Thursday, December 09, 2004
Lady Fingers: The Other White Meat
Let it be known to all who read this: if you're petting a dog and the dog starts growling, don't growl back. My sister lost half a fingernail when my dog turned unexpectedly to bite her.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Him Name is Hopkin Green Frog
Terry of 2012 15th Ave S lost his frog. He wants to know where his frog is.
Click here to go to the site, then click on each picture (starting with the handwritten lost frog notice) to go to the next page.
Seeing the pictures reminds me of All Your Base Are Belong to Us.
I don't know if the creators of the lost frog pictures are talented people with a sense of humor or just people with too much time on their hands.
Click here to go to the site, then click on each picture (starting with the handwritten lost frog notice) to go to the next page.
Seeing the pictures reminds me of All Your Base Are Belong to Us.
I don't know if the creators of the lost frog pictures are talented people with a sense of humor or just people with too much time on their hands.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Domain Registry of America
These people must think I believe everything I read.
The letter starts off, "As a courtesy to domain name holders, we are sending you this notification of the domain name registration that is due to expire in the next few months. When you switch todya to the Domain REgistry of America, you can take advantage of our best savings. Your registration for mundlingzone.org will expire on April 17, 2005. Act today!" They're offering to let me transfer my domain to them and renew through them for the low, LOW price of $25.00 a year!
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!
Uh, hello! My domain name is registered with GoDaddy.com for the to-die-for price of $8.95 a year! My site is proudly hosted by GoDaddy.com, and I've had nothing but excellent service with the company. Do the people at Domain Registry of America think I'm going to leave a good thing just because they say they're offering me "their best savings?" NOT!!!
At the upper right corner of their letter, it shows in bold letters, "Domain Name Expiration Notice." Can they ethically offer an expiration notice for a domain registration that is not registered through them? Do I smell the potential for possible fraud?
I won't be doing business with them. I was born on a Monday, but it wasn't last Monday.
The letter starts off, "As a courtesy to domain name holders, we are sending you this notification of the domain name registration that is due to expire in the next few months. When you switch todya to the Domain REgistry of America, you can take advantage of our best savings. Your registration for mundlingzone.org will expire on April 17, 2005. Act today!" They're offering to let me transfer my domain to them and renew through them for the low, LOW price of $25.00 a year!
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!
Uh, hello! My domain name is registered with GoDaddy.com for the to-die-for price of $8.95 a year! My site is proudly hosted by GoDaddy.com, and I've had nothing but excellent service with the company. Do the people at Domain Registry of America think I'm going to leave a good thing just because they say they're offering me "their best savings?" NOT!!!
At the upper right corner of their letter, it shows in bold letters, "Domain Name Expiration Notice." Can they ethically offer an expiration notice for a domain registration that is not registered through them? Do I smell the potential for possible fraud?
I won't be doing business with them. I was born on a Monday, but it wasn't last Monday.
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Sunday Morning Shopping
Woke up before the alarm clock this morning. Figures. I wake up bright-eyed early on weekend mornings, but I'll be bleary-eyed on the weekday mornings when my alarm clock beckons my arousal out of bed. At this point, my mind is on auto pilot, and don't mess with the controls by asking questions as to what I'm doing or why I'm doing it!
Once I make my return from slumberland to reality, I've found I have more energy in the morning to do things. When making the choice of whether to shop in the morning or the afternoon, I factor in my aversion to crowds and crowded parking lots. Therefore, I am willing to set my alarm and wake up earlier than normal in order to get my shopping done. Parking is easier since I acquired my handicap card, but I still keep in mind what I learned while living in Atlanta: all's fair in love, war, and parking spaces.
I'm at that age now where shopping is more of a necessary evil than an enjoyable excursion. The typical shopaholic's battle cry of "shop til you drop" prompts my response of, "That's the first fifteen minutes. Then what?" Of course, all bets are off when you walk into a Wal-Mart Supercenter. I always seem to walk out of a Wal-Mart with more items than I originally intended to buy. How do we know those Wal-Mart greeters aren't secretly hypnotising us to buy more stuff? Think about it! How many stores do you know that have greeters? Before anyone thinks I've lost my mind, I'm joking, of course.
I knew I needed quite a few grocery items and a few personal items, so I opted for the motorized buggy (another reason to get out of bed early to go shopping). With my back, there would have been no way I could have done all that shopping and stayed on my feet. In our store in Waycross, they moved all of the benches out of the shopping areas and placed them near the exit doors. It's a big store! People need to stop and rest! All I can say is the store would get a lot less of my business if they didn't have the motorized carts.
Headed over to the shampoo aisle. I'm besieged by an array of assorted shampoos, and none of them make sense to me. Even my favorite brand changed on me! They've got shampoo with jasmine, aloe vera, vanilla, apple, extract of coconut, or some other "natural" ingredient. They've got shampoo for just about every type of hair EXCEPT normal hair or oily hair. Apparently, the makers of these hair products don't believe there is such a thing as normal hair anymore. With my oily scalp, I can't afford to use a shampoo for dry hair, damaged hair, or color-treated hair; it would never look clean and freshly washed. I pick up a bottle of the least expensive brand that closely resembles plain shampoo and move on.
We just barely got through Halloween, and the Christmas decorations are already up. Once again, I will be sick of Christmas and the Holiday season before it gets over with. I dread going to the stores after Thanksgiving! In fact, you won't find me anywhere near a store the morning after Thanksgiving! My dad and Aunt Mavis made that mistake a few years ago. Four o'clock in the morning, and the parking lots were overflowing. Dad commented about how rude and territorial many of the shoppers were. Nope, we're staying home.
In the electronics section, they had the combination VCR and DVD player machines on sale. I couldn't help but notice the bold white letters on the box that read, "This device will not copy copyrighted material." Hmmm ... you gotta wonder how that's going to affect sales of that product. Ooh, check out the cordless phones with Caller ID! They've got translucent royal blue, translucent navy blue, and translucent purple. Darn, no translucent pink. Purple will have to do. What other features does this phone have? Who cares? It's purple! In the latest trend of electronic gadgets and appliances in which the choices are black, white, or gray, purple is a welcome change.
Ah! The seasonal aisle! All sorts of cutesy tins, bottles, knick knacks, and other trinkets we normally wouldn't purchase any other time of year. Let's not forget the oversized gift boxes of food or bath products deceptively packaged to make you think you're getting more than what's really in there. Admittedly, I have a weakness for the summer sausage and cheese packages, but the prices usually are enough to deter me. Sorry, but I can't see paying $14.99 for 4 oz of meat and 4 oz of cheese with a child-size box of crackers. Heck, I can get some sliced pepperoni, monterrey jack cheese, and triscuit crackers and be just as happy.
Oh, I can't forget my four-legged friend, the ditch dog. She loves her treats. She's not picky; she'll eat just about anything you hand feed her, including the hand that feeds her! I gotta be careful not to accidentally serve up "lady fingers" with her treat.
Now my shopping trip is starting to wind down as I get to the grocery section. We have a wider selection of food products than ever before. Sometimes I think they need to separate the grocery section into two sub-sections: pre-packaged food and real food. The prepackaged food looks tasty and promises convenience and quality. However, many of these foods are too salty or too bland or too mealy or too processed or too ... something. Occasional convenience is fine, but my taste buds long for home cooking on most days. If I have the recipe and the necessary utensils, I'll try to do it from scratch. Thank God for the crock pot.
The old adage of "don't shop for groceries when you're hungry" is so true. You may be standing there with a small list originally, but you'll be walking out with a cart full of stuff that looked good at the time you put them in your cart. You get home, you put the stuff away, then later you'll end up experiencing buyer's remorse as you stand there, looking in your pantry, refrigerator, and/or freezer, and realize you don't want ANYTHING you've got. Reminds me of an indecisive single person getting ready for a date, looking in his/her closet full of clothes, and moaning, "I don't have anything to wear."
By now, I've noticed how crowded the store has become, and I head to the checkout. I guess they had the same idea I had but decided to sleep in first. I try to be a good little customer and have my check written out before the cashier completes scanning my purchases. I think the only thing that annoys me about waiting at the cash register is when someone ahead of me is holding up the line for stupid stuff or feels the compulsion to argue with the cashier about something that is not the cashier's fault. I'd like to tell someone of these argumentive blowhards with a superiority complex to save their rant for Oprah and finish their purchases before the rest of us take root for waiting so long. For example, it's not the cashier's fault that customer's credit card/check/atm card got rejected. Don't stand there and argue like your reputation in town is on the line. Use another method of payment or get out of the way! Take it up with the bank or credit card company, not the cashier.
About 90 minutes after I entered the store, I emerged significantly poorer but happy with my purchases. I can never walk into a Wal-Mart Supercenter and get "just a few things. By then, it was a little after ten o'clock in the morning. It never occurred to me that there were this many people shopping at this time of the morning, especially on a Sunday. The parking lot was nearly full with shoppers in casual attire. Heck, the owners of Wal-Mart don't care; they'll be happy to take money from us non-church-going sinners.
I headed home and unloaded the truck. After everything was put away, I sat down in my computer chair and actually considered ... taking a nap.
Once I make my return from slumberland to reality, I've found I have more energy in the morning to do things. When making the choice of whether to shop in the morning or the afternoon, I factor in my aversion to crowds and crowded parking lots. Therefore, I am willing to set my alarm and wake up earlier than normal in order to get my shopping done. Parking is easier since I acquired my handicap card, but I still keep in mind what I learned while living in Atlanta: all's fair in love, war, and parking spaces.
I'm at that age now where shopping is more of a necessary evil than an enjoyable excursion. The typical shopaholic's battle cry of "shop til you drop" prompts my response of, "That's the first fifteen minutes. Then what?" Of course, all bets are off when you walk into a Wal-Mart Supercenter. I always seem to walk out of a Wal-Mart with more items than I originally intended to buy. How do we know those Wal-Mart greeters aren't secretly hypnotising us to buy more stuff? Think about it! How many stores do you know that have greeters? Before anyone thinks I've lost my mind, I'm joking, of course.
I knew I needed quite a few grocery items and a few personal items, so I opted for the motorized buggy (another reason to get out of bed early to go shopping). With my back, there would have been no way I could have done all that shopping and stayed on my feet. In our store in Waycross, they moved all of the benches out of the shopping areas and placed them near the exit doors. It's a big store! People need to stop and rest! All I can say is the store would get a lot less of my business if they didn't have the motorized carts.
Headed over to the shampoo aisle. I'm besieged by an array of assorted shampoos, and none of them make sense to me. Even my favorite brand changed on me! They've got shampoo with jasmine, aloe vera, vanilla, apple, extract of coconut, or some other "natural" ingredient. They've got shampoo for just about every type of hair EXCEPT normal hair or oily hair. Apparently, the makers of these hair products don't believe there is such a thing as normal hair anymore. With my oily scalp, I can't afford to use a shampoo for dry hair, damaged hair, or color-treated hair; it would never look clean and freshly washed. I pick up a bottle of the least expensive brand that closely resembles plain shampoo and move on.
We just barely got through Halloween, and the Christmas decorations are already up. Once again, I will be sick of Christmas and the Holiday season before it gets over with. I dread going to the stores after Thanksgiving! In fact, you won't find me anywhere near a store the morning after Thanksgiving! My dad and Aunt Mavis made that mistake a few years ago. Four o'clock in the morning, and the parking lots were overflowing. Dad commented about how rude and territorial many of the shoppers were. Nope, we're staying home.
In the electronics section, they had the combination VCR and DVD player machines on sale. I couldn't help but notice the bold white letters on the box that read, "This device will not copy copyrighted material." Hmmm ... you gotta wonder how that's going to affect sales of that product. Ooh, check out the cordless phones with Caller ID! They've got translucent royal blue, translucent navy blue, and translucent purple. Darn, no translucent pink. Purple will have to do. What other features does this phone have? Who cares? It's purple! In the latest trend of electronic gadgets and appliances in which the choices are black, white, or gray, purple is a welcome change.
Ah! The seasonal aisle! All sorts of cutesy tins, bottles, knick knacks, and other trinkets we normally wouldn't purchase any other time of year. Let's not forget the oversized gift boxes of food or bath products deceptively packaged to make you think you're getting more than what's really in there. Admittedly, I have a weakness for the summer sausage and cheese packages, but the prices usually are enough to deter me. Sorry, but I can't see paying $14.99 for 4 oz of meat and 4 oz of cheese with a child-size box of crackers. Heck, I can get some sliced pepperoni, monterrey jack cheese, and triscuit crackers and be just as happy.
