Carrie's Corner

OWS - Winter

2011-11-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

Winter is beginning to settle in, and it's not looking nice, to put it mildly. Having been born and raised in the Northeast, I am all to familiar with what Winter truly consists of up there. Here's a hint. Just because you live in a large city, does not mean you are immune to the brutalities these Winters serve up on a regular basis throughout the season. The image to the left shows a section of NYC in 2010. This photo was not taken immediately following a snow storm. This photo was taken about a day AFTER a snow storm. If you look closely at the road itself, and the sides of the road around the cars, you can see where the road has already been plowed at least once. You can also see, to the right of the image, where someone has taken a snow blower (likely within the hour before this photo was taken) in an attempt to further clear some snow. Oh, and by the way, this photo was taken in EARLY Winter of 2010. How do I know this? Because had it been taken mid-late Winter, the snow piles on the sides of the road would be at least twice as high.

So now that we have a good idea as to what Winter looks like in this area of our nation, let's check to see WHY. New York City is a port city. It's a virtual island mass sandwiched between New Jersey and the boroughs of NYC, predominantly Queens and Brooklyn. The only piece of land that is protecting the bulk of NYC from being slammed full force by a North Atlantic storm is..well, Ellis Island. Pretty much, that's it.

If you click this map of NYC to enlarge it, you will see something quite interesting. The Financial District is at the very lower section of the city. In other words, this is where Wall Street is. This is the first area of the city that gets slammed by a Winter storm, and takes the bulk of the hit for the rest of the city.

Now that we have this basic information out of the way, I'd like to remind everyone that Occupy Wall Street is still going strong. This means that hundreds of people are out in the elements, braving the on-coming Winter weather for their cause. I know full well the mind set of New Yorkers. Once they get something stuck in their minds, and drilled into their hearts, they're not going anywhere. Not budging. Don't even think about asking them to. That should have been quite apparent on 9/11.

I have also learned that there are two types of people you just flat out do not want to mess with when it comes to solidarity. New Yorkers, and Texans. I may have been born and raised in the Northeast, but I am quite literally the only member of my father's family that was. Everyone else was born and raised right in the heart of Texas. So, thanks to spending half my life between the Northeast and Texas...I have learned quite well (and rather quickly, I might add), these are two types of people you just do not, under any circumstances just shy of death itself (and even then, that's questionable, depending on the severity of the situation), you do not want to cross in the wrong manner. Just, don't. OWS protestors are predominantly New Yorkers. They aren't going anywhere until they're damn good and ready to, and even then...it's a 'maybe'.

We all know that the Wall St. tycoons are probably hoping that Winter hits hard this year. They're likely under the assumption that once the snow sets in, that the OWS movement will die off and just go away. I hate to tell them this but...I think they're dead wrong. Why? Because these people still don't 'get it'. Like many well-off folks during the 1960s protests, they believe that it's a fad. It will just go away, and they can get back to business as usual and not have to worry about 'those people' any more. Again, I think they're wrong.

Why? Because, as stated above, New Yorkers aren't going to just back down to Old Man Winter. They're going to need a storm from the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" to get them to go inside, and even then, there would be a few die hard folks out there with signs that read "Winter? Bring it!!". The concern I have, however, is not Winter itself, but for the OWS protestors who will be out there in the bitter cold, facing gale force winds that bellow up the streets (the buildings make a type of artificial wind tunnel...thus, the winds can get pretty nasty there) and snow piling up all over the place.

The protestors aren't going anywhere. Help, or not. Simply put, although the help is nice, they aren't asking for it. They're doing this on their own. However, help is always nice. As stubborn as New Yorkers are, they are also quite a bunch of supportive people when they band together. Just like any community is, only on a much MUCH larger scale. So, if you want to help the OWS movement, below is a link you can go to get information on how to help. Anything is obviously appreciated, even if you're in New York and just go give someone a hug and say "Thank you for this". Come to think of it...do that anyway if you're around any of the OWS protests. Hugs are always appreciated.

How to help: Occupy Wall Street

Remember, freedom isn't free. It's earned. And, in this case, it's being demanded...and long, LONG over due.

Halloween Fun!

2011-10-25T09:17:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again folks, and what a fun time of year it is! Halloween/Samhain is my all time favorite holiday. Why? Because it not only gives me yet another excuse to get creative, but it also gives me free reign to scare the living crap out of someone, or simply make them stop and think a bit as to what they're actually seeing. See, I'm not one of those people who puts out plastic pumpkins and neon lit spider outlined lighting. Nope. I use the real stuff...well, so it would seem. For some reason, the 'real macoy' does a far better job of either creeping someone out completely, or, just making them take one look...get this utterly confused appearance on their faces...and keep on walking (usually as fast as they can without looking like they'd just seen a ghost). See the Capers? Throw a bunch of small Capers into an odd-shaped bottle that's been filled with a light tan colored liquid...instant Eye of Newt. It gets better...

Trips to the Dollar Store can yield some pretty inexpensive, yet creepy, results. Stock up on a bunch of small plastic bats (say, no more than 5 or 6), a bag of plastic spiders (or spider rings), some funky dried fake leaves, perhaps a fake crow (or two..or three..maybe even four)...you get the idea. Got some spare old bottles? Perhaps an old unused set of spice jars? Heck, even a couple of clear glass wine or brandy bottles will work! Put these to use! How? Potion bottles! Simply fill the bottles with various colored waters (range from a very pale yellow to a darker tan or orange), and just plop in some of the fake plastic stuff. Put some creepy looking labels on..voila! Panic attack in a bottle.

Now is also the time you can put some of the Easter stuff to good use as well. Easter eggs come in very handy during Halloween, especially when you dress them up to appear like dragon or dinosaur eggs. Left over plastic Easter grass? Throw it in a small bottle of off-colored water. What is it? Mermaid Hair. Got someone with some techy experience in the house? Rig up the door bell to sound like a loud and deep toned fog horn. If nothing else, it will make your neighbors really think about the type of people they live next door to.

Birthday party supplies can also come in handy, especially glitter. What does glitter turn into when you place it in a jar filled with corn syrup or pale yellow water? Fairy dust! You can also use fake butterfly wings in the same respect and label the jar "Unused Fairy Wings". Got an old beat up doll laying around? Put a noose around it, hang it next to the front door, or off a post lantern, and pin a label on it "Chucky's Last Date". Glow in the dark paints also come in handy. Simply paint some really creepy eyes onto the glass of your front door, or front facing windows. It comes off easily with nothing more than a razor or paint scraper, and does no damage to the glass at all.

Got an old Mr. Potato Head toy somewhere? Create a scared or surprised look on the toy, make the hands facing upwards, and mix it in with some pumpkin innards. Then, carve the pumpkin in a 'sickly' face, with the mouth gaping open. Place the mixed toy and pumpkin innards around and slightly inside the mouth, to make it appear as if the pumpkin had eaten a Mr. Potato Head for dinner, and puked it back up intentionally. Better yet...mess up the toy a bit and make it appear 'partially digested'.

Got those fake crows laying around? Simply clip off the legs and stuff them into a spice jar filled with an eerie blue-ish water. Label the jar "Crow's Feet". Did someone over do things at the pumpkin patch? Have no room for a ton of pumpkins on your stoop? Stack them into a pumpkin totem. Carved out and lit, or not, the stack is an easy space-saving solution, and works well in almost any location! For the 'creepy' effect, get darker colored pumpkins, carve them out, light them up and stack them or place them singularly, in a darker location of your yard that will be seen by visitors.

Halloween is a fun time, and a spooky time. However, it should also be a safe time. A time when children young and old can enjoy the spooky side of life, and have fun with it. All of the above suggestions are for NON-interaction, and display only. Although the contents of each item pose no real health threat for older kids, the younger ones are a bit more curious and are often willing to put almost anything into their mouths. So, to keep it safe...also keep it out of reach of the younger kids. Want something a bit more 'spooky' looking? Get a heavy old black cooking pot, fill it with some odd-colored water and throw in a small bit of dry ice. What happens? POWER FOG! Mind you, this particular bit is not recommended for use indoors, and should be used at households with no smaller children or curious meandering pets.

Don't have a lot of money to spend on creeping people out? No problem! Just take some garden clippers or sharp scissors and talk a walk with a basket. Clip the dead heads off of wild flowers. Grab some small bendy branches. Pick up some bark off the ground that's odd shaped, or 'different'. Peel citrus fruit! Citrus rinds are so much fun to work with, especially since they look like skin when placed in some water.

Need aged looking paper? Simply dip heavy white construction paper in a tray of tea, coffee...or even tobacco. The paper will turn an aged color. To get the 'mottled' or 'water marked' effect, simply use various amounts of pressure to pat dry the paper. Voila! Old, creepy and aged paper. Got an old bit of a chalk board laying around? Hang it next to the front door with "Potions Sold Here" at the top. Then, list a few "potions" you'd sell, with "prices" next to them.

Remember, Halloween is the one time of year we can really get creative. Who knows? Maybe you'll even start a brand new family tradition that will eventually be handed down for generations to come! Above all, have a very blessed and safe Halloween and Samhain!

Winter Preparations

2011-10-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

Dare I say the 'W' word, and perhaps I don't really have to, as we all know that the 'W' word is often associated with the 'S' word...and after a few months of using the 'W' and 'S' word, they change into the 'WS' word (short for 'white shit'). Now then, I don't know about where you live, however, where I live, preparing for the 6 - 7 months of Winter (the 'W' word) takes a good amount of sorting, especially if you're new to the area I live in.

Many people don't often have to think of these things. They simply turn on the heat and, at the most, have to get out different clothing for the seasonal changes. In this area, clothing is the least of our worries. Blankets are usually the first things to be brought out of the wood work. Heavy, thick, down-filled (or, fiber filled) blankets, that you can layer one on top of the other (in case you have to).

See, up my way, when the power goes out, it doesn't just go out for a few minutes. It goes out for a few days. Yes, the town has its own generator, which has enough power to light up half the county if it had to. However, as we've found out from the past 2 Winters, we can't really rely upon said generator. So, we have to be fully prepared to handle a day...or 3, without power. Three years ago, it was a 3 1/2 day stretch without power. Coincidentally, we're so used to that up my way, that when the power goes out, people just start lighting candles and turn on their oil lamps, throw another log or two onto the fire...and keep on going as if nothing has happened at all.

Most of us also have specific locations in our homes that we keep items stored for use in the Winter. Canned and jarred/preserved foods, fire wood, matches, candles, lamp oil, lamp wicks, extra blankets, bottled water and so forth. Many people also keep several coolers on hand for the Winter. Why? Well, when the power goes out, it means that your fridge and freezer have no power. So, we just throw everything we can into the cooler and stick it out on the porch. Let Mother Nature keep things fresh for us!

Up here, you will also usually find plastic zip-lock bags and/or freezer safe plastic containers filled with some sort of mottled colored frozen liquid. This is called "soup stock" and "stew stock". We also tend to freeze things like berries, citrus fruit slices, onions...ok, we freeze almost anything we possibly can. You know, just in case.

As you also can imagine, keeping warm (as well as having light and cooking fuel) is extremely important, especially when the outside temperatures are down in the single digits, or it's snowing a blizzard and a half outside. Keep in mind that when the power goes out, there is little to no hot water that will run from your tap. The only hot water you will get is from what remains inside the hot water heater. Once that's gone, no more hot water. It's rather difficult for some people to grasp. I understand this. I once had a friend of mine call me and ask me why I wasn't on the Internet. I told her that we have no power. She asked me how I was talking on the phone, if we had no power. I explained to her that we have a land line phone (one that actually has wires attached to it that plugs into the wall), and that the phone company had a generator that allowed the phone lines to remain open during a power outage. "Oh"...yeah.

Around these parts, there are only 3 buildings (to my knowledge) that have back up generators. The gas station, the courthouse/jail and the medical clinic. While there are a few people in the area that do not have a secondary heat source (and by that I mean, wood stove), most of us do. Some are called 'trash burners', some are called 'franklins' and others are just called 'wood stoves'. No matter what you call it, it's a necessity, and well used I might add.

We also tend to stock up on items necessary for our beloved pets. Up here, this is a no-brainer. We can't just run down to the local market and pick up pet supplies when the power goes out. Generally, this isn't because the market doesn't stock the items. Rather, it's because we can't get out to go to the market in the first place, and those of us that can get out, take one look at what's out there and say "to hell with that".

It's far easier for us to simply stock up on things, than it is to bother meandering into town just to pick up a few items from the local markets. Last year, when there was a huge snow storm outside, I made a mental comparison to the city directly south of me (meaning a 1 hour windy drive straight down the side of the mountain), and where I live. The population in the city is around 11,000 people. The population where I live is 325. The people in the city were going bonkers after only 3 - 4 hours without power. Up where I live, we lost power for 3 days and no one was 'going bonkers'. No one was complaining about not having heat, or being too cold, or not having food, or not having the use of a computer, or not having the use of a television. We weren't walking around town in the freezing cold, complaining about everything. We were simply getting on with our lives, as if nothing major had really happened. Then again, for us, nothing major did actually happen. The power went out up here for 3 days...big deal.

Thus, I do not write this article for people who are living in areas like mine. I write this article for people who live in cities, and might have some serious issues with the power going out for more than a few hours. A good place to start would be to stock up on an type of battery that you even THINK you might need if the power goes out. Fully charge your cell phones and other cordless items. Make sure you have important phone numbers handy, and (if you have a place to keep these items safely) stock up on necessary items for your vehicle (gas, oil, wiper fluid, power steering fluid, anti-freeze, etc.). Make sure you stock up on any and all over the counter medications that you might need, and if possible, keep an additional amount of any necessary prescription medications handy. Safety is key when the power goes out, so make sure that you also have plenty of flash lights handy, as well as an extra drawer full of very warm winter clothing, hats, gloves, scarves, ear muffs, whatever. Above all, stay warm and eat as well as possible. Those two things will keep you safer than anything during a power outage!

Alternative Medicine

2011-10-17T05:13:00.000-07:00

Alternative medicine is under so much fire, that it tends to make someone wonder...why? All of the treatments that modern society is deeming 'alternative', are actually not alternative at all. They're originals. Someone would rather give you an enormously sized pill, that's 20% placebo, rather than give you a bag filled with Chamomile. Why? Because there's little to no money in Chamomile. What it boils down to is the fact that the realm of 'alternative medicine' doesn't make 'enough' money, and as such, modern medicine (a.k.a. 'traditional' or 'western' medicine) shuns the use of it.

We all use some form of alternative medicine on a daily basis, even if we're not aware of it. In fact, every single person on the face of this planet practices at least ONE type of alternative healing, every single time they sleep. That's right. Sleeping is a form of "alternative" medicine. Simple and well known fact. When we sleep, the body goes into a type of healing mode. Anytime someone has a cup of tea, they're practicing a form of alternative medicine. Yet, when you read any type of medical news, you can find hundreds upon thousands of articles, shunning alternative medicine.

So, in essence, every doctor who is out there shunning any type of alternative medicine, is actually practicing it every time he/she goes to sleep at night. Go figure, huh? The truth is, there's nothing wrong with alternative medicine. It's the very foundation of the modern medical industries we have available to us today.

When we take a closer look at what some of the more modern methods of healing are, it's not that difficult to then spot some of the "alternative" foundations upon which the modern treatments are based. For example: Insomnia. These days, you can just pop a pill and within an hour, you'll be fast asleep. Problem: Like it or not, and regardless of what any advertising has to say, the body can easily become addicted to the medication. Over time, the body will then become immune to this medication (which is natural), and you will need...stronger medication. The original alternative forms of relieving insomnia? Chamomile tea, hot baths, meditation, exercise and massage. Now, I don't know about you, but the alternative forms not only sound much more relaxing, but also a heck of a lot safer than popping a pill that the average person has difficulty even pronouncing 1 ingredient in that pill.

So many have become so addicted to pill popping and the 'quick easy fix' that they have lost sight of the truth behind alternative medicine. Suffice to say, many forms of alternative medicine are quick, easy fixes. Yet, most people don't even realize it. One of the best forms of the 'quick fix'? Tea. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise that there are so many choices of tea at your local market. Tea is one of nature's oldest and most reliant healers. And, thanks to the wonders of technology, tea isn't that difficult to make these days. Simply put a tea bag into a cup of hot water, throw it in the microwave and voila...tea. It's truly not that difficult. Decades ago, one would have to go about tea making in a much longer manner. Now, it's as simple as pouring a cup of water. Yet, the results are the same as they were decades and centuries ago. How cool is that?

Doctors have long explained to patients (and parents of younger patients) that live with ADHD that the combination of medication and varying forms of exercise will be greatly beneficial and help the person not only stay focused on the task(s) at hand, but will also allow them to sleep better at night. Alternative healers tell ADHD patients to exercise, eat healthier foods, stay away from all types of junk foods, and try to include meditation and breathing exercises into their daily routines. The results are exactly the same. The differences? One patient pops a couple of pills a few times a day, and exercises (in some form or another). The other patient pops ZERO pills a day, and learns concentration and self-control by means of specific exercises, medication and healthier eating habits.

Many times, our lives are so filled with things we think we need to get done, that we often over look what is best for us. We forget that our bodies are natural, and not artificial forms walking about the planet. It's easy to over look even the basics of keeping ourselves healthy. Heck, most of us don't even sleep properly at night. Our eating habits are, for the most part, shot. We might like to think we eat healthy meals, or, at least try to as often as possible. The truth? Very few people actually eat the way they're supposed to. In a manner that is really good and balanced for the system itself.

Eating healthy doesn't mean following someone else's idea of what is healthy for you as an individual. Although it's good to have guidelines, it's not necessary. Common sense tells us pretty much everything we need to know about keeping ourselves healthy, even if people have various types of food allergies. The human body is a remarkable system. Complex, and yet, science has told us what many have known since the beginning of humanity itself: When the body is in need of a certain type of food product to help keep it going and keep itself healthy, it will send a message that gives you a craving for a certain type of food.

