(Can’t you hear the song from “Cats” running through your head???? Wait….that was “Memories”……)
Okay…..memory is a touchy subject with me. The past three or four years my memory has been shot full of holes, and it’s particularly disturbing since I have to remember detail for our company, to care for my mother, to manage the house, for my husband, and for my own interests. I decided to blame it on menopause, firmly announcing to one and all that I would get it back on the “other side.”
Well….it’s possible that is true. But until then I read everything I can find on memory. (Sometimes more than once. *G*)
Did you know that scientists feel that we begin to loose our memories at age 35? It starts with simple things like misplacing our car keys, or in my case….my purse.
Senior Driver’s Tests
I’ve said many times that my mother lives with us. She will be 87 in a month, and last year at this time she voluntarily decided to stop driving. I suspect the world heaved a sigh of relief. I occasionally made her drive so that I could observe her driving, and I knew she was coming to the time when she’d have to quit. She had voluntarily limited her driving the last couple of years to four or five places: the hair salon, the grocery store, the library and JoAnne’s Fabric, and her doctor. If she needed to go elsewhere, I took her. We talked about the least heavily traveled routes, and we also talked about times to avoid being on the road. I think we eked out freedom as long as we could, and I was lucky that SHE was able to decide it was time to quit.
State of Illinois Strikes Again
This morning I was listening to the third installment of the Petulant Politics of Illinois. We have a zealous young governor, Rod Blagojevich (BLAH-GOY-A-VITCH to the uninitiated), who was saddled with a 5 billion dollar deficit in the state budget when he took office. Of course his primary concern is cost cutting.
Well, he’s been initiated to the real world of budgeting, now. FOr example, it seems that agreement had been reached concerning funding for the office of the Secretary of State, but at some point, the legislature decided to add an extra five million to that figure. The Governor is up in arms, saying that the legislature is spending the public’s money like “a bunch of drunken sailors.” One legislator took offense, and said he’d never been a sailor!
A budget was agreed upon last Spring, and the legislature adjourned for the summer. During the summer the Governor cut additions that he felt were special interest in nature. When the legislature returned for the two week fall veto session, they began restoring that funding to the budget.
There’s a good explanation of the situation at this site.
Voyager 1
Did you know that Voyager 2 left Earth before Voyager 1? ( Voyager 2: August 20, 1977, Voyager 1: September 5, 1977) Recently, on the nightly news, we heard that Voyager 1 has reached then end of the heliopause (the edge of the solar wind’s influence), and is continuing on into space. I believe they said it is moving at a rate of one million miles a DAY.
I checked the Voyager website, and it’s speed was given in these terms: “Voyager 1 is speeding away from the Sun at a velocity of about 3.50 AU/year….” I don’t have enough math to do the equation, but if you do, you can check to see if 1,000,000 miles a day is correct. Isn’t that an astounding figure?
Favoritism
Recently Bogie directed us to Dawn Olsen’s blog for a post on the subject of parental favoritism. I encourage you to read that post. It has plenty of food for thought.
I come from a family where the parents were divided on the subject. I have three sisters and a brother. Each of the girls felt that Dad loved them the best. We have no idea how he kept from showing favoritism, but he was a master at it. Dad’s been gone almost 20 years, but we are still comforted by the sense of love and family that he instilled.
My mother has always championed my brother. Given the ridiculous lengths she has sometimes gone to defend him, it’s a wonder he turned out so well! For the longest time the phrase “You always DID love him better” would pop up at family gatherings. He would smile a cheesy grin and nod.
One year in an attempt to get even, she had t-shirts printed for the two of them that said “I DID love HIM better,” and they wore them to the family Thanksgiving dinner. It didn’t stop the taunts, but it slowed them down.
Did I Hear That Right??
I was cutting down the peonies today, and I never garden without listening to the radio. The news was on, and I was sort of paying attention to the report. I’m sure that I heard them say that the Illinois General Assembly voted today not to give illegal aliens legal driver’s licenses.
First of all, why in the world were they voting on this issue?? When we have such pressing matters concerning the residents of this state, why are we at all concerned with documenting someone who is here illegally? And WHY are we not packing them off to detention when they apply?
I know…..to be politically correct I should be calling them undocumented persons. In these times when we are so concerned about “Undocumented persons” within our borders, what possible reason could we have to discuss giving them legal driver’s licenses??
Please tell me that I heard that wrong, that I missed the boat, and that I need to apologize. Otherwise, it’s time to vote the jerks OUT!
