It’s Been Bugging Me

I am very sorry that the ABC reporter and his camera man were severely injured in Iraq. However, I do not understand the amount of coverage this issue is receiving. Was it not their choice to go over and report the news?

I know that our armed service men and women signed up but I am pretty sure the majority of them didn’t choose to be over there. Why don’t we get minute by minute information on every injured soldier who is over there so the rest of us can be safe?

I am wishing a speedy recovery and safe return of everyone over there.

A Word to the Scribe

The best advice for Bloggers is to not write anything that you wouldn’t say directly to the individual to whom you are referring. Those who know me personally and with whom I have an active relationship already know that anything written here has previously been expressed to them directly.

How then does this translate to lurkers who may or may not infer that the topic somehow relates to them? Do they have the right to be offended? Do I have the right to vent my opinions on a venue of my choice; this site?

One might ask: if I would not directly tell the offended parties how I feel/felt about something then why write it in the first place? My answer to that would be simple; if anyone is offended by anything I express on this site (one set up for me initially and then for whoever may stumble across it whether accidentally or through extended research) then they should stop reading. This is not rocket science. I never claimed it to be. This exercise is primarily for my amusement or mental health, whichever is in disrepair at the time of the post.

The traffic is fantastic, gravy if you will. It warms the cockles of my heart to see that I have regular readers, some more obsessive than others. None of you are pulling the wool over my eyes, I know who reads and when and how often.

I have had this discussion with other Bloggers. Enquiring minds want to know. If you have an opinion, by all means, let me know.

Stop! Or I’ll Shoot!

Recently at work, some of us were recounting any run ins we have had with the Law; speeding tickets mainly. I mentioned to the group that before a certain incident, I often wondered how State Troopers were able to pull over two motorists at one time.

It was the summer of my 25th year. My family had a small place in Ocean City, MD. With my younger sister in tow, we headed off to the Beach (“down the Ocean- Hon”). To avoid traffic, I usually made the trip late at night. We were on Route 90 heading east. I was one of two cars on the road at the time, the other car maybe half a mile behind me. A car headed west passed me. Instinctually, I looked in my rear view mirror to find the car was a State Trooper who made a sharp U-turn and was about to pull me over. I alerted my sister that fact and she went into panic mode, not sure why. I told her she needed to calm down and I pulled over. As I was slowing down the car behind me zoomed by, just then the Trooper pulled back into traffic and pulled that car over. I assumed that the Trooper wasn’t interested in me at all. I casually tried pulling back out onto the highway. The Trooper responded in kind by drawing his gun. My sister went into a shrieking surrender pose in the front seat, screaming don’t shoot, DON’T SHOOT!!!

I quickly pulled back onto the shoulder and apologized profusely. It was at that exact moment that I realized how Troopers were able to pull over multiple vehicles.

The Trooper came over to me first and found my sister still in surrender pose and hysterical. He was a kid. He was visibly upset by the reaction of my sibling. He stammered a few words about watching the speed limit and to be safe. He then waved us on our way.

To this day, my sister won’t drive at night. I think I may have scarred her for life. However, her histrionics got me out of what would have been a costly ticket.

Perfect Equation

Last night my whole family gathered together for dinner out. We are not the typical family who eats out together often. There are many reasons for this: picky eaters, a set of parents’ who feels the cost is too high ( it’s a generation thought process rather than lack of funds) busy schedules, etc.

However, last night went off without a hitch. I am not sure if it was a fluke or if we can all be completely social away from a home setting. I am happy to report that in the two-hour span of time we spent together there was no discussion of ailments being suffered, no overt sibling rivalry displayed, no hurt feelings. It was very relaxing. We actually had spirited discussions of current events AND everyone enjoyed the food. It was nothing short of a miracle.

We made the executive decision as a family unit to try this once a month since we all had a good time. Hopefully the future gatherings will measure up to this one.

All I’m Sayin

If it happens outside my window, it could possibly make it into the blog. If you want your private business to remain so, may I suggest:

1) Not having animated conversations right outside my window
2) Refrain from public displays of affection. Tonsil hockey – grow up.
3) If you are going to break your neck staring in you might as well be prepared
to wave back. Common courtesy, really.
4) Say thank you if you insist on pounding on my window to let you in because you are too lazy to fish out your key to the door so early in the morning.

No need to get all up in my grill.

There Must Be An Echo…

Thanks to all who have inquired. All is well, no worries. Work is getting in the way of extra curricular activities. Will pick up the pace soon. I promise.

Till then, tell me what’s new with you?

Being Kept Down by the Man

Greetings to all else who are working today. Next life, I am going to be a government employee.

Happy MLK Day

Disappointed Yet Proud

Unfortunately, the Redskins season ended yesterday but they made it farther than they were able to in the last nine years. I am proud of their efforts and hope that they keep the momentum positive for next years season.

Hail to the Redskins.

Happy Triskaidekaphobia!