Oh, I can't forget my four-legged friend, the ditch dog. She loves her treats. She's not picky; she'll eat just about anything you hand feed her, including the hand that feeds her! I gotta be careful not to accidentally serve up "lady fingers" with her treat.
Now my shopping trip is starting to wind down as I get to the grocery section. We have a wider selection of food products than ever before. Sometimes I think they need to separate the grocery section into two sub-sections: pre-packaged food and real food. The prepackaged food looks tasty and promises convenience and quality. However, many of these foods are too salty or too bland or too mealy or too processed or too ... something. Occasional convenience is fine, but my taste buds long for home cooking on most days. If I have the recipe and the necessary utensils, I'll try to do it from scratch. Thank God for the crock pot.
The old adage of "don't shop for groceries when you're hungry" is so true. You may be standing there with a small list originally, but you'll be walking out with a cart full of stuff that looked good at the time you put them in your cart. You get home, you put the stuff away, then later you'll end up experiencing buyer's remorse as you stand there, looking in your pantry, refrigerator, and/or freezer, and realize you don't want ANYTHING you've got. Reminds me of an indecisive single person getting ready for a date, looking in his/her closet full of clothes, and moaning, "I don't have anything to wear."
By now, I've noticed how crowded the store has become, and I head to the checkout. I guess they had the same idea I had but decided to sleep in first. I try to be a good little customer and have my check written out before the cashier completes scanning my purchases. I think the only thing that annoys me about waiting at the cash register is when someone ahead of me is holding up the line for stupid stuff or feels the compulsion to argue with the cashier about something that is not the cashier's fault. I'd like to tell someone of these argumentive blowhards with a superiority complex to save their rant for Oprah and finish their purchases before the rest of us take root for waiting so long. For example, it's not the cashier's fault that customer's credit card/check/atm card got rejected. Don't stand there and argue like your reputation in town is on the line. Use another method of payment or get out of the way! Take it up with the bank or credit card company, not the cashier.
About 90 minutes after I entered the store, I emerged significantly poorer but happy with my purchases. I can never walk into a Wal-Mart Supercenter and get "just a few things. By then, it was a little after ten o'clock in the morning. It never occurred to me that there were this many people shopping at this time of the morning, especially on a Sunday. The parking lot was nearly full with shoppers in casual attire. Heck, the owners of Wal-Mart don't care; they'll be happy to take money from us non-church-going sinners.
I headed home and unloaded the truck. After everything was put away, I sat down in my computer chair and actually considered ... taking a nap.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
A personal note on Veteran's Day 2004
As a final note to this entry, Veteran's Day is almost over. I made an entry on our local messageboard to the veterans who read the board:
To all the veterans who have served our country in any capacity, your efforts and sacrifices are appreciated. May God bless you and may other people learn from your experiences.
Special note to my favorite Master Chief Petty Officer:
Thank you for instilling in me the immense love I have for this country.
Thank you for teaching me respect and gratitude for our armed forces.
Thank you for sharing with me your many trips down memory lane about the vast years you spent in the navy.
Most of all, although you're a humble man and rather have your dead comrades remembered and honored, I thank you for your years of service to our country.
The person I'm referring to is my dad. He served 32 years honorably in the U S Navy and retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer on September 1, 1974. After the September 11 attacks, people who found out he was in the navy would thank him for his services and sacrifices. All during that time, he'd rather have the honor, gratitude, and appreciation extended toward his friends and comrades who served with him and gave up their lives to protect our country and our way of life. That only makes him that much more honorable. To my dad, thank you, and I love you so very much.
To all the veterans who have served our country in any capacity, your efforts and sacrifices are appreciated. May God bless you and may other people learn from your experiences.
Special note to my favorite Master Chief Petty Officer:
Thank you for instilling in me the immense love I have for this country.
Thank you for teaching me respect and gratitude for our armed forces.
Thank you for sharing with me your many trips down memory lane about the vast years you spent in the navy.
Most of all, although you're a humble man and rather have your dead comrades remembered and honored, I thank you for your years of service to our country.
The person I'm referring to is my dad. He served 32 years honorably in the U S Navy and retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer on September 1, 1974. After the September 11 attacks, people who found out he was in the navy would thank him for his services and sacrifices. All during that time, he'd rather have the honor, gratitude, and appreciation extended toward his friends and comrades who served with him and gave up their lives to protect our country and our way of life. That only makes him that much more honorable. To my dad, thank you, and I love you so very much.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Misunderstood and Evil People
It has been a while since my last entry, though. A lot has been going on the last couple of weeks. As much as I would like to write about it, the potential for legal entanglements prevents me from doing so. All I'm going to say is this: I honestly pray that someone will seek professional help and break free from the bonds that isolate this person from people who care and want to be friends. I truly am concerned about this person, and I pray for this person. I am worried that current behavior by this person will provoke others to backlash their anger at their provoker. That would only perpetuate that person's feelings of isolation, suspicion, anger, and fear of betrayal ... a vicious cycle. And that's all I got to say about that.
There are some people who are misunderstood, and then there are some people who are outright evil. This other person who is making things hard for others is, in my opinion, truly evil. As much as I'd like to mention her name, I'm going to refrain from doing so. I'll just call her Jezebel. Jezebel is a manipulative, vindictive, self-centered, deceitful, loathsome, vicious bitch who has done so many people wrong, I don't see how she can honestly believe she's going to keep doing what she's doing without consequences. Jezebel has done a lot of bad things, but when she tried to have my prison shut down, she really started to make people angry at her. Supposedly, she had several people call our Commissioner's office and send e-mails about how terrible our prison was to the community and that it was an eyesore, blah blah blah. Several of us employees wrote letters to the editor of the local newspaper rebutting her claims and bringing attention to her lack of service to the community and a brief remark about her residency discrepancy. Our commissioner finally came down to visit our prison where he had a chance to talk with staff. Jezebel's name came up, and the commissioner heard first hand about what kind of person Jezebel really was. I looked at the commissioner and told him point blank that he was hearing from a very vocal minority, that 99 percent of the residents of the town and county supported our prison and our efforts. He was impressed with our unique program and property upkeep, telling us point blank that our prison would not be closed down. Many of us were relieved to hear him say that. Speaking for myself, I love where I work, I believe in our prison's mission, and I don't want to lose my job or be transferred elsewhere because some selfish low-life wants to use the property for her own purposes.
Then she tried to run for re-election as the county commissioner for her district ... and lost. You think she'd take the hint and leave it alone, right? Wrong! She tried to challenge the results of the election claiming the winner was not a legal resident of the district she was elected to represent, but it backfired. They investigated Jezebel and determined that she was never a legal resident of the district (she wasn't even legally residing in the county!) she was elected to represent, so she was immediately booted off the commission and stripped of her voting privileges for that county. You'd think she'd get the message and go on. Oh no! She filed an appeal to a higher court, but that court ruled against her. Now she's filing yet another appeal! Not only that, rumor has it that Jezebel has been allegedly harassing the newly-elected county commissioner who beat her. My faith in God and past experience tells me that what goes around comes around. If every finger you point in judgment comes back to you threefold, I can only imagine the "fingering" Jezebel is going to get one day. I just have to have faith in God that He will allow us to see Jezebel face justice for her actions.
There are some people who are misunderstood, and then there are some people who are outright evil. This other person who is making things hard for others is, in my opinion, truly evil. As much as I'd like to mention her name, I'm going to refrain from doing so. I'll just call her Jezebel. Jezebel is a manipulative, vindictive, self-centered, deceitful, loathsome, vicious bitch who has done so many people wrong, I don't see how she can honestly believe she's going to keep doing what she's doing without consequences. Jezebel has done a lot of bad things, but when she tried to have my prison shut down, she really started to make people angry at her. Supposedly, she had several people call our Commissioner's office and send e-mails about how terrible our prison was to the community and that it was an eyesore, blah blah blah. Several of us employees wrote letters to the editor of the local newspaper rebutting her claims and bringing attention to her lack of service to the community and a brief remark about her residency discrepancy. Our commissioner finally came down to visit our prison where he had a chance to talk with staff. Jezebel's name came up, and the commissioner heard first hand about what kind of person Jezebel really was. I looked at the commissioner and told him point blank that he was hearing from a very vocal minority, that 99 percent of the residents of the town and county supported our prison and our efforts. He was impressed with our unique program and property upkeep, telling us point blank that our prison would not be closed down. Many of us were relieved to hear him say that. Speaking for myself, I love where I work, I believe in our prison's mission, and I don't want to lose my job or be transferred elsewhere because some selfish low-life wants to use the property for her own purposes.
Then she tried to run for re-election as the county commissioner for her district ... and lost. You think she'd take the hint and leave it alone, right? Wrong! She tried to challenge the results of the election claiming the winner was not a legal resident of the district she was elected to represent, but it backfired. They investigated Jezebel and determined that she was never a legal resident of the district (she wasn't even legally residing in the county!) she was elected to represent, so she was immediately booted off the commission and stripped of her voting privileges for that county. You'd think she'd get the message and go on. Oh no! She filed an appeal to a higher court, but that court ruled against her. Now she's filing yet another appeal! Not only that, rumor has it that Jezebel has been allegedly harassing the newly-elected county commissioner who beat her. My faith in God and past experience tells me that what goes around comes around. If every finger you point in judgment comes back to you threefold, I can only imagine the "fingering" Jezebel is going to get one day. I just have to have faith in God that He will allow us to see Jezebel face justice for her actions.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Kobe Bryant's Accuser
Wendy McElroy of Ifeminist.com wrote an article concerning the justification of identifying Kobe Bryant's accuser Katelyn Faber. Her article accentuates what I wrote back on September 7, 2004.
I honestly don't know if Kobe Bryant is innocent or guilty. I do know both lied to police during the initial investigation.
I do agree with Ms. McElroy, though. Either shield the identities of both the accuser and defendant, or don't shield their identities at all. That is where I stand on this issue.
I honestly don't know if Kobe Bryant is innocent or guilty. I do know both lied to police during the initial investigation.
I do agree with Ms. McElroy, though. Either shield the identities of both the accuser and defendant, or don't shield their identities at all. That is where I stand on this issue.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Archives and Folders and Files -- Oh My!
I'm still trying to get the hang of some of the HTML coding I'm using to slightly alter the template used for this journal. I didn't realize until after the September 27 post rolled off the index page and archived itself to a subfolder on my server that the javascript for the pictures were no longer working. I tried to insert a directory for each file in the Anfy code, but that didn't work. I ended up moving the pictures and copying the .class files to the same directory the post was now archived. It's not that bad, but I'm having to duplicate some files because a script won't read specific directory values. Oh well ... anyway, that page has been fixed and the pictures are displaying again.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
To The Rescue
My friend Coolwanda (bless her heart), was at wit's end when she called me for help. Her computer, a Gateway EV700 with Windows 98 SE, was giving her error code attitude.
It seemed her computer was going mashuga because she couldn't install software on her computer, she couldn't copy any files to a CD unless she went from her ear to her nose via her toes, and she couldn't access the Windows Update web site. I assumed the worst-case scenario ... hard drive restoration. The only problem was, she had no restore disk with the specific drivers needed to enhance her computer's performance.
At the time I did this, I didn't know what kind of desktop computer she had other than a Gateway. I ended up downloading 238 drivers for the following specifications: Gateway desktop computer, Windows 98, all drivers. I printed each page as I downloaded each file. Well, yes, I could have made her do it, but she had dial-up Internet service, whereas I had broadband Internet service. I'm not that heartless :-P
When I got to her house yesterday, we sat down in front of her computer so she could show me the error messages she was getting. I decided to use the Internet search engines to find a web site that explained what the error code was and (hopefully) offer a solution. She left to pick up the pizza and chicken wings when I found what I needed.
It seems a .dll in the system file somehow got corrupted. As soon as the file was replaced, all the programs she received error messages from started working again. I, for one, was relieved because that meant we didn't have to reformat and restore her hard drive, then reload her software. Several years ago, we had to do that four times on one of her Packard Bell computers within a two-month period before I found out her computer was one of many Packard Bell computers with defective motherboards. I informed her of this just as it went meshuga again. I restored it one more time, but when I found out she got it from a rental center; I strongly urged her to return it and get another computer. But, getting back to the situation at hand ...
