9:00 arrive at work – eat breakfast of yogurt and granola 10:00 go to water fountain fill 44 oz cup 10:15 get back at desk with 3 new projects garnered between water fountain and desk. 10:26 – finally get to take the pill after finishing with a phone call. 11:48 – I’m so tired, can I just take a nap for lunch? I have to admit the thought of food is nauseating 12:06 – I’m out of water, how did I get out of water this fast? Probably comes from trying to get rid of the metallic taste in my mouth. 12:15 – stopped at the bathroom line on the way back from the water cooler. 1:03 – back to the bathroom – only 1/3 done with the 44 oz cup though. 1:26 – Lunch with DH, put all but 3 bites of lunch in the take home container, drank 4 Diet Cokes, 3 glasses of water, and hit the restroom 2x. 2:32 – Time to hit the restroom again. 2:42 – Either I’m having hot flashes or my body is expelling the excess water through sweat glands since my bladder can’t handle it all. 3:04 – Can’t believe the water glass is empty again. 3:07 – Okay, definitely need more water; will hit the facilities on the way to the water cooler though. 3:12 – Bless the person who left the container of Crystal Light on the water cooler. You don’t think they’re having the same reaction I am do you? 3:45 – Time to hit the restroom again. 4:37 – Feel like I’ve spent all day in the restroom, and despite the antiperspirant, under my arms is a lake absorbed by clothing. It wouldn’t be a problem if my office wasn’t a refrigerator. 5:20 – My cup is empty again. There isn’t enough time between now and time to leave for me to drain another. I can live with dry mouth for a few minutes. 5:30 – No I can’t. 5:48 – Please only 10 more minutes, I can’t believe I’ll spend my clean up time in the WC.
They say that the first 5 pounds lost of any diet is water. I’ll definitely believe that today. Now for those who say that I'm nuts for taking this drug, the damage that the weight is doing is worse than any side effects that may or may not occur. I'm only on it for 4 weeks and I have to check in with my doctor weekly for EKG's and weigh ins.
My trips to the grocery store are hampered lately by road construction.They’re expanding the big box in my area to include a new strip mall.All you can see at the moment is mud, steel girders and an open Starbucks.Yes, in the middle of all the construction is a Starbucks with its sign lighted in green glory.They even have a special driveway and parking area in the construction zone.The sidewalk consists of 6 panels in front of the store if you step to either side of the Starbucks storefront; you are in mud which is really strange when you consider how dry the rest of the area is.The grass is dying in front of the existing stores because we haven’t had any appreciable rain all summer.I’m hoping the mud is because they were hosing down the construction site to keep the dust down and I just happened to arrive after.
No, I didn’t go into the Starbucks.I just drove into the parking lot to see what was happening.Maybe I was sucked in by the glowing green sign but I’m off caffeine at least until I lose those 30 pounds the doctor talked about (which is making life interesting since for me caffeine is a depressant that calms me so I can focus on work).
I think I was sucked in, after all, from what I’ve heard of Starbucks pricing and their additional infusions of addictive substances, it wouldn’t surprise me if they found a way to make their sign draw you in.Maybe it’s the green, after all Krispy Kreme has the same effect with their sign too.Hey, that’s why I have the 30 pounds…It’s all the fault of the mesmerizing Krispy Kreme sign!
Normally I skip reading blogs if they talk about medical conditions.If I wanted to talk about surgeries or other conditions, I can visit the processing floor at work.I’ve been known to skip Dooce on a few days when it’s Too Much Information for me to take.So why would I even bother to write my own medical blog?Heck if I know.
But today I had my annual physical.I discovered that if you are monogamous, you only need a pap smear once every 3 years.It’s only if you have multiple partners that it’s needed more often.So, no pap this year or next year, YEA!!!
I got a new inhaler for my exercise induced asthma and I finally found out that the recommended dose of Niacin for reducing cholesterol is 1000 mg and the non-flush kind doesn’t work.So if I’m still over 130, it will be Zocor, Lipitor or Crestor for me.I’ll admit that in the past I’ve been more afraid of the side effects from the medicine than I have the eventual heart attack.But, I’m no older than my dad was when he had his first so it’s time to start worrying.The other good thing is that my doctor will now give me all the samples of Lipitor that I want so I don’t have to pay for it.So, if he’s concerned enough about it to give me free drugs, maybe I should take them.