For example: Thirst. The human body is primarily composed of water. Therefore, when the body needs more water, you will get this sudden craving for a tall glass of ice water. When you get this craving, keep in mind that it does not mean that you are getting dehydrated. It means that your body is running low on water, and that if you too much longer without at least a minimal amount of water, your body will begin to show other signs that it needs.. more water. In other words, when we get cravings, it's simply our body's way of telling us that we're running low on fuel, but we're not out of it yet, and can go quite awhile before we actually get to the danger zone of running out completely. Think of it more like the gas gauge in your vehicle. No one wants to run out of gas. Well, our body is the same way. We don't want to run out of fuel...so, we eat or drink something, to help keep ourselves going.

Aches and pains are also other more common types of problems that we humans have to deal with, especially as we age. Most people just pop a pain killer pill and think nothing of it. And, that's perfectly ok. However, pain killing pills are addicting, even if they have no type of addictive substance in them at all. It's the psychological addiction that can become a problem over time. Not to mention that the human body will simply process the chemicals, and, over time, build up a natural immunity to the pill. Which, as I stated earlier, simply means that most people get stronger or different pills to pop.

When we can learn to put it out of our minds that alternative medicine is some form of quackery, then I firmly believe that there will be far more healthy people in this world. It doesn't take a million dollars just to get yourself healed up in a natural way. It takes only time and patience, and a minimal amount of effort. Some of the articles I've read about people putting down various forms of alternative medicine are not only laughable, but highly questionable. Why? Well, because I know that the person writing the article is going to practice at least one form of alternative medicine that night. That person will sleep. Just like you. Just like me.

Understanding Samhain

2011-10-10T08:11:00.001-07:00

Samhain. A 3,000 year old celebration which originated with the Celtic Pagan culture (for those of you who can't figure it out, a Celtic Pagan is a person of Celtic origin that practices the Pagan traditions) as a means by which to celebrate not only the Fall harvest, but also as a way to feel closer to those who had died during the previous year. Thus, it is often referred to as the Celtic New Year.

You'll forgive me but, even in today's society, many people still get a bit 'creeped out' when they hear words like.. pagan, ritual, altar, cauldron, wand, potion...you know, things that are often mentally associated with "bad things". At least, that's what the media has always wanted us to think. That association couldn't be farther from the truth.

An example of the type of mental association I'm referring to can be easily found with the use of the word 'altar'. In larger organized and formal religions, the 'altar' is associated with 'good'. People see candles, or a cross, possibly a holy text book, maybe a figurine of Christ..whatever it is on the altar, these are altars that are basically used as a type of storage table, to show people symbols of their religious belief. More often than not, people just stand there and stare at the altar, or, perhaps, might say a silent prayer to their God at the altar, but in either case, the altar is never really touched at all. It's more of a "look but don't touch" type of thing. In the Pagan world, not only is the altar touched, but it is used for its original intent, and quite often, it's used on a daily basis. The difference? The religious belief behind the use of the altar, and....well, that's pretty much it.

There are often crosses, and candles and possibly the image or figurine statue of the Celtic's Green Man who..hmm, well, in the image to the right it shows a depiction of the Green Man and...hey, doesn't he kind of look like Christ?!? Truth be told, the bulk of men back in the days of Jesus looked very similar. Beards, long hair, narrowed facial features, thick eye brows, brown eyes...maybe it's because they were in the heart of the middle eastern countries, and their genetics actually played a roll in their appearances!? HELLO? People actually get creeped out by images of the Green Man...and not by Christ? WHAT?!

Halloween...a modernized combination word derived from "All Hallow's Eve", or "Hallows e'en"
(see the striking resemblance?). During a time when Christianity was doing its very best to stamp out and eradicate anything and everything even mildly associated with Paganism, they came to the stark realization that Pagans were simply not going to go quietly into the night as the Christians had hoped they would. Burning everything to the ground didn't work. Killing off half of their population didn't work. Threatening them didn't work. Running half of a crusade throughout their villages didn't work. So, in a last ditched effort to get more people involved in Christianity, they decided to try and incorporate many of the Pagan beliefs and traditions of Samhain into their "All Hallow's Eve" celebration, which preceded "All Saint's Day" (which is on November 1st).

Problem. Pagans didn't buy into that idea either, and that left the Christians back to square one. As it turns out (and as we all know), everything began melding into one another and eventually it ended up being the 'holiday' that we all celebrate (in one form or another) in today's society. Problem. Even in today's society, when anyone sees someone doing something "overly witchy", they assume (which is a horrible thing to do, as we all know) that this person is "practicing evil witch craft". Oh give me a break please.

First off, Pagans are traditionally healers and humanitarians. You know... nice people. If a person is hurt, they won't just stop and ask "Are you ok?". No. They will usually not say a word at all and just go to that person and start helping them, and THEN ask them if they're ok. If a Pagan asks you if you'd like a healing potion.. say YES!! It's not some odd concoction of newt eyes and bat wings. It's a TEA. Also, if they ask you if you'd like a 'healing tincture"...say YES (unless you're allergic to alcohol). It's not poison. It's an alcohol based natural medicine that's usually made from 100 proof Vodka that has been infused with various types of herbs, berries or indigestible oils that will HELP you, not make you worse. Tinctures often come in small vials that amount to a total of a 1/3 shot of the alcohol, and you can either drink it all in one bare shot straight from the vile, OR (and this is the more recommended way of ingesting it), add it to a hot cup of TEA.

Truth is, Samhain is a very serious, yet festive, celebration for Pagans. They give thanks for the good harvest of their crops. They honor those who have died during the year that has passed. They have one final celebration of the 'long days', and in turn, have a welcoming celebration for the 'long nights' to come during the winter months. They "pray" to have bad thoughts, feelings and angers cast out, allowing them to live healthy lives, in all aspects of life (mental, emotional, spiritual, physical....but nothing material or financial). So, for Pagans, Samhain is an all-encompassing celebration and festival.

Fire is a big part of this celebration. To Pagans, fire is not a bad thing. It is a cleansing thing. It is not based on the fire and brimstone ideas of the Christian's views on Hell itself. Rather, it is based on what fire actually does, and what it is used for. It is used for warmth, cooking and crafting (such as metal work and glass work). It helps to cleanse and clean areas that are over grown, allowing the natural chemicals in the ash to provide a type of fertilization on the ground that helps new growth to be strong and healthy once again. In other words, bon fires are used during Samhain celebrations to symbolize the "purification" and/or "cleansing" of nature itself (and Pagans consider humanity to be as much a part of nature itself as the ground they stand on is).

Jack-o-lanterns are another big part of the more modernized Halloween celebration. However, these traditions can be dated as far back as 2,500 years (at least). The originals were carved from apples, turnips, gourds and other such smaller items. And, they were used for two purposes. Lanterns and "warding". Meaning, they were used to try and ward off evil spirits that the ancient Pagans believed might hinder the passing of their loved ones from the realm of the living to the realm of the dead. Again, a good belief...not a bad one, and no 'evil' practices about it at all. More or less, it's the Pagan equivalent of a Christian praying to Jesus or God to help them resist evil in their lives, and to pray that their dead loved ones pass on into Heaven, and are forgiven for their mortal sins. See? Not so spooky after all is it?

Many people in today's world tend to over react when it comes to things that they were raised to think were "evil", "bad" or "satanic". There is nothing evil, bad or satanic about Paganism at all, ever, in any way, shape or form. People simply need to keep their mouths shut and their eyes and ears open more.

See the image to the right? A gorgeous photo taken of the Sun breaking through the dark clouds that are hanging over the runes of an ancient Celtic church, with a bird flying over head. Breath-taking photograph. It's a photograph representing Samhain. Oh, and the bird is not a dove. It's a raven. To the Pagans, the raven symbolizes spiritual growth, understanding and enlightenment. It is not the 'messenger of death', nor does it represent evil. It symbolizes the spirit of all things.

So, the next time you see a Pagan getting ready to celebrate Samhain, don't gawk, sneer or get ooked out. Simply say "Blessed Samhain!" That's "Happy Halloween" in Pagan terms.

We The People....kind of

2011-10-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

Before I begin, I want to make it perfectly clear that money, material wealth, social status and so forth, has never been "my thing". I'm perfectly content with what I have, thank you. Now that my 'personal note' is out of the way, I also want to make it clear that although I am very much in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement, I do NOT support any type of non-peaceful protesting. In other words, I did not agree with the protest actions as they tried to march themselves across the Brooklyn Bridge, which not only put people in the protest in harm's way, but also put people not involved in the protest in harm's way. Ok, all that's on the table and off to the side now, so let's discuss this "OWS" movement for a bit.

Personally, I think this is a good thing. I think it's allowing US Americans to vent their unified frustrations and grievances regarding the extraordinary distribution of power and wealth in this nation to only 1% of the entire nation's society. The people of the USA (i.e.: "We the people") are also showing the rest of the country that they're not blind, nor stupid, to the big money game that's been going on in this country for decades. Simply put, they're tired of not having their voice in matters.

Let's face it. When someone who is working their ass off for minimum wages, just making enough to barely keep a roof over their heads... and they hear about some corporation's CEO getting a $42 MILLION dollar BONUS check, on top of their multi-million dollar annual salary, on top of their income from financial and/or real estate investments...there's a few question that are going to be raised by that person who's barely making it.

I also want to point out that this has nothing to do with "financial jealousy" or "wealth envy". It just simply doesn't. It has to do with equality and democracy. It boils down (in essence) to the old term "shittin' on the little guy". Yeah, well, the 'little guy' is the reason the 'big guy' even has a job in the first place. Why? Because it's that 'little guy' that built the offices that the 'big guy' calls his "work place" (even though the big guy is often either not in the office at all, or, if he is, he's not really 'working').

"Economic Justice" just about says it all really. It's the term used to encompass the entirety of the many issues and problems the bulk of the US population has with the financial distribution and power. Corporate USA has quickly become the largest black market industry ever known in this nation's history. Approximately 43% of the nation's power is held by the top 1% of the people in this nation. i.e.: Multimillionaires and Billionaires.

People might look at this and think "Well, that also means that because they have more money, that they pay more taxes". Truth? They pay almost no taxes at all. In fact, it's the middle classes in the US that pay the bulk of all the taxes we even have. Sales tax is about the only exception for the upper crest of the financial powers that be.

Larger cities are over-crowded due to the lack of "funding" available for building new housing, creating new jobs, increasing medical treatment availabilities and over-hauling the public education system. When we look at this 'lack of funding', many hard-working and law-abiding people will turn and look to the CEO who just brought home a 42 million dollar bonus check and think "Why does he get 42 million dollars just for sitting around on his ass all day, while thousands of people in the local communities would be able to really put that 42 million dollars to good use towards helping others?" Good question!! So far....there has been no other answer outside of the "because" realm.

The 'common folk' in this nation also have no problem with members of prominent families who use their wealth, power and status for humanitarian efforts that help people INSIDE this nation. Example: The Pitt-Jolie family. Unlike most of the A-lister stars that decided to 'make an appearance' in the wake of hurricane Katrina...Brad Pitt has taken money out of his own pocket to help the people in the city of New Orleans get back into a home. Still, with all his efforts, and those of his partner, Angelina Jolie, New Orleans is still in need of a massive over haul. Certainly anyone who takes home a 42 million dollar bonus check would be willing to invest some of that money into helping people that just got their lives ravaged inside out by a natural disaster. After all, it would be an extremely kind and humanitarian thing to do. Right? Well, apparently not.

So, what is the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstration all about? Well, think of anything about this nation that really pisses you off, and basically, that's what it's about. Everything from unfair business, to corporate greed and manipulation, to crooked politics...and back again. It's all on the table...and so far, that table has stretched to 150 cities throughout the USA. These aren't homeless people marching for a better way of life. These are hard-working people who are sick and tired of being told one thing, only to have it all turn out to be one big lie. Sad, isn't it? It has to come to a nation-wide protest just to get even a handful of people to not have any choice but to start listening....very sad.

Boobs R Us!!

2011-10-02T06:16:00.001-07:00

Ok everybody, it's October and we all know what that means, right? Right! Time to feel your boobs! Actually, you should give your boobs a good feel everyday. This includes men (no, I'm not even close to kidding). See, while women are the ones who are at the most risk for getting Breast Cancer, men are also at risk. In fact, approximately 390 men die every year from Breast Cancer...so really, this isn't just about women. It's about everyone.

Also, if you are at risk of getting Breast Cancer (because it runs in your genes), get a dog with an ultra good sense of smell. No, I'm not joking. In fact, science is so keen with this, that they're actually trying to duplicate that ultra sense of smell a dog has to use in Breast Cancer detection devices. I have read thousands (literally) of stories about women who were saved by their dogs literally sniffing out the cancer in their systems (all types of Cancers), with the most predominant one being Breast Cancer.

I have also heard a lot of people discuss the financial aspect of Breast Cancer research. The one mentioned most often, and usually posed as a rhetorical question is: "We donate all this money, millions of dollars in fact, for the cure for Breast Cancer, and after all this time, why haven't they found a cure?"
Answer: For the same reason that there's no 'cure' for the common cold. You can treat it, but in the end, it still has to run its course. All the medication does is make it move faster out of the system, and help to alleviate the symptoms.

See, Cancer has been around for millions upon millions of years. Scientists have even found Cancerous tissues fossilized in Dinosaur bones...which ought to give you a rudimentary idea as to just how long Cancer has been around.

One thing I don't go for is the over whelming fear that goes along with finding out you have Cancer. My mother in law died because she was too scared to hear "You've got Cancer" from her doctor. She died at the age of 56 from metastasized Colo-rectal cancer (and it would have been completely treatable had she gone to the doctor sooner about her symptoms....but her fear of hearing those 3 dreaded words was so great, she waited too long).

So let me see if I understand this properly. People are willing to risk their lives on the front line of a war with bullets and IEDs flying and exploding all around them. They're willing to live in areas that are so crime ridden, that they have to have metal safety bars on the windows of their own homes. They're willing to work in highly hazardous environments. However, they refuse to go to their doctor because they're "afraid" of hearing that they have Cancer. SERIOUSLY?!?

Let's think about that for a moment, shall we? And, I'm going to get a bit rough here, so prepare yourselves. You mean to tell me that there are people out there who would rather have bullets and rockets flying around them, bombs going off near them, gangster activity that can take their lives at any moment from a drive-by shooting, work environments that contain hazardous materials, radiation, gamma ray exposure or law enforcement hazards....then hear a doctor say "You've got Cancer"? Does that sound just a bit... silly to anyone else but myself?

The excuse: "Yes, but Cancer can kill me". And so can everything else I just mentioned...your point? See, I have this real fighter attitude towards Cancer, and with good reason. I watched a lot of people, just in my family alone, die an unnecessary death, all because they were too afraid to hear anyone tell them they had Cancer. So, when I got Cancer, my doctor about fainted when my reaction was: "Ok, so.. treat it. What's the next step?" He thought, like many of his other patients, I was going to go into some kind of self pittying emotional melt down.

For you people out there who are too afraid to hear a doctor tell you that you have Cancer...here's a little bit of advice: If you DO want to die, don't see a doctor. Simply put, procrastination is simply increasing your chances of death. So don't let a fear get in the way of saving your own life. The fear is called Carcinohobia. It's obviously not a good fear to have. Why? Because that fear can quite literally put your life to a complete end.

Now then, it's time to feel your boobs. Where to start? Well, they're boobs, and I have yet to see boobs so large that you'd require a GPS tracking device to find your way around them, so...start where ever you want to. I might also add here that if you're in a relationship with anyone, your partner is probably a really good person to help you because he/she will know their way around your boobs almost as well as you do. So, grab your partner and have a boob fest.

What are you looking for...erm, feeling for? Anything that seems oddly lumpy or that you're just not too certain about being 'normal'. Lumps are the obvious sign. Doing a bit of research on your boobs wouldn't hurt either. They're part of the body, and therefore have been well mapped out by the folks who work directly in the Anatomy fields. So, go grab a detailed image of some boobs (the ones that show the interior and exterior), and start doing your homework.

And, for all you women out there who are too "puritan" to have anyone else help you with this...at least do it yourself. Don't ask. I do know women like that. Ok, so now the question is: "When should I check them?" Well, if you're still having monthly periods, the best time to check them is within the first few days AFTER you've stopped having your period. Just prior to a period, one of the PMS symptoms is enlarged or painful breasts, so since that's 'normal', that would be a bad time to check for Breast Cancer. If you are no longer having periods...check them anytime. Usually once a month is sufficient.

I think a cure for Breast Cancer would be nice, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. I also don't see the cure for the common cold happening anytime soon (and for the record, there are a known 198 different types of 'the common cold' - part of why it's so difficult to 'cure').

Cancer treatment hasn't changed all that much over the past 30 - 40 years either, so it can be quite bothersome. However, a medical scientist from the University at Alberta, Canada has come up with a treatment for Cancer called DCA. You can watch an informative video of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LXH-TJYS5w .
It's a bit nerve racking, but only because the information you'll get from this video will piss you off more than anything else (and not in a bad way when it comes to treating cancer). For the record, DCA IS available for people who want to try it as a treatment option. However, you have to be the one to request it as most doctors are not well informed of this treatment (intentionally, I might add).

In the meantime, it's best that you take your own steps to ensure that you are in good health (as much as possible), eat properly and get plenty of exercise and sleep. Taking care of yourself also includes learning the signs of Breast Cancer, and if giving your boobs a good feel once a month is 'taboo' to you... buck up and deal with it, cause that taboo can make or break your life.

Find a healthy way of living that's right for you, and stick to it. If you need help or advice on this, talk to your doctor. If your doctor tells you that you have Cancer...treat it. Immediately. Why? Because if you don't, you'll be making an appointment for the afterlife, faster than you can say "feel my boobs". Be aware. Learn the signs, and if you're too lazy to do that, get a dog.

