This and that

Time flies when you're sick, disorganized and pathetic. But enough about the crooks who've destroyed our economy. I felt sick, disorganized and pathetic for a few weeks now. But there's nothing like a 105-year-old woman who recently announced that "no sex" is the key to longevity. Now, that'll perk a single gal like me up.

Politics:: Aaaaah. Please do not argue unless you go to a nonpartisan, nonprofit voter advocate site like factcheck.org. Those are my fightin' words for a dreary Monday.

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia:: Oh, don't act like you don't care. But I'm not sure what's most depressing about Maureen McCormick's (Hello, uninformed folks:: Marcia Brady, on The Brady Bunch) memoir being released tomorrow. It bothers me, to be sure that she partied hard at the Playboy Mansion. She used cocaine. Traded sex for drugs. As reported everywhere --here's Yahoo/AP's blip -- she also dated Michael Jackson. And did something with Sammy Davis Jr. My mind just can't grasp that. Frankly, my dears, I think I was most disturbed by one fact:: She's 52. Yikes! Not that's a bad age, mind you, but Marcia Brady is 52!

Accentuate the positive:: If you're down in the dumps (we may all be meeting there soon, if the economy doesn't improve), I suggest you fly right over to NPR's This I Believe page. It's chuck-full of essays from people like you and me (well, Bill Gates and a few folks like him, write, too). The essays are moving, inspiring and a whole bunch of other uplifting adjectives. For some reason, an essay I heard on the radio in June has stayed in my head. It was written by a high school senior named Brighton Earley, who talked about grocery shopping at Chevron gas stations when you're short of money. Just type in Brighton's name (you can add the word "humility" as well, and you can listen to and/or read her words. (I had a heck of a time getting the right link, so you're on your own.)

This I Believe reminds us that people are good. Well, except those AIG crooks who spent gazillions of dollars going on trips after getting in trouble ... nevermind.

Oh, just a bit more politics:: As spittin' mad we get at our politicians, it's nice to stroll waaay back American History Lane to put things in perspective. For example, after one president's inauguration, the White House was described as a "war zone" the next morning. Yes, that tall, gray-haired Andrew Jackson really knew how to par-tay ... in 1828. There's an essay at The Smart Set that might just make you go "hmm." Yep. Some things never change.

On that note, I'll leave you with a...

Quote O' The Day:: "Did you ever know a politician that was not 'facing the most critical time in the world's affairs' every time he spoke in public?" ~Will Rogers

That's all she wrote. For now. Until later...

Railin' about Palin

Generated doodad above:: I couldn't resist playing around with Palin (this was created at says-it.com.)

"Don't say anything unless you have something nice to say" is usually my motto, but I couldn't resist goofing around making some kind of statement for today's entry. Since I've been bewitched and bewildered by PC problems for a couple of weeks, I was unable to blog. I was bored. Unfortunately, I listened to all the political tomfoolery during this period.

I'm a Democrat who likes to debate with political friend and foe alike; my philosophy is that you'll either strengthen your own position, or perhaps learn something new that makes you understand another point of view.

But what in the h-e-l-double hockey sticks was John McCain thinking when he put Sarah Palin on the ticket? Maybe I'm just nervous that this moose-killin' mama could be a heartbeat away from the most powerful position in the world.

(I'm sorry, my Republican friends, but because you live in Alaska, which is sorta close to Russia, does not qualify you to sit down to have serious talks with Vladmir Putin.)

Her way-out-there views scare me (no abortion even in cases of rape and incest?) but let's talk about the subject everyone seems to be avoiding: What kind of parent names her kids Track, Trig, Bristol, Willow and Piper?

Pre-Gov. Palin offenses:: As mayor of Podunk (or whatever it's called), Alaska, one of her first moves was to check out how to ban books in the local library. Banning books? Them's fightin' words.

Speaking of book banning:: From Sept. 27 - Oct. 4, folks fond of The First Amendment celebrate Banned Books Week. Yes, people other than the wannabe VP still want to control what others might read.