Anyway the shocking part of the exam is they measured me as 5’1”!!The doctor was surprised enough that he sent them out to do it again and this time it came back 5’1.25” that’s a full inch taller than I was last year.
DH said it’s because I was measured in the morning and my appointments are usually at night.Most adults can vary an inch in height during the day as their spine compacts and relaxes.I guess the mattress that DH picked really works.
Anyway, the doctor immediately took me off soda and fruit juice.I have to lose 30 pounds in the next 4 months
It is 100 questions from my daughter with her answers. It was proof that I’m doing my job of turning her into a responsible, self assured adult correctly.
I’m already starting to hear conspiracy theories about Katrina and Rita and Rita hasn’t even hit landfall in the Gulf as I’m writing this.
Snopes even has a section on Hurricane Katrina.That’s how fast the email accusations have been spread.
I’ve heard that Katrina is God’s wrath for Southern Decadence day – I did find the official website for Southern Decadence which states that most of their activities are located in the French Quarter.From what I’ve heard, that area was the least damaged.So if it was really to prevent Southern Decadence (Gay Mardi Gras) why not hit the area where it was going to occur?
The rumor I heard on NPR on the way home is that the levees weren’t built properly and it wasn’t flooding that caused the problem but a collapse down lower in the levee.
Oh, I’m already seeing the rumors there….It was terrorists (Snopes says false on that one).
I’ve already heard that it was the KKK who created the holes so that the black areas would drown and the city could be rebuilt as an all white city.
I’ve heard it was the Bush administration so that Halliburton would have another big infrastructure contract.
My favorite so far though it that both Katrina and Rita are government created hurricanes meant to drive black people from their homes.I didn’t think that anyone could possibly believe that sort of drivel until I heard a woman on the television today complaining that the government shouldn’t be letting President Bush send Hurricane Rita after the evacuees.
If you’ll believe that President Bush controls the weather, well, when the big one hits, I’ll have oceanfront property in Utah to sell you.
I was sure that I would get hate mail from yesterday’s comments.I was sure I would at least get nasty anonymous comments.It didn’t happen.What do I need to talk about in order to get hate mail?
Am I just so awe inspiring that people are afraid to send me hate mail?I realize that chaos is my element, are people afraid of me loosing my minions into their lives? Don’t they realize that my minions are already present, or do they just ignore the existence of chaos on the fringes of their existence?
Maybe, it’s horror of horrors, that they didn’t read it.But that doesn’t make sense since statcounter tells me I had 105 page loads from 74 visitors 44 unique and 30 returning.So people read it.
Maybe it’s because they agree with me?That must be it because the last thought is too much to bear… They didn’t comment because they didn’t care enough about any of the players to have an opinion worth sharing.
Since this is my universe, and everyone is a construct to help me realize my true potential, I can’t imagine that I created a place where people didn’t feel strongly enough about something to speak up about it.It’s all about me after all, maybe I’ve been too strong in channeling negativity out of my life?
When my husband took Akido, the sensei was also an Avatar.He gave me books to read during the time my husband was in class.I remember one book talking about how I am the only person in the universe and everyone else is just a construct I create in order to make my life better or worse.Now while I can’t agree that everyone is a figment of my imagination, I can agree with the concept that we control the way we react to situations around us.We can act as if it’s all about us (because we are the centers of our own universe) or we can divert the focus to ideas, causes or other people that we espouse and admire.
For those to whom it’s always about them, may I suggest that they start a change by refocusing; accepting that the positive things that happen as being about them and passing the negative things off as being about someone else?It’s amazing how when one starts doing that, good things start entering your life and many of the bad things leave.In doing this too, one starts realizing that it may not be all about you after all.
I find it so amazing that when people think it’s all about them, even the most innocuous comment becomes an insult.People start looking for hidden meanings; we start picking up nuances that the original author never intended.We start limiting the circles of friends that other people have to those of which we are aware.Since we tend to relate other people’s behaviours to our own, someone who denies that others have relationships outside the Internet is admitting that they live their lives in the box.