Politics vs People

2011-09-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already noticed, the 'voice of the people', at least here in the United States, continually falls on the intentionally deaf ears on a constant and never-ending basis. The forefathers of this nations are probably rolling over in their graves in sheer disgust at how everything is turning out here in the USA. Who can blame them? And, they're not alone. Millions of US Americans are right there with them.

We're coming into the election year of 2012. Already, we're seeing debates and disputes from both of the major political parties, and it's getting worse by the second. Anyone from any other party, making any kind of attempt at joining the presidential campaign is, to put it bluntly, screwed, before they ever enter the ring. What disgusts me most, however, is the blatant idiocy of many of the US Americans when it comes to electing these people into the highest office of the nation. People just don't take the time to stop and realize...it doesn't matter who you vote for, you're still going to be electing a greedy false-faced liar who is out for only the betterment of himself (or, herself, as the case may soon be at some point in our history).

The 'ultimate' president for this nation would be one with a small ego, a really strong back bone and balls of steel. Someone who will stand up and say, "Enough is ENOUGH already!"...and mean it. There have been many presidents who have said that. Few ever got much done however.

The views would have to range far and wide, at least in order to get the best voting results. Legalizing marriages within the LGBT communities. Taking the troops from the 260 US military bases from around the world, and bringing them home. Taking all the troops from the 3 wars we're in right now, and bringing them all home. Demanding that the automotive industries begin actively producing alternative fuel vehicles for mass production, thereby cutting down on our dependencies on auto-use oils and gasses. Demanding that manufacturing plants and corporations find alternative, and more plentiful, materials to replace any oil-based products with...even if it means going back to old-fashioned means of production.

Other things would include public works projects, that included on the job training programs, to help people get back on their feet and back to work (public works projects, like the one that helped build the Golden Gate bridge in San Fransisco, subway systems and docking systems for boats, etc).

Taking these chemical and bio-hazardous laboratories and facilities, and regulating them to the hilt, to ensure that the work they do there is not only above the board, but accessible to the public at all times. Re-writing some of the ridiculous regulations that go along with the countless "public service" programs. Re-write the Welfare and Medicaid-B programs, to allow for the increased cost of living (few do right now by the way).

Federal prisons? Yes, we need them, but not in everyone else's nations. We don't need prisons like Guantanamo Bay. Those aren't prisons. People say that we don't have the room, nor the money, to build high security federal prisons here in the US. You and I know that's the largest crock of elephant dung we've ever heard of. We have miles upon miles upon miles of unused federally owned property all over the US that can be built on. Yes, we'll probably lose a bit of money in the process, but at least everything would be regulated correctly, and done under the watchful eye of the people, and not a bunch of money hungry greedy bastards that are sitting far away from the place in their expensive stuffed shirts and fancy shoes, doing nothing more than waiting to see who is going to serve them their next meal or spa treatment.

We also need someone in the office that is not going to be afraid of standing up to the rebel-rousers in the US. Those people who will argue with you no matter what you say, just to rebel against their nation. The war on drugs is a complete joke. The war on crime is almost as much of a joke...and security around this nation has made the US the biggest laughing stock on the planet.

Even our basic right to bear arms is under fire (pun intended). Now a days, if you purchase more than 2 guns, you get federal agents that might (MIGHT) show up at your house, to question you and make sure you're not some kind of home-land based terrorist. Think that's far fetched? Think again. It's already happened. One of the better known events happened to a gun collector. He purchased 3 or 4 guns (I honestly can't remember which types of guns he purchased) to add to his collection. He was run through the standard back ground security check, and passed those with flying colors. Two days later, FBI agents showed up at his house to literally drill him with questions, to ensure that he was not some militant or US-based terrorist preparing an attack on the people of this nation. Seriously? A man can't exercise his 1st Amendment rights now? Guess we can throw that one out the window.

We can also throw out the freedom of speech one as well. We all know that you can basically say whatever you want, as long as it's not considered 'wrong' by anyone around you, to the point that some moron will call the police and tell them that you were verbally threatening the government. We also know that you can't stand up for yourself around the government, and speak your mind. Otherwise, that might end up with you behind bars for a long time. You know 'I hate the way you're treating us, and I want you to stop that right now for the betterment of the people' is not an 'ok' thing to say to anyone in the federal government anymore.

Medical Marijuana?! OH NO NOT THAT!! It might actually... HELP someone. We can't be having that. After all, it's a plant, and we NEED to all be very afraid of the plants that our government tells us to be afraid of. Unfortunately for our government, they've refused to see the actual benefits of legalizing Medical Marijuana, including the financial benefits of it. Oh well, their loss...and sadly, ours too.

New treatments and possible cures for horrible diseases and ailments?! Oh helllll no, we can't be having that. We must have some type of population control! OK, on this note, let's take one quick moment to THINK about this. Chemotherapy and Radiation (think... radiation sickness/poisoning) have been used to treat Cancer, with their horrible side effects, for almost 50 years now. You mean to tell me that in 50 years, we've managed to have all these medical break throughs, and STILL have not managed to come up with a better, and less evasive, treatment for Cancer?!? Puh-lease..that's the largest crock you'll ever hear. There are MANY better and alternative treatments for Cancer, that are FAR less evasive. Why don't we use them? Simply put, there's not enough PROFIT in it for the medical corporations. Want proof? Go do a YouTube search on DCA Cancer Treatment. I think you'll be QUITE surprised.

We need someone to stand up and say that enough is enough...and damn it, we're not going to take it anymore!! Will we see that person? Not likely. Oh, there are many out there that would be MORE than willing to make that run, but they'd never get the financial backing they need in order to make it all the way to the Oval Office. They'd be stopped short of the Mayoral level.

It doesn't matter what political party you're from. It simply matters that you keep your eyes a bit more open, and your mind a lot more opened. A US Presidential election is worse than a mud-slinging contest on Wall St....and it gets worse as each election passes. Oh, and in case anyone hasn't paid attention to it yet, the next presidential election takes place in the year 2012. This means that President Barack H. Obama will still be the president when the calendar hits 12/21/2012. Ya think maybe, just MAYBE, he's going to have a bit on his plate then? Even if it means he's going to have to be dealing with the aftermath of a bunch of religious wackos, just like they had to handle with Heaven's Gate? Something to ponder at least.....

Good News!!

2011-08-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

I have a routine every morning. It's almost ritual by now. I have no idea why, but it just seems to be a good start to the day, and tends to keep things flowing throughout the rest of the day. One of the first things I do, after I've woken up, is to go sit at my computer and read through the news. As habitual as this is, it's also becoming quite the down-trodden moment of my morning. I have actually found myself reading through the headlines, looking to see if there is just ONE article that is good news. I find very few. A side note: The bits of good news I find are indeed well worth the read, however, sadly, they are far and few between.

Some of the latest headlines I've read include: "US Reacts To Iran Hiker Jailing", "Jordan Warns: Escalation in Gaza Threatens Entire Region", "Support Swells For Indian Hunger Striker", "8 Charged In $40m-dollar Fortune-Telling Scam" and "Deal Frees 'West Mephis Three' in Arkansas" (which, ironically enough, was found in the Entertainment section of the news).

Wouldn't it be nice if just once, the newspapers were filled with nothing but good news, happy news or news that was anything but grim, disgusting, horrifying and depressing? Just once. I'll bet you anything that the news company that printed one paper with nothing but good news in it, would be kept as long as possible by millions of people around the globe. Perhaps, it would be one of the most sought-after newspapers in history!

Think about it. When you go to read the news, you see nothing but good news. No violent crime reports. No war news. No famine news. Just nothing but good news. The frightening thing to this, however, is that news reporters would likely be seriously hard-pressed to bring themselves to write multiple articles about good news.

Let's see if we can imagine some realistic headlines for a paper that contains nothing but good news. Keep in mind the many sections most of the major papers have. Front page news often contains 'major headlines', while other, less known or less important news is filtered through out the paper in smaller articles. There is often a sports section, business section, entertainment section, world news, local news, national news, sometimes a page on health issues and news, and of course the adverts that are splashed throughout the paper from cover to cover.

Let's see, for the front page news, perhaps a world headline along the lines of "Switzerland Leading The World: No War or Discord in Decades!". Then, of course, you would see all the other nations that have not been involved in any wars (civil or otherwise) in long periods of time.

Then we might see something in the sports section about various athletic teams and athletes enjoying good games they've played, or successes in their careers...maybe even make mention of the hundreds of humanitarian and philanthropic areas these people work with when they're not playing their perspective games, or are on down time from their sporting events they have to attend now and then. That would be nice, yes?

Health news would be easy to write. Headlines might contain things like "Woman Living Cancer-Free After 10 Year Battle", or perhaps, "Local Clinic Reports Healthiest Month in Years", and maybe...just maybe...ok, hopefully..."New Holistic Treatment Found To Help Stop Cancer From Spreading...Brings Relief To Millions of Cancer Patients Around The Globe". Wouldn't that be nice?

National News might include some headlines such as, "Federal Government Gets Their Act Together, New Programs Now Available For Everyone" (we all know that will never happen, but we can dream, right?). An even better headline would be "All US Troops Serving Abroad To Be Brought Home By End of Year". Considering we have 260 US Military bases around the globe, that would be A LOT of soldiers being brought back home...a very good thing indeed.

See, there are so many things that people can write about, and never do. We rarely read about the millions of dollars people in the entertainment industry give to charities and other such organizations. We hardly ever see nice stories about people who adopt animals from the Humane Societies around the country, especially when those animals are special needs animals, or exotic ones. No one ever writes about people who have benefited from holistic an alternative medicine uses. Once in a great while we might stumble upon some 'natural healing' articles. However, those articles are often short, and have very little merit to them (unless you belong to a web site forum or news outlet specifically designed for that purpose).

I write for a local newspaper called the Mountain Messenger. It's California's oldest weekly newspaper, and is usually all of 6 pages in length. However, many of the people that subscribe to this paper, do so because of the humorous and good content. Others, who are used to the more strategic lay out of a news paper, claim that the Messenger isn't even good enough to wrap fish in. I disagree. It's perfectly fine to wrap fish in...and many fish at that, thank you very much.

For example, the front page of this week's newspaper, shows photos of two lovely women who have worked with the court house for decades, and they have retired. The article is very keen to point out how missed they will be, how well they performed their duties at work, how long they have worked there, the accomplishments they have had during their tenures and so forth. They have lovely photographs of the women, both smiling and laughing. It's a wonderful news story. Of course there is more serious news within the paper, but none the less, the bulk of this particular paper is an enjoyment to read. Even the letters to the editor are generally nice, thanking people for their help and/or hard work and efforts, making statements about what a wonderful visit they had to the local area....sometimes there are a few letters that are a bit depressing, or would be considered 'bad', but rarely.

Even the crime reports are humorous. They are not written that way to make people laugh at crime, nor take crime of any level lightly. Simply put, it's easier to write a Sheriff's Blotter with a line or two of semi-humorous text (example: That darn dog next door won't stop barking...again), instead of writing lines that contain a more serious tone (example from another paper: "Man arrested for arson..will get jail time and fines - and then it goes on to list the details, including the man's name, city he lives in, age and marital status).

Now, in the comments section, let's try a little test, shall we? I'd like my dear readers to come up with a GOOD headline for a news article, and then tell me what section of the news paper it would be found in. Example: "Man Saves Neighbor's Dog From House Fire!" (Local news). And please, have a very nice and newsworthy day! Hey, if you can't make headlines for the paper itself... make headlines for yourself!

Stupid Services

2011-08-15T07:55:00.001-07:00

Social Services departments around the United States all claim to be able to 'help' people who need it...which, they do. SOME of the services they provide are actually worth the effort to participate in them. By 'effort', I mean the applicant has to be willing to run through a gauntlet of paper work and interviews, which basically amount to the equivalent of taking 24 hours to tie your shoes, instead of a few seconds. This is especially true when it comes to health insurance. I pity anyone who has to use state run medical insurance (and I include myself in this group).

In California, the process it takes to get medical insurance coverage is grueling at best. And by the gods above and below never try to explain to anyone in this organization that you're disabled in any way, shape or form. They actually believe you if you tell them everything is fine, you're just poor. Better yet, there are probably better results if you don't even say one word, and just fill out the pile of forms quietly and be done with it. Or, so you think you're done with it.

I'll give you an example. On one of the forms I had to fill out, it asks me to list my disabilities, and then it asks me to list things that limit my ability to work in certain job settings. There's a difference apparently. I have hearing difficulties, and have to list that on the form, because it is also listed on my medical forms. Because my insurance does not even cover a hearing exam, and I don't have a grand total of at least $3,000.00 to spend randomly on the process of getting hearing aids, I have no choice but to list this on the form. A lady from the Social Services department called me once regarding the forms I filled out. She said "I see you have listed that you are hard of hearing. So, how is it that you're talking to me on the phone if you're really hard of hearing?"

Seriously? Someone that stupid was hired to work for the Social Services department? Worse yet, are these people trained to ask really idiot questions like that? If so, for what purpose? So that people like me can write articles about how stupid people like them are? What? I don't get the point....

Have you ever had one of those weeks that you were so busy and/or you had so much on your mind, that things just got forgotten? Sometimes, you forget a doctor appointment, or perhaps what time it is, or maybe even forget to mail something out until it's too late to get it mailed out until the next day? Well, I forgot a medical appointment, and to me, that's not a huge ordeal, simply because I can just make another medical appointment. It's not like my schedule is so jam packed that I have to pencil something in and hope it works out in my favor. When you apply for medical insurance in California, and have stated that you are in fact, at least somewhat disabled and not capable of working a "regular job" (ya know, the kind of job that either yanks you into a daily mental break down or the one that strains you physically enough to qualify you for medical leave after only 8 hours of work), you are required to see a physician (appointed to you by the Social Services department) for both a physical and mental evaluation.

I have 2 forms of full body Osteoarthritis. One of these is called Osteopena, and is degenderative in nature. Thus, there is not one moment that goes by in my day that I am not in at least a minor bit of pain....depending on how well my pain killers work that day.

I will also add that traveling by car for more than 30 minutes at a time is enough to make my back curl up into a snail like ball and scream in agony. Therefore, I am required to pull over and stretch a bit when I have to travel for longer periods of time. Keeping this in mind...

I went to the "required" office visit for my physical exam. This office was not my local doctor's office (which is within walking distance of my home), but rather 2 hours south of me in Yuba City, California. My appointment was at the office of a Chiropractor, and I was seen by an Internal Medicine specialist (who liked to remind me as often as possible that he's been an internal medicine specialist and physician for 35+ years). By the time I got there, I was about in tears from the pain in my back and legs. Some random nurse (who had only been a nurse for a few months) takes me into a back room to weigh me, measure my height and check my blood pressure. He tells me my blood pressure is a bit on the high side. Gee, I can't friggin imagine why? Maybe it's the pain I'm fighting? No idea...

Then, the physician sees me. Tells me I have to sit in the chair and discuss my case. He looks over my case and says to me "You know, there are many people with Arthritis that is worse than yours who work regular jobs on a daily basis and have no problems with it". I asked him to show me those people. I'd like to see one person with any form of advanced Arthritis, that is worse than mine, who is capable of working a regular job for 8 hours a day, 5 - 6 days a week...without any problems at all. Seriously, where are these people? If they exist, I want to meet them and have their heads examined.

Then, the physician tells me that Allergies are not considered a disability. In and of themselves, no, they typically are not (unless you're a person who has rare allergies and requires special medical treatment for them). However, with me, the Allergies are a trigger for other things, which, end up having snowball effect, and the end result is me wanting to run out of where ever I am, screaming my head off. Thanks to my drug allergies, popping a pill to take care of the problem is NOT a solution for me. So, I have to really plan things out at times. For example: If I'm working in a store, and a woman comes in with a type of perfume or cologne I'm allergic to, the chain reaction starts, and it's difficult, if not impossible, to stop.

My allergies cause my sinuses to swell up, and restrict my breathing... which sets off my Asthma...which sets off my Anxiety...which sets off more pain from my muscles tensing up, and before I know it, I'm either hiding under a box someplace, passed out on the floor or running the heck out of the place for fresh air and less physical restriction. Oh yes, I can see a boss putting up with that every 15 - 30 minutes out of the day.

Then, I stand up. The physician tells me I have to sit. I tell him to take a flying leap because if I didn't stand up, my back would lock and he'd be the one responsible for unlocking my back unless he allowed my husband in the room with me. He allowed me to stand. What...he thinks that if I stand up I'm incapable of answering questions? Or.. perhaps he thinks I'll...escape!! OH NO! Then he asks me to lay flat on a hard table. That hurt like hell. Then he takes one of my legs and bends it up to my chest. At this point I was ready to punch him in the face from all the pain he'd caused me, and I was near to tears, pleading with him to let go of my leg. Then, to make it worse, he bends that bent leg across my stomach as far as he could, over to the opposite side of my body. At that point, I was really hoping that manslaughter was legal these days, cause he clearly deserved it.

After all this, he acted as if nothing was wrong. I left, using every 4 letter word known to humanity. I think I even may have created a few just for the occasion. Next was to be my mental evaluation. The appointment I forgot about. Social Services had some barely-speaking English lady call me to ask me why I missed my appointment. I was honest and simply stated.. "I forgot. Sorry. Can I just make a new appointment?" Ohhh someone clearly had knocked her off of her PMS wagon that morning cause I took the brunt of what other women would generally describe as "one hell of a massive bitchy moment".

She asked me a bunch of idiot questions, starting with "Why did you forget your appointment?". Ok, excuse me? Um.. because I did? I don't know, why does anyone forget anything? I have no idea. Perhaps I was busy and forgot. Then that was followed with "Didn't your mother remind you of your appointment?" Well, no, she didn't. If she had, I wouldn't have forgotten it, now would I? Then I was asked "WHY didn't your mother remind you of your appointment". I decided that the best option here was honesty, so I replied with "I have no idea, why don't you call her and ask her yourself?" That set the lady off even more, and she began asking me if I really wanted my medical insurance or not, and if I intended to cooperate with them at all.

