him, I'm just annoyed.) When I happened to see him April 13, 2008 EAT MORE FRUIT I became very disturbed to think he didn't really know that a tomato is a fruit! Cucumbers, summer squash, winter squash and green peppers are fruits, also! How could he have called a tomato a vegetable!!!

I think people have been accustomed to labeling fruits/vegetables by where they are in the supermarket or by their color, or what we use them for. If it goes in a tossed salad, it must be a vegetable...or not! I think the brighter the color, the better the chance of people calling it a fruit.

A fruit is easy to distinguish from a vegetable. A flower will turn into a fruit and therefore the seeds will be inside. A vegetable will have flowers that turn into seeds. The key is, where are the seeds in relation to what we eat. If they are inside what we eat, it is a fruit. If the seeds are outside or separate from what we eat, it is a vegetable. I know rambling.....

On the issue of labels on my fruits/vegetables...I love them when I'm in the checkout so that no one has to look up what I'm buying, but I hate them when I get home and have to take them off!

Words that seem similiar with VERY different meanings

My definitions:
Philanderer - someone who is not loyal to their wife.

Philanthropist practices philanthropy or goodwill.

It took me many years to remember which was which. Thankfully I was smart enough to never use either of these words in public. I know the difference, but would probably still avoid these too words -- they are just too similar!