While I was there, she reconnected her DVD burner and double-checked her master and slave settings for both burner drives. At this writing, both drives seem to work. Coolwanda is not someone intimidated by electronic equipment. I've seen her knowledge and experience evolve over the years concerning computer operations and some maintenance. I checked her computer system to see if it was bloated with programs that load on start up or if her hard drive was too full (it should remain at least 50% free for optimal performance). Her system, for he most part, was lean and clean. She regularly scans and defrags her drive. She needs more disk space and more memory, but her system was otherwise in good shape.
Through the years, she and I have learned (through trial and error) how to troubleshoot, diagnose, and make minor repairs to our computers. When it comes to web design and creation of graphics, we've learned different techniques and taught each other what we've learned. We have our strengths, weaknesses, and preferences when it comes to our computer literacy.
After she and I checked several programs, downloaded the lastest updates from Microsoft, and played with the CD burner, we felt like we could exhale. Her computer was healed.
I have to admit, I was feeling pretty good when I left her place to go home at 3 o'clock this morning.
It seemed her computer was going mashuga because she couldn't install software on her computer, she couldn't copy any files to a CD unless she went from her ear to her nose via her toes, and she couldn't access the Windows Update web site. I assumed the worst-case scenario ... hard drive restoration. The only problem was, she had no restore disk with the specific drivers needed to enhance her computer's performance.
At the time I did this, I didn't know what kind of desktop computer she had other than a Gateway. I ended up downloading 238 drivers for the following specifications: Gateway desktop computer, Windows 98, all drivers. I printed each page as I downloaded each file. Well, yes, I could have made her do it, but she had dial-up Internet service, whereas I had broadband Internet service. I'm not that heartless :-P
When I got to her house yesterday, we sat down in front of her computer so she could show me the error messages she was getting. I decided to use the Internet search engines to find a web site that explained what the error code was and (hopefully) offer a solution. She left to pick up the pizza and chicken wings when I found what I needed.
It seems a .dll in the system file somehow got corrupted. As soon as the file was replaced, all the programs she received error messages from started working again. I, for one, was relieved because that meant we didn't have to reformat and restore her hard drive, then reload her software. Several years ago, we had to do that four times on one of her Packard Bell computers within a two-month period before I found out her computer was one of many Packard Bell computers with defective motherboards. I informed her of this just as it went meshuga again. I restored it one more time, but when I found out she got it from a rental center; I strongly urged her to return it and get another computer. But, getting back to the situation at hand ...
While I was there, she reconnected her DVD burner and double-checked her master and slave settings for both burner drives. At this writing, both drives seem to work. Coolwanda is not someone intimidated by electronic equipment. I've seen her knowledge and experience evolve over the years concerning computer operations and some maintenance. I checked her computer system to see if it was bloated with programs that load on start up or if her hard drive was too full (it should remain at least 50% free for optimal performance). Her system, for he most part, was lean and clean. She regularly scans and defrags her drive. She needs more disk space and more memory, but her system was otherwise in good shape.
Through the years, she and I have learned (through trial and error) how to troubleshoot, diagnose, and make minor repairs to our computers. When it comes to web design and creation of graphics, we've learned different techniques and taught each other what we've learned. We have our strengths, weaknesses, and preferences when it comes to our computer literacy.
After she and I checked several programs, downloaded the lastest updates from Microsoft, and played with the CD burner, we felt like we could exhale. Her computer was healed.
I have to admit, I was feeling pretty good when I left her place to go home at 3 o'clock this morning.
Monday, September 27, 2004
The Aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne
Here are some pictures I took today in Waycross and Homerville:
We are much more fortunate than those residing in Florida. However, many people I've spoken with admitted they were awake most of the night due to the various sounds they kept hearing: wind, heavy rain, flying objects hitting the house.
A lucky few were able to have little or no interruption of their electrical services. I was not one of those lucky people. It's inconvenient at best, life-threatening at worst, when you have to do without electrical power. We don't realize just how dependent we are on things like that until we're forced to do without them.
The first thing I missed was the air conditioner. It may have been cool outside, but the humidity made it unpleasant. What's worse, our windows are temporarily boarded up, so it got warmer as well as humid inside. As grateful as I was to be someplace safe, I was miserable. Even in the winter, I sleep with a fan blowing on me every night.
The second thing I missed was being able to use my CPAP machine to sleep. No air conditioner, no fan, no CPAP. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well last night, even though I was in a recliner so my head would be elevated (still not as comfortable as my waterbed). I think I finally conked out after the Benedryl took effect. It didn't keep me from waking up when I stopped breathing in my sleep. Dad woke me up at 6 AM. By then, my clothes were soaked in sweat, and still no electricity. Oh yeah, you bet your sweet bippy I got a cold shower ... and enjoyed it immensely!
During the weekend, I watched the weather channel and viewed several weather web sites, keeping an eye on Jeanne. I repeatedly debated on whether or not to go to work that weekend to get some required paperwork done, then stay home during the hurricane. By Sunday morning, it looked like the storm was moving west, so I decided to not worry about it anymore. Guess what? It started getting rainy and gusty around 8 PM last night. I was trying to stay up for the 11 PM update on the storm system on intellicast.com. Just before 11 PM rolled around, our power went out.
Work was a little chaotic today, but it wasn't too bad. I drove 32 miles in the wind and rain to get to work, and many of the more local employees called in, saying they wouldn't be coming in "due to the weather" or "I have no electricity." I guess my presence blew those excuses. It wasn't that bad outside; the worst of it was over with and moved north. As for electricity; they knew it was going to get bad and power outages were likely, so why not get ready for it? Now, if these people lived on dirt roads, and the road was the only way to their house and that same road was flooded or undriveable, I could understand their not coming in. However, that's not the excuse they used.
I'm surprised I'm still awake and functioning enough to write this entry. Maybe it's my nerves -- that would explain the extended trips to the bathroom I've made all day -- giving me that adrenaline to stay awake and function somewhat. I know living in a house with no windows right now is making me a little neurotic. I feel like it's stuffy in here, and I need air. I'm trying hard to keep my hands off the thermostat because I'm afraid Dad will get mad and turn OFF the air conditioner if I make it too cool in here. To compromise, I sit in front of a fan at my computer.
I was told the electricity did not come back on until after 4:00 PM today. That's the longest I've ever had to do without electricity -- seventeen hours. I'm glad I went to work today. Heck, getting into my truck this morning to go to work was a thrill -- I got to run my air conditioner :-P
We are much more fortunate than those residing in Florida. However, many people I've spoken with admitted they were awake most of the night due to the various sounds they kept hearing: wind, heavy rain, flying objects hitting the house.
A lucky few were able to have little or no interruption of their electrical services. I was not one of those lucky people. It's inconvenient at best, life-threatening at worst, when you have to do without electrical power. We don't realize just how dependent we are on things like that until we're forced to do without them.
The first thing I missed was the air conditioner. It may have been cool outside, but the humidity made it unpleasant. What's worse, our windows are temporarily boarded up, so it got warmer as well as humid inside. As grateful as I was to be someplace safe, I was miserable. Even in the winter, I sleep with a fan blowing on me every night.
The second thing I missed was being able to use my CPAP machine to sleep. No air conditioner, no fan, no CPAP. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well last night, even though I was in a recliner so my head would be elevated (still not as comfortable as my waterbed). I think I finally conked out after the Benedryl took effect. It didn't keep me from waking up when I stopped breathing in my sleep. Dad woke me up at 6 AM. By then, my clothes were soaked in sweat, and still no electricity. Oh yeah, you bet your sweet bippy I got a cold shower ... and enjoyed it immensely!
During the weekend, I watched the weather channel and viewed several weather web sites, keeping an eye on Jeanne. I repeatedly debated on whether or not to go to work that weekend to get some required paperwork done, then stay home during the hurricane. By Sunday morning, it looked like the storm was moving west, so I decided to not worry about it anymore. Guess what? It started getting rainy and gusty around 8 PM last night. I was trying to stay up for the 11 PM update on the storm system on intellicast.com. Just before 11 PM rolled around, our power went out.
Work was a little chaotic today, but it wasn't too bad. I drove 32 miles in the wind and rain to get to work, and many of the more local employees called in, saying they wouldn't be coming in "due to the weather" or "I have no electricity." I guess my presence blew those excuses. It wasn't that bad outside; the worst of it was over with and moved north. As for electricity; they knew it was going to get bad and power outages were likely, so why not get ready for it? Now, if these people lived on dirt roads, and the road was the only way to their house and that same road was flooded or undriveable, I could understand their not coming in. However, that's not the excuse they used.
I'm surprised I'm still awake and functioning enough to write this entry. Maybe it's my nerves -- that would explain the extended trips to the bathroom I've made all day -- giving me that adrenaline to stay awake and function somewhat. I know living in a house with no windows right now is making me a little neurotic. I feel like it's stuffy in here, and I need air. I'm trying hard to keep my hands off the thermostat because I'm afraid Dad will get mad and turn OFF the air conditioner if I make it too cool in here. To compromise, I sit in front of a fan at my computer.
I was told the electricity did not come back on until after 4:00 PM today. That's the longest I've ever had to do without electricity -- seventeen hours. I'm glad I went to work today. Heck, getting into my truck this morning to go to work was a thrill -- I got to run my air conditioner :-P
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Hurricane Jeanne is Coming!
And we're getting ready for it.
As of this writing, the path of the hurricane is supposed to go directly over Valdosta, Georgia. However, it was originally going to hit Brunswick, then Waycross, then Homerville. Hurricanes are unpredictable, so we're not taking chances. Monday is going to be the day of reckoning for us. We're planning to ride this storm out. I'll try to get pictures and post them here.
It's really weird with the plywood up because no light can get into the house now. In fact, it kinda feels claustrophobic to me as I walk around in the house. It's broad daylight outside, and the interior is lit with artificial light only. I'm used to being able to open windows for fresh air. I won't have any idea as to what time of day it is unless I look at a clock. I'll have to remind myself of that when I wake up and think I might have "a few more minutes of sleep."
As of this writing, the path of the hurricane is supposed to go directly over Valdosta, Georgia. However, it was originally going to hit Brunswick, then Waycross, then Homerville. Hurricanes are unpredictable, so we're not taking chances. Monday is going to be the day of reckoning for us. We're planning to ride this storm out. I'll try to get pictures and post them here.
It's really weird with the plywood up because no light can get into the house now. In fact, it kinda feels claustrophobic to me as I walk around in the house. It's broad daylight outside, and the interior is lit with artificial light only. I'm used to being able to open windows for fresh air. I won't have any idea as to what time of day it is unless I look at a clock. I'll have to remind myself of that when I wake up and think I might have "a few more minutes of sleep."
Sunday, September 19, 2004
Curiosity Seekers
Millions of people have been adversely affected by the last three Atlantic hurricanes this year: Charley, Frances, and Ivan. The devastation ranges from power loss to property damage to loss of life.
I was reading an article on FoxNews.com about how those affected are dealing with their situation. I came upon a sentence that struck a chord with me: "At one subdivision, a spray-painted sign warned strangers to stay out: 'If you don't live here, you have no business here.'" Most people would say the spray painter meant that toward potential looters. However, looters are not the only problem these people have to contend with.
As trivial as it may seem, curiosity seekers are also a thorn in the side of affected residents and law enforcement in areas of devastation. For these people, it's not enough to see it on television, hear about it on the radio, or read about it in the newspaper. Viewing pictures and/or videos about it on the Internet doesn't do it for these people. They have to physically get in their vehicles and drive to these areas, just to "have a look."
I can give you a couple of examples I have personally witnessed.
Example one:
A friend of mine in Covington, Georgia lived in a mobile home close to the Yellow River. The week of Thanksgiving 1992, we had a lot of rain, and the banks of that river were swelling up.
By Thanksgiving morning, the sun was shining, but the runoff from the rain continued to swell the river banks. She had already taken some of her belongings and was staying at a hotel the Red Cross set her up in, but she realized she needed more clothes. I offered to help her get her things, not knowing what we were in for.