One of the things I’ve been observing lately in the stitching community is a woman who insists that a popular person is continually attacking her.In fact, the popular person doesn’t really even think about the first woman until people email and ask “so was this about her?”The answer is usually “No.” but the woman with the persecution complex just won’t believe it.The funny thing is that the woman with the persecution complex has been proactive in creating a board and banning people from posting on it.Strangely enough, one of the women she banned has no clue why she is banned but, it’s really not worth the time to find out why.As the board members admit, they lead boring lives and talk about boring things.Frankly, I’m not sure why I’m even spending this much time thinking about it, let alone writing about it.I’ll admit that I’m vain enough to assume that they would have proactively banned me too, so I posted once under an alternative user name and then got accused of hiding behind a pseudonym.My fault; I just assumed that if the Princess were banned, the Goddess would be too.
Anyway this is enough time wasted on the topic.Hopefully, now that it’s out of my head and onto the screen, it will just go away.
I used to wear earrings all the time.I had 3 holes in one side and 2 in the other. I had big dangling earring in multiple colors, they shouted, “Look at me!” Then I had children.In the hospital they took all my jewelry off and gave it to my husband.The nurse took one look at my earrings and said, “Oh, if you wear those again, I’ll be seeing you in the ER for shredded lobes.”
Her statement must have stuck because I didn’t put the earrings back on, period.My youngest is now 9 and I still don’t wear earring that often.I have beautiful opal studs and DH has given me diamonds and sapphires for my ears but I just haven’t worn them much.It’s not like I’m around small children and have to worry about having my lobes ripped.Even stranger, after so many years, the first two piercings never grew in.The secondary and tertiary holes are gone but the original two are still there, and the earrings I have still fit wonderfully well, I just forget to put them in during the morning dressing ritual.
One friend suggested getting a really nice pair of studs with a locking back and just leave them in 24/7.Except somewhere along the line, I’ve lost the ability to sleep with a spike poking into my neck from my ear.
Maybe I should just move the jewelry box into the bathroom or dressing room?
I grew up in a cross cultural home.My mother grew up in Finland, my father in Utah.This made for some interesting misunderstandings especially since I’m the oldest girl.Okay, so much for the background for where I’m coming from.
The comment was made at a Wednesday night lecture that certain doors to education and economics and social events will always be closed because of skin color.It’s those doors that affirmative action seeks to open.
I would like to add that it’s not just skin color that closes those doors.My father has been excluded from many things that his cousins have done in society and professional organizations because his foreign wife didn’t know her role in those circles.Of interest is the fact that I never learned the proper role for those functions either, however, my paternal grandmother took my younger sisters in hand and taught them since she saw it as their only way to get good husbands.When I asked her about it, she told me that she always saw me as smart enough to break new ground and that my career would put me in different circles.She was disappointed that I settled for the career that I have.
The cultural difference in lower economic levels also closes doors.DH teaches junior high and high school when the regular teachers are unable to be in the class room.He had one TLC class on the west side of town where the lesson plan was on manners in social situations.Watching the tape that the teacher had chosen, he determined that the post film discussion would be “what’s wrong with this picture?”The film taught that the rules of common courtesy that silver spooned children of the east side of town learn at home were considered outdated and unfashionable.DH started a class discussion about why the film felt such things as the continental style of eating or the proper use of multiple levels of silverware were not important for them to learn.Would not learning these skills prohibit them from making a good impression on an interviewer? On making a good impression at a sorority or fraternity rush event? What other social skills would they need to cross from the West side of town to the East side? Would they want to bridge that gap?(I should explain here that the Eastside Mountain range is the desirable place to live in my city, for those in California I understand that the question should be do you on the east side want to cross to the West?).
One night when we were throwing around ideas for how to books, a young man who grew up in an impoverished situation suggested that someone write a book on how to bridge the social gap between blue collar and white collar.He didn’t mean in the larger sense.The discussion centered on how does someone who grew up with parents that resented management learn the manners to cross into management.That brought up the movie Working Girl; remember how the secretaries were easy to spot because of their dress and makeup in comparison to the of women upper management?It provided an excellent example of the discrimination inherent in ignorance of manners and behavior expected from someone wanting to “rise above their station.”
I have to admit that over the last few weeks I’ve been rethinking my position on affirmative action. I’ve come to the conclusion that we still need to have preferential treatment to level the field but in addition to color, race, religion and gender, we need economic difficulty.Children who desire to break the poverty cycle and get off the government rolls, needs all the help and encouragement they want when it comes to education.A child from the trailer parks deserves a break, no matter what color his or her skin.No impoverished child needs to hear “I’m sorry but we can’t help you because you’re not a minority.”There should be enough resources in America for every child to get as much education as they desire; after all, if they can get better jobs, it means a bigger tax base to pay for more programs.