Some of the literary offenders challenged over the years:: The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald); The Grapes Of Wrath (John Steinbeck); In Cold Blood (Truman Capote); Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell); and The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway). You can read a more comprehensive list of these culture-killers on a Google book site. As always, The American Library Association provides all sorts of resources to protect our right to read.

This year's list includes, at #5, perennially challenged The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain). The reason for protesting this classic, of course, is for the book's "racism."

What many people don't realize is that Twain (or as his parents named him, Samuel Clemens) was a social satirist, and Huck Finn was written to argue against the institution of slavery and the continued poor treatment of African-Americans overall. In that spirit, I'll conclude my meanderings with...

Quote O' The Day:: "Where prejudice exists it always discolors our thoughts." ~Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain)

That's all she wrote. For now. Until later...

Train of thoughts...

Made it through the week clean as a whistle. And yes, just one more day until the weekend. In the meantime, take a few minutes to read my cyberchatter. It's a day of trials and tribulations, and I'm not just jawing about the Olympics. I'll try to be fast and furious, but I'm a bit slow and content today, so hang on. Or hang out. You can return to your regularly scheduled life after a few hundred words.

Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the ball:: No, no Mr. Irabu, you misunderstood. You don't have to drink beer because you were a major leaguer, no, even though you were a pitcher. The song ends "..on the wall," and you only made it to 20 mugs, anyway. 'Tis true:: Former Yankee Hideki Irabu assaulted a bartender, and admitted doing so after having too many brewskis. Hall of shame for you, sir. How can anyone drink 20 mugs of beer without croaking, anyway?

Ken and Skipper, for the defense:: The dollhouse, I mean, courthouse (and federal, at that), is abuzz with the Barbie vs. The Bratz trial. The jury already ruled that MGA, owner of the the new kids on the block, Yasmin, Cloe, Jade and Sasha, are simpling spoiling Barbie's chances of being prom queen for the 50th year in a row. Wait, that's not it -- the jury found that Bratz dolls designer Carter Bryant came up with the idea for the dolls with permanent pouts when he worked at Mattel, otherwise known as The House Of Barbie. The jury's still out on how much -- if any -- damages will be awarded. Will a couple of billion satisfy Barbie's longing for new clothes?

Tracking more Barbie news:: A grandpa in North Carolina hooked the state's largest catfish with his granddaughter's Barbie fishing rod. The snazzy pink pole made history. Take that, Bratz. Hope the jury isn't influenced by my comments.

Railing against the Olympics, part 2:: Okay, International Olympic Committee weenies. America lost at softball to the Japanese. No gold medal to polish this last time. Want to reconsider the sport that only Americans love? Here's someone who agrees.

Election engineering:: I roll my eyes. I sigh. Once again, the Democrats are trying to lose the election. McCain has now cut into Obama's lead. As a Hillary Clinton supporter, I saw this coming. Really. Democrat that I am, we seem to dwell in The Department of Duh. What's McCain's message now? Well, it was excellent when Clinton used it, so McCain has swiped it. And he's surging. Hillary's "Who do you want to answer the phone at 3 a.m. at The White House?" approach has been smartly snatched by The Republicans. Earth to The Democratic Party:: Clinton has just about as many votes as Obama. What part of "we like her, we really like her," do you not understand? Alas, we'll see how I feel tomorrow, if Sen. Obama announces his VP pick as promised.

In whetting your whistle news:: My neighbor Julia pointed out a horrifying factoid -- Fiber One health bars -- which I've eaten and liked, contain need-to-investigate ingredients. Check it out here. "Confectioners shellac?" Shellac? Bad enough that "confectioners" is missing an apostrophe. But even worse, "ethanol" pops out on the list. In fairness to the product, I'll check out the competition. Still, "shellac?" I'm back to Twinkies and Ding-Dongs, pronto.

Quote O' The Day:: "We turn older not with years, but newer every day." ~Emily Dickinson

I hope she's right. Since I'll be a newer version tomorrow, I'm green lighting Friday's goal.




That's all she wrote. Today. Until later...

Hotter than a real Chinese firecracker

Yikes. Another 100 degree day arrives here in the great Pacific Northwest. Granted, when it nears 65 degrees in these here parts, shorts and sweatshirts are normal attire. Hot and cold mean something different to us, compared to, oh, say, my relatives' definition of weather in Nebraska.