Her boyfriend had warned her that the river was rising quickly, and she might not be able to get to her home. That didn't deter her, and I was wanting to help. We got in my car and drove to the mobile home community where her home was located. We only got part way inside the property; the river had already risen into the back area where her home was located.
There were numerous people standing around, looking at the partially-submerged homes, vehicles, swingsets, etc. Some of these people were sitting in lawn chairs. My friend and I got out of the car to talk to the people and get information about the flooded road leading to her home. We found out most of these people didn't even live in this mobile home community. They were there to "watch the flood and view the damage for themselves."
My friend and I got back into the car. She was angry. "I can't get to my house. I may have lost everything. Yet all these people are doing is standing around looking. I'll bet none of them have offered to help. This is their entertainment."
I looked at my friend, her face like stone, her eyes steely, and her brows furrowed. I could see the disgust and resentment on her face. And I didn't blame her.
We did manage to get to her home. She swam across a very cold, flooded road with a strong current to get her clothes and a couple of other things. I'll go into more detail another time. I will say this about her: you have to admire her determination. BTW, there were two middle-aged men watching us wade chest-high into the icy water. They didn't offer to help, either.
Example Two:
While still residing in Conyers, Georgia, I woke up one morning in March 1995 to flashing blue lights reflecting off the mini-blinds inside my studio apartment. Thinking a crime had been committed in our otherwise peaceful apartment community, I wanted to find out what happened.
As I walked outside, I saw three of my neighbors standing on the frosty grass. I asked them what was going on, and one of them said the apartment building across the street was on fire. Half asleep and in disbelief, I walked onto the grass and witnessed, to my horror, the fire that had engulfed the apartment building across the parking lot. The building was less than fifty feet from MY apartment building. My eyes were fixated on the inferno, yet I became distracted by flying embers. My distraction became a concern because the embers were flying in the direction of my building. That's when I realized I needed to make some calls, just in case I had to evacuate as well.
The building had nearly burned to the ground, with the exception of a couple of partial walls remaining. It was about three months before the building was rebuilt. During that time, there was an increase in the vehicle traffic caused by curiosity seekers, driving by -- even parking in front of -- the burned building. Speaking with a few of my neighbors, the feeling on the matter was unanimous ... the presence of these curiosity seekers was vehemently resented.
Many people think they're not hurting anyone or anything by hanging around "looking." However, think about this: Curiosity seekers are loiterers. Victims of natural disasters are fatigued, distraught, anxious, and overwhelmed as they try to salvage what's left of their belongings, and these loiterers only add to the victims' distress by standing around staring and watching. Even in a less stressful situation, most people don't like to be watched.
Another thing to think about: There are people who are evil enough to take advantage of those who have been hit hard by natural disasters. They come in droves to these areas like vultures. They'll loiter around, waiting for the right time to loot compromised properties. If someone questions their presence, they can easily respond with, "Oh, I heard about what happened, and I came to look around."
There's a popular phrase I'm reminded of that says, "If you're not a part of the solution, you're part of the problem." I think it applies to curiosity seekers. I think it's safe to say the presence of curiosity seekers is universally resented. Unless curiosity seekers are going to be a part of the solution by offering assistance to the people they're staring at while they're there, they need to avoid being part of the problem by staying home.
I was reading an article on FoxNews.com about how those affected are dealing with their situation. I came upon a sentence that struck a chord with me: "At one subdivision, a spray-painted sign warned strangers to stay out: 'If you don't live here, you have no business here.'" Most people would say the spray painter meant that toward potential looters. However, looters are not the only problem these people have to contend with.
As trivial as it may seem, curiosity seekers are also a thorn in the side of affected residents and law enforcement in areas of devastation. For these people, it's not enough to see it on television, hear about it on the radio, or read about it in the newspaper. Viewing pictures and/or videos about it on the Internet doesn't do it for these people. They have to physically get in their vehicles and drive to these areas, just to "have a look."
I can give you a couple of examples I have personally witnessed.
Example one:
A friend of mine in Covington, Georgia lived in a mobile home close to the Yellow River. The week of Thanksgiving 1992, we had a lot of rain, and the banks of that river were swelling up.
By Thanksgiving morning, the sun was shining, but the runoff from the rain continued to swell the river banks. She had already taken some of her belongings and was staying at a hotel the Red Cross set her up in, but she realized she needed more clothes. I offered to help her get her things, not knowing what we were in for.
Her boyfriend had warned her that the river was rising quickly, and she might not be able to get to her home. That didn't deter her, and I was wanting to help. We got in my car and drove to the mobile home community where her home was located. We only got part way inside the property; the river had already risen into the back area where her home was located.
There were numerous people standing around, looking at the partially-submerged homes, vehicles, swingsets, etc. Some of these people were sitting in lawn chairs. My friend and I got out of the car to talk to the people and get information about the flooded road leading to her home. We found out most of these people didn't even live in this mobile home community. They were there to "watch the flood and view the damage for themselves."
My friend and I got back into the car. She was angry. "I can't get to my house. I may have lost everything. Yet all these people are doing is standing around looking. I'll bet none of them have offered to help. This is their entertainment."
I looked at my friend, her face like stone, her eyes steely, and her brows furrowed. I could see the disgust and resentment on her face. And I didn't blame her.
We did manage to get to her home. She swam across a very cold, flooded road with a strong current to get her clothes and a couple of other things. I'll go into more detail another time. I will say this about her: you have to admire her determination. BTW, there were two middle-aged men watching us wade chest-high into the icy water. They didn't offer to help, either.
Example Two:
While still residing in Conyers, Georgia, I woke up one morning in March 1995 to flashing blue lights reflecting off the mini-blinds inside my studio apartment. Thinking a crime had been committed in our otherwise peaceful apartment community, I wanted to find out what happened.
As I walked outside, I saw three of my neighbors standing on the frosty grass. I asked them what was going on, and one of them said the apartment building across the street was on fire. Half asleep and in disbelief, I walked onto the grass and witnessed, to my horror, the fire that had engulfed the apartment building across the parking lot. The building was less than fifty feet from MY apartment building. My eyes were fixated on the inferno, yet I became distracted by flying embers. My distraction became a concern because the embers were flying in the direction of my building. That's when I realized I needed to make some calls, just in case I had to evacuate as well.
The building had nearly burned to the ground, with the exception of a couple of partial walls remaining. It was about three months before the building was rebuilt. During that time, there was an increase in the vehicle traffic caused by curiosity seekers, driving by -- even parking in front of -- the burned building. Speaking with a few of my neighbors, the feeling on the matter was unanimous ... the presence of these curiosity seekers was vehemently resented.
Many people think they're not hurting anyone or anything by hanging around "looking." However, think about this: Curiosity seekers are loiterers. Victims of natural disasters are fatigued, distraught, anxious, and overwhelmed as they try to salvage what's left of their belongings, and these loiterers only add to the victims' distress by standing around staring and watching. Even in a less stressful situation, most people don't like to be watched.
Another thing to think about: There are people who are evil enough to take advantage of those who have been hit hard by natural disasters. They come in droves to these areas like vultures. They'll loiter around, waiting for the right time to loot compromised properties. If someone questions their presence, they can easily respond with, "Oh, I heard about what happened, and I came to look around."
There's a popular phrase I'm reminded of that says, "If you're not a part of the solution, you're part of the problem." I think it applies to curiosity seekers. I think it's safe to say the presence of curiosity seekers is universally resented. Unless curiosity seekers are going to be a part of the solution by offering assistance to the people they're staring at while they're there, they need to avoid being part of the problem by staying home.
Friday, September 17, 2004
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Shred Salads
Well, I've gone from being a salad hater to a salad maniac. Dad and Soul Sister still look at me with disbelief whenever I make and consume a salad.
Soul Sister's surprise took place Tuesday night at Ryan's restaurant. I met her and her friend there, and let them get their plates first. Then I went to get mine. I had no idea what I was going to put together, but I was going to try to be a good girl and eat some greens. I got some shredded iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots (thank goodness it wasn't "carrot salad" with that icky sweet dressing), some raw broccoli, a cherry tomato, pepperoni, diced ham, diced turkey, and some fine-shredded cheese. I topped it with Italian dressing and vinegar.
LOL! I'll never forget the look on her face when she said, "I should have brought a camera. In the 20 years I've known you, I've never seen you willingly eat rabbit food."
My response was, "It's amazing what three little words will do to your perception of the matter. Her friend looked at me with a puzzled look on his face, so I explained to him what the three words were: you ... have ... diabetes.
Why did those words have such an impact on me? Well, my former co-worker, who has diabetes, is having dialysis three times a week because of acute kidney failure; she's having a rough time and complications dealing with the dialysis. My family member Drusilla is diabetic, and she's dealing with total acute failure in one kidney, poor circulation in her legs, and possible diabetic neuropathy. After seeing what these two women are going through, you bet your a$$ I'm going to sit up and take notice.
Last night, I was still fondly remembering the salad I had the night before. I wanted to use spicier meat than the tuna I had been using. Then I had what I thought would be a brilliant idea: shred a can of Hormel Spam. Whoops! Not such a great idea. For one thing, it doesn't shred too well in my food processor. Second, the texture is too mushy for the mouth feel of a salad in which nearly all the contents are shredded and/or diced into small pieces. Foods like tuna, salmon, chicken, lean pork, imitation crab meat, etc. would be better suited. I may take the remaining Spam and brown it in a skillet before I add it to another salad, but at least I know what NOT to do again.
Before I went to my water aerobics class this evening, I experimented some more with my salad mixture. This time, I diced up some pepperoni and imitation crab meat and added it to the lettuce, carrots, broccoli, and cheese mixture. In addition, I took an empty salad dressing bottle, a brand new bottle of Italian salad dressing, and poured 1/2 the contents into the other bottle. Then I took apple cider vinegar and poured some in each bottle. This would dilute the oil contained in the dressing without compromising the flavor too much. Then I shook up one of the bottles and poured some of the dressing onto the salad. Oh man, did I hit the flavor jackpot!! I made enough for three meals plus enough left over to eat for supper.
I check my blood sugar two hours after I eat these salads, and my blood sugar does go down. However, I can't seem to get it lower than 130, but I have done better about trying to keep it from going over 200, so I am making progress. I'm not cutting out carbs, but I have cut them down considerably. There are a few exceptions, like when I have my old-fashioned popcorn with a regular Coca-cola or when I eat out.
Speaking of eating out, it's getting to where I'm avoiding fast food restaurants. I think about the french fries and other fried food, and how I feel after I eat the food. You learn to tune into what you're body is telling you when you start eating better. Then you realize why you've been feeling tired and listless. I love fried potatoes, but it does make my blood sugar go up. All-you-can-eat buffets are bad, too, not necessarily because people (especially me) tend to overeat, but their food is so full of sodium. I get so bloated afterward I can hardly move. I've been doing better in my food choices. I need to work on the amount, but like the nurse who advised me on handling my diabetes said ... I need to make these changes gradually or I won't be able to stick with them.
So far, so good ...
Soul Sister's surprise took place Tuesday night at Ryan's restaurant. I met her and her friend there, and let them get their plates first. Then I went to get mine. I had no idea what I was going to put together, but I was going to try to be a good girl and eat some greens. I got some shredded iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots (thank goodness it wasn't "carrot salad" with that icky sweet dressing), some raw broccoli, a cherry tomato, pepperoni, diced ham, diced turkey, and some fine-shredded cheese. I topped it with Italian dressing and vinegar.
LOL! I'll never forget the look on her face when she said, "I should have brought a camera. In the 20 years I've known you, I've never seen you willingly eat rabbit food."
My response was, "It's amazing what three little words will do to your perception of the matter. Her friend looked at me with a puzzled look on his face, so I explained to him what the three words were: you ... have ... diabetes.
Why did those words have such an impact on me? Well, my former co-worker, who has diabetes, is having dialysis three times a week because of acute kidney failure; she's having a rough time and complications dealing with the dialysis. My family member Drusilla is diabetic, and she's dealing with total acute failure in one kidney, poor circulation in her legs, and possible diabetic neuropathy. After seeing what these two women are going through, you bet your a$$ I'm going to sit up and take notice.
