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1. My family - yeah, they can be a pain but if I didn't have them, who would I complain about? |
One of my favorite movie lines is from The Big Chill.
"Nobody ever said life was supposed to be fun, at least they never said it to me." Richard from The Big Chill.
Mom has been ill since just after Thanksgiving and the ups and down have been waaayyyy big. She had an allergic reaction to some medication and its been getting worse since then. Her breathing has become more labored and she gets out of breath walking from the living room to the kitchen which is about 15 steps.
Last week she had her chest xrayed and the results aren't good. She could have emphysema or a host of other issues. The interesting thing here is that my mother never smoked, not even a single drag. If it does turn out that this is what she has, then Mom is a victim of second hand smoke.
My grandfather was a heavy smoker and he did smoke around her. He also took her to smoky bars when my grandmother was working. Yes, he was a sorry bastard and he died of emphysema and alcoholism.
My father was a smoker though he smoked pipes most of his life. After he became ill with multiple sclerosis he switched to cigarettes for the last fifteen years of his life. Consequently, I was subjected to second-hand smoke. I smoked for a short while then gave it up. It's just plain smelly. :)
Mom said that when she was in the car with her father she sat in back and all his smoke would hit her in the face. He did this even knowing that as a child, she already had a lung issue called Beck's Disease. BD is rare now and it is called Sarcoidosis - it alone can cause shortness of breath when she has a flare up.
So for those of you who smoke around your kids or others who don't smoke, what are you thinking? Do you want your loved ones to pay the price for your smoking sixty some years later, too?
I'm not one to preach, but I can't help being pissed off that a man who was a lousy father (for many more reasons than the smoking) and a rotten human being is still wrecking havoc with the last remaining members of his family.
Mom goes in Tuesday for a CAT scan. The doctors want to diagnose what is actually going on with her and get her started on some kind of treatment. Please keep her in your thoughts, she's all I have left.
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2. Manicure / pedicure - Somehow I never seem to fit these into my schedule! 3. New Music - Might I recommend Maroon 5's It won't be soon before long - Gossip or Dax Riggs? 4. Time Off - I never seem to have enough time to relax. Just ask yourself, what are you doing working so hard that you can rarely, if ever, kick back and enjoy it? 5. Fun Books - Jack Cafferty's It's Getting Ugly Out Here is good for starters 6. Recycle Bins - If we don't take care of Mother Nature then we have no right to think she'll take care of us. 7. Sumptuous Bath Towels - I'm SO in love with the massive Egyptian cotton bath sheets. I wrap one around me and it feels like heaven. 8. Lindt Truffles - My favorite chocolate in the world. 9. Off Button for the television. We've become a nation of people who watch others live their lives. So get off the couch and out into the sunshine! 10. Body Butter - from origins.com - I highly recommend the Orange Ginger...it's HEAVEN. 11. Something to love - it could be a pet, a stuffed animal, a pillow - it doesn't matter. The only criteria is that every time you look at it you smile. 12. Soft Clothes - I'm talking about something sinful to kick back in at home. No, not your husband's boxers - maybe a stretch velvet jumpsuit? Cashmere? Something fabulously expensive that you wouldn't buy for yourself - but you deserve it! 13. A wish - Everyone needs to have a wish. I don't mean you should wish for a new car - pick something that no one else knows - a secret wish - and you never know...this year it just might come true! |
And this means the slate is clean! It is a fresh start.
For writers, it doesn't matter how many rejections you received in 07 - its a new start as of today. So put all of the negativity behind you and move forward. Who knows what 2008 has in store!
Today I posted on one of my sister blogs - www.theshrinkingwoman.com
Are you looking to shave a few (or a few hundred) pounds? Come join me and we can be miserable together. :)
No, I'm not referring to the movie.
Last night Mom was watching the Glen Beck show on CNN. Personally, I think he's a fruitcake and a hate monger, but that's just me. His guest was Jon Huntsman, a very accomplished business man and philanthropist. In the course of his lifetime this man has lost and made hundreds of millions of dollars. One of his most enduring achievements is the founding of the Huntsman Cancer Institute. (http://www.hci.utah.edu/index.jsp) This institute is doing amazing things in the area of cancer research. Not only are they looking to cure cancer, they are looking to prevent it as well.
According to his book, Winners Never Cheat, around 2001 his company took a huge financial hit. In order to come up with the working capital to make his commitments, payroll etc - he put 40% of his company up for sale. After long negotiations, he and the buyer came to an agreement of 53 million dollars. The men shook hands in agreement.
As with most business deals, the lawyers then come in and tidy everything up. It took six months for the paperwork to be finalized and in that time, Huntsman's company came back with a vengeance and the 40% of the company was now worth 250 million dollars. The buyer came back to Jon and said, "Look, let's split the difference and I'll pay you 125million."
Huntsman's response was, "No, I shook your hand over the deal, you will pay me 53 million dollars, it's a done deal."
This man sold 40% of his company and lost almost 200 million dollars.
Huntsman then turns around and has to go to the banks to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars to meet his financial obligations. When I'm talking about financial obligations, I'm not talking about payroll, I'm referring to his charity contributions. He'd given his word to meet these obligations to charities and he took out loans to do it.
This man lost 200 million, then took out hundreds of millions more to pay to charities - both of which he'd shook hands on.
So why am I bringing this up?
Growing up, my father instilled these same values in his children. A man's word was his bond and shaking hands on it was as good as a signed and sealed contract. It used to be this was the rule, not the exception.
No matter what a decision will cost you personally, if you give your word then it should be a done deal. The only thing you really have in life is your reputation as a human being, your money and external accomplishments say very little about the core essence of a person.