At this point, I'm thinking "cooperate"? What is this, the military academy? Am I under house arrest for not "cooperating" and forgetting an appointment? So I snapped right back at her and said "Lady, regardless of whether or not I keep this mental evaluation appointment, I am still going to be getting my medical insurance. I'm not mentally disabled, I'm physically disabled. So, you can either make another appointment for me and settle the hell down now, or, I can just hang up and you can make another appointment for me anyway and send me the information again." She decidedly asked me if I want my medical insurance to stop.. which I interrupted her and said "wanted it to stop? It has stopped lady! I haven't had medical insurance for 3 months now because of your stupid evaluation process that requires me to travel more in one day than I do in a week, just for you people to poke and prod me like some barn animal, and tell me that I'm not disabled, and give me my damned insurance anyway. So, stop already with the bitch act, and do the job you were hired to do, or so help me I promise you that I will be finding you another job, cause clearly this is NOT your forte. Now then, I'm going to hang up, and you are going to make another appointment for me. If you do not, I'll simply call another case worker and make one my damned self, but if you think for one second that I am going to handle one more of these ridiculous phone calls from your office without complaint... think again. I'm disabled, not stupid. Good bye."

Social Services needs to clean up their act and start treating people with respect, instead of treating them like cattle. Otherwise, and overhaul is going to be the last thing they're going to need to be worrying about.

Over The Hill My Ass!

2011-08-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

I have been reading many articles about women and aging. Some loathe it, while others embrace it. These articles, however, are all based on how men view women, and not directly based on how women view themselves. Most women spend their lives combating a number of hormone and age related issues, some are genetic, others are not. These 'issues' range from pimples to wrinkles and back again...none of which have any easy solution or 'fix', and all of which we all experience at some point in our lives. Let's face facts, the woman who has never had one pimple in her life time is as rare as a snow white lion. They exist, but are very far and few between.

What I would like to see, is an article written by a woman, about her own aging process, without feeling the over whelming urge to put even one sentence in there regarding how she is viewed by men, on any level. I'll bet you anything, that will be the most difficult article for a woman to write. Or, would it?

Thanks to the Internet (which turns 20 years old this week by the way), the wonderful world of womanhood has been opened up for the globe to see in all its flaming glory, as well as all of its wretched failure. Far too often, we read articles on a small group of people around the world who we consider to be 'celebrities'. These people go into the various forms of media outlets and proclaim certain things, and the rest of the world follows them like sheep being herded by some self-appreciating shepherd.

We see some movie actress, who appears to have flawless skin, tell people to use certain brands of cosmetic products, because they say things along the lines of "It works for me". Yay them?

The plastic, fake world of cosmetics has almost taken over every woman's life to some degree or another. Most women can't tolerate to live without their cosmetics. They can't be seen in public without at least a good slathering of facial powder and some eye make up. And the gods above and below help them if anyone should ever show up at their homes and they're not fully prepared for visitors! Oh the embarrassment of it all!! Why? Why do women do this to themselves? Why are women so concerned about the aging process, and all the things that go along with it? Are women so low on self-esteem that they are literally afraid that they will no longer be attractive to men? Furthermore, why don't women spend more time worrying about being attractive to themselves? Is that a 'bad thing'?

There was also an article recently about an 83 year old grandmother who had her breasts enhanced. WHY is that such a big ordeal to people?! She's obviously adult enough to make her own choices about her body, and if she wants to have her breasts enhanced, who on earth should think that this is a bad thing? She's not blind. She knows the female body tends to head south as it ages. So what's the big deal? She didn't ask permission from someone? Like she actually has to? She did that for herself. Not her family, or her friends or anyone else. She did that for herself, and by golly good for her!!

It has been my long-standing opinion that if a woman does something for herself, regarding aging and beauty, that it is more attractive than if she does something just because it's the 'in' thing to do, or just because some male friends of hers think she'd look better and more attractive to them. Who the hell cares if she's more attractive to those people? If those people are actually rude enough to even mention that to her, they're not really friends at all.

My daughter, who is turning 23 soon, is not married, has lived a totally good life thus far, with few medical issues that have come her way and is just now beginning to realize things about herself that she was slow to accept early on. To me, this makes her truly beautiful. She's nothing shy of a blonde bomb shell. Born with naturally platinum blonde hair, blue eyes and cheek bones that are the envy of many of her friends...but the unwanted attention she gets is enough to make her want to curl up in a corner somewhere and hide half the time.

I think what women need to start realizing about themselves, at any age, is that they are beautiful in their own right, and so long as they are happy with themselves, then there's nothing for them to change. Aging has its benefits as well in this area. Younger women who get dressed in the morning tend to go through their clothing and take a mental note as to how their clothing choices will effect people around them. In other words, they're not dressing for themselves, but rather for everyone else that might see them that day. When a woman grows older, she just flat out stops caring what everyone else around her thinks, and dresses for herself.

Personally, I have never dressed for anyone other than myself. There are certain occasions in one's life that more or less require a person to dress in a certain manner. Wearing your favorite pair of ripped-in-the-knee denim jeans and plaid shirt is not the best choice at a wedding, for example. And it's probably not the best idea to show up in your favorite set of fleece pajamas for a business meeting. However, when we go to these functions and meetings, why not dress in things that are comfortable? Even if we hate dressing up, at least we'll have the feeling of comfort.

The Olsen twins of television and fashion fame, have been seen wearing semi-formal clothing, but their fashion sense and taste has been dubbed "granny fashion" by the media. This is because these are two fairly young women, who don't go out of their way to wear clothing that is so tight and revealing that a piece of plastic wrap would have more bodily coverage than the clothing some women that age choose to wear. They don't wander around in heels that are high enough to make breathing only possible by means of a portable oxygen tank, nor do they wear enough colorful make up to keep them always ready for a good Mardi Gras type face painting festival. They look young, attractive and very much at ease with their own sense of fashion and style. To me, this tells me that they are very strong individual women and should be paid more attention to by the media in a positive manner.

With age comes many things. Experiences life throws you. Curve balls that life throws you. physical changes that happen naturally. Knowledge that you gain from your life's studies, along with wisdom regarding life itself. So many things take place when you age....so too should be the way people, especially women, view themselves.

People need to stop relying so heavily on the physical appearance, and start relying more on their inner selves. After all, once you reach a certain age, the only person that's going to matter when you look in the mirror, is you. Now then, go find a mirror and start learning to enjoy your own sense of style and fashion. I'm pretty sure that you will eventually end up liking what you see, and will also begin to develop your own 'signature style'. Besides, it can be fun too. And, if you want a really good laugh, bring along some funky sunglasses. If no one else around you likes them, at least you will be able to have a good laugh...and laughter, when you age, is truly good medicine for the heart!

Marijuana Or Bust

2011-07-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

Here we go, yet again, with the over-inflated and extremely misunderstood issue of the legalization of Marijuana. I read an article today from Manteca Bulletin that not only made no sense at all to me, but the write got so many facts wrong, and seems to be obviously wearing blinders, that it wasn't even worth putting into print.

Right off the bat, the writer states "The war, as they say, is going badly." What war? The drug war, or the 3 other wars the United States has gotten themselves into around the globe? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the basic math on this one. If the drug war was the only war we were having to worry about at this point, the United States would be in a hell of a lot better shape financially than it is now. Hmm, let me see, drug war or war in 3 other nations? I'll take the drug war, thanks.

It is also immediately obvious that the writer didn't bother to take his time to do any research what so ever. That is clear early on as well when I read the statement, "One of the pitches is that if you legalize pot you will somehow eliminate much of the crime its use triggers.". All anyone has to do is take a quick scan regarding the Prohibition Era, and you'll see how incredibly inaccurate that statement was.

The truth of that particular matter is as follows:
The Prohibition era of the 1920s gave rise to the organized crime syndicate in the United States. Federal efforts to enforce prohibition, including raids on speakeasies, were countered by well-organized bootlegging operations with national and international connections. A particularly notorious gang of the times was Al Capone's mob in Chicago. There were also gangs in Detroit, New York and other cities. Wars among gangs, producing grisly killings, frequently made headlines."....
When the 1933 repeal of prohibition made buying liquor legal once again, gangs that were still intact resorted to different sources of illegal gain, among them gambling, narcotics trafficking and labor racketeering.

So let's gets to the real issue. The one no one wants to write about, for fear that they'll come across looking like a completely weak person (which, they probably are). Fear. That's right, it boils down to fear. The fear that if Marijuana is legalized, that every man, woman and child in this country is all of a sudden going to be curious about using the drug, and eventually get addicted to the drug...and the fear just escalates from there.

The 'idea' behind the fear is based upon the decades of negative media information that has been streamed to us through every possible outlet available to us. Let's face facts. We're not going to pick up a newspaper and read an article about how beneficial Marijuana can be to the textile and oil industries. Instead, we only hear the 'bad' things that happen in association with Marijuana. This is intentional. The media outlets want you to get it through your head that marijuana is BAD, in every aspect, and that anyone who uses the plant (legally, or not) is nothing more than a reliant pot head, that needs to be pitied by the bulk of 'civilized society'. Again, if you haven't put the blinders on yourself, the media and the government are putting them on for you.

When you look at the plant itself, it's one heck of a beautiful plant. Leafy, a bright color of green, highly prolific, and, like Bamboo (you know.. a legal plant to grow), can be used for almost countless productions on a mass scale. Sadly, it's still illegal. What the medical industry tries (and often fails) to hide is the fact that there are hundreds of medications on the market today that have been derived from plants. Prozac is a reproduction of the same effective substance found in the St. John's Wort plant. Morphine is also reproduction of the same-effective opiate substance found in Poppies (go figure). Codeine is a reproduction from the same effective substances found in the Poppy plant. There are hundreds of others, but I'll spare you the eye sore of reading through all of that.

So we have the fear of a plant. This fear is such that it wouldn't be too far off the track to say that the bulk of the United States population suffers from a Marijuana based Botanophobia. Now let's remember, Heroin was once prescribed by doctors as a type of 'cure all, as was green ketchup. Not to mention the fact that Coca Cola had Cocaine in it, and was consumed by thousands of people on a daily basis. The 'counter-offensive' made by the medical industry these days is that they learned their lesson and helped to remove those types of products from the market. Of course they did....and turned these products into Rx medication that people can get addicted to, and die from each year. So far, I have yet to see anyone die from smoking Marijuana.

The whole truth of the matter is that Marijuana has so many uses, that it's the one crop that possibly holds the potential of helping to take this nation out of the hell hole in a hand basket it's dug for itself. Given the technologies we have available today, I'm actually surprised that more people haven't opened their eyes to the legalization of this plant, even if it's for no other purpose than to mass produce it for alternative fuel and textile potentials.

Hemp (a variation of the Marijuana plant - still illegal) oil, derived from the seeds, is a highly effective alternative fuel. Not to mention that the fibers from the Hemp can also be used to produce many other items, such as fabrics and ropes. Prior to the US Civil War, Hemp farmers out numbered Cotton farmers 3 to 1. In fact, 1 acre of Hemp produces the equivalent to 3 acres of Cotton. Easy math. This should really be common sense by now. Oh, and by the way, the items produced by Hemp are far easier to work with, and more durable, than those produced by Cotton.

For those environmentalist freaks out there, please note, that this plant can replace trees as our primary source of paper products. I'm sure they've figured that out by now, but none the less, they're still afraid of the legalization of the plant. Perhaps they're concerned that all of their workers will actually enjoy going to work? I don't know. Beyond the textile industries, the legalization of Marijuana would bring in millions, if not billions, of dollars in revenue. Recreational Marijuana can be taxed, it would create jobs, reduce the illegal importation of the plant from other countries and put a huge crunch on these drug cartels AND would be financially beneficial to the medical industries.

When it comes down to it, there is no way that any person on any level of any part of this country can honestly sit back, after having looked at the truth about Marijuana, and tell anyone that it is 'bad', without being flat out liars. It is a highly prolific plant. It is capable of being produced on a mass scale. It grows in a number of different environments and climates. It's capable of being used in almost every industry this nation has. It would help to stimulate the economy, and create much-needed jobs throughout the nation, and if you're afraid of it, don't use it.

How easy is that? You actually have the option of telling people that you do not want to use Marijuana. I don't see any difference between making that choice, and choosing not to smoke tobacco products or drink alcoholic beverages. It's a CHOICE people, it's not like someone is going to be standing over you with a bong and forcing you to inhale anything you don't want to. To top that off, there are also thousands of people, such as myself, that simply CAN'T use it. Why? We're allergic to it. Ironically, even that allergy will not kill anyone. Aspirin kills over 700 people a year, and yet it's legal, and on the market for mass production and has no signs of slowing down. Marijuana has never killed anyone (EVER), including those of us who have allergic reactions to the plant, and yet, it's still illegal and banned from any type of production outside of highly restricted medical use.

THINK about that for a moment, would you please?

UPDATE 1: Wednesday, August 3, 2011, 7:22 am PST: Hemp Facts

The 'M' Word

2011-07-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

The 'M' word. That dreaded word that causes millions upon millions of women to go screaming into the night, as if someone had just dropped an atomic bomb directly on them. The word? Menopause.

There, I said it. That wretched and most foul word pertaining to womanhood. While Menopause does have some very uncomfortable symptoms for many women, these are SYMPTOMS. The worst of them all (for at least 60% of the women who go through this) is when a woman starts getting hot flashes.

Hot flashes. Those wonderful range of temperature changes that can make a women feel so over-heated, that they could be in the middle of the Arctic tundra, naked and wondering why they're still sweating bullets. We all know that HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) isn't exactly the best option, considering that it can increase a woman's risk for Breast Cancer. And, we all know that Menopause, to one degree or another, can cause a bit of weight gain in women. We also know that, due to the loss of Estrogen, that many women can become more aggressive.... some men would say they turn down right evil, as they sit on their roof holding a "Save me" sign above their head every time a helicopter flies by.

What bothers me, and I mean this REALLY bothers me, is when a woman who is going through Menopause starts chiming in with this "woe is me" bit of pablum. You've all heard this line of bull. They'll say things like:
"I'm soooo depressed. I can't have children anymore. I feel like my entire purpose on this world is gone" ... or...
"I can't take this weight gain. It's making me look so bad, and nothing fits, but I can't stop eating, and everything looks horrible on me, even black clothes don't hide my expanding curves"... or...
"What's the point of continuing with sex? I can't have children, so what's the point?"

To those women, I can only say one thing: Get your heads out of your asses and get over yourself. You're not going through some horrible life-altering phase that will render you completely useless to yourself, or anyone else, for the remainder of the time you have left on this planet. And STOP already with the woe is me crap. It's annoying as hell to everyone around you, and the only thing they want to do when you start with that is run to the nearest train station...and leave town until you get on with your life.

No one expects any woman to be 'the same' when she goes through Menopause, nor do they expect her to be 'the same' once she's post-Menopausal. That is something that is accepted globally, and something that all women around this blue and green planet can empathize with. But for the love of all the gods ever known to humanity... you 'woe is me' women have just GOT to stop with your pity party!

First of all, if you have children, and are still on this kick of thinking that your womanhood is gone because you can't have MORE children... stop that. Concentrate on the beautiful children you already have and leave it at that. Besides, in my opinion, any woman that decides to start having children after the age of 35 is simply down right bonkers and should have their head checked (and yes, I'm more than aware of how many 35+ year old women out there are swearing at me right now, but it's not like I really care if they are, as everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion).

Secondly, as much complaining and down right bitching that women do about having a period each month, one would think that NOT having periods anymore would be something to celebrate, not mourn. Yet, there are still women out there who almost literally mourn the loss of their periods.

Of course women who have no choice, due to surgical procedures that have literally forced them to stop having periods, AND, who are UNDER the age of 35...you have my understanding as to why not being able to give birth can be an emotional and/or mental issue. Other than that, no.

I'm also well aware of the fact that there are going to be women out there who may read this and think that I have no mothering experience at all. Fact: I have 4 children. So, before anyone gets on their high horses with me, here's a heads up... I've already gone down that path, and if any woman thinks for one second that raising 4 children into adulthood is even slightly easy.. kiss my ass.

For many women, even raising one child can be difficult. For other women, there can be a combination of situations that make child rearing a difficult task (which, by all accounts, is a true understatement).

We all joke about Menopause. You've all seen the main joke: "I'm still hot, it just comes in flashes now". Haha.. ugh. Now, by no means am I saying that all women who go through this are not really having some serious physical/mental/emotional issues. I'm simply stating that SOME of these women take it way over board. To me (personally), it appears to be nothing more than a means by which these women gain both attention and sympathy from friends and family members, so that they have an excuse for their behavior, and need no explanation for reacting to the natural hormonal changes that are taking place inside them.

Furthermore, I see those women as what I call "intentionally stupid". Now what I mean by this is that these women refuse to even believe their own doctors when they're told "It's normal, and all women go through this. There are plenty of treatments and support groups available to you, if you feel that you truly need some extra help getting through this stage in your life". No doctor, in his or her right mind, is going to look at a woman like that and say something along the lines of: "Well, you're right. You're the ONLY woman on the face of this planet that has ever gone through Menopause like this, and you need to be immediately transferred to the spa resort of your dreams until you are capable of handling things on your own." THINK seriously here people. It's a natural biological thing that takes place in every female body ever to walk the face of this planet...ever. It's not a damned plague.

By the way, don't think women are alone in this. Men also go through their own form of Menopause. They just get on with it better than women do. Women tend to be 'external' about most things. Meaning, they want to get it all out in the open, deal with it and move on. Men, are 'internal'. They like to think about it quite a bit before moving on with things, and rarely like to discuss much of it. This is also why men have a more difficult time handling a woman's Menopausal phase.