Last night, I was still fondly remembering the salad I had the night before. I wanted to use spicier meat than the tuna I had been using. Then I had what I thought would be a brilliant idea: shred a can of Hormel Spam. Whoops! Not such a great idea. For one thing, it doesn't shred too well in my food processor. Second, the texture is too mushy for the mouth feel of a salad in which nearly all the contents are shredded and/or diced into small pieces. Foods like tuna, salmon, chicken, lean pork, imitation crab meat, etc. would be better suited. I may take the remaining Spam and brown it in a skillet before I add it to another salad, but at least I know what NOT to do again.
Before I went to my water aerobics class this evening, I experimented some more with my salad mixture. This time, I diced up some pepperoni and imitation crab meat and added it to the lettuce, carrots, broccoli, and cheese mixture. In addition, I took an empty salad dressing bottle, a brand new bottle of Italian salad dressing, and poured 1/2 the contents into the other bottle. Then I took apple cider vinegar and poured some in each bottle. This would dilute the oil contained in the dressing without compromising the flavor too much. Then I shook up one of the bottles and poured some of the dressing onto the salad. Oh man, did I hit the flavor jackpot!! I made enough for three meals plus enough left over to eat for supper.
I check my blood sugar two hours after I eat these salads, and my blood sugar does go down. However, I can't seem to get it lower than 130, but I have done better about trying to keep it from going over 200, so I am making progress. I'm not cutting out carbs, but I have cut them down considerably. There are a few exceptions, like when I have my old-fashioned popcorn with a regular Coca-cola or when I eat out.
Speaking of eating out, it's getting to where I'm avoiding fast food restaurants. I think about the french fries and other fried food, and how I feel after I eat the food. You learn to tune into what you're body is telling you when you start eating better. Then you realize why you've been feeling tired and listless. I love fried potatoes, but it does make my blood sugar go up. All-you-can-eat buffets are bad, too, not necessarily because people (especially me) tend to overeat, but their food is so full of sodium. I get so bloated afterward I can hardly move. I've been doing better in my food choices. I need to work on the amount, but like the nurse who advised me on handling my diabetes said ... I need to make these changes gradually or I won't be able to stick with them.
So far, so good ...
Saturday, September 11, 2004
Hurricane Frances: Impact in SE Georgia
Last weekend when Frances came roaring through Georgia, we were spared the destructive forces of being directly hit by the hurricane. However, we still got wind and copious amounts of rainfall.
I was indoors all weekend. As a matter of fact, I slept through the times it stormed the worst. I got a chance to talk to various people from the area on the Internet. They kept talking about how worried they were about the safety of their homes and the reliability of their electrical service. I thought, "Well, yes, they live in mobile homes; I can see why they're upset and anxious."
Monday evening, I finally heard some of the wind and the thunderstorms that appeared off and on intermittantly. It wasn't until I heard those sounds for myself that I understood why my friends were spooked. It still didn't prepare me for what I saw on my way to work Tuesday morning.
I couldn't believe my eyes. I didn't see any damaged buildings, but I wasn't expecting to see so many broken tree branches and debris strewn everywhere. Some of these branches were as thick as small trees! I'm talking about branches three inches in diameter. There were so many of them ... just strewn everywhere. I realized then: that hurricane didn't hit us, but it still tore up the landscape some. We were lucky. I'd hate to see a hurricane come directly through Waycross.
Now we're keeping a nervous eye on Hurricane Ivan. Unless its projected path moves further west, we're due for another round of wind and rain.
Despite what we went through, it is nothing compared to what the citizens of Florida are going through now. Please pray for them. Ivan may not hit mid-Florida directly like Charley and Frances did, but Ivan will make things even worse for the people in those regions.
Just some thoughts I've been pondering ...
I was indoors all weekend. As a matter of fact, I slept through the times it stormed the worst. I got a chance to talk to various people from the area on the Internet. They kept talking about how worried they were about the safety of their homes and the reliability of their electrical service. I thought, "Well, yes, they live in mobile homes; I can see why they're upset and anxious."
Monday evening, I finally heard some of the wind and the thunderstorms that appeared off and on intermittantly. It wasn't until I heard those sounds for myself that I understood why my friends were spooked. It still didn't prepare me for what I saw on my way to work Tuesday morning.
I couldn't believe my eyes. I didn't see any damaged buildings, but I wasn't expecting to see so many broken tree branches and debris strewn everywhere. Some of these branches were as thick as small trees! I'm talking about branches three inches in diameter. There were so many of them ... just strewn everywhere. I realized then: that hurricane didn't hit us, but it still tore up the landscape some. We were lucky. I'd hate to see a hurricane come directly through Waycross.
Now we're keeping a nervous eye on Hurricane Ivan. Unless its projected path moves further west, we're due for another round of wind and rain.
Despite what we went through, it is nothing compared to what the citizens of Florida are going through now. Please pray for them. Ivan may not hit mid-Florida directly like Charley and Frances did, but Ivan will make things even worse for the people in those regions.
Just some thoughts I've been pondering ...
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
I Got Educated Today
I spent 90 minutes with a nurse today who has a strong educational background in diabetic nutrition and treatment. I must say, I got an education today.
One of the first things she said was that there is no such thing as a diabetic diet. She also said to avoid "diabetic" food, candies, nutritional supplements, and the like; the companies who make these foods are ripping consumers off. Any benefits derived from consuming these products do not offset the additional cost levied on them as a "specialty" product. Not only is the flavor not as good, but it may contain ingredients that could be more harmful to the body than the absence of the other ingredient you're trying to avoid in the first place.
She also showed me the nutritional label that is printed on every food product packaged and sold in our supermarkets. I learned that when the label says "Total Carbohydrates 12 g, whatever it says the sugar grams are part of the total carbohydrates; it is not a separate ingredient to be counted by itself. In other words, the label is not showing 12 carbohydrates AND whatever sugar grams. What she said made sense once I took a good look at the label and realized that under "Total Carbohydrates" are other ingredients immediately underneath it, but they're indented a little to the right. That means that the label is listing the breakdown of the contents of the carbohydrates. I had no idea. That was an eye opener.
There is one food I need to avoid: imitation cheese. It's not considered a dairy or protein product ... it's considered a fat. There is no nutritional benefit to consuming processed imitation cheese.
I told the nurse the news article I read on the FoxNews.com site about people dropping the Atkins diet and adding breads back to their meals. The nurse explained why: our bodies need proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. When we go on a diet that extremely limits any one of these three things, we end up hurting ourselves. Many people on the Atkins diet consumed far more protein than they should; too much protein will damage the kidneys. Our kidneys process the proteins in our body. We need carbohydrates for energy. Many people on the Atkins diet are finding out that they don't have the energy they used to because they're cutting out or cutting down on the carbohydrates their body needs every day. Everything in moderation ... we should avoid all diets that tell us "you can't eat this, you can't eat that ..."
She gave me several charts comparing foods from different fast food restaurants. She showed me how a whopper with cheese (no fries) from Burger King had more calories, carbs, protein, and fat than a two-piece original recipe meal (chicken, mashed potatoes w/gravy, cole slaw) from Kentucky Fried Chicken. I didn't tell her I used to have the Monster Burger from Hardee's often until I found out it contained over 1100 calories. That cured my craving! I've noticed they're no longer selling the sandwich; I wonder why?
I've still got more to learn, but I feel I've taken a step in the right direction. The thing that's bothering me more than anything else right now is that I can't seem to keep my blood sugar down once I go to bed. If I take my blood sugar, then sleep for at least eight hours, my blood sugar will go up almost 100 points. The nurse said it sounded like my liver may be releasing glucose into my blood during the night, and I might need to take meds to have it stop that. I was instructed to keep a diary for a few days, then fax it to my doctor. Then he can determine whether or not to adjust my diabetic meds. Only time will tell.
One of the first things she said was that there is no such thing as a diabetic diet. She also said to avoid "diabetic" food, candies, nutritional supplements, and the like; the companies who make these foods are ripping consumers off. Any benefits derived from consuming these products do not offset the additional cost levied on them as a "specialty" product. Not only is the flavor not as good, but it may contain ingredients that could be more harmful to the body than the absence of the other ingredient you're trying to avoid in the first place.
She also showed me the nutritional label that is printed on every food product packaged and sold in our supermarkets. I learned that when the label says "Total Carbohydrates 12 g, whatever it says the sugar grams are part of the total carbohydrates; it is not a separate ingredient to be counted by itself. In other words, the label is not showing 12 carbohydrates AND whatever sugar grams. What she said made sense once I took a good look at the label and realized that under "Total Carbohydrates" are other ingredients immediately underneath it, but they're indented a little to the right. That means that the label is listing the breakdown of the contents of the carbohydrates. I had no idea. That was an eye opener.
There is one food I need to avoid: imitation cheese. It's not considered a dairy or protein product ... it's considered a fat. There is no nutritional benefit to consuming processed imitation cheese.
I told the nurse the news article I read on the FoxNews.com site about people dropping the Atkins diet and adding breads back to their meals. The nurse explained why: our bodies need proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. When we go on a diet that extremely limits any one of these three things, we end up hurting ourselves. Many people on the Atkins diet consumed far more protein than they should; too much protein will damage the kidneys. Our kidneys process the proteins in our body. We need carbohydrates for energy. Many people on the Atkins diet are finding out that they don't have the energy they used to because they're cutting out or cutting down on the carbohydrates their body needs every day. Everything in moderation ... we should avoid all diets that tell us "you can't eat this, you can't eat that ..."
She gave me several charts comparing foods from different fast food restaurants. She showed me how a whopper with cheese (no fries) from Burger King had more calories, carbs, protein, and fat than a two-piece original recipe meal (chicken, mashed potatoes w/gravy, cole slaw) from Kentucky Fried Chicken. I didn't tell her I used to have the Monster Burger from Hardee's often until I found out it contained over 1100 calories. That cured my craving! I've noticed they're no longer selling the sandwich; I wonder why?
I've still got more to learn, but I feel I've taken a step in the right direction. The thing that's bothering me more than anything else right now is that I can't seem to keep my blood sugar down once I go to bed. If I take my blood sugar, then sleep for at least eight hours, my blood sugar will go up almost 100 points. The nurse said it sounded like my liver may be releasing glucose into my blood during the night, and I might need to take meds to have it stop that. I was instructed to keep a diary for a few days, then fax it to my doctor. Then he can determine whether or not to adjust my diabetic meds. Only time will tell.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
A New Law Proposal
I'm sure by now everyone has heard the news that criminal charges against Kobe Bryant were dropped last week. From a criminal standpoint, Kobe Bryant is off the hook. However, the victim is still taking him to civil court to sue for damages. This is just my opinion, but I'm not sure Kobe Bryant is the one she should be suing.
I've had mixed feelings about this case ever since it became publicized in the media. On one hand, Bryant was caught in a lie when he originally denied having any relations with the victim; that did not help his credibility any. On the other hand, the victim used poor judgment in choosing already-worn clothing from a previous encounter before going to the hospital to be examined for evidence. Intentional or not, it was just plain stupid.
I see both Bryant his accuser as victims of the system and/or the media. An accuser of a sexual crime, by law, is to have his/her identity shielded from the public for "protection." However the accused's identity and pertaining sexual criminal charges are allowed to be broadcast to the public in any manner possible. I don't think that's fair. History will show that when it comes to sexual crimes, the person accused is treated and regarded unofficially as guilty until he/she is acquitted of the charges. That is a direct violation of the rights of the accused -- innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
At the same time, whenever an accuser's identity and other information is "leaked" by someone, the accuser's rights are violated as well. In the case of Kobe Bryant, his status as a famous athletic celebrity brought out die-hard fans angry that the celebrity they worshipped was being accused of a crime. Many of them were angry enough to seek out and punish/scare/threaten Bryant's accuser. Those kinds of zealots are the reason the accuser's identity was shielded in the first place. The other leaks by employees of the courthouse only added fuel to the fire. In my honest opinion, I do not believe strong enough action was taken by the judge to prevent these leaks. I feel stronger gag orders should have been declared. The ball was dropped -- not once, but twice -- by this same establishment. Completely, totally inexcusable.
After seeing all this happen in this court case and other court cases in the past, I have a proposition as to how to handle future sexual crimes investigations/trials. I propose that a law be enacted in which the identies of both the accused and accuser are shielded until the first day of the trial. This will bar the media from broadcasting the ongoing investigation if it would identify the parties involved. Make it a felony to reveal the identities of either the accuser or the accused (one to five years would be a good start). This would apply to EVERYONE and EVERY MEDIA -- print, broadcast, and Internet. Once the trial begins, then let the media report on the evidence introduced, who was involved, etc.