So why am I bringing this up?
This morning the news reported that a new poll indicated that a growing minority of teens believe it is okay to lie, cheat and bully your way through life. That it is okay to physically accost a coworker as long as they are on the same level as you.
And this is the generation that will be running America when you and I are in our seventies.
This news report made me incredibly sad. Not only do I think we've forgotten where we come from, but we've lost our way as well. No longer is it enough to be a good person, you now have to have eyes in the back of your head so you can watch people as they stab you in the back to get up that ladder of life.
I don't know about anyone else but I don't want to live in that kind of world. In general I do believe in the goodness of people, but I also believe that we all could use a reminder of who we are and where we came from. That's what the Huntsman interview did for me. I was raised right, to do the right thing no matter the personal consequences and I will continue to do so.
According to Huntsman, when the man who bought the 40% of his company passed away, it was in his will to ask Huntsman to speak at his funeral. Huntsman said it was one of the greatest honors of his life and worth far more than 200 million dollars.
I agree.
In case you can't tell from reading my blog, I'm a pretty rational, down to earth kind of girl. I'm not superstitious, I'm just what they call...sensible.
This morning I got up early, now when I say early, I mean it was still full dark outside. My plan was to hit the grocery store and pick up a few things then lock myself in the house until December 26 - that's when I go out and hit the after-Christmas sales. :)
So I did my morning thing, got dressed, fed the dogs - you get the picture. After I got dressed, I was wandering around the house and realized that my drawers just didn't feel right. I had actually put them on backward. (And you thought the header was just to get your attention!)
Well I was dressed with purse and coat in hand when I realized this. I wasn't about to strip down and turn my drawers around. Let's face it, shoe removal alone would've cost me a few minutes of time, let alone dealing with the whole drama that is pants removal when you're wearing socks and the pants are cotton.
Ugly picture isn't it?
Laughing at myself, I head out into the wilderness that is the local grocery store. That part of my morning was uneventful, thank goodness. I packed my car with my shopping and decided to splurge and hit McDonalds for a snack.
Yes, I know I am working on losing weight, but sometimes you have to give into a temptation. If you don't, then at some point you will have a weak moment and hours later you will wake up covered in hamburger and pie wrappers. We don't want that to happen now do we?
As I'm sitting in the drive thru, my car stalled. I wasn't too shocked, it has done that before. I've had the car for five years and its probably stalled maybe 4 times. I started it up again and it purred like a kitten. I got my food and thought I'd head over to the car wash and get the road salt off my car. (I recently had my car detailed inside and out - my Christmas present to myself - and I'm completely anal about it now)
I pull out into traffic, all is well. I'm about to tuck into my heart-killer breakfast when WHAM - my car stalled again. Now this time, I was actually driving it when it cut out. After I struggled around the corner (let me just say that turning a corner in a Jeep 4x4 with no power steering is just ugly!) I put it in park and started it up.
Now I'm sitting at the corner of a major Ohio artery and a little side street. In front of me is a Goodyear auto shop and me, in my infinite backward underwear wisdom, decide that I can get it home instead of just pulling in there.
Putting it into drive, off I go down the street. I made it about 150 yards and BAM, it did it again. Now I'm concerned. My Jeep has been through some tough terrain, weather etc and I couldn't keep it running on a flat, paved road. BWAH!
I did manage to make it another 300 yards or so until it died at a stop sign. After calling a friend and whining, I called AAA and they sent out a car hauler. (because it is a 4x4, they don't tow them, they put them on a flat bed instead) I explained what my car did and the guy said it sounded like bad gas.
"Sounds like bad gas to me." he said.
"No, that isn't it." I said.
"What do you think it is?"
"I put my underwear on backwards."
He started laughing so hard his false teeth almost popped out.
"You don't understand. This car has never broken down on me in five years and seventy-five thousand miles. But I put my underwear on backwards this morning and my car paid the price for my laziness."
He laughed harder.
Ya know, sometimes people just don't understand me.
Moral: If you put your undies on backwards, change them right quick or a man with false teeth will have to rescue you and he'll laugh at you!
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1. Online gift certificates! They are one size fits all and you don't have to get dressed to buy them. |
Romance is all about the fantasy. 
Recently I discovered that my cable service has The Best channel EVAH! It is VH1 Classic. They play tons of videos that were big when I was a teen and completely addicted to MTV. This morning I spent several hours chuckling over the polyester stretch pants and way big hair.
Ah, fond memories.
While enjoying this blast from my past, I came up with a few comments that I'd like to share.
Van Halen - the moment David Lee Roth left they blew chunks.
Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart have two of the most beautiful voices in music
The Police - after they broke up Sting had a few moments of brilliance then lost his mind and musical way
Eddie Van Halen wasn't nearly as hot as I remembered.
Warrant was one of the worst hair hands there was.
Michael Jackson was stupidly talented
U2 rocked both then and now!
Eric Clapton is one of the best guitar players in the history of recorded music
AC/DC was the BOMB both with and without Bon Scott
Metallica turned the Heavy Metal world on its ear when they made their arrival
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith is still incredibly HOT!
Why the Pet Shop Boys did a song called 'West End Girls' when it was pretty obvious they had little to no interest in women is beyond me...
Twisted Sister was one ugly band
Iron Maiden - how did they play music with all that hair?
Poison - no thanks - did nothing for me both then and now
REM was THE BAND then they went commercial in the nineties
I just loved Pop Up Video - it was fab.
I could've sworn I posted a blog last week. Normally I try to post two or three. Somehow, in the depths of my scary brain, I managed to miss almost two weeks of potential blog-time. How does that happen??
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