When the temperature rises to three digits, well, as you might guess, we are hot, and we are bothered. Me? I'm trying to chill out by checking out what's new and newsy. (I'm also wondering for the zillionth time why I don't own an air-conditioned house. And unlike previous scorching days, when we'd drive our air-conditioned cars around to cool off, well, that little gas-price problem has stopped that method of lowering the body temperature.)

Burning Olympics topic:: No, I'm not wondering how the swimmers get into those itsy bitsy teeny weeny suits. I'm thinking ahead to the next Summer Olympics, the London 2012 version. You know, I hope, that you will not see softball or baseball, but you can still watch the heart-thumpin' drama of the flight of the shuttlecock. Yes, Badminton, the "world's fastest racket sport" will still award gold medals, as will Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Handball and the subject of one of a most-hilarious skit on "Saturday Night Live," with Martin Short and Harry Shearer.

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/mens-synchronized-swimming/1980340333

No offense to any of these sports, or the athletes who participate in them, but somehow, my viewing habits tend toward other areas:: Gymnastics, Swimming, Track and Field. You know, the sports that get the highest viewership, things like that.

But in a secret International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2005, only baseball and softball were eliminated from the list of Olympic sports. Someone reported that these two sports were "too American." The last sport eliminated from the Olympics was polo, in 1936. "Live Pigeon Shooting" was eliminated in 1900 -- the gold medal was awarded to the athlete who killed the most birds -- but I suspect no one misses that "sport."

Oh, in case you missed it, Badminton Doubles gold went to China, the silver was won by Korea and the bronze went to China. Is that "too Asian?"

Potential hot top alert:: The Census Bureau released a report a couple of days ago that informed us that white Americans will no longer be a majority by 2042. (Disclaimer: I'm a white female. The female part probably makes me more of a minority in many ways than the "white" part.) Just four years ago, The Census folks projected the white minority would occur in 2050. Why do I feel an uncomfortable event or situation coming on? It's partly the fault of aging Baby Boomers. But perhaps we need to discuss this situation before people work themselves into a sweat over the change. But maybe I'm too cynical. Or too pale. Or too hot. Anyone out there have an opinion?

Shaken, not stirred:: Child, Julia Child. Who knew? Hot topic yesterday was the just-released documents of people who spied for the OSS during World War II. According to the CIA (the OSS was folded into the CIA after Pres. Truman disbanded it in 1945), that tasty little souffle Ms. Child was cooking in her TV kitchen might have had a coded message baked inside.

Other undercover agents included: Boston Red Sox catcher Moe Berg; actor Sterling Hayden; Kermit Roosevelt, son of the Pres. known as "Teddy"; Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg; and Miles Copeland, pop of pop band The Police's drummer Stewart Copeland.

Some 750,000 documents detailing the OSS operatives were CIA-classified for decades; the National Archives let 'em out yesterday, hot off the press.

Are you thinking "Big Hollywood Movie" like yours truly?

Hunk of burning science news:: Divers have discovered 13 new species of fish near Micronesia (if you're somewhat geographically impaired as I am, you'll know the place because TV's "Survivor" has filmed two seasons there). A quote I saw under one of the photos released by the BBC made me wonder if this was a good-or-bad-news situation: "The bright blue damselfish is finally in the hands of science."

Despite an urge to avoid going outside, I must. As I leave, sunscreened from head-to-toe, I'll leave you with this thought.

Quote O' The Day:: "I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean." ~G.K. Chesterton

That's all she wrote. Today. Until later...

Liar, liar pants on fire

Before I discuss the fountain of fibs in the news lately, I'd be remiss not to share a photo of my friend and not-constant companion (he belongs to friends, but loves me, anyway). His antics have slowed my blog musings -- what? You thought I wrote these passages without wearing sunglasses? He ate mine, just a day after being diagnosed with pancreatitis. He'll be okay, the vet says. The sunglasses, however, are ... well, somewhere in his digestive system.

Without further ado, my pal Rome.