This is how I look at the situation: if you're going to shield the identity of the victim, shield the identity of the accused as well. It's only fair, especially if the possibility exists that the defendent may be falsely accused. If he or she is found guilty of the crime, then the public has a right to know. Otherwise, BECAUSE of what happens to the accused, let's stop shielding the identity of the accuser of a sexual crime.
Of course, Kobe Bryant could have easily avoided all this if he had simply remained faithful to his wife.
I've had mixed feelings about this case ever since it became publicized in the media. On one hand, Bryant was caught in a lie when he originally denied having any relations with the victim; that did not help his credibility any. On the other hand, the victim used poor judgment in choosing already-worn clothing from a previous encounter before going to the hospital to be examined for evidence. Intentional or not, it was just plain stupid.
I see both Bryant his accuser as victims of the system and/or the media. An accuser of a sexual crime, by law, is to have his/her identity shielded from the public for "protection." However the accused's identity and pertaining sexual criminal charges are allowed to be broadcast to the public in any manner possible. I don't think that's fair. History will show that when it comes to sexual crimes, the person accused is treated and regarded unofficially as guilty until he/she is acquitted of the charges. That is a direct violation of the rights of the accused -- innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
At the same time, whenever an accuser's identity and other information is "leaked" by someone, the accuser's rights are violated as well. In the case of Kobe Bryant, his status as a famous athletic celebrity brought out die-hard fans angry that the celebrity they worshipped was being accused of a crime. Many of them were angry enough to seek out and punish/scare/threaten Bryant's accuser. Those kinds of zealots are the reason the accuser's identity was shielded in the first place. The other leaks by employees of the courthouse only added fuel to the fire. In my honest opinion, I do not believe strong enough action was taken by the judge to prevent these leaks. I feel stronger gag orders should have been declared. The ball was dropped -- not once, but twice -- by this same establishment. Completely, totally inexcusable.
After seeing all this happen in this court case and other court cases in the past, I have a proposition as to how to handle future sexual crimes investigations/trials. I propose that a law be enacted in which the identies of both the accused and accuser are shielded until the first day of the trial. This will bar the media from broadcasting the ongoing investigation if it would identify the parties involved. Make it a felony to reveal the identities of either the accuser or the accused (one to five years would be a good start). This would apply to EVERYONE and EVERY MEDIA -- print, broadcast, and Internet. Once the trial begins, then let the media report on the evidence introduced, who was involved, etc.
This is how I look at the situation: if you're going to shield the identity of the victim, shield the identity of the accused as well. It's only fair, especially if the possibility exists that the defendent may be falsely accused. If he or she is found guilty of the crime, then the public has a right to know. Otherwise, BECAUSE of what happens to the accused, let's stop shielding the identity of the accuser of a sexual crime.
Of course, Kobe Bryant could have easily avoided all this if he had simply remained faithful to his wife.
Monday, September 06, 2004
Sunday, August 29, 2004
The Struggle Begins
Okay, now it's officially out that I have diabetes. It was only a matter of time before I acquired it; it wasn't a question of if or maybe but a question of when. It runs on both sides of the family. I was hoping that I would get it later rather than sooner. However, now that I have it, I have to deal with it.
Oh sure! I could ignore it ... and face the consequences later: kidney failure, circulatory problems, heart disease, limb loss. Nope! If I want to have any quality of life when I get older, I must deal with it now. Apparently, I was already dealing with the more immediate consequences of high blood sugar when I went to see my doctor that Tuesday morning when I could barely stay awake, much less move.
I've done some reading on the Internet about diabetes, mainly located at WebMD.com. Apparently, my consumption of starchy food in combination with my weight has made my body more resistant to the insulin produced by my pancreas. My doctor prescribed Actos to make my body more sensitive to the insulin.
In the meantime, I've got to reprogram my diet to where starches and carbohydrates are not the main part of my diet. That's the hard part. Despite my mother's best intentions, I was a meat-and-potatoes girl. Even now, I've got lots of lean meat in the freezer that can be cooked to perfection on the George Foreman grill. Now, what do we have to go with it? Hmmm ... we have rice, instant mashed potatoes, pasta, frozen french fries ... are you starting to see a pattern here? I'm having to watch my sodium intake, so a can of green beans could do me more harm than good. Looks like I need to make a trip to the supermarket to stock up on fresh and frozen veggies.
I got my glucometer this week. I'd hate to think what the Actos, the glucometer, the test strips, and the lancets would cost if I didn't have my HMO. I forked out $85.00 for all that ... that was my copay. Looking back, it probably wasn't much, but it still took me by surprise.
Now, anyone who knows me will tell you that I HATE NEEDLES! I don't like getting shots, and I don't like having my blood drawn. If I ever say I want a shot, it's either because I'm sick or in pain. The last time I requested a shot was when I became violently ill at 3 AM one morning ... throwing up and diarrhea. I couldn't keep anything down, not even water. By 8 AM, I was calling my doctor's office, begging to be seen so I could get a Phenergan (an antihistamine with anti-emetic properties) shot. Yes, I was THAT sick. It worked, though. Within 30 minutes of that shot in my butt, I actually felt a little snacky. I was also high as a kite. I'm sure the pharmacy people at Eckerd Drugs wondered if I could legally write a check in my condition I was so loopy. However, Dad thought I was the only one who could get it filled, so he made me get out of the car and go in. I'm getting off the subject here, but I think you get my point.
I hate needles, and now I have to prick my finger four times a day to check my blood sugar level. Oh well, it could be worse. I could have to give myself insulin injections, so I guess I'd better count my blessings and work with the cards I've been dealt. Well, after five days, I'm used to it. I still don't like it, but my fingers are not as sensitive to it like they used to be.
Speaking of insulin injections, I hope I never get to the point that I need to do that. However, I've read that there are other options, like the insulin pump and the insulin pen. If I ever have to go there, I think I'll try the pen. I've had inoculations with an air gun, and I'd much rather use an insulin pen that functions similarly than insert a sharp foreign object into my body. I'm kinda funny about that.
That's about all I have for now. I will update on my progress periodically.
Oh sure! I could ignore it ... and face the consequences later: kidney failure, circulatory problems, heart disease, limb loss. Nope! If I want to have any quality of life when I get older, I must deal with it now. Apparently, I was already dealing with the more immediate consequences of high blood sugar when I went to see my doctor that Tuesday morning when I could barely stay awake, much less move.
I've done some reading on the Internet about diabetes, mainly located at WebMD.com. Apparently, my consumption of starchy food in combination with my weight has made my body more resistant to the insulin produced by my pancreas. My doctor prescribed Actos to make my body more sensitive to the insulin.
In the meantime, I've got to reprogram my diet to where starches and carbohydrates are not the main part of my diet. That's the hard part. Despite my mother's best intentions, I was a meat-and-potatoes girl. Even now, I've got lots of lean meat in the freezer that can be cooked to perfection on the George Foreman grill. Now, what do we have to go with it? Hmmm ... we have rice, instant mashed potatoes, pasta, frozen french fries ... are you starting to see a pattern here? I'm having to watch my sodium intake, so a can of green beans could do me more harm than good. Looks like I need to make a trip to the supermarket to stock up on fresh and frozen veggies.
I got my glucometer this week. I'd hate to think what the Actos, the glucometer, the test strips, and the lancets would cost if I didn't have my HMO. I forked out $85.00 for all that ... that was my copay. Looking back, it probably wasn't much, but it still took me by surprise.
Now, anyone who knows me will tell you that I HATE NEEDLES! I don't like getting shots, and I don't like having my blood drawn. If I ever say I want a shot, it's either because I'm sick or in pain. The last time I requested a shot was when I became violently ill at 3 AM one morning ... throwing up and diarrhea. I couldn't keep anything down, not even water. By 8 AM, I was calling my doctor's office, begging to be seen so I could get a Phenergan (an antihistamine with anti-emetic properties) shot. Yes, I was THAT sick. It worked, though. Within 30 minutes of that shot in my butt, I actually felt a little snacky. I was also high as a kite. I'm sure the pharmacy people at Eckerd Drugs wondered if I could legally write a check in my condition I was so loopy. However, Dad thought I was the only one who could get it filled, so he made me get out of the car and go in. I'm getting off the subject here, but I think you get my point.
I hate needles, and now I have to prick my finger four times a day to check my blood sugar level. Oh well, it could be worse. I could have to give myself insulin injections, so I guess I'd better count my blessings and work with the cards I've been dealt. Well, after five days, I'm used to it. I still don't like it, but my fingers are not as sensitive to it like they used to be.
Speaking of insulin injections, I hope I never get to the point that I need to do that. However, I've read that there are other options, like the insulin pump and the insulin pen. If I ever have to go there, I think I'll try the pen. I've had inoculations with an air gun, and I'd much rather use an insulin pen that functions similarly than insert a sharp foreign object into my body. I'm kinda funny about that.
That's about all I have for now. I will update on my progress periodically.
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Lord, Give Me Strength!
It's been a while since I've made a substantial entry. During the last couple of months, I've had to deal with some major situations in my life.
I have a family member who is seriously ill. Drusilla is an elderly lady with diabetes, degenerative joint disease in her back, an artificial hip, osteoporosis, arthritis, and macular degeneration. She already had an uphill battle every day she woke up dealing with these ailments. However, she always made it a point to get up and do something.
For the last few months, Drusilla has not been eating like she should. In fact, she's been eating so little, she started losing weight -- too much weight. Well, Drusilla's diet took its toll, and she is now bedridden. Her low blood sugar prompted a call to 911 and a trip to the emergency room. They admitted her to the hospital, where they discovered she also had pneumonia.
I've been helping Drusilla's husband Fred take care of her. Soul Sister strongly suggested that the visiting nurses service be utilized; she said taking care of a bedridden person would be too much for just two people, especially when one of them has to work for a living. However, Drusilla insisted she did not want visiting nurses or to be put in a nursing home. Fred and I worked hard to respect her wishes.
After three weeks of trying to care for her, it became painfully obvious that the two of us just could not do it. Fred is an elderly man himself. I work a full time job with a long commute. Anyone who has cared for a bedridden person will tell you it's a physically demanding and time-consuming job. You're caring for a human being, so you can't rush anything if you want the patient to be clean and comfortable. You have to mentally put yourself in their place and imagine how you would want to be treated and cared for.
Well, at the same time this is going on, my coworker ended up in the hospital herself with kidney failure. Now she's out on sick leave. We know she's not coming back, but we can't hire a replacement until she runs out of leave. We're looking at two months or more. My supervisor and I are handling the workload okay. However, my having to learn and remember to do new, unfamiliar tasks under a deadline is stressful. You never realize how much you rely on someone until they're gone. She was a pro. In any case, the timing of this situation at work could not have been worse as far as my dealing with increased stress levels.
I tried to continue my water aerobics classes, but I found I didn't have the strength or the stamina to help Drusilla with her leg exercises and other tasks on the days I attended the classes. I ended up skipping several classes during those three weeks.
By the start of that third week, I was experiencing what I originally thought were mild anxiety attacks: chest pains, tingling in hands, feet, and scalp, fleeting lightheadedness ... I knew I was under a lot of stress, so I tried to deal with the symptoms as best as I could. However, I was also experiencing fatigue and shortness of breath ... NOT a good combination with chest pains. I also had been having trouble sleeping. I know that happens to everyone once in a while. However, when you have sleep apnea and you're waking up gasping for air and feeling the oxygen deprivation in your hands, you're not sleeping.
I went to work that Monday, but I had trouble concentrating on my job. I was fatigued and wanted to go home. When I got home, I went straight to bed and stayed there until Tuesday morning. I woke up, well, I TRIED to wake up. I had so much trouble getting out of bed. Then when I finally did get out of bed, all I could do was sit. I could barely move. By 7 AM, it was obvious something was wrong with me, so I called in sick. I reset my clock so I could go back to bed and wake up when the doctor's office opened.
My doctor put me on an EKG machine (my heart was fine, thank God!), prescribed me a diuretic and ordered some blood tests. He requested a two-week follow up visit.