I will also say this: IF you are a woman who is over the age of say..40...and you want to still raise children, go down to the adoption agencies, and adopt a child. The same advice goes for any woman under the age of 35, who can not have children (for whatever reason). There are millions of children out there who need and want a good, solid and loving home. If you're so head strong on having a family... take that route.

Women who already have children, and are going through Menopause, again, in MY opinion, and who want MORE children, are simply fooling themselves. It can be seriously risky for both the woman and the unborn child. Even if the child birth goes great, it can cause serious problems afterwards for the mother, that can render her completely incapable of raising that child... or worse. So, while no one is going to stop you from having a baby after a certain age (if you're still capable of bearing children), at least take that advice into your heads and talk in great length with your doctor before starting a new line of children to carry on your family name and traditions.

It's Menopause people....deal with it. It's part of life. Get on with it. The meaning to life is to live it, not sit there and wilt into oblivion.

Tornado Alley

2011-05-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

Take a close look at the image to the left. This is a photo taken by storm chasers from the recent storms in Joplin, MO. Take a REALLY close look. Now, after looking at this, and perhaps studying it a bit, I have a question. How many people do you think are going to willingly rebuild their lives here? Answer: Probably most of them. Want to know what happened to the 1,500 missing people? They were probably smarter than the rest of you , packed their stuff and got the hell out of there!

Storms like these are not uncommon in the United States. In fact, the United States leads the world in tornadoes. What I don't understand is why people actually rebuild their lives in these areas that are more prone to tornadoes. That's the same issue I have with these people who live along the southern coastal areas that rebuild their lives, in the same spot, after a hurricane comes in and wipes everything into oblivion. In fact, I think these particular areas of the country should just be left the hell alone all together. There's MORE than enough room in other areas for everyone. Have them move there, let Tornado Alley have that land all to itself. This isn't rocket science people. It's pure common sense.

Seriously, the image at the right ought to give you a hint as to what type of damage a tornado can do. That used to be a well built neighborhood. Key phrase: 'used to be'. Tornadoes can carry massive power, beyond what most of you are capable of even beginning to conjure up in your minds. 200 mile per hour winds, lightning, hail, sheets of rain and mass devastation. By the way, the type of tornado I just described is considered to be an EF5.

The psychological and emotional trauma that takes place during the after math of a tornado is horrendous enough as it is. To some extent, I can see where people just get plain stupid and decide to rebuild. It's from the trauma of it all. Common sense will never again enter these people's minds. Coincidentally, NO, I do not buy into any of the 'excuses' people spew out as their reasons to rebuild. Let me see...

1. "I've spent my whole life here, and I am not leaving my home". - Really? Guess what, everything you worked for during your life just got smashed to toothpicks in about 5 minutes by a tornado. You have no home. Go somewhere else and build a new one. Preferably NOT in a tornado zone.

2. "I have to stay and help my community rebuild. It's important to me to help everyone." - Good for you! Nice attitude. It shows you care. Help your community rebuild, then pack your stuff and get out of town. Why? Because it's probably going to end up right back on the ground again in another year...or 5.

3. "Aw heck, that was nothing. You should've seen the one that hit 10 years ago! Now THAT was a tornado!" - Seriously? This person thought that a recorded F5 (the highest level on the scale by the way) was 'nothing'? I never realized that there was something worse than an F5. Perhaps the EF scales need to be balanced again?

We're talking about storms that flatten major populated areas, cost millions of dollars in rebuilding expenses, put thousands of lives at risk and can completely wipe out and entire year's worth of farmed crops in a matter of minutes....and you people want to REBUILD YOU LIVES?!? Oh... my... god!!

Sorry folks, but I know enough about tornadoes to know where the heck NOT to live. I've even been in a few myself. Which, is exactly why I do not live in those areas anymore. Truth of the matter is, tornadoes have been recorded in every state in the U.S., and in every nation around the globe. It's not impossible for tornadoes to be reported in the Antarctic region, although to my knowledge, none have been reported there. Point is, the less chance you have to be in a storm (of any kind) of this magnitude, the better. Pack and move.

Yes, I understand that you'll be leaving friends, family members and jobs behind. However, the way I look at it, if you stay there, you'll have none of the above left after awhile. Or, they'll leave you. Besides, you can always contact them via telephone, mail or e-mail. It's not like you're just leaving this all behind, never to communicate with them again. Want to see Dixie Alley? Take a look at the image below. THEN tell me you're going to rebuild your lives.

Timeless Tradition

2011-05-12T07:11:00.000-07:00

There are many traditions around the globe, but none quite as unique, and universal, as the aging process. For most people, this is quite an experience, and believe me, everyone has some life-altering and 'major' experiences in their lives. What gets to me about this aging process is the attitude younger generations take towards those of us in our middle and upper ages. I have also noticed that when it comes to the people between the ages of 13 and 30 these days (yes, I'm aware that's a huge age gap), the arrogance and narcissism has sky-rocketed.

By no means am I even beginning to state that ALL members of this age bracket are arrogant or narcissistic. However, thanks to the Internet, there are many more seemingly coming out of the wood work than ever before. Self-indulgence, always winning no matter what, constant praise and getting what you want when you want it under any circumstances were not morals and ethics I was raised on. For that matter, they were not morals or ethics most people my age were raised on.

People in my generation were not reliant upon the Internet for the bulk of their social activities. We relied on actually leaving the house, or picking up the phone or, gods forbid, actually writing a letter, for our social communications. We did not text, IM or go to chat rooms. We did not 'log on using an interface that was compatible with our available RAM and graphics cards' so we could have nearly round the clock access to people from around the globe.

We did not have Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, RSS Blogging, Yahoo, MSN, Meebo or AOL. We had telephone, television and 'tele-friend' (not the virtual kind either). My point, by the way, to all of this, is not to play down any of the technologies we have at our finger tips today. By no means am I going to do that. However, I am simply stating that BECAUSE of the lacks in this type of technology, people had no choice but to engage in other types of communication activities. Oh, and also, we did not put down those people who were older than us, unless it was WELL deserved. We respected the fact that these people were older, and often wiser and smarter than we were, and therefore we listened to them when they spoke, and absorbed as much information as we could from them. We did this so that we could be productive people when we got to that age.

Well folks, I'm 'that age' now. I use the Internet daily, and even play a few on-line multi-media outlet role playing games (in short that's: MMORPG). The extreme amount of blatant, lazy idiocy that I run into on a daily basis is astounding! It's so bad that I often sit at my computer wondering how some of these people even made it past the 5th grade, much less graduated high school or made it into college.

I sit and watch people say 'there' instead of 'their' or 'they're'. I see 'to' instead of 'too', or 'for' instead of 'four'. Text speak, I have no issues with at all, and I understand the necessity of shortening or abbreviating words for that purpose. However, when I see two younger people having a conversation that consists of so many grammatical mistakes that I actually need a high dose of Rolaids in order to stomach it...I have issues, and severe doubts about the future of this planet.

I saw one person say, "I get strait A's in my classes. There really strict when it comes to things like english, history and math". Seriously? If that's the case, then I want to know who this person's English teacher is, so I can go slap the snot out of him/her. Then, I also run into people in the younger generations that seem to have this idea that people from my generation have no business enjoying an MMORPG game. Really? Listen up kiddos...

It's people from MY generation that made those games and gadgets available to people from YOUR generation in the first place. So, take your arrogant filled diapers and shove them up your ass. Why? Because until I see you guys start pumping out new computer programs, languages and utilities...in my book, you've got NOTHING to brag about. Yet.

All these emo kids out there also bother the hell out of me. I see it daily. Striving for the 100% attention from anyone around them, and if it's not received, BAM.. they're suddenly going to kill themselves. ARE YOU PEOPLE THAT WEAK?!? A few examples I see regularly include statements such as...

Person A: "I have lost the love of my life and I can't go on without her/him! I can't live anymore. FML, I may as well just go hang myself".
Person B: "Have you ever met this person in real life?"
Person A: "No, but still...it's the same thing".
Person B: "And.. how old are you?"
Person A: "13. It's over for me. I'll never find anyone who loves me like he/she did".

OMG SERIOUSLY?!? Picture, if you will, a group of people my age (early 40's), standing around reading this text from a 13 year old. THINK about how just plain nuts that would sound to someone like us. We're not the least bit concerned about a 13 year old having an identity crisis because of losing a 'love of a life time' that this kid has never met in the real world. We're more concerned with the moron parents who raised a kid like this, wondering what kind of lame existence they've got to have. Also, we tend to wonder how many years the parents have had the kid on some kind of emo-inducing unnecessary medication, such as Ritalin or Prozac.

I'll make all you younger folks out there a deal (and by 'younger' I mean anyone under the age of 30). You show me that you can behave respectfully, and lead productive lives outside of the realm of the Internet, and I'll finally shut up about how flat out arrogant, egotistical and blatantly stupid you all seem to me. Deal? Until then...you can take your young, diaper covered, intentionally-emo attitude, and stick it up your ass.

Drive Now, txt l8r

2011-02-07T22:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, so, ur txting n drving n dun wnt 2 ms ur msg...oh give me a break, please. You mean to tell me that there's ANYTHING you have to say, or read, that is more important than your own life? WHAT?! Are you people serious? Heck, I should just go on ahead and write an obituary column for "Common Sense".

Oh yes, I can perfectly understand how it is. I am more than fully aware that everyone 'needs' communication with all 9 million of their 'bffs' which they just can't possibly live without. Here's a heads up, if you text while driving, it won't matter if you can live without all 9 million of your bffs. Why? Cause they'll be living with out you. Then again, what do you care? You'll be dead. Yes, I said it, and yes I was being sarcastic, but no, I am not sorry I said that one bit and never will be. Why? Because it's the brutal truth.

Perhaps you were not aware of the fact that there currently 29 states in the United States that have anti-texting while driving laws in place as of July, 2010? Or, that even more states have anti-cell phone while driving laws in place? Did you know that even NASCAR drivers have major issues while trying to text and drive on a closed course, much less on an actual highway? How about the fact that if you text and drive, you have just increased your chance of an accident by 23%?

You don't have to be young to be in danger of having an accident while using your cell phone while driving. This increased percentage is true for ALL drivers, regardless of age, profession and "need". There is no "need" to do anything but drive. If you have to do anything... ANYTHING.. other than drive in your car, that car better not be in motion. For that matter, that car better not even be running!

What gets me is the blatant idiocy that washes over some people when they get behind the wheel of a car. Yeah, some mother with a bunch of kids is going to send me a response to this and try and tell me that I obviously have no clue what 'distraction' is while in a car, until I've toted her screaming kids around all day in a half working min-van. To that person, whomever you may be, I say: "Put a sock in it lady". Been there. Done that. I'm a mom, I know the routine, and you can throw a diaper on it and try another sob story on me. Not buying it. In fact, I'm not going to accept ANY excuses for distracted driving. You get behind the wheel in my car, and the only thing you're going to be doing is driving. That is it!!

If you want to see the statistics on texting while driving, you might want to visit buzzle.com and do a bit of reading. If you can bother yourself to read 3 hours of text messaging from 'ur bffs', you can certainly bother yourself to read 15 minutes worth of important material that can help keep you alive. Oh, I know, it's soooooo much reading. Oh my goodness not that! Get over it and read the page. You're no more important than anyone else on this planet so save it for someone who cares, cause it's not me. Your life is just as valuable as every other one of the 6+ billion people on the Earth. No more, and no less.

I don't care if you're living in a box in the middle of a desert, or the Pope, or a refugee, or a national leader, or a working class single parent. If you drive, don't text. If you drive, don't use your cell phone. If you drive, don't drink. If you drive, don't use drugs of any kind (illegal, prescription or over the counter). If you drive... just drive! Need to keep your mind occupied? Turn on the radio. That's why they put them in vehicles. Heck, these days, just activate your hands free system and get the GPS system to do the talking for you.

Take a look at this picture to the right. I'll bet you anything that person isn't even looking at the road. If he is, sure as heck he's not doing a good job of driving. Explain this to me: If a professional (read that word again because I know it's long and made up of alot of letters), PROFESSIONAL, driver is not capable of texting while driving... and a POLICE OFFICER (these people are trained to drive at high speeds through difficult to navigate areas) are not capable of texting while driving... what in the world would make you think that you are just so fantastic of a driver that you don't even need to pay attention to the road while you drive. You may as well put a blind person behind the wheel of your vehicle, and allow that person's seeing eye dog to handle the steering and maneuvering of the vehicle. It'd make about as much sense as you texting while driving. Heck, the dog might even do a better job. After all, dogs lack thumbs, and therefore can't text and drive.

Take a pledge and promise to never text and drive. This pledge is nation wide, and an on-going effort to help people become aware of the true and very real dangers of distracted driving. To take the pledge simply click this link:
Remember Alex Brown Foundation

Otherwise....

Intolerable Intolerances

2011-01-31T09:44:00.000-08:00

How many times have you seen a television show and though "oh, that is so gay"...without giving the least bit of thought to the statement? How about when you're out in public places and see people who you think might be 'gay', simply because of their actions, fashion or physical appearances? You'll forgive me for asking this so early on in my commentary, but... WHY?!

I've seen and heard all the bullshit hype before. Things like, "If a man hugs another man for more than 0.0005 seconds, he's gay"...."If two people of the same gender liver together for any length of time, they're obviously gay".... "If a man of any age chooses to wear anything pink, he's gay"... "If two women are seen arm in arm, they must be lesbians". Oh give it up already people! I could no more point out a member of the LGBT community on the streets than you can. Heck, most people in the LGBT communities have difficulty some times figuring out who is and who is not gay/bi/lesbian. What, there's some kind of genetic built-in radar device that goes off when a heterosexual is within range of a homosexual? O_o

Now, I'm not saying that I do not fully understand the um.. 'issues'...that most heterosexual people have with homosexuality. I'm simply stating that I personally believe that those 'issues' are falsely grounded, have absolutely no merit what so ever and are nothing more than 'ideas based on a large fear-fueled media driven panic pandemic'.

What I truly detest is when I see someone make a gay-based comment (such as "omg u look so gay"), and then they try to cover up their homo-phobic statement with something like "Oh, no I'm not anti-gay. In fact, I have friends that are gay. I'm just not gay. I'm straight". Whenever I hear something like that come out of anyone's mouth, the only thing I can think of is "idiot".

I've seen the talk shows. A person in their late teens 'comes out' and on live television tells his/her parents "mom, dad.. I'm gay/lesbian". Then, everyone gets to see said 'mom/dad' break down into fits of sorrow and anger. Finally, the teenager's partner is brought out...and more unfounded emotion ensues, until everyone sits down to talk about it, and everything is suddenly 'OK' again. By the way, this all takes place in approximately 45 minutes (give or take, depending on how many commercial breaks there are during the show). Are you kidding me?!? All that in 45 minutes?!? WOW, if life was that easy huh?

Now we have this stupid "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" 'thing' on the table for military personnel that are also members of the LGBT communities around the United States. Let me see if I understand this properly:
There are both men and women who are willing to go through the rigorous training it takes to be placed on a battle field. Men and women who are willing to die for their nation. Men and women who are willing to go above and beyond what many people in the U. S. would not even so much as think of going through...and it matters it they're gay or not? WHAT?!

Honestly, I think there is a LOT more on the minds of the men and women serving in the armed forces, putting their lives on the line on a daily basis. The last thing on their minds is trying to pick out who is and who is not a member of the LGBT community in their units. Ya think?? You show me a line up of 10 soldiers, and have 2 of them be members of the LGBT community, and I will guarantee you that you would not have an easy time figuring out who are the gay men in that line up. In fact, most people that the general public dub as 'gay', aren't even gay at all. Go figure that one out.

Truth of the matter is, that unless you see a gay pride parade taking place, or know someone who is 'obviously' a member of the LGBT community, it's nearly impossible to know who is and who is not a member of the LGBT community. Oh, and all the silly gods above and below help us all if someone everyone thought was 'straight' decides to 'come out of the closet' and announce their homosexuality. All hell's gonna break loose then, huh?

Gay marriage bans. Now that's a good one for our future generations to get a horribly good laugh out of. Why would anyone think it's ok to ban a marriage? People with a 1950's mind set said so? Or, perhaps, it's because people of the same gender who fall in love with each other 'just isn't natural'? Seriously?! It's NOT good to love someone? HUH?!

See, I can sit here and write this all with absolutely no 'ooky' feeling inside. In fact, I'd even go a bit further and with more graphic detail if I didn't think it would spark an influx of stupidity into my mail box and in my article's comments section (I have a sub-zero tolerance for what I call 'blatant retardation' - which is my phrase for people who are voluntarily stupid). I am a member of the heterosexual community, and I simply have absolutely no patience what so ever for people who are uneducated fear-living fools.

Let me through an abbreviation out here to scare the pants off of y'all: AIDS! Now then, after you people get your acts together and recompose yourselves, you might want to take a bit of a look into this wretched ailment a bit further, before pinning it on the LGBT community. Ok? Seriously. Go here and do some reading. When you're done, come back and tell me what you learned. If you're still one of those anti-gay nutcases out there, just close yourself into the nearest padded room and be done with your lively lives all together. There's no hope for you at this point.

International Unification

2011-01-18T22:13:00.000-08:00

Ever since the introduction of the World Wide Web, our world has been shrinking, one day at a time. For me, it is a more than welcome change. It has given me the chance to learn about much more about all the different nationalities of our globe. And wow, have I learned many new things!!

The most important lesson I've learned is to never judge the people of one nation, based on nothing but their government, nor the media attention that country receives. I have learned that no matter a person's age, religion, ethnicity or nationality...we're all basically the same people inside and out. The "look and feel" of a person is simply different, which, in my opinion, makes this world so incredibly interesting and enormously rich in knowledge and information. The meaning of life is to live it, correct? Well... get out there and start living your life!!