More on the Susan G. Komen Foundation at a later date. Irony of ironies, my dad is scheduled for a mammogram tomorrow. My mom has no idea how this is accomplished, and my sister and I are clueless as well.

But onto the tall tales of the past week...

Bad sports:: The Chinese. C'mon. Pavarotti had to lip-sync while singing at the 2006 Winter Game because of the bitter cold. He was an opera star. But the Chinese substituted a different girl to fake her way through "Ode To The Motherland" during the Olympics' Opening Ceremony because she was "cuter" than the 7-year-old who really belted it out? Talk about giving the real singer a complex. I think both girls are cute. Check it out here.

Then we find out the awe-inspiring fireworks display was also "tweaked?" What? Chinese? Firecrackers? Faked? This incident reminds me of the fear of computers that scifi writers threw at us years ago. First, you mess around a tiny bit with The Olympics, then you fake The President's press briefings because he got shot by The Vice President. Or something like that.

When it's okay to lie:: In the past week or so, 125,000 gorillas -- classified as "critically endangered" -- were spotted in the Congo. Dang it. Did we really have to know this until some wildlife folks got a handle on this, to keep the poachers away?

Then someone started yapping about an "undiscovered" waterfall in the Amazon region. Oh, some locals knew about it, but now that the word is out, expeditions are on their way to see and document this treasure.

Not a lie, exactly:: Also in the undiscovered news category was the announcement was the report detailing the findings of Roman ruins in the ancient Jewish capital of Galilee in Israel. Apparently, the city of Zippori housed a significant pagan population, who with Jewish and Christian neighbors, developed a hometown with various kinds of buildings. Neat archaeological info. But the article in LiveScience, describe a temple depicting the Roman gods Zeus and Tyche.

Now, as a dedicated Xena: Warrior Princess fan, I know that these two gods were Greek. I tried to find an explanation of why the Roman gods weren't named Jupiter and Fortuna on this temple, but alas, I gave up. Poor scholar that I am, perhaps someone can set me straight here.

Who should know when not to lie:: John Edwards. You were running for President, sir, and when the you-admitted-it affair occurred, your wife was battling cancer. Did he actually think this information would remain buried? This is mind-numbing. Enough said.

And yes, telemarketers lie, but:: I don't have any aversion to junk mail. Frankly, I miss finding anything in my mailbox. (Like even a "what are ya up to card" from friends -- hint, hint.) Sure, from an ecological viewpoint, saving all that paper is great. (I wonder, though, scientific genius that I am, if all the computers buzzing out spam and e-mails are all that much better.)

But there are folks who just don't want anything in their mailboxes they didn't ask for. They're adamant about not receiving junk. They're ticked. Fightin' mad. So I shouldn't have been startled to see what creative people do with junk mail. Quite fascinating, and in the case of #7, well, it seems a bit extreme to me, but read what some people do with bricks.

That's it. I think I need to ponder animals, like my friend Rome. Studies (you know, three-out-of-four-internal physicians-report kind-of studies) say that human blood pressure lowers while petting an animal, as does the pet. So, here's a fitting thought.

Quote O' The Day:: "It's funny how dogs and cats know the insides of other folks better than other folks do, isn't it?" ~Eleanor H. Porter, in "Pollyanna"

And that's all she wrote. Today. Until later...

Laughter:: The Best Medicine?

So. I said I'd blog every other day. Whatever. That was before I broke a tooth; fell off a bike and sprained my hand (while explaining "Why-you-shouldn't-be-afraid-to-ride" to a 7-year-old); tore two contact lenses; and spent seven hours in the emergency room while my dad was poked, probed and patronized. These events occur, of course, but should they happen in a week's time? No. Nada. Never. Not again.

So bruised, tired and quite crabby, I perused the web (one-handed, of course) to cheer myself up. I managed to find a few tidbits to temper my grumpiness. Sharing is a picker-upper, so here's my take on things floating in cyberspace.

Really made me guffaw:: Yesterday's press release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The folks there claim hospital ER waiting time has increased by 28 minutes. Okaaaay. The wait is now one hour, up from 38 minutes, the CDC announced. One hour? Are they serious? I've never spent less than three hours in any emergency room. Were the CDC people referring to veterinary emergency centers? One hour in ER? Surely they jest. But you can read a report here.