Cats
I’m a cat person. When I was growing up, my family always had dogs. We had some great dogs, but it wasn’t until I grew up and moved away that my parents had cats. Dad was allergic to cats, but put up with them. I can remember visiting one summer and watching one of a litter of kittens testing the brick Dad had just laid. He’d hopped up onto my Dad’s shoulder and walked out his arm and gently pushed the brick to see if it was set just right.
Media faults
I was truly aggravated this evening to be shown over and over a sobbing relative of the military personnel lost in Iraq yesterday.
When did someone decide that it was appropriate to intrude on these people in their time of grief? What makes the TV stations feel that it’s NEWS to tightly focus on a woman who has just lost her son? Why do they send reporters out to stand on the lawn and comment on the serviceman’s home?
I just don’t understand this approach to news. I think it stinks! If they are newsworthy, then approach them in a few weeks, when they have had a chance to deal with the first rush of loss. Don’t push your way into their homes and harass them in the hope of raising your ratings. Both network news and local news ought to be more circumspect. We don’t need our newsrooms sinking to the level of a Jerry Springer show.
If the families are newsworthy, give them time to grieve, and then make a podium available to them. Otherwise you’re exploiting them.
Blogger Wrangler
Dear Husband has a new job for me. Somehow he has become aware that there are corporations which have blogs. He feels that I should now spend my time trying to match up bloggers and corporations.
I’ve pondered the small circle of blogs I currently read, and here are some of my recommendations.
Following Jamie’s latest post, I suspect that Penthouse or one of the men’s magazines might be our best bet, or better yet…..PLAYGIRL! (I guess this means we have to give up the phone sex idea, Jamie.)
Dr. D, I can see several choices here. You could blog for Coppertone, but I think you’d be a very eloquent spokesperson for Trojans!
Billy, perhaps you could make a splash by blogging for Depends, but I bet you’d opt for Spiderman comics.
Speedbump, you could sweet talk the New Zealanders into being their blogging wizzard, but I bet you’d enjoy championing the Kiwi industry. WEG
I suppose it’s just too trite to assign Pepcid to Acidman, but DH would be thrilled that I opted for the simplest shot.
Pob is already working at an airport. I doubt he’d want to blog for them. We need to find him a cushy job that will put him in contact with a LOT of beautiful women. Let’s see…….a modeling agency?? Maybe a casting agency. Hmm…perhaps he could blog for the Miss America contest!
WichiDude and the Dudette might be great spokespersons for the wine industry. Maybe the ‘Dude could blog for the Amateur Writer’s Association.
Red Eagle, who already has more than enough on her plate might be able to blog for Avon…….or perhaps for PartyLite!
Bogie. Hmmm…..the Firefox woman……I can see her representing the wilds of Montana or Alaska. Or perhaps she could blog for animal adoption. Or maybe for Quizilla as they develop the newest quiz “What kind of animal owner will we let YOU be?”
Essay, how do you feel about being the blogger for Prozac??
Dawn has the first hand experience to take on the Detroit Department of Streets.
Can’t you see T-bone as spokesblogger for Pampers??
Okay…..I’m sorry that I didn’t reach out to each and every one of you, but I need to eat my dinner.
Baby showers
I went to a baby shower today. My youngest nephew is going to be a proud papa in about five weeks. The women in his family arranged a shower. I was astounded at the decorations, the brunch, and the endless gifts that were given.
It seems that babies are big business these days. The couple spent an afternoon at Babies R US registering, and I’ll bet they got most of the six sheets of items that they put on the registry.
The grandparents purchased a bed and armoir. Relatives bought things like a high chair, the car seat, a baby monitor, a diaper disposal system, and several other big ticket items. Friends brought things like sleep sets and onesies, outfits complete with hats, receiving blankets, diapers, disposable changing pads, diaper bags and bottle bags. There were ball player outfits, a Santa outfit, dungarees, sweats, Oshkosh b’Gosh, and Ralph Lauren.
It makes me feel a bit old to remember that it once was perfectly okay to have hand me downs for your baby, and that special safety seats weren’t required. I can remember cloth diapers, and I bet my brother-in-law thinks we should return to them. So much has changed! It seems that every 20 years or so they change their minds on whether a baby should sleep prone, or supine.
I’m delighted that this couple have all they wished for to care for their baby. I’m sure they will put it to good use. I hope, when the baby outgrows the clothes, the bed and the furniture, that it will go to someone who needs it who might not otherwise have it. And…..I hope they have the joy of a happy, healthy baby!