Turn on your system and take a trip to Italy. Perhaps you're in your pajamas and want to see the sights of Moscow at night...it's just a click away. What is even more interesting and intriguing, is having the opportunity to actually talk to people that are living in various nations around the globe. Hey, there are 194 countries around the globe today. That means the possibilities of knowledge are almost completely endless. How fascinating is that?!?

You can log on and in a few clicks, learn how to speak almost any written language in the world. There are 6,500 'living' languages around the globe today. Only a small percentage of them are 'written' languages, but still, that's alot of information right there! Just imagine all the incredible sights there are to visit!! WOW!

Then, add into this sight and speech mixture, the most international language of all, music. Then add all of the types of dress people wear around the globe. Now throw in the entirety of remaining structures that give us a first hand view into the previous civilizations that were here before our modern ones. You don't have to really look too far to find the historical remnants of humanity all around you. Kind of mind boggling huh?

Oh! We can also add in all the millions of different animal species around the world. Then the land formations and of course, we can't forget 'Mother Earth' at her very best...the very unique position the entire planet holds within this particular solar system. All of this knowledge and information (or, at lest a tremendous portion of it) has been brought before us via the Internet.

On the Internet, we have the ability to learn new languages from the very people that speak them on a daily basis. Throw in a pair of speakers, or put on a head set, and you can even learn how to properly pronounce words. Talk to someone from Russia, and a whole new world will open to you, right before your very eyes. Cross the globe, and talk to someone from France, and yet an entirely new realm is opened. Go south to Africa and a national feast is placed in front of you to absorb and relish in. Go west to the Americas and an even more complex world of wonderful surprises opens up like a huge box of exploding knowledge.

Think about this. Somewhere in the world, it is tomorrow. Somewhere in the world, it is also yesterday and somewhere in the world, it is today. All at the same time!

No matter where you live on this beautiful blue and green planet we call Earth, we all share common threads. We all handle weight issues. We all handle political upheavals. We all handle bias of one form or another, for one reason or another. We're too tall, too small, too large, too tiny, too conservative, too liberal, too understanding, too misunderstanding, too judging and too...well, you get the idea. We're really not all that different at all. We are, in fact, under the 'general order of international unification', in one sense or another.

Yes, as common as we are, at the same time, we are each unique individuals that make us the only ones of our kind on the entire planet. Our planet currently holds over 6 billion people. That's a lot of people. And to think, you are the ONLY person, just like you...ever. How cool is that?! That means that you are a very special person. You are unique and have knowledge only you can ever know. Why? Because the only person that truly knows everything about you, is you. That's it. No one else. Why? Because there is indeed only one you on the entire planet.

People share similar habits, hobbies and interests. They share belief systems, musical and entertainment taste, political associations and other such areas of common binding. However, you are the only 'you'. Enjoy that!
Why not? It's your life! Live it and learn as much as you can so that you have life long experiences that you can pass on to younger generations. Hopefully, that information will encourage them to also take the time to learn all about as many aspects of humanity as they possibly can.

I don't know about you, but I want my children to learn about as many global things that they can. I want them to learn that each person is unique and yet, at the same time, each person shares common interests around an entire globe that span over 194 different nations. I don't want my children to fall into such stereotypical traps that our media outlets like to push on us over the broadcasting waves of the entertainment outlets we have available to us these days.

I encourage them to grow and develop. I encourage everyone to do the same. So get out there and start learning as much as you can about as much as you can. Why? Because, you'll thank yourself for doing so, and so will your future generations! :)

The Never Ending Cruisade

2011-01-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Shoot me now, because here we go again folks. A friend of mine, whom I have known for about 2 years now, has made a life-altering and personal choice. She has decided to follow the path of Islam. I can well imagine that a few heads rolled, considering the brutally prejudice stance many non-Islamic people have these days. Which also tells me how little people truly know about the Islamic belief system.

Let's see, where to start. Oh! It is a monotheistic religion (meaning, the belief in only one God - sound familiar?). The holy text of Islam is believed to be the word of God (think - Bible, in another language). The name they have chosen for God is 'God', and they consider Angels to be messengers of God. Uh, wait...that sounds like Christianity. Perhaps using the Arabic terms would be better. Qur'an, defined literally as 'reading', the name given for the Islamic holy text, thereby literally defined as 'the reading of God's word'. Allah, the Arabic word meaning, 'God'. Malak, the Arabic word meaning 'Angel'. Suppose I should probably throw the word 'Jihad' in this mix too yes? That word is the Arabic word defined as 'struggle'. In the Nation of Islam, and to the people of Islam, and written within the Qur'an, the word 'Jihad' is used definitively and quite literally. Muslims use the word in a religious context to refer to three types of struggles: an internal struggle to maintain faith, the struggle to improve the Muslim society, or the struggle in a holy war.

We'll touch on that 'holy war' bit in a moment. For now, perhaps understanding a few beliefs of Islam might help put things into a bit of perspective. For example: Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable. Muslims also believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed at many times and places before, including through the prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

Uh, wait, that sounds very similar to the beliefs held within Judaism....and Christianity for that matter. Hmm, maybe because all of these religions were formally established in the same city, Jerusalem, Israel. OH DEAR GODS NOT THAT!!! (puh-lease)

To touch upon that 'holy war' thing now, I should remind everyone reading this that these said 'holy' wars (more like "holy shit! We're being fired upon! Get the women and children the heck outta here!), were NOT started by the Nation of Islam. No, my dear readers, The Crusades were 11th, 12th, and 13th-century religiously sanctioned military campaigns waged by much of Christian Europe against the Muslim Middle East. I'll simplify that, because it sounds...ok, mildly important. The European CHRISTIANS took it upon themselves to make an moronic gross attempt at wiping out every other religion that was not Christian, and decided that the people who practiced the Muslim beliefs should be wiped out of existence. Of course, they were given the option to turn to Christianity, before they got their heads cut off. Lovely Christian beliefs, yes?

Let's take a look at some of the more modern day ideas of the women of Islam. They were Burkas (which some comedians have referred to as 'bee keeper dresses' - I wanna slap them for that by the way). It is recommended that they not be in public without a male companion that is at least a relative of theirs, and if they are married, that male companion should be their husband, unless that is not possible for whatever reason. For people of other belief systems, this seems a bit 'restrictive', yes? Well, then you look at the reasoning behind this, it really is not restrictive, nor extreme (and most women of Islam willingly follow these practices). The reasoning for these above mentioned 'ideas', is for the protection of the women of Islam (and nothing more, I might add). Or, should I remind my Christian readers of Commandments #'s 7 and 10? Commandment #7: Thou shalt not commit adultery. Commandment #10: .... you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You know, 2 parts of the 10 Commandments brought down my Moses who supposedly got these from God himself?
Yeah, those. Well, the people of Islam (including the women, I might add) just so happen to take these seriously, and live by them daily, in every aspect of their lives. People of Islam are also not stupid. They are more than aware of kidnappings, rape, molestation and other violent crimes that are afflicted upon women (from all nations, belief systems and ethnic backgrounds), and do their best to protect their women and children from such horrific and most personal crimes. OMG that's a BAD thing?!? WHAT?!? O_o

Ok, so what's all this 'praying to the east' stuff? Why do Muslims pray facing east? They don't. Muslims pray towards Mecca in Saudi Arabia. A muslim in India woud face west, in Turkey s/he would face south and if in Somalia would face north.

So before anyone starts talking trash about any other belief system out there, you might want to take a good look at your own belief systems first. And for all you so-called 'devout' Christians out there...remember the following (from your holy Bible, by the way):

And Jesus went and stood at the edge of the pit, raised a stone over his head and proclaimed "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone!". A side note on this: Jesus himself cast no stones. Practice what you preach before passing judgment on others.

And for all of my Islamic readers out there... SALAAM!! :) (that translates into "peace" for you other nut cases who might think that's some odd Arabic call against other faiths)

Stupid People In Large Groups

2011-01-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

Years ago, my father told me (semi-jokingly, I thought) to "beware of stupid people in large groups". As I said, I thought he was joking. Turns out, he was as far from joking as it gets. He was talking about all of the self-absorbed people out there in the world, who were incapable of seeing anything beyond the tips of their noses and frowned upon anything that didn't fit exactly within their personal realm of life. Ironically, he was talking about people from his own generation, knowing first hand that this line of old fashioned thinking and belief had spread like wild fire through several generations, and was continuing it's path into my generation (as he witnessed for himself on a daily basis).

I remember him coming home one time, after having to deal with people at a convention in Boston, saying "Someone call the village, I found their missing idiot, and the moron is wearing a damned suit no less!" Mind you, I about wet myself from laughing so hard, but he was dead serious. To say the least, he was absolutely disgusted, dare I say down right angry, at the absolute idiocy he'd had to endure during that convention.

When he had calmed down enough to discuss it (which, in my dad's case only took a cup of coffee and reading half of a newspaper), I learned that he had been talking with a small group of his peers (keep this in mind), during a break at the convention, and one of them brought up a random comment about one of his family members practicing "witch craft". Now my father saw no problem with this, because he has always been MORE than aware of the way of life for a true witch, and knew there was no harm in any of this practice. He also knew, if nothing else, this person likely practiced natural herbal medicine (thus my images), and was also likely more healthy and well-grounded than most of the people in the entire city of Boston, much less in that room. So, he contested that person's statement with questioning. He asked them why this was being said in a negative connotation. He asked why this person seemed so disgusted with a relative of his choosing to practice a natural way of living. He honestly could not understand why this peer of his was seemingly so upset and almost embarrassed about this little fact.

His reasons for being so confused (almost literally), were well grounded. He was raised in a family that mixed organized religion (Methodist) with traditional Scottish healing (Paganism). He knew from first hand knowledge, that herbal healing worked, and more often than not, worked better than Rx medications. He also knew that meditation and being one with your natural surroundings, kept you more grounded and peaceful, than entering into any church building on the face of the planet could offer (regardless of the religion that church practiced). He knew that doing no harm and believing that doing harm would return negative to you 3 fold was real, and not some odd cosmic belief that came into play during the middle ages of humanity's existence.
I got a good taste of this "misunderstanding" myself, from my mother, last year, when she saw a bowl of Celtic Rune Stones on a side table. My mom saw them and said "What are those?" And I explained to her that they're Rune Stones. She said "What are they used for, witchcraft?!?" She was mortified. Um, no. Rune Stones are not used for Witchcraft. They are symbols representing an ancient Celtic alphabet. Uh...no idea how that is witchcraft, but ok, fine, whatever.

I find it amazing that so many people are so quick to judge when they know absolutely nothing about what it is they're passing judgment on. People my own age (and even younger) are still not understanding, nor too willing to learn, about natural life styles. An Internet friend of mine mentioned to me once that she was having a bit of a head cold, and the medicine she bought just wasn't working the way she hoped it would. She was still congested, still had a sore throat, still had a fever and still was unable to return to work because of all her aches and pains. I asked her if she could have berries (some people, like my daughter, are allergic to various types of berries, so I asked to be sure she was not allergic). She said she could, so I recommended that she try a cup of hot raspberry tea with a small splash of Blackberry Brandy in it and 1/2 tsp of honey or sugar.

She asked me why I would say that. I said "Um, because I know for a fact that it can help clear up some of what's bothering you and maybe your medicine will work better?" I was a bit confused as to why she asked me, but none the less humored her with a logical response. She said "I don't believe in all that super natural stuff". Ok... since when is TEA super natural stuff?!? Oh my god, are you kidding me?!? I almost fell off my chair in a fit of complete laughter.

I was almost waiting for her to tell me her head was spinning around and she was going to spit pea soup out of her ears. Holy hell. Tea!! Who knew? Seems I've been practicing super natural stuff for most of my life then (at least 40 years of my life, since I've been drinking tea since I was 2 for gods sakes). I came to the conclusion that this woman would've probably been one of the walking female zombies from back in the 1920's because she firmly believed that heavy doses of Valium were good for her.

Seriously folks, before you're so quick to judge people, try learning a bit more about them and how they live their lives. And, if you really want to know what a true witch is, go to Salem, Massachusetts and talk to the official witch of Salem. Her name is Laurie Cabot (and I hope I spelled that correctly, because I did not look up the name prior to writing this, apologies). Until you decide to do that, stop looking down your noses at everyone and start learning a bit more. Ya know, open your ears and close your mouths? Simple way to learn things. It's been done for thousands of years and believe it or not, listening and learning actually work. They even built these handy duty little buildings called "schools" that are based around this entire listen and learn principal. Go figure huh?

When The Lights Go Out

2011-01-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

How many of us, I wonder, can truly manage to survive over a long period of time, when the lights go out? Now, when the power goes out (and at least once in our lifetimes, we've had this happen to us), it's normally just a minor inconvenience for us all. We wrap up in heavy clothing and snack on whatever foods don't need to be cooked, until the power comes back on again. In most cases, this is within 24 hours. What if it was longer? Could you handle that?

Welcome to my world (or, at least a small part of it). In this area, the power does go out, and more often than not, it's out between a few hours and a few days (not even close to kidding). I live in the Sierra-Nevada mountain range in a small town called Downieville. It's snow country here, and boy do we get snow. And in these parts, if you can't survive a few days without power, just pack up and move out. Yes, we have generators. That does not necessarily mean the generators are going to work. This was already proven to us twice within the past 2 years, when residents here went without power for 2 and 4 days respectively. No, no one died because of it. However, I like to attribute this to the common sense and relatively good knowledge of "old fashioned" living. In other words, we're all still a bunch of pioneers up this way.

Take a look at some of the old fashioned Victorian era style items. I mean take a really close look at them. Most of them are rather beautiful and ingenious. They also all serve a purpose, and most of those purposes are based on 'survival' (in one form or another). Victorian homes were large because the items the furnish the homes were large, and more often than not, the families were also large (in number). Everything was large. Clothing, furnishings, cooking appliances, doors, windows, pantries...heck, even pet housing! Few in today's era stop to wonder WHY these things were so large back then. Simply put, they had to be! Let's face facts, drapes are not small pieces of cloth ok? These drapes weren't some tiny little sheer pieces of gauze that people threw over their windows to make it look fancy. These drapes were heavy. Made of extremely heavy materials like wool, thick cottons and velvets.

They served a purpose. Keeping the cold out, and keeping the heat in, especially at night. Windows were larger to allow for maximum sunlight to enter the house. In other words, solar heating in the winter, and plenty of light all year around. Bed drapes were thick and heavy and surrounded the entire bed (as seen in the above image). People literally closed the drapes around their beds at night. Again, to keep the cold out, and the warmth in. Body heat, people learned, was a very good source of night heating, especially if it could be trapped within the frame of the bed.
And, when the bed got too cold, they used these handy duty little gadgets known as bed warmers. Hot coals and embers from a fireplace were placed into them, and then placed between the sheets of the bed. Kept things nice and toasty. Oh, by the way, heated rocks were also used (and quite frankly, far safer than glowing embers).

Clothing was heavy and thick, often weighing between 10 and 20 pounds. Fashion styles of the era were kept at all times, but winter fashion had to take a slight turn to heavier materials and layers upon layers of under garments. Women wore the most layers. However, they could afford to do this because of the length and width of their skirts that were in fashion at the time. These skirts allowed women to literally have many MANY layers. Long underwear, followed by another set of traditional under garments, followed by at least 2 layers of skirting, followed by a thicker skirt, followed by the outer skirt, which was usually made of the same material as the draperies were. Heavy cotton, wools and velvets. Thick rag socks were worn over their stockings, to help keep their feet warm. And, almost all of the shoes back then were semi-water proof as most were made from real leather materials, instead of the synthetic materials used today.

Cooking was done on a wood stove, or a coal stove (more often than not, it was wood). These stoves, some of them still in use today, served more than one purpose. They also served to heat the house, and they were very efficiently designed to do this.

Today, when the power goes out, at least where I live, most people resort back to this Victorian era of living (at least to a minimal extent). In my house, I have what I call my "candle drawers". These are large, deep, drawers that hold nothing but candles of all shapes and sizes. I don't collect candles because they're nice and smell good. I collect them because I know that at some point, my husband and I will be putting these candles to good use. We also have an oil lantern that we use for lighting. We have a wood stove for heating and cooking. We have 2 top burners on the stove, and over all stove top room for at least 3 small pots, or two larger ones.

We keep several larger metal pots and pans that serve for washing dishes, keeping wash cloths warm for sponge bathing (when it's necessary), boiling water for tea or drinking water and for clean water for our cats. Obviously, the drinking water is cooled off prior to consumption (for you sticklers of detail out there who might read this and somehow are moron enough to believe I'd ever drink boiling hot water...or give that to my pets).

Want to see just how long you can last without power? Go turn it all off. Try making it for just 1 week. I dare you. By the way, I will guarantee you that the lot of you folks will be whining for power within 6 hours.

Brace Yourselves...It's Winter...again...

2010-12-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

It never stops amazing me. News reporters throwing out one story after another about snow, ice, sleet, freezing rain and blizzard conditions that hit the nation during the Winter months. HELLO? If you live anywhere in the continental United States, at some point in your lives, you can expect to see snow...even if it's in the news. We live in the upper portions of the northern hemisphere folks. This white stuff isn't God's dandruff, it's this odd weather phenomenon called 'snow'. Happens every year. So, unless you're under the age of 1..chances are, you've seen it before.

What gets me laughing though, are the news articles and photos that come out of the northern parts of the United States, especially the northeastern section. They used terms like "white out conditions", "blizzard-like snow storms" (I'll have to someday look up that term, just to see if there's some logical definition of that term, since it clearly contradicts itself as a whole), and my personal favorite "hazardous winter storm events" (I hope I can get tickets to see that. It sounds like one hell of a good thriller).

You see photos of people walking knee deep in snow. Then there will be some over head still shot from a news copter, showing the aerial view of a city, draped in snow. And, of course, there are always the "winter wonderland" photos of some random front yard that show trees draped in a blanket of snow, and some poor soul looking as if he's about to collapse from having to shovel out his entire driveway (hint: get a snow blower you moron).