Scotty -- Beam him back up:: I feel rude for chuckling at this, but, really: What are the odds of such an event? James Doohan, otherwise known as Chief Engineer Scotty from TV's Star Trek, was supposed to be eternally enshrined in space when his cremains (the remains after his death) were put on SpaceX Falcon 1. Unfortunately for Doohan and the others who pre-planned their last great adventure, the rocket didn't reach orbit. Worse yet -- his ashes were destroyed in the failed launch. Read the captain's log, I mean, article, here. Yes, Mr. Spock, illogical.

Way to describe what ails you:: It's a "scum-sucking pig of a disease that treats everyone differently." That's how actress and funny lady Teri Garr describes MS, the condition that plagued her 17 years before she got a diagnosis. Great story about her current status here; she's an inspiration. There's no cure for MS; why not?

Reasons why Baby Boomers rock:: An uplifting article in AARP magazine (it's not your grandma's magazine, anymore, bay-bee), explains why anyone older than 49 will appreciate "50 Reasons To Love Being Over 50." Drum roll, please, for number 14: "Because if Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones, of course) can make it into his 6os, there's hope for us all."

A couple of health-scare moments for him include an incident in 1996. While he was reaching for a book in his home library, he got pummeled by an avalanche of texts, suffering three broken ribs and a punctured lung. Ouch. Another health scare happened in 2000, when he fell out of a coconut tree in Fiji. How he got in a coconut tree is anyone's guess, but it made me laugh.

In honor of the Olympics, a quote o' the day:: "If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do all the rest have to drown, too?" ~ Steven Wright

Just to make me laugh, another quote 'o the day:: "I got kicked out of ballet class because I pulled a groin muscle. It wasn't mine." ~Rita Rudner

And for no reason, another quote o' the day:: "If only someone would do for cows what Bambi did for deer. Cows have been in films, but they haven't starred. I'm still willing to eat a species that is only a supporting player." ~Paula Poundstone

I feel sooo much better. As long as a Hummer doesn't pull in front of me in the McDonald's drive-through (that was last night's "where's that flesh-eating bacteria when you need it" moment), I'll be back.

That's all she wrote. One-handed. Today. Until the next time...

Make my day

(You, too, can produce a stickynote here.)

Wednesday, right on time:: Smack dab in the middle of the week. Not a bad bit of 24 hours, except for those of us born on hump day. You know that old piece of prose:: "Sunday's child is full of grace..." Well, if you spout the whole thing, apparently the only rotten time to be born is on a Wednesday, because the "child is full of woe." So woe is me.

That said, I'd like to share how I wasted, I mean productively helped the world, on this fine day.

I like to waste time on occasion as I rocket through cyberspace, as evidenced above. You, too, can while the hours away at The Generator Blog.

Happy -- but sober -- time:: Chris Gregoire, 61, the governor of Washington State, was not unhappy that she forgot her ID when she and some staffers went out to eat. She got carded. For more on a story that will thrill all female baby boomers, check the story here. There's a photo of her, and though she's a nice-looking woman, I'm pretty sure most barkeeps would know she was legal. I'm sure she didn't care that the guy didn't recognize from, oh, say TV, when she's discussing state matters.

It's about time:: Gizmodo has a guide to explain what in the heck we're supposed to do with cables. For those of us who get a wee bit frustrated wasting several hours with plugs, we thank the writers of the article. Oh, kudos to the photographer, too. Pictures are good for those of us who are thingamajig-deficient.

It's way past time:: A headline to perk up anyone's day: "House panel votes to cite Rove for contempt." Can we cite other Bush trolls for, oh, I don't know, giving us all an eight-year stomachache?

And one more time:: If you missed my blurb about Christian the lion (07.18.08), check this out. It's an update, complete with updated photos of the friends who made a whole lotta folks smile.

I'm outta time:: Apparently, I didn't adhere to my schedule today. Okay, I didn't really have a schedule. But I will. I'll halt my musings with another quote from the all-too-famous "unknown."

"Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you will find a hair stylist you like." ~Unknown

That's all she wrote. Today. Until later...