Styx and REO Speedwagon are playing out at the State Fair tonight.For some reason I’ve been unable to buy my tickets.I think I know why now.Last night, some of the Louisiana guests in Utah invited me to the Mardi Gras style parade they’re holding tonight.Along with the parade will be an impromptu Blues and Jazz concert with several of the local bands and some of the musicians that are visiting the state.Guess which concert I’ll be at tonight
Ken Davis is a computer programmer and I've beta tested one of his EZGrapher programs. He lives in New Orleans and is currently in Zachary. He's posting as he can when he has access to the public library.
The comment was made to me that in the end the people who will suffer the most from this will be the middle class. People who make too much money for government assistance but didn't make enough to have flood, hurricane and special collections riders on their insurance policies. These are the people for whom $62,000 (one relief figure I've heard) will be just a drop in the bucket for what they really lost.
I didn’t think that my weekend was that controversial.Friday, on a radio show, the guest was a man from NOLA who lived on an overpass for 4 days.He was tired of being cooped up on base out at Camp Williams, he didn’t like the curfew (same curfew as everyone on the military base in a wartime setting), and hadn’t seen any of the city and he was bored.
DH suggested that I call the station and offer to take him and 2 friends to the football game that we had tickets for on Saturday.So I did.After the radio show, I got with the Red Cross coordinator and made arrangements to pick up Zach and 2 friends or family members at the main gate to the base.
When I got home DH’s brother by another mother was at the house and told me that Saturday was Governor’s day at Camp Williams and he wished me luck getting to the main gate to pick everyone up.It was reassuring to know that there would be plenty of security around since I had no intention of putting myself in a dangerous situation and strangers that you meet on the Internet or on a radio show might not appear as nice in person as they are in real life.So far I’ve been lucky but I do things to hedge my luck (like making sure there is an armed guard at the meeting place).
The guards at Williams let me park on the side while I was waiting for Zach and his friends to arrive.Just as they got to the gate, Governor Huntsman’s motorcade arrived so we got to wave at the governor.
I was relieved to find that my guests for the day were an 18 year old who towered over me (hey, I’m short), his 17 year old girlfriend and her mother who is my age. P and I hit it off right away.She lived on her porch for a few days while the waters were high and the drains were doing the geyser thing.She’s afraid of heights so when the chopper came for her she refused to go.She was sure that the rope would break and she would drop in the filthy water, the rescuers sent a boat for her.
We went to McDonalds for lunch before the game (Zach’s choice).Zach ate less than my 9 year old, definitely less than the average Utah 18 year old.While we were there P asked if Utah had the crime of “molesting a hamburger.”I guess I looked pretty shocked at that as my mind raced trying to think of how one would do such a thing.She explained to me that she had been arrested for taking the tomato and onion off a hamburger and throwing them in the gutter.She had been charged with molesting a hamburger. As we parked at the stadium, P asked if smoking was allowed inside.I explained that smoking wasn’t allowed anywhere on the BYU campus.She asked if it would be okay to smoke on the street and I told her that would be fine.I didn’t notice anyone staring at her until she lit up.So, for the record, smoking at BYU will draw more attention than skin color.Cosmo was wandering around outside the stadium and one of the cheerleaders took a picture of P hugging Cosmo.It should be online at either the BYU kids club or BYU cheer squad webpage.
We stopped to get sweatshirts just because I was sure we would all be cold before the end of the game and my last BYU shirt died last year.P found it beyond odd that I had no problem leaving the sweatshirts on the bleachers at halftime when we went for a bathroom break.After the game, which was pretty boring ,we hit University Mall while waiting for the traffic to die down.P found a pair of shorts on sale and her daughter found a cute top.Zach looked for a baseball cap but didn’t find anything he liked.They found it odd that freeway speed is 65 MPH and everyone travels about 70.I was going way to fast for them at 65.We stopped once more to eat dinner before going back to Camp Williams.Zach ate more like teenager at Arctic Circle and P’s daughter molested her hamburger (I don’t know why I find that concept so funny but I haven’t been able to forget it.)At the gate, the guard said I didn’t look like my drivers’ license and so wasn’t going to let me in to drop everyone off.I did, however, have another picture ID that did look more like me but resulted in the question, “Are you?” to which I answered, “No.” and he must have believed me since he didn’t ask to search the vehicle.