All this reminds me of a bumper sticker I once had that read: "It snows here. If you like it, fine. If you don't like it... MOVE SOUTH!" A more true statement couldn't have been made. LOL

And the complaints from such pampered people. My gods, you'd think that the sky fell down around them and there was a ravenous hungry wolf beating down their doors trying to eat them alive. The sheer panic of it all is so laughable, that I swear a good old-fashioned comedic movie ought to be done on this topic alone. I've even heard people say things like "Oh dear, it's snowing out. I can't go out today. My heels will get just soaked in this, and my hair will just not be right after all this"....and... "Ugh! This snow is REALLY cramping my life style. I can't even get my latte cause of this stuff! Ew!"

Wake up people. Snow is like shit. It happens, like it or not. It's called "Winter". And, brace yourselves for this little known fact (which they hide really well in things called 'books')...it's been happening every year since before the last ice age! Can you imagine that?!? This has been taking place since before your latte was even discovered! O M G really?!?

Seriously... STOP with the idiot weather articles and papers. Buck up people, it's winter. Can't deal with it? Move to someplace like Barbados or Hawai'i. Believe me, to a 'damn yankee', such as myself, y'all sound like whiny pathetically spoiled little brats! Grow up already and deal with it. Better yet.. I hear Macy's has this lovely collection in their clothing section... it's called "Coats". Buy a few ok?

Religious Extremism, Gone Extreme

2010-10-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

The soldier that you are looking at is U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Matthew A. Snyder, of Finksburg, Maryland. He was killed in Iraq on March 3, 2006. On March 10, 2006, his family held his funeral service at the St. John's Catholic Church in Westminster, Maryland. Normal, typical and private. Right? WRONG!!

Just outside of the funeral that day, members of the

Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), of Topeka, Kan., staged a protest during the funeral right outside the entrance of the church, which disrupted the private ceremony, required the deployment of the local police S.W.A.T. team and forced the funeral procession to be re-routed.

Now tell me something here....since when should a S.W.A.T. team have to be sent out to guard a funeral?! Furthermore, I'd like to see where it says, ANYWHERE, that God Hates America. I'd also like to know what connection the LGBT community and a dead soldier's funeral have in common (especially since the soldier was NOT a member of the LGBT community).

This brings about the onset of a whole new level of craziness that's been spreading like wildfire through out the global community. Now, it is coming, once again, to the religious communities throughout the world. Regardless of what you believe in (or, don't believe in, as the case may be), there are some obvious MORAL limitations that take place when attempting to force your beliefs on other people around you, that are not from your particular house of worship (even if that house is your own private home).

I'd like to ask the global community to chime in on this one, and let me know how you would feel IF:
1. Your child was killed in a war over seas .. AND..
2. The funeral you had for your child was so distracted that it required the presence of a special police unit... AND...
3. Because of this, even the funeral procession route had to be re-directed...AND...
4. Your child's funeral was so over-run with extremists, that the entire situation was taken to the Supreme Court...AND...
5. Held enough weight to hold the potential for either amending or re-writing the 1st Amendment to the US Bill Of Rights, which is one of the most relied upon amendments to the US Constitution.

THINK about this for just a moment. I mean think carefully. Now there are some out there that have the attitude of "Well, it didn't happen to me. I mean, I feel bad and all for the family, but really this doesn't concern me". Guess what? YES, it does. The soldiers of the US Military are out there, fighting a war, to defend the rights you have today. Freedom is NOT 'free'. It comes at the cost of many lives, and 99.9% of those lives are wearing the uniform of a branch of the US Military.

When a religious group takes things to the extreme of causing harm (on any level) to other people, that ought to be a hint that something's not right in Disneyland folks.

And for you religious people out there (and I'm going to include the Pope on this one)....if you want to know WHY the belief in 'God' is on the decline, it's cases like these that are only part of the reason why.

Add to that the molestation of children by religious leaders. Add to that these religious based wars that pop up all over the place. Add to that all these extremist groups that take religion to a whole new level of craziness. Add to that the complete idiocy of the known written religious texts (Let's face it.. in no time has there ever been a talking snake, except when you read the book of Genesis in the christian Bible) that make fairy tales like Hanzel and Grettel look believable. Add to that all the many religious raids that have been placed on the many religions around the world...

And people wonder WHY there are so many Atheists out there?

Stop Living In The Past!!

2010-09-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many times I have to say this before it sinks into people's heads: STOP already with the living in the past crap!! This is 2010. Not, 1920, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 or 90. Ok?
Living in the past, and remembering the past, are two very different things.

I remember when I was a little girl and got my first tricycle. But sure as heck I'm not mentally stuck in the early 1970's. I remember listening to President Ford on the television, talking about the post Vietnam war status of the United States of America in one of his televised speeches. I'm not mentally stuck in that era though.

People over the age of 80, are generally stuck in the WW2 mind set. Talking about it as if it had just happened last year. References in a present day context, instead of terms that people use to refer to something that happened long ago in their lives. There is no doubt that there were many heroes of WW2, but oh my god will you people get a grip on reality and stop talking about this war that ended (ENDED) 65 years ago? It's NUTS!!

I request the same for people living in the Korean War, Vietnam War (excuse me, 'Police Action') and Desert Storm. For those who are not aware of this, the ONLY one of the four above mentioned wars that I will gladly excuse on the grounds of accuracy, is the Korean War, because 'technically' (on paper), we're still at war with them. No peace treaty was ever signed. We're just in an on-going state of cease fire (that has thus far lasted around 55 years).

Certain phrases that people use will tip you off as to where their mind set truly lies. Finishing statements or stories with the phrase "What do you think of that, huh?" is a good tip off that this person is NOT mentally in the current time frame. When someone says that to me, I reply with "Either you truly want to know what I think of that, which will likely highly offend you, or, you're asking a random question that will get nothing more than being ignored as a response. Either way, you need to get up to speed."

Mentally living in the past is all around us on a daily basis, and in all aspects of our lives. A new Cancer treatment comes out, and all of a sudden it gets slammed as some 'new fangled fad miracle cure or treatment'. So, people are stuck (almost literally) having to be treated with nearly the same treatments people with Cancer have had to go through since the 1960's. Are you kidding me?!? Is there a reason for this?!? Heck, what the Cancer hasn't already tainted inside of you, the Chemotherapy and Radiation treatments will finish off. Not joking. So you mean to tell me that after 40 years of medical breakthroughs, NOTHING is better than making yourself even WORSE?!? O M G!!!

Government does not learn from its past. Republicans are still battling against Democrats (and visa versa) simply because they're Republicans and Democrats. What? No one has any good ideas... at all? On either side? Someone from above is going to strike your political party down in a thunderous rain of lightning bolts if you even so much as THINK of agreeing with someone that is not in your political party?!? WHAT?!?!

So we have Medicine, Government, the military... all stuck in time lines long past. Those that break free from this "recurring nightmare of mental reality" are shunned. They are told the technology is too new, too off the wall, too...whatever. Political party members that break away and become independents are scorned and never voted into office again (and the few that are, are either lower level political offices to be filled, OR, they've managed to do a good enough job so that no one really wants to bother electing anyone new).

So, as sad as it is to say this, it would seem that all the negative things that have taken place throughout the past century have continued to repeat themselves (on whatever kind of 'modern' plane you wish to use and/or call it), while the good things have simply faded away into oblivion, either replaced or gone kaput. Sad...really, and truly...sad.

Eid al-Fitr

2010-09-12T04:05:00.000-07:00

Eid ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر ‘Īdu l-Fiṭr‎), often abbreviated to Eid, is a three-day Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fiṭr means "conclusion of the fast"; and so the holiday celebrates the conclusion of the thirty days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The first day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month Shawwal.

A peaceful celebration within the nation of Islam, and around the world for all Muslims, that includes eating, having fun, celebrating with family and friends and...wait, that sounds like Thanksgiving huh? Point is, I am personally sick to death and fed up to my teeth with people who have such high and mighty religious views. Religious intolerance, especially in today's society, is beyond ignorant, falling directly into the category of "intentional retardation".

With so many people as educated as they are in the modern world of 2010, and yet we see so many complete morons out there who can't be bothered enough to learn about the many religions from around the world. Sad. Of course, you know, this would mean that people would come to realize that every single religion on the face of this planet holds the basic fundamentals and doctrines. As nice as it would be, people would have to use common sense, and unless common sense comes in some form of electronic gadgetry, that's likely not going to happen in too many cases.

I find religious intolerance funny, in a sad, pathetic sort of way, but none the less, it gives me something to giggle about now and then. I giggle over the sheer ignorance and horrifically arrogant views people have. So far, the only people to have never held any wars in the name of anything (gods, or otherwise) are Atheists, and they're not religious at all, therefore they also do not fall into any religious category. And yet, there are still some idiots out there who do believe that Atheism is a religion. *facepalms*

Jerusalim, the beautiful capital city in the heart of Isreal, is the 'birthplace' of Christianity, Judaism and the Muslim faiths. The Dome of The Rock is considered the most significant of all of Jerusalem's historical sites. Solomon's temple. Buried, hidden treasures from the days of Jesus, Mohammad and Moses. It is even the very foundations upon which the series of religious crusades and Jihads began, back in 1096. Obviously, things haven't settled down too much since then, which tells me humanity is still stubborn as hell and unwilling to drop their weapons and learn about other belief systems so we can (dare I utter these words) live in peace for once with each other.

I'll say this: Maybe, just maybe, if people from other religions joined in the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, they'd understand the Islamic/Muslim culture and beliefs a bit more. Maybe, if the people from the Muslim culture celebrated holidays from other religions, they too would have a better understanding of the many other belief systems that are present, and very much alive, on this planet. Yes, it's a two way street when it comes to religious tolerance. All 'sides' have to give a little. Which, as we all know, can be rather difficult for some people to do.

I'm wondering how many people outside of the Muslim faith could possibly go an entire month without eating anything (eating, being the key word) from sun rise to sun set? I doubt many could, especially here in the United States. Yet, millions of Muslims do this for an entire month. So, when Eid al-Fitr comes along, they definitely have something to celebrate. FOOD!! Heck, count me in on that feast! Have you ever had traditional foods like that? WOW! They're incredible! Just the vegetable entrees alone are fantastic, never mind the rest of the food. That's like, Thanksgiving, in the middle of September. And for crying out loud, it's fun, ok?

So please, stop with the anti-religious sentiment. I'm sick of listening to it. The media can certainly learn to shed better light on things as well. It's not like they truly help matters when it comes to religious tolerance. Take, for example, the combination of headlines found on the Google's news pages today from the USA: (in order of appearance)
1. "US Pastor Jones Promises Not To Burn Quran Ever"
2. "Michelle Obama and Laura Bush To Honore Flight 93 Heroes"
3. "Rifts Seen Amid The Mourning of 9/11 Anniversary"
And.. waaaaaaaay at the bottom ...
4. With 9/11 in mind, Muslims Celebrate Eid al-Fitr"

WHAT?!? These people just got off an entire month of fasting, and you mean to tell me they get a headline coupled with the 9/11 attacks to announce the beginning of Eid al-Fitr?! Are you kidding me?! Oh my.....

Heading Towards Labor Day

2010-08-20T08:55:00.001-07:00

During this time of year, everyone is getting ready to go back to school, shut down the shop, reap what they sow or otherwise start preparing for the upcoming Fall season. This year, our weather has been unusually mild for the area, with most days not even reaching to 95.

Now, to some people, this might seem like a joke. To the folks in the Fire Departments, this was a welcomed relief. To the folks in this town, however, this has been a very unusual summer season.

It wasn't until early June that the 'threat of a frost' had passed. I'd like to remind my dear readers that this is also an area where seeing a slight snowfall in June is not too far fetched as it sounds. Therefore, this 'cooler climate' was seemingly part of a 'normal' weather pattern that locals here paid no mind to. Until late June, when there was still a good 40 degree difference between night time temperature lows and day time temperature highs.

During a 'normal' season, there would be the usual 20 - 25 degree difference. Say, 60 degrees at night, and 80 - 85 degrees during the day. Not this year. No, this year we were looking at 40 degrees at night, and 90 - 95 degrees during the day. And, we still are. In fact, when we normally would be experiencing those "hot summer nights", we were turning off the fans and air conditioners, and putting on flannel shirts and sweat pants. I know I was.

Now is also the time of year that our local wildlife enjoys the strolls in the park..erm, town, to bulk up as much as possible for their long winter naps. These critters are not shy by any stretch of the imagination, often helping themselves to every possible area that remotely smells like food. In other words, it's not uheard of for people to cook dinner and find a bear wanting to invite itself in for a meal. Which, in turn, means that it's not a really good idea to keep your windows open at night, unless you want to wake up with a bear in your bedroom.

Folks around here also have some secondary form of heat. Well, most of them do. Wood stoves that have burners on them, or trash burners (which can also double as a wood stove) with burners on them, being the number 1 choices. Now then, it is typical to see smoke coming out of the chimneys in the early spring, fall and of course, winter. However, when someone sees smoke like this in the summer, it is a bit um..'odd' (for lack of a better term).

When you go to bed at night, you assume that when you wake up in the morning, by around 10:00am, it will start peeking into the 80's. Not this year. This year, around 10:00am, it is often barely seeing 70 degrees. Nice, and a cool crisp feel to the air. But I mean seriously... this is summer for crying out loud!!

At this rate, and given the much cooler (and most welcome) climates of summer...I can only imagine how strange the Fall and Winter seasons will be. Time will tell.

When Fire Strikes

2010-07-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

It was around 2:30pm, and I was waiting for my mom and step-dad to get back from the funeral reception. I figured I'd see them around 3:30 or 4:00, which would be about normal for them, especially having to socialize like they do. Around 3:15pm, I heard this very loud siren out in front of my house, so I went to see what it was. Because of the elderly people that live in the neighborhood, I naturally assumed that it was for one of them. It wasn't. It was the sound of an emergency siren alerting the town that a fire had broken out, and we all need to step up to the plate and spring into action. For me, this 'action' was a little too close to home this time.

Instinct quickly kicked in, and I immediately started yelling out stuff. Because Jerry is a former fire fighter, forest service ranger and law enforcement officer, I ran back in the house and yelled for him, telling him that Steve's house is on fire. Immediately, started gathering up any and all garden hoses and power nozzles possible. They hooked them all to the nearest taps possible (one of those being to my house), and started hosing down the fire.

In the mean time, because Steve Fischer was not at home when the fire broke out (thankfully), I sent Max to run downtown and search for Steve, or his son, Mike (a law enforcement officer from Loyalton - the only 'city' in Sierra County, which lies an hour north of Downieville) who had been visiting with his wife for the week on vacation. Max headed to town. The women on the street started kicking in to full swing, doing whatever we could to help. Hosing down the fire...making sure the pets were all safe...getting emergency medical supplies handy, just in case ours would be needed on top of the ones the medical personnel were bringing.

Then, Sheriff John Evans showed up and ordered all the cars and trucks to be moved from the area to not only allow for the fire trucks to get through, but also to prevent any explosions (in case the fire jumped at all). No one cared who's car belonged to whom. When someone said "catch", you caught the keys, jumped in the corresponding vehicle and moved it the heck outta there at warp speed. Steve's son, Mike, was the first of the family on the scene, and showed up just as we were moving the vehicles.

Having a spare key to Steve's truck, he jumped in the truck and peeled out from in front of the burning house. As he drove by, we all yelled out "The back of the truck is on fire Mike!!"...he stopped, got out...looked at it, got back in and drove off. Yes, even in the worst possible emergencies, we all tend to keep our wits about us, and are never afraid to throw in a bit of humor, if for no other reason than to help everyone stay focussed and on their toes.

With the cars and trucks out of the way, the police started going door to door of each house along the mountain side. They went through every single room of every single house, making sure NO ONE, including pets, were left in the homes and everyone was visible and on the now closed street. The reason? The fire had already jumped to the forest...and was starting to spread. If it jumped even slightly, it would be possible for the entire street to go up in one massive ball of explosive smoke. They had to be sure that everyone was prepared to evacuate if necessary, and quickly.

First, the Downieville Fire Dept. showed up (ALL of them). Then the Sheriffs showed up. Then, the local Forestry Service showed up (with MASSIVE trucks). Then, Sierra City Fire Dept. showed up with trucks. They were followed by the Goodyears Bar, and finally, the Fire choppers showed up with 2 spotter planes. All this for one house? YES. And especially here.

This area is prone to fires, so one house fire can (and has in the past) set off a forest fire. In the past, these types of fires have managed to burn 70% of this entire town to the ground. Four times. No, I'm not even close to kidding. So we take fire here VERY seriously.

Within minutes of the fire starting, the entire town went into action. No joke. It was the ENTIRE town. Before anyone ever got there, we all knew, it was going to be a very long day, and probably a long night as well. When all was said and done, the last fire truck left around 1:00am. You can still smell the heavy scent of smoke and ash wafting through the night air. it permiates everything. Around 3:00pm, the telephone and Internet services were shut off on the upper part of the street. The power was never shut off, however, the town's back up generator was up and ready to take over while the power company came in and disabled the power lines that ran to the burning house. We're back on regular power, however, the telephone and Internet still remain up and down, and we expect it to for at least another day (possibly 2, depending on the severity of the wire damage that ran to the house).

Photos were taken by anyone with a camera. Heck, some people even took video footage of it (we're not sure if this will be on YouTube or not, but if it is, the link will most definately be sent out). Once the garden hoses were no longer being primarily used for the house itself, we spliced them and used part of the hoses to keep the hillsides as moist as possible. One hot ash could set off the whole mountain, which is a risk none of us were willing to take. Over head, fire choppers dumped thousands upon thousands of gallons of river water onto the burning area of the forest, and then dumped even more on unburned but threatened areas.