The diuretic worked great. It got rid of the excess fluid around my chest so I could breathe again. I've been sleeping very well since. No more waking up gasping for air.
My blood tests, however, revealed that I have diabetes. Considering my coworker and Drusilla both have diabetes and are dealing with the potentially lethal complications associated with the disease, you can imagine the impact this news had on me. I took the news better than I expected, but again ... the timing was not good.
By the time I found out the results of my blood tests, Drusilla was back in the hospital, with faithful Fred by her side. Despite our efforts, she still wasn't eating enough food, and her blood sugar started dropping again. While in the hospital, she'd eat and her sugar level would be okay for a while. Then, without warning, it would suddenly plunge. When it suddenly dropped to 16 one evening, the doctors ordered tests on her liver.
The doctors discovered her liver was depleted of stored glucose. This was because it had to compensate for the lack of nutrition her body was getting the last several months. You see, when the body's blood sugar level drops, the liver kicks in with stored glucose to bring the blood sugar level back up.
Fred and Drusilla discussed the possibility of a nursing home. After seeing what Fred and I had been going through trying to care for her, she changed her mind and agreed to go to a nursing home. However, it was only going to be for rehabilitation ... so she could walk again. If not, she'll be cared for at her home with the visiting nurses service three times a week. Fred and I will do the rest.
After all this, the big question is: why can't Drusilla eat? It's tough to answer. At first, her small intestines were blamed. Then they focused on her esophagus. Heck, we've even wondered if she had a death wish and was not eating on purpose (she said no, by the way). They refocused on her esophagus and discovered it was raw and irritated; they're still trying to find out why. They also discovered her stomach has shrunk considerably and cannot hold as much food as a normal-sized stomach. Combine that with a diminished appetite, and you can see why she's in the state she's in now. When your back is eat up with arthritis, you're in pain; you have no desire to eat when you're hurting. This opens the door to diminishing the immune system and creating more ailments to deal with.
The questions I'm anticipating include: "Didn't you see she was starving herself?" or "Couldn't you tell she wasn't eating much?" Well, for one thing, it's hard to judge how much a person has eaten when you're not around that person 24 hours a day; it was never an issue or a topic of discussion. Second, she wore baggy clothes. It wasn't until recently that we could tell she was getting thinner. Finally, she's a fiercely independent woman. She's not going to tell you she needs help or is in pain unless she absolutely has to. Remember the scene from Driving Miss Daisy when Hoke was applying for the chauffeur job? Hoke inquired about Miss Daisy's mental capabilities, and her son replied, "Oh she's all there all right! Too much all there is the problem!" That's Drusilla!!
Drusilla has been through a lot, but she's still fighting. God bless her!
As for me, it has been an exhausting summer: physically, psychologically, and emotionally.
I have a family member who is seriously ill. Drusilla is an elderly lady with diabetes, degenerative joint disease in her back, an artificial hip, osteoporosis, arthritis, and macular degeneration. She already had an uphill battle every day she woke up dealing with these ailments. However, she always made it a point to get up and do something.
For the last few months, Drusilla has not been eating like she should. In fact, she's been eating so little, she started losing weight -- too much weight. Well, Drusilla's diet took its toll, and she is now bedridden. Her low blood sugar prompted a call to 911 and a trip to the emergency room. They admitted her to the hospital, where they discovered she also had pneumonia.
I've been helping Drusilla's husband Fred take care of her. Soul Sister strongly suggested that the visiting nurses service be utilized; she said taking care of a bedridden person would be too much for just two people, especially when one of them has to work for a living. However, Drusilla insisted she did not want visiting nurses or to be put in a nursing home. Fred and I worked hard to respect her wishes.
After three weeks of trying to care for her, it became painfully obvious that the two of us just could not do it. Fred is an elderly man himself. I work a full time job with a long commute. Anyone who has cared for a bedridden person will tell you it's a physically demanding and time-consuming job. You're caring for a human being, so you can't rush anything if you want the patient to be clean and comfortable. You have to mentally put yourself in their place and imagine how you would want to be treated and cared for.
Well, at the same time this is going on, my coworker ended up in the hospital herself with kidney failure. Now she's out on sick leave. We know she's not coming back, but we can't hire a replacement until she runs out of leave. We're looking at two months or more. My supervisor and I are handling the workload okay. However, my having to learn and remember to do new, unfamiliar tasks under a deadline is stressful. You never realize how much you rely on someone until they're gone. She was a pro. In any case, the timing of this situation at work could not have been worse as far as my dealing with increased stress levels.
I tried to continue my water aerobics classes, but I found I didn't have the strength or the stamina to help Drusilla with her leg exercises and other tasks on the days I attended the classes. I ended up skipping several classes during those three weeks.
By the start of that third week, I was experiencing what I originally thought were mild anxiety attacks: chest pains, tingling in hands, feet, and scalp, fleeting lightheadedness ... I knew I was under a lot of stress, so I tried to deal with the symptoms as best as I could. However, I was also experiencing fatigue and shortness of breath ... NOT a good combination with chest pains. I also had been having trouble sleeping. I know that happens to everyone once in a while. However, when you have sleep apnea and you're waking up gasping for air and feeling the oxygen deprivation in your hands, you're not sleeping.
I went to work that Monday, but I had trouble concentrating on my job. I was fatigued and wanted to go home. When I got home, I went straight to bed and stayed there until Tuesday morning. I woke up, well, I TRIED to wake up. I had so much trouble getting out of bed. Then when I finally did get out of bed, all I could do was sit. I could barely move. By 7 AM, it was obvious something was wrong with me, so I called in sick. I reset my clock so I could go back to bed and wake up when the doctor's office opened.
My doctor put me on an EKG machine (my heart was fine, thank God!), prescribed me a diuretic and ordered some blood tests. He requested a two-week follow up visit.
The diuretic worked great. It got rid of the excess fluid around my chest so I could breathe again. I've been sleeping very well since. No more waking up gasping for air.
My blood tests, however, revealed that I have diabetes. Considering my coworker and Drusilla both have diabetes and are dealing with the potentially lethal complications associated with the disease, you can imagine the impact this news had on me. I took the news better than I expected, but again ... the timing was not good.
By the time I found out the results of my blood tests, Drusilla was back in the hospital, with faithful Fred by her side. Despite our efforts, she still wasn't eating enough food, and her blood sugar started dropping again. While in the hospital, she'd eat and her sugar level would be okay for a while. Then, without warning, it would suddenly plunge. When it suddenly dropped to 16 one evening, the doctors ordered tests on her liver.
The doctors discovered her liver was depleted of stored glucose. This was because it had to compensate for the lack of nutrition her body was getting the last several months. You see, when the body's blood sugar level drops, the liver kicks in with stored glucose to bring the blood sugar level back up.
Fred and Drusilla discussed the possibility of a nursing home. After seeing what Fred and I had been going through trying to care for her, she changed her mind and agreed to go to a nursing home. However, it was only going to be for rehabilitation ... so she could walk again. If not, she'll be cared for at her home with the visiting nurses service three times a week. Fred and I will do the rest.
After all this, the big question is: why can't Drusilla eat? It's tough to answer. At first, her small intestines were blamed. Then they focused on her esophagus. Heck, we've even wondered if she had a death wish and was not eating on purpose (she said no, by the way). They refocused on her esophagus and discovered it was raw and irritated; they're still trying to find out why. They also discovered her stomach has shrunk considerably and cannot hold as much food as a normal-sized stomach. Combine that with a diminished appetite, and you can see why she's in the state she's in now. When your back is eat up with arthritis, you're in pain; you have no desire to eat when you're hurting. This opens the door to diminishing the immune system and creating more ailments to deal with.
The questions I'm anticipating include: "Didn't you see she was starving herself?" or "Couldn't you tell she wasn't eating much?" Well, for one thing, it's hard to judge how much a person has eaten when you're not around that person 24 hours a day; it was never an issue or a topic of discussion. Second, she wore baggy clothes. It wasn't until recently that we could tell she was getting thinner. Finally, she's a fiercely independent woman. She's not going to tell you she needs help or is in pain unless she absolutely has to. Remember the scene from Driving Miss Daisy when Hoke was applying for the chauffeur job? Hoke inquired about Miss Daisy's mental capabilities, and her son replied, "Oh she's all there all right! Too much all there is the problem!" That's Drusilla!!
Drusilla has been through a lot, but she's still fighting. God bless her!
As for me, it has been an exhausting summer: physically, psychologically, and emotionally.
Advertisements in Song Lyrics?
I read an article on FoxNews.com by Russell Scott Smith. He wrote about how Hip-Hop artists are naming popular name brands in their lyrics. I can see that. If you like something good enough, you'll want people to know how great it is.
However, the article also included that many of these artists are paid by advertisers to mention their products in the artists' lyrics. I used to hear these artists talk all the time about how they had a message, that they had a story to tell about life on the street or in their 'hood. Uh huh. Now that they're more mainstream, they can be bought. I heard 'Lil Kim's track The Jump Off after reading the article, and it sounds more like a commercial now.
Hmmm ... wonder what I could get for writing a poem about my truck?
Get real!
Now that I've read the article, I'm going to wonder how much the artist got paid if he or she mentions a name brand in the lyrics. So much for artistic integrity.
However, the article also included that many of these artists are paid by advertisers to mention their products in the artists' lyrics. I used to hear these artists talk all the time about how they had a message, that they had a story to tell about life on the street or in their 'hood. Uh huh. Now that they're more mainstream, they can be bought. I heard 'Lil Kim's track The Jump Off after reading the article, and it sounds more like a commercial now.
Hmmm ... wonder what I could get for writing a poem about my truck?
Get real!
Now that I've read the article, I'm going to wonder how much the artist got paid if he or she mentions a name brand in the lyrics. So much for artistic integrity.
Friday, August 27, 2004
A Quote I Agree With
In Jeanette Walls' column The Scoop about the controversy of the possibility of Britney Spears making an appearance at the Republican National Convention,
"... the [Traditional Values Coalition's] executive director, Peter LaBarbera, tells The Scoop, though 'a few people have argued that the Democrats have all the Hollywood celebrities so we need her star power, but I think that could be played to the Republicans’ advantage. . . . [Many] Americans are sick of celebrities’ political views being shoved down their throat.'"
YES! YES! YES! YES! YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
'Scuse me; I got carried away.
I know I've made other entries about celebrities and their opinions. It's obviously a sore spot with me. It's not because I disagree with some of them. It's because they act like they're authority figures for their causes and their demonization of anyone who disagrees with their opinions. That's when they cross the line.
The other thing that bugs me about celebrities and artists is how they try to shield themselves under the guise of free speech whenever they're admonished for their words and/or actions. With freedom comes responsibility; how you act and what you say can be held against you when it adversely affects other people. When their feet are held to the flames, they scream that their free speech is being violated. Heiferdust!!! And for those who get vulgar for the sake of vulgarity or because, "It's free speech; I can say whatever I want!" My response to that is, "You're confusing free speech with flatulence, and I'm tired of you stinking up the place!!"
But that's just MY opinion ...
"... the [Traditional Values Coalition's] executive director, Peter LaBarbera, tells The Scoop, though 'a few people have argued that the Democrats have all the Hollywood celebrities so we need her star power, but I think that could be played to the Republicans’ advantage. . . . [Many] Americans are sick of celebrities’ political views being shoved down their throat.'"
YES! YES! YES! YES! YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
'Scuse me; I got carried away.
I know I've made other entries about celebrities and their opinions. It's obviously a sore spot with me. It's not because I disagree with some of them. It's because they act like they're authority figures for their causes and their demonization of anyone who disagrees with their opinions. That's when they cross the line.
The other thing that bugs me about celebrities and artists is how they try to shield themselves under the guise of free speech whenever they're admonished for their words and/or actions. With freedom comes responsibility; how you act and what you say can be held against you when it adversely affects other people. When their feet are held to the flames, they scream that their free speech is being violated. Heiferdust!!! And for those who get vulgar for the sake of vulgarity or because, "It's free speech; I can say whatever I want!" My response to that is, "You're confusing free speech with flatulence, and I'm tired of you stinking up the place!!"
But that's just MY opinion ...