I am not one to get on the fear of 13 bandwagon. Whatever flips your switch?

Today, I intend to live on the edge and let black cats cross my path and walk under a ladder. While I am pushing the limits, I may even give a speech, pet a spider, take a hot air balloon ride and dance with a clown. Why not?

Have a great weekend everyone. Go Redskins!!!!!

Tag! I’m It

Me Me Me Meme. I’ve been tagged by Joe, of Cut The Shit fame. He has asked me to describe five weird habits about myself.

When I first received this I thought what? Me? Weird habits? Then after I picked myself off the floor following the maniacal laughing fit, I sat down and came up with 213 weird habits. They say the first step is to admit the problem. Now that I have condensed the list to a mere five, let us continue. I have included the rules below. If anyone of you want to participate feel free to do so. I am not much of a tagger, rather in this case a tagee. Thanks a bunch Joe!

1) I was raised to be afraid of doctors. (Considering the fact that my own Dad is a physician I always felt this tactic was odd.) The only time I would have to go to my pediatrician was for immunizations. All other normal childhood ailments my Dad would treat. When I was misbehaving, my Mom would threaten me with a visit to the doctor for a shot. I hated shots. It got to the point of me diving under the dining room table when Mom tried to get me to my scheduled pediatrician visits. Luckily for me, I had a wonderful doctor. He was pretty smart too, he taught me to be afraid of the nurses with the needles and not him. Brilliant!

2) If you are a solicitor, you’d be wise to not knock on my door. My home is my sanctuary. The last thing I want in an unwanted visit from a salesperson or Jehovah’s Witness. The last time I slipped and answered the door on a weekend, I was greeted by 2 persistent Jehovah’s Witnesses. They would not leave so that I could close my door. So I told them that I would be happy to listen to their spiel if they didn’t mind coming in while I sacrificed a Christian. Amazing how fast they flew down the front steps. Come to think of it, they’ve never knocked since.

3) I love verbal sparring. Spirited debates keep my brain working in high gear. Although I may push a bit too far. Recently I was expostulating with a co-worker and he finally raised his hands and stated that was the first time he was “ sodomized by words.” Ouch. I will work on that, yikes.

4) I LOATHE shopping. I may be one of the few females on the planet who don’t enjoy this ritual. This includes grocery shopping. I just did not receive this gene from my Mom. My two sisters did for sure. Perhaps I am adopted. Hmmmm.

5) I am hooked on home improvement TV shows. Specifically Trading Spaces and While You Were Out. The amount of time I spend viewing these programs one would think that I am the Queen of Do-It-Yourself. Nothing could be further from the truth. I get fantastic ideas from these shows but lack the energy to actually start a project. I would love for someone to nominate me for the While You Were Out show so I could return to a great surprise.

The first player of this game starts with the topic “five weird habits of yourself,” and people who get tagged need to write an entry about their five weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next five people to be tagged and link to their web journals. Don’t forget to leave a comment in their blog or journal that says “You have been tagged” (assuming they take comments) and tell them to read yours.

Nip and Tuck

My site definitely needed some rejuvenation. I had an idea of what it should look like for some time but I lack the knowledge for the actual mechanics involved. Cut me some slack. I only recently learned how to add pictures to the site. It’s a process for this old gal.

I am happy to present to you the new and improved look. I think it’s fabulous. Many thanks to my Web Mistress Extra Ordinaire, the accomplished HFS. She is the techno wizard behind this operation.

Between this blog botox and the Redskins moving forward in the playoffs, my weekend has been quite nice. Hope yours has also.

Forasmuch As.....

....You just know that some days will be excessively arduous.




The rest of you have a nice day!

Miscommunication??????

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and sole survivor of the coal mine accident victims. I cannot wrap my head around how such a “miscommunication” could occur.

In this day and age of high tech everything, one would think such an important detail would be verified in triplicate before being reported. It must be that our society is in such a hurry to be the first to report news whether right or wrong that things like this can happen.

Deplorable!

Here’s a Tip: Plant Your Corn Early

Unsung heros, foods service workers. I have great respect for wait staff. Talk about a thankless job.

It is rare that I don’t tip the standard 20% when eating out. If I happen to be unhappy with anything while dining out, I’d rather speak to the manager and let them know why my experience was inadequate rather than cheating my server. Nine times out of ten, the bad service has to do with what is going on behind the scenes rather than the server not performing their job. I do know people who will look for every opportunity to hassle the wait staff in an effort to get a free meal or discount. They’re also those who feel some sense of entitlement and treat servers with irreverence.

I tried to be a waitress ( the politically correct term back then) while in college. It was not a task that I either was good at or enjoyed. I lasted for half a shift. My demise came when an elderly customer, not happy with his visit, left me a penny for a tip. I grabbed the penny, followed him out to his vehicle and told him he must have dropped something and returned his coin.

Right after that, I turned in my apron.

New Year’s Resolution....

Make it to the PLAYOFFS!

Hail to the REDSKINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!