When all was said and done...only the shell of the house remains. The entire inside is completely gutted from the fire. The roof has chain sawed holes in it, that were made to allow for hose access to the inside of the roofing (which was the most difficult to get out, because of the heavy insulation in the attic). The street looked like one big bubble bath had exploded all over the place (this is foam fire retardant used to keep flames from restarting once they've been soaked out)...and, there was enough water and hose line all over the place to have opened our own version of a water land theme park. New town logo: "Welcome to Downieville. Grab a bucket and start bilging!"

So, suffice to say, this ordeal is far from over. Although Steve and his family have a place to go, there is still much work that has to be done. That will begin in the morning. As the Sun rises in this town, so do the sleepy residents...only on this day, they'll rise to more work ahead of them. and less equipment to do the work with. Will the town all pitch in for a second straight day? You bet we will. After all, that's what we do best around here. We poke our noses into everyone's business...and when it comes down to situations like this, no one is complaining even slightly.

California, The Marijuana State

2010-07-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

With 5 other nations having already legalized the use of Marijuana (a side note, India is the only one of these 5 where Marijuana is legal only through strict government regulation - still, it's legal), California is beginning to clearly pave the way in making the United States #6 on that list. And, many other nations are following suit. Now, before we go any further with this commentary, I want to clearly point out one very important fact about myself. I am tremendously allergic to any and all forms and derivatives of the Marijuana plant. Therefore, I do not use it. I never have used it. I will never use it, and if I am around someone who has recently used it, m nose turns into that of a Blood Hound, and my allergies set off like an A-Bomb in my head. So, to sum that bit up, YES, I am very much in support of medical marijuana and the full legalization of it, but NO, I will not ever be one of the people who would be able to use it.

Now then, let's take a brief look at this topic's history before we get into the "it's bad for you and leads to the use of heavier drugs" excuses. First of all, and probably the most important piece of history behind this, is that marijuana has been used as a medical treatment, with evidence dating back to 2,737 B.C.E.. Second of all, as far back as 10,000 years ago, Ancient China and Taiwan used má (the Chinese word for Cannabis) for fibers, as well as the additional medical benefits. Third; writings and other such evidence of the use of medical marijuana have been found from Ancient Egypt, dating as far back as the 18th century..B.C.. Other known places of ancient use of the medical marijuana plant are evident from India, Greece and the Medieval Islamic World. Now this is quite a long history folks. Let's not forget that Ketchup was once green and prescribed as a 'cure all' drug less than 300 years ago, and in that same time frame, Coca Cola included Cocaine as a main ingredient (thus the name of the drink) and Heroin was prescribed by pharmacists and doctors as another type of 'cure all'.

Now let's look at the modern facts about Marijuana use. Marijuana use has NEVER killed anyone. Want to see the chart for yourself? Click here. Look at it carefully. You'll note the number 0 in the chart of drug-related deaths. ASPIRIN kills an average of 7,900 people a year. Pot, kills no one. HELLO?!?

What are these people afraid of? Do they seriously think that by legalizing the open use of Medical Marijuana that all of a sudden the national crime rate will skyrocket and the United States will become one big drug party? OMG are you joking?! What? All the clocks around the nation will suddenly and magically stop at the time 4:20 thereby sending some mystical green haze wafting over our nation and all of a sudden no one is going to be able to think straight, eat everything in sight, have lots of random sex and turn into a 351 million person version of Woodstock?! Are people really that stupid?!? Wait, apologies, yes, they are.

We're talking about the un-based and highly biased fear of a plant, in a nation where only 50 years ago, women were walking around like the living dead cause they were so doped up on Valium that they didn't even know their ass from their elbow, and this nation is afraid of a PLANT?!?

Right now, there are 11 states in the United States with medical marijuana laws on the books. Please, only 11? Am I to believe that the rest of the states have people living there that are in perfect health and would never benefit from the use of medical marijuana? No one living in those other states has HIV, Cancer or Glaucoma? Miracle states!

Now let's look at the financial aspect of all this. Marijuana is a fast growing, highly prolific plant. This means it is capable of being mass produced on a large enough scale to provide medical-use produce to all 50 states, and still have a tremendous amount left over for exportation to other nations where the use of medical marijuana is also legalized. I'll use layman's terms here to paraphrase this, just because it's ironically important. In other words, it has the potential to be a multi- BILLION dollar national industry, that would not only include major corporations, but also small and medium sized privatized businesses. Again... tons of money. I don't know how many of you have been paying attention to our nation's financial issues, but in short.. we're the financial equivalent to a homeless person living off of hand outs just to make it through the day. Ok? Do we understand this? Was that basic enough for everyone?

So let's sum this up. We have a plant, that is highly prolific, can help ease the suffering of millions of terminally ill patients and can help sustain productive and relatively pain-free lives of those who are not terminally ill. We have a financial recession going on. An oil spill issue. States that are in such dire financial straits that they're actually laying off law enforcement officers, fire fighters and city/county/state medical professionals (ya know, people we rely on in times of emergencies?)...AND... to top it all off, we're sitting on a potential national income of billions of dollars...and people still don't want to legalize medical marijuana.

Now to me, this says one, and only one thing. Yes, there is such a thing as blatant retardation, and apparently, here in the United States, it seems to be incurable. Seriously, with people as smart as they are these days, common sense is obviously not one of their fortes. Good gods almighty, I can not believe the complete idiocy in this nation!!

1. Update: Wednesday, July 21, 2010
2. Update: Friday, July 22, 2010: Quote taken from StopTheDrugWar.org:
" Although acute cannabis intoxication following smoking has been shown to mildly impair psychomotor skills, this impairment is seldom severe or long lasting. In closed course and driving simulator studies, marijuana’s acute effects on psychomotor performance include minor impairments in tracking (eye movement control) and reaction time, as well as variation in lateral positioning, headway (drivers under the influence of cannabis tend to follow less closely to the vehicle in front of them), and speed (drivers tend to decrease speed following cannabis inhalation). In general, these variations in driving behavior are noticeably less consistent or pronounced than the impairments exhibited by subjects under the influence of alcohol. Also, unlike subjects impaired by alcohol, individuals under the influence of cannabis tend to be aware of their impairment and try to compensate for it accordingly, either by driving more cautiously or by expressing an unwillingness to drive altogether."

Northeastern US Gets Hit With...SNOW.

2009-12-20T08:06:00.000-08:00

Yes folks, you read it properly. The northeastern section of the United States has snow. Can you imagine that? Snow! Right here in our own country! It's horrible!! Monstrous, and dare I use this word, catastrophic!! A reported 20 inches of snow has fallen in our nation's capital, forcing the White House to live up to its name in more ways than one. Washington D. C. meteorologists say that this is the worst storm to hit the area in a decade (that's 10 years y'all). New York City got hit with 14 inches of snow. No records broken there. However, in New Jersey, they reported 24 inches of snow, which is the most they've had in 4 years.

I'll paraphrase the above paragraph for you, just because it seems, mildly important. An entire section of the United States, that has had snow since the beginning of its very existence, is now reporting that this white stuff is falling from the sky, and breaking records all over the place, causing havoc on the streets and amazingly, no one seems to have been prepared for it. Are you kidding me?!

I'm supposed to listen to the news, honestly believe that snow in the Northeastern section of this nation is an uncommon thing, during the Winter months. I'm also supposed to believe that a total of approximately 18 million people, are in no way, shape or form, prepared for snow, of any kind, during the Winter months, especially when at least 60% of said 18 million people were born and raised right there in that area of our nation?! What, was Wal-mart suddenly out of boots, coats and hats?! Macy's failed to have their annual "Macy's 50% off Anything that looks relatively warm" sale?

Listen carefully to the following video. I mean REALLY listen carefully to this video.

Only in the USA folks.

Loss Of Life....To Whom?

2009-11-23T05:49:00.000-08:00

Death is an extremely touchy subject for most people. Why it is, somehow still lies beyond my ability for logical reasoning. It might be because of the things we hear when someone dies, or the images we have to endure...the personal void now in our lives, or, more rationally, a combination thereof. So let's examine this for a bit, with a slight brand of logic involved here.

What are some of the things people here when another person dies?

1. "At least they're no longer suffering"
Now, this is a good thing to say. However, when u have strong (and I mean S T R O N G) religious beliefs involved, how do you know for certain that the person who died is no longer suffering? What if they're not in Heaven yet, and stuck in Purgatory for awhile? Worse yet, what if they went to Hell?

2. "I'm sure he/she is looking down on you and smiling"
Uh...no. This person is NOT looking DOWN on anything and smiling. This person is nothing but a physical shell, and unless you hung this person's ashes or coffin on the ceiling, or stuck him/her in the attic, he/she is definitely not looking down on you at all. Floating around the room in ethereal form and smiling? Maybe. But definitely not looking down on anything at this point.

3. "I'm so sorry for your loss"
Well if it's someone else's loss, why are you even there? What did you lose? Did you not also feel a loss when this person died? Are you not also in the same boat? Who is comforting you? Do you even have the emotional capacity at this point to offer loss-based condolences to someone else, when you are also selfishly feeling the same loss? And furthermore, what's lost? Time? Energy? Physical matter? What is lost? The dead person? They're not lost. They're in the grave (or, urn, as the case may be). Soooo... what, or who, is lost, or at a loss?

See, I have this really oddball way of looking at death, in and of itself. Of course, all joking aside, death is a very sad and mournful process for the people who are left behind to continue living. No matter the pain however, something inside me kicks in and tells me to 'knock off the emotional shit and get down to business cause unless this person is hand picked for resurrection, they're not coming back, and there's a lot that has to be done within the next week.. you can cry later if you have to."

When a member of m family dies, particularly a member of my father's side of the family, there is a brief mourning period. Then, we throw a huge family reunion/party. Everyone's invited. Friends, family, townsfolk, dogs, cats, livestock, your neighbor's aunt's cousin's uncle twice removed on their mother's side... you name a person, they can show up for the party. We don't care. If you can get there, you're invited, and for the love of the gods bring comfortable shoes, you WILL be dancing. This is not a 'funeral reception'. This is a 'life celebration'. We don't celebrate death. We celebrate the life of the person that once was. Death is nothing to be happy about (especially for the person who died), so why make such a big thing about it? They're DEAD. Not coming back. In the ground or burnt to ashes. Gone, see ya later, bye bye. Whoosh! Off to a better place (hopefully). And, considering the way many people die these days, death is a preferred and most welcome option, as opposed to the continuance of life at that point - which, when you throw things like full body cancer, AIDs, and other such dreadful diseases...death itself seems like a well deserved and much longed for eternal nap!

One of the things my father said to me while he was in the hospital dying from Bone Cancer was "I'll be so glad when this is over, because really this is not how I intended to live out the rest of my life". He was not being funny or even slightly comical. He was being very serious. He was just laying there, waiting to die. It didn't matter how many people came to see him. All he saw was "get me out of here NOW, cause this is literally becoming a pain in my ass"! All I could do was just sit there and smile, and I said, "Don't worry. It'll be over soon, and you won't have to be in pain anymore". He just smiled and said "Thankfully, you're right". He died a week later.

Now this might come as a shock to many people, and even sound down right cold and/or callous, however... I was happy when he died. Yes, you read that properly. I was happy when my father died. WHY? Because he was no longer having to deal with being loaded up on enough pain killers to knock out a herd of Elephants. Because he no longer had to worry about taking a deep breath and having one of his ribs collapse in on his lungs. Because he no longer had to have a catheter stuck in his gut just to keep his insides from also poisoning him with toxins. Because he no longer had to go through the emotional and mental torment he once was. Because he was finally at peace.

Seriously think about this: Why would ANYONE wish to have someone who was suffering in so many ways (and often in more ways then you would even care to imagine on an emotional and mental level), be so selfish as to want that person to continue living in such horribly dreadful conditions? What if the death was sudden? Well, in that case I can see someone having an even more difficult time coming to terms with the death. However, the same question, but slightly modified, remains. In this case, the question would be: What was it they caused their death, that you would actually wish for them to live through, which could very well have been even MORE traumatic for them, if not life-altering to the extreme sense of the word? Why would you want that upon them?

Heart attacks in the middle of the night while a person sleeps. Thank the gods for that, cause if it was that massive, I seriously believe they'd rather be asleep for the whole thing, than have to be fully alert to go through such pain and agony. Motor Vehicle accidents. Suffering through the emotional and psychological torment of this alone is enough for the person to have had to deal with, much less if they lived through the entire ordeal and had to spend the rest of their lives recovering from this (on all levels)....or worse, spend the rest of their lives in a drug-induced coma, just so someone else can come see them once a week and read to them while they're in a drug-induced vegetation state. Oh yes, that's just one heck of a lovely way for a person to spend the rest of their lives.

So why is Death such a 'taboo' topic? It shouldn't be. It should be something that is openly talked about. Why? Because when you're dead... that's it. You're dead. You no longer have a say in the matter. You're gone. Permanent sleep... and if you're buried ass end up, your relatives will then have an oddball place to park their bicycles when they come see you once or twice a year.

Big, Brown and Bold

2009-11-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

The Brown Bear (scientific name: Ursus arctos) is one of the largest members of the bear family, having a habitat range that spans throughout the northern section of the North America, as well as many parts in northern Eurasia. These bears grow up to weigh between 220 - 1,500 lbs (100-680 kg). The Brown Bear's SUB-species is the much larger Kodiak bear, rivals the Polar Bear as the largest member of the bear family, and as the largest land based predator.

Brown Bears are also NOT lazy hunters, as their cousins, the Black Bears, are. Brown Bears are, in fact, well known for their hunting abilities, and in all types of terrain and weather conditions. Contrary to popular belief, Brown Bears are not primarily scavengers. They are true hunters. In this area, Brown Bears will hunt Coyotes, Deer, Fox, Raccoon, Rabbit and even smaller Mountain Lions and sickly or smaller Black Bears. They are well equipped for climbing trees, handling mountainous terrain, trekking through fast-moving river waters and have absolutely no problem running full speed up most hills.

In fact, Brown Bears can run up to 35mph on flat land, AND going up hill. They must slow down while running on downward slopes, however, simply because their hind legs are not built to handle downward slopes as well, and if they ran full speed down a hill, they could quite literally end up becoming 'front heavy', thereby toppling head over tail for the latter half of the downhill run.

In these parts, Brown Bears are also very well trained, and well educated, scavengers. Although the Black Bears tend to get into the garbage quicker than the Brown Bears, it is the Brown Bears that tend to do the most damage. Again, Black Bears are relatively lazy in comparisons, so they would prefer to just open the garbage and sit down for a nice meal right where they are. Black Bears, however, like to ravage through the garbage... and, by sheer natural instinct, will try to 'take the food to a more remote and private location' before they sit down to eat.

Brown Bears are also highly aggressive, and will charge humans without provocation. Let me rephrase this: Without KNOWN provocation to the humans. Just being in the same territory is enough provocation for a bear to charge a human. Humans, in this area, are generally stupid, and do not realize that they have unknowingly walked into the bear's territory and should simply, at this point, run like hell for cover. Which, unless they're near a car, house or brick structure of some kind, is rather pointless.

Silly humans. The bear will look at humans as if they are complete morons and need to be taken care of. Which, from the view point of a bear, is basically right on the money. I'm in no way suggesting that humans need to be mauled by a bear. I am merely pointing out that humans tend to forget one basic fact when it comes to Brown Bears: Humans moved into THEIR territory, not the other way around. This is how the bear sees things, and, quite frankly, in this case, the bear is right. The best way to get along with Brown Bears? Learn their habits, their behavior and how to protect yourself against bear break-ins and garbage raids.

Mountain Living

2009-11-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

The photograph you are looking at was taken in July of 2009. Elevation point for this photo was around 6,000 feet, and the mountain seen in the background of the photo is not comprised of black and white rock. The white stuff is snow.

Mountain living is far different from any other type of living environment. Many people think that moving from the city to the country is a 'big living adjustment'. In comparisons to mountain living, it isn't an adjustment at all, unless of course you go from working in the corporate world, to living on a working farm. However, not many things need to be adjusted to more than moving into the mountains, and especially THESE mountains. The Sierra-Nevada mountain range is well known for its rugged terrain, snow peaked mountains and wild life. People who live here completely understand that they are living in someone else's territory, and not the other way around.

Downieville is one of Sierra county's oldest towns that still functions. It is classified as a 'living ghost town', and has an average population of around 325 people. Many of the sidewalks are still made of wood. The faces of the buildings still show as they did back in the 1800's. It is home to California's oldest weekly newspaper (The Mountain Messenger). California's oldest churches are in Downieville, and yes folks, we still have a working gallows (even though it's only been used once since it was built back in the 1800's).

Downieville is also capable of being what I call a 'self-sustaining town'. And, after the bit of research I did, it is likely one of the few towns that I can honestly say would be capable of this in the entire state. Even though Downieville has a grocery store, most of its residents travel 51 miles south, down the side of the mountain, to do their grocery shopping about once or twice a month. Even though we have a hardware store, many people travel the 51 miles to the valley to pick up "larger" or "specialty" items. Now, this is not to say that it HAS TO be this way. It doesn't.

When winter hits here, it comes in harsh and fast. You go to bed at night with flurries, and wake up in the morning to 3 feet of snow on the ground. When spring comes around, the river will be normal when you go to bed, and up about 4 feet when you wake up (which is just below flood level here, if memory serves me properly). People here lock their trash cans at night. Not to keep the kids from taking them for pranks, but to keep the bears from taking them for dinner.

Hikers here are well advised to carry a 4 inch blade on them, a large can of bear spray (which is a type of pepper spray), and a first aide kit (preferably one that contains treatments for bee stings, poison oak, poison ivy and snake bites). Up here, anything smaller than a pit bull should be brought in at night. Anything large enough to put up a good fight stays out on guard duty. Deer are common around here as well. They are Black Tailed Deer, and are quite numerous. In fact, they are so numerous that they often just walk through people's yards to grab a quick bite to eat!