We talked all afternoon about raising kids, working, the way kids behave today, plans for the future, and the opportunities here that don't exist in LA. I think the one comment that hit me hard is how excited some of the men were that people expected them to work and didn't assume they were just there for a paycheck when they went out on their first day on the job. P is excited to stay in Utah.When I talked to her this morning she was going out with some of the government people to look for a home. Her number one reason for staying here - - No cockroaches!
I took some people that I had never met before today to a football game. Well, it was supposed to be a game but Eastern Illinois never actually played and BYU slept through the 3rd quarter. I learned that in Louisiana you can be charged with the crime of "Molesting a Hamburger" when you throw a tomato slice in the gutter. I learned that there are places where you can want to work but people will assume that you just want a paycheck without doing anything (based on stereotypes) and will therefore not hire you. I was reminded that there is a lot of joy in simple things like a frozen lemonade and watching the 18-23 year old ROTC guys doing 45 pushups. I was reminded that I love taking risks that others would deem crazy. I remembered to listen internally so that I know what others would consider a risk is a safe course because none of the warning bells are going off. I got to see the governor's motorcade because I was in the right place at the right time. I was introduced to the Southern custom of calling to make sure that everyone arrives home safely after an event. I learned that along with losing everything, just having people be nice can be disorienting to a family that has gone their entire life believing that people hate them for who they are.
Just remember, people are people. We may have different cultures that cause language barriers but if we stop and explain what a word means to us - both conotation and denotation, we can usually clear up misunderstandings. Today was a great reminder that we are all children of God no matter what we believe.
Many of you are aware of the problems my dyslexic son has in school. This year we already have a meeting scheduled with the teacher to discuss what we can do to help him succeed in school since his reading level is a full grade behind now. He's told me that he has no friends this year since his main friend from last year has a new friend who doesn't want to play with DS#2. He could really use a confidence builder right now. He's decided that he wants to raise money for the school and try to be the top seller in his class (and try to win the Super Spy kit). Sally Foster has added a line of Bath and Body items along with their standard candy, containers and gift wrap. (They have many holiday papers, not just Christmas and that season is coming up). Please, visit Sally Foster.com, look over the catalog and if you find something you like - place an order with seller number 116718 (which is my son). If you have any questions, please feel to email me. Also, if you would like a personalized email invitation to shop, I'll be happy to send you one.
Yes, Hillary dear, if your husband’s FEMA plans had been allowed to go through, things would have been different. The Clinton FEMA plan made it illegal to have stores of food and water in excess of 30 days. So the people who have been sharing their stores would not have had them to share and even more people would have died. Maybe you think that since people wouldn’t have stores of food and water they would have evacuated as soon as the call went out. Wouldn’t that have meant more people on the roads which I understand was part of the problem and would have resulted in even more dead but then those could be counted as traffic accidents instead of disaster related deaths so the numbers would have looked better. Maybe you’re talking about the function where FEMA can overrule the sovereignty of a state and thus they would have been there sooner instead of waiting for the governor to call for help? I’m sorry but I don’t agree with that one, after all the people who suffered from the mudslides in St. George, UT can tell you that FEMA cares more for rich people in a California canyon than it does for retirees in Utah. But then California has more electoral votes than Utah, and rich people donate to political campaigns. No matter what is said, actions of a government agency will always go back to politics. It’s better to allow people to be self sufficient and suffer the consequences. I hate how people have forgotten how to be responsible. This media penchant for blame doesn’t help. Just imagine how refreshing it would be to hear someone say, “Yes, it’s my fault.” Not for the storm or the levee or for things that they couldn’t stop but for the failure of communication. In any emergency situation though, it’s going to take several days for help to arrive. That’s why even FEMA tells people to have a 72 hour kit.
As the first song MTV played, it was supposed to herald the end of radio and the long term reign of videographic music. Now MTV doesn't play music anymore, and there are more radio stations than ever. I love the stations with the electronic formats where you log onto the website or telephone and pick the songs that they play.
I think in the long run, the real losers were ugly musicians with talent.
Somehow my family is under the impression that Labor Day is for Labor. So this morning we headed down to the last of MIL’s property and demolished the interior of houses. I got an opportunity to teach my kids that a big difference exists between [url=http://dictionary.reference.c...]poverty[/url] and [url=http://dictionary.reference.c...]squalor[/url] . Poverty does not necessarily lead to squalor and squalor exists without poverty. The houses we were cleaning out were low to medium income rentals, pets allowed. Not one of the tenants in these houses needed to live in squalor. The first house was basically clean but will need work as the tenant seems to have a temper problem and put his fist through the wall in several places. The second house was another story. The tenants have been there for 10 years. She runs a housekeeping service; he works drywall and interior construction. [i]Before I go on, I should explain I live in a desert. A sponge left on the counter will be bone dry within a ½ hour. The Katrina refugee’s that are here desperately need lip balm and moisturizer (it was passed out to them at their medical intake). Mold is not a big issue it’s really hard to grow mold unless you have a continuous leak or a bathroom that is continually damp since the numerous kids are always in there. [/i] Squalor defined this house. The first room that we cleaned out was a back bedroom. It had bird poop on the windows, the tenants had birds several years ago but they haven’t had any birds in 4 years, you couldn’t tell that from looking at the windows. Also in that room are petrified piles of animal scat. I say animal because there are 3 different sizes. One is obviously a small dog, one a large dog and the other is smaller and indeterminate, possibly cat. I’ve never known them to own a cat but then I’ve only known them for the last 5 years. I’ve only known them to own one dog, a small terrier. I do know they have pictures of a retriever that they used to own and it looks as if it could match the large piles. I never met that dog so it’s been gone for at least 5 years. So unless the husband was using the back bedroom instead of the toilet, that pile is at least 5 years old. Again, I never knew them to have cats. However, when removing the water heater, it became apparent that they had used kitty litter and some kitty had used the litter, and it had been left in the laundry room. So again, I have droppings old enough to start kindergarten. We’ll return to the laundry room later. The kitchen is a nightmare. Thank goodness it’s being torn out and redone. From what I can tell, when the walls got too greasy for her comfort, she just added another layer of contact paper to the wall. It’s not even wallpaper, it is contact paper, the stuff recommended for lining drawers. There is a thick layer of grease between each layer of this stuff. There are only 8 layers of paper over the original paint that existed when she moved in so that tells you how long between clean kitchens. I’m just grateful that I never took her up on a glass of water or juice when we were replacing the fence. I can just imagine the way her dishes were cleaned. I will not be able to salvage the hardwood floors in this house. The years of urine and feces left in the wood have destroyed it, I’ll be lucky if I can cover the stench. Now back to the laundry room. Remember, I live in a desert it takes a lot of work to keep things wet. We pulled up the linoleum in the laundry room and sent the kids from the house since the mold and mildew were not at safe levels. The moisture is both water and urine and is still present. We can’t find any leaks in the room so near as we can guess; it was flooded within the last 4 months and just left to sit. HOW CAN PEOPLE LIVE LIKE THIS? She cleaned houses for a living. How could she live in such filth herself? Now back to what I told my kids… No one in America needs to live long term in filth. Living in a filthy condition is called squalor. Squalor is something you choose. Poverty, however, is something that you may have no choice in. You never know when everything you ever worked for will be gone. Never be ashamed of poverty but even in poverty, you can avoid squalor.
More Wooden sheep mom... I'll take Sheep Ore... umm,sheep or what? So does sheep ore come from wooden sheep? What do you get when you refine sheep ore? BRICK!! Anyone want to make my ore into wheat? umm, isn't that backwards from what Rumpelstilskin did?
Last night on the news they said that the strange weather we've had created a really sweet peach crop. DH turns to me and says, "When was the last time you made peach jam." Umm, 1996 when I still worked at the house and not in an office. But I didn't say that what I said was, "Why don't we go look for peaches tomorrow." We get up this morning and head for the local farmers market. We've been told the big farmer's market is uptown at Pioneer Park. So we head there first. I'm sorry but when I go to a farmers market, I expect to see FARMERS!! I expect to see people with produce for sale. I do not expect water color paintings, beaded purses and chainsaw sculpture. It was not a Farmer's Market, it's an arts and crafts fair. The only people with food were the taco stands, Vosen's German bakery, and the Greek family. There was no produce and no Peaches. Nearer to our house is the SouthTowne mall. I go there and practically ever booth has PEACHES and they all have produce of some sort. (Honey can be produce right?) This is what I expect from a farmer's market.
I have 4 boxes (1/2 bushel each) of peaches since they don't have to look pretty, I bought the 2nd's at $9 a box instead of paying $12-$20 per box. So during this next week, I will make peach jam, and bottle what remains of 2 bushels of peaches. Tomorrow, I will have Dark Berry honey on Vosen's German Sourdough bread for breakfast.
Excuse me, but if I come in and order 2 takeaway Chinese meals – what makes you think I only want ONE fork and ONE fortune cookie. I’m not so fat or so thin to make you think I would eat both of the meals myself…
The other night I did the back to school grocery shopping. We buy things during the school year that we don’t buy during the summer. Things like snack pack pudding, sliced meats, and fruit snacks to go in cold lunch. My boys brought me an ad for toaster strudel and toaster scrambles that they like having for breakfast. The price was really good so I stocked up (I also bought lots of fruit juice concentrate that was on sale). However, as I’m heading home, I look at the nutrition information on the back of the Bacon, Egg and Cheese toaster scramble. The portion size is one pastry (they’re packaged in a two pack though and usually the boys eat both of them). Calories per serving 114 calories from fat 100 Grams of fat 12 per serving. I didn’t get much past that. What am I letting my kids eat? No wonder they love these, the 2 that they eat for breakfast has their entire daily fat quotient (okay, well, they would be short 1 gram). I’m just glad that when these are gone it will be time for oatmeal in the mornings. At least the Boxtops for Education on them are extra credit for DS#2.
Children, when I say take the frozen juice down to the freezer – I mean put it inside not leave it by the freezer door. Luckily I found it before it all melted and created a mess.
I’m feeling better today as I hear about the fund raisers and efforts beginning to be proposed.I heard the governor of my state offering to house refugees until they’re ready to return home.This morning on the radio, I’m hearing lots of ways for people to donate.I have to admit that it bothers me when President Bush says, “Please donate cash not goods or services.”Yes, I realize that right now there is no place to put the physical property donations (the warehouses are gone).But I’ve always held to the rule that cash rarely gets to where it’s really needed.So, right now, I’ll look for individual’s whose lives I can make a difference in and maybe for them I will give cash instead of goods.After all, a blanket can’t pay for a hotel room.
I just want to say I’m disgusted with the differences in the way the American public is reacting to Hurricane Katrina as compared with the reaction I saw to the Tsunami in December 2004. Within 24 hours of the Tsunami, I couldn’t click on a webpage which didn’t have a request to donate to Tsunami relief. I’ll admit I haven’t been surfing as much lately but my last Amazon order didn’t ask me if I wanted to donate the way it did in December and January. Costco did have signs at the register offering to take donations for the Red Cross to be flagged for Hurricane relief. I’m willing to cut people slack since the devastation is still sinking in for them but I really can’t cut any slack to the news media. Most of the reports I’m seeing keep asking one question: What is the government going to do about this? Just what makes it the government’s problem? This is one of those Acts of God excluded in your insurance policy. I think the stupidest question I’ve heard a reporter ask is “So what can the government do to prevent this type of thing from happening again?” Now if you had asked my MIL before she passed away she would have told you the government does have a secret project that can control the weather and the government probably caused the storm to hit this area on purpose. So were Louisiana and Mississippi Red or Blue states? Frankly, the conspiracy theory is almost as bad as the evangelist who is screaming “God has dealt justice to the sinners!” I’m just wondering how great the sins of the people trapped in nursing homes or hospitals in those areas and thus couldn’t evacuate could have been. I can see the condemnation of those in the prison but is kiting a check really worth a death penalty? As for the people complaining that those who didn’t evacuate were just paying for their own stupidity, just how stupid were the people on life support or those with spinal injuries? How do you move your household when the public transportation has shut down? Back to our televangelist friend, I always thought God loved the poor and the meek; yet, they were the ones with no means of escape.
So for those with loved ones in the afflicted areas, I hope they are safe. If anyone reading this that needs help, let me know what I can do. In the meantime, I’m making an appointment to go donate blood since at the end of the summer I know blood reserves are low and with all the injured the Red Cross is going to need all the help it can get.
So far the parent’s expectations of fights and riots in the hallways of Wasatch Churchill have not materialized but it’s only the 2nd day of school and the first game against the each other is a long way away.