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Embryonic Stem Cell Research: A Response
My sister Pamela wrote a response to KenoshaNews.com about one of their articles pertaining to the alleged "benefits" of embryonic stem cell research. I regret I do not have access to the article. However, her response seems to directly answer questions the media tends to tiptoe around.
-----------------------------------------------
To: Focus@KenoshaNews.com
In regards to your KNews focus for the upcoming week:
I’ve heard many ideas about why we should do embryonic stem cell research. As a medical paraprofessional, I’ve done my own research of articles and here is my conclusion: there is absolutely NO SCIENTIFIC REASON to do research on embryonic stem cells! The cells are too unstable. Although patients experience initial rapid progress, it is followed by even more rapid deterioration.
Adult stem cell research clearly demonstrates that although initial progress is slower, it is far more stable and recipients are not prone to regression. Even more promising are stem cells taken from one area of a donors body (such as fat cells and marrow) and injected into the problem area (such as, the patients own diseased heart).
To subject people and their families to false hopes is beyond cruel. How dare scientists play on the emotions of the desperate simply to feel superior. Embryonic stem cell research is completely unnecessary from a scientific point of view.
So, Should the government fund this atrocity?
Absolutely NOT!
Pamela A. Mundling
-----------------------------------------------
To: Focus@KenoshaNews.com
In regards to your KNews focus for the upcoming week:
I’ve heard many ideas about why we should do embryonic stem cell research. As a medical paraprofessional, I’ve done my own research of articles and here is my conclusion: there is absolutely NO SCIENTIFIC REASON to do research on embryonic stem cells! The cells are too unstable. Although patients experience initial rapid progress, it is followed by even more rapid deterioration.
Adult stem cell research clearly demonstrates that although initial progress is slower, it is far more stable and recipients are not prone to regression. Even more promising are stem cells taken from one area of a donors body (such as fat cells and marrow) and injected into the problem area (such as, the patients own diseased heart).
To subject people and their families to false hopes is beyond cruel. How dare scientists play on the emotions of the desperate simply to feel superior. Embryonic stem cell research is completely unnecessary from a scientific point of view.
So, Should the government fund this atrocity?
Absolutely NOT!
Pamela A. Mundling
Monday, August 16, 2004
Terra Stix
This is my latest addiction:
You want to talk about a snack food with minimal salt and MAJOR CRUNCH??? If you love potato sticks, you will like these. I like these Terra Stix better than potato sticks. Not overly salty and not greasy. The company has a web site worth looking at.
Give me a coca cola with these stix, and I'm all set!
You want to talk about a snack food with minimal salt and MAJOR CRUNCH??? If you love potato sticks, you will like these. I like these Terra Stix better than potato sticks. Not overly salty and not greasy. The company has a web site worth looking at.
Give me a coca cola with these stix, and I'm all set!
Sunday, August 15, 2004
A Cool Quiz
I took this quiz, and the results are below:
what decade does your personality live in?
quiz brought to you by lady interference, ltd
Totally tripendicular! I'm, like, a lady of the 80's, like totally fer shurr!
what decade does your personality live in?
quiz brought to you by lady interference, ltd
Totally tripendicular! I'm, like, a lady of the 80's, like totally fer shurr!
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Consumer Backlash Against Celebrities
Catherine Donaldson-Evans of Fox News wrote an article yesterday called Consumers Fight Political Stars With Dollars. I have a few thoughts I'd like to add to her article.
I am one of many consumers who are sick and tired of Hollywood stars and celebrities using their "star power" to act as authority figures for their causes. I'm not talking about expressing their opinions; that's their right and I respect that right.
What really infuriates me is when some of them openly criticize this country yet reap all the benefits of performing in this country (hello Madonna, Elton John, Jessica Lange, Sean Penn, et al). In fact, many of them wait until they are in another country before they proceed to trash this country. Hey! Nobody is making them stay in the USA. Delta is ready when they are.
According to BBC News, World Edition, Elton John is quoted as saying, " stars are scared to speak out against war in Iraq because of "bullying tactics" used by the US government to hinder free speech. " He used the backlash against the Dixie Chicks as an example. The only problem with his theory is that the backlash was not by the government, but by the outraged fans and consumers. In general, we Americans know bullsh!t when we see it. Spare me, Elton. You make these remarks about all this fear and neo-McCarthyism in my country, yet you were performing in New York at the time you made these remarks? It's not the government you should fear; it should be your fans. You know ... the ones who buy your albums and your concert tickets, but not your bullsh!t. Fans are fickle, but an angry fan feels betrayal and will put more effort into the backlash against you than into his/her collection of your artistic work.
Celebrities, stick with what you know: entertaining. You have something to say or an opinion to share? Get a web site and start blogging. However, stop acting like authority figures; you're not. You're all goldfish living in a fish bowl. You have no idea what's really going on in the world. It's time for you to get down from your podiums and swim back to your fantasy lives in your own personal million dollar fishbowl.
And word to Whoopi: the republicans didn't make SlimFast dump you, the owner of Slim Fast made Slim Fast dump you. The owner of Slim Fast is a democrat, not a republican.
I am one of many consumers who are sick and tired of Hollywood stars and celebrities using their "star power" to act as authority figures for their causes. I'm not talking about expressing their opinions; that's their right and I respect that right.
What really infuriates me is when some of them openly criticize this country yet reap all the benefits of performing in this country (hello Madonna, Elton John, Jessica Lange, Sean Penn, et al). In fact, many of them wait until they are in another country before they proceed to trash this country. Hey! Nobody is making them stay in the USA. Delta is ready when they are.
According to BBC News, World Edition, Elton John is quoted as saying, " stars are scared to speak out against war in Iraq because of "bullying tactics" used by the US government to hinder free speech. " He used the backlash against the Dixie Chicks as an example. The only problem with his theory is that the backlash was not by the government, but by the outraged fans and consumers. In general, we Americans know bullsh!t when we see it. Spare me, Elton. You make these remarks about all this fear and neo-McCarthyism in my country, yet you were performing in New York at the time you made these remarks? It's not the government you should fear; it should be your fans. You know ... the ones who buy your albums and your concert tickets, but not your bullsh!t. Fans are fickle, but an angry fan feels betrayal and will put more effort into the backlash against you than into his/her collection of your artistic work.
Celebrities, stick with what you know: entertaining. You have something to say or an opinion to share? Get a web site and start blogging. However, stop acting like authority figures; you're not. You're all goldfish living in a fish bowl. You have no idea what's really going on in the world. It's time for you to get down from your podiums and swim back to your fantasy lives in your own personal million dollar fishbowl.
And word to Whoopi: the republicans didn't make SlimFast dump you, the owner of Slim Fast made Slim Fast dump you. The owner of Slim Fast is a democrat, not a republican.
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Meeting an Old Friend
Ran into an old classmate this morning while I was shopping at Wal-Mart. It sure was good to see her again; I had not seen her since our 15 year class reunion. She was (and still is) the kind of person who is pretty on the inside as well as the outside. I always appreciated her kindness in school (you know how cruel teens can be). She is truly a real, genuine nice person. My heart felt so warm with sincere, compassionate vibes coming from her. The Lord is truly strong within her.
Friday, July 30, 2004
Wal-Mart/KD's Cafe
I had forgotten just how huge our Wal-Mart supercenter is.
The other day, I had to stop at Wal-Mart to pick up some items related to my job. It wasn't long before I was wandering up and down the aisles looking over everything they had. I think I'll go there tomorrow morning and plan on spending a couple of hours there. Now, if I just had the money to do the shopping I'd really like to do ;-)
At least I finally got the oil changed in my truck while I was there. The truck has turned over 70,900 miles, and those oil changes have got to keep it running for at least 200,ooo miles if I'm going to get my money's worth out of it.
In other news, some of us greenies decided to eat at KD's Cafe tonight ... just for the hell of it. I had the shrimp scampi, and it was delicious. It wasn't served the way Red Lobster serves shrimp scampi, but that's okay with me. It was a creative and tasty dish. KD certainly knows how to put ingredients together.
KD also has an infectious sense of humor. I had an argument with someone shortly before leaving to go to the restaurant. I almost didn't go because I was upset and didn't want to drag anybody down with my depression. The greenies there were very understanding and were helping me get over my frustration. However, it was KD who got me to smile and laugh. It was just what the doctor ordered. I was fine the rest of the evening. As an added bonus, the person I had the argument with was a lot nicer to me when I saw her again.
We have not had a "Greenie Party" since December 2002. It's hard to host one because there are so many of us and not everyone has large homes to accomodate a lot of people. Maybe when the weather gets a little cooler, we could rent some place for the afternoon/evening and have one then. It's pretty hot here in the south right now. I'm ready for winter again.
The other day, I had to stop at Wal-Mart to pick up some items related to my job. It wasn't long before I was wandering up and down the aisles looking over everything they had. I think I'll go there tomorrow morning and plan on spending a couple of hours there. Now, if I just had the money to do the shopping I'd really like to do ;-)
At least I finally got the oil changed in my truck while I was there. The truck has turned over 70,900 miles, and those oil changes have got to keep it running for at least 200,ooo miles if I'm going to get my money's worth out of it.
In other news, some of us greenies decided to eat at KD's Cafe tonight ... just for the hell of it. I had the shrimp scampi, and it was delicious. It wasn't served the way Red Lobster serves shrimp scampi, but that's okay with me. It was a creative and tasty dish. KD certainly knows how to put ingredients together.
KD also has an infectious sense of humor. I had an argument with someone shortly before leaving to go to the restaurant. I almost didn't go because I was upset and didn't want to drag anybody down with my depression. The greenies there were very understanding and were helping me get over my frustration. However, it was KD who got me to smile and laugh. It was just what the doctor ordered. I was fine the rest of the evening. As an added bonus, the person I had the argument with was a lot nicer to me when I saw her again.
We have not had a "Greenie Party" since December 2002. It's hard to host one because there are so many of us and not everyone has large homes to accomodate a lot of people. Maybe when the weather gets a little cooler, we could rent some place for the afternoon/evening and have one then. It's pretty hot here in the south right now. I'm ready for winter again.
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Time Off ... So Close
As of this writing, I'm getting ready to go to work. I'm supposed to be off work the rest of this week, but I didn't quite get all my work done yesterday. Sure, I could leave it, but I'm one of those people who would worry about it all during my time off.
I've got projects that I have planned that I am going to take care of during my time off. It mostly consists of the pitch-and-toss variety. It's time to clean out the clutter and reorganize; I guess illness in the family will do that to you. All the storage containers, shelves, and cabinets are not going to do you any good unless you plan and act. Now, getting the energy to do this ... that's another story. I would take one look at my intended project, get this sense of feeling overwhelmed, and decide to get on the computer instead. I've been reading books on how to become organized, and they all say the same thing: it's not going to be done in a day.
I've got projects that I have planned that I am going to take care of during my time off. It mostly consists of the pitch-and-toss variety. It's time to clean out the clutter and reorganize; I guess illness in the family will do that to you. All the storage containers, shelves, and cabinets are not going to do you any good unless you plan and act. Now, getting the energy to do this ... that's another story. I would take one look at my intended project, get this sense of feeling overwhelmed, and decide to get on the computer instead. I've been reading books on how to become organized, and they all say the same thing: it's not going to be done in a day.
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Infidelity and Abuse in Marriages and Relationships
I have some random thoughts about recent events happening that are bothering me, and I feel the need to express myself.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger wrote a book a few years ago called Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives. Regardless of how you may feel about Dr. Laura, her past, and/or her political leanings, this book hit the nail on the head on why women stay in bad relationships and how they can escape from them. I have recommended this book to every female friend who was unhappy in her relationship or marriage, though I doubt any of them read the book.
In each case, my friends were justified in their dissatisfaction and/or unhappiness. However, each friend had a recurring mantra: "...but I love him, and I know he loves me too." No matter how confusing or how cruel his behavior was, every heart-breaking story of love abused and/or betrayed ended with some variation of that mantra. Sometimes, it was all I could do to keep from grabbing their shoulders and shaking some sense into them, screaming, "Are you listening to yourself? Do you realize what you're saying?" These are smart women who are blinded by their feelings for their men. If they could break free from the spell their husbands/boyfriends/significant others had on them, they'd see they were being mistreated, could do much better, and would leave. Even when it's blantantly obvious the spouse/significant other is cheating, abusive, neglectful, etc., each still wanted to hang on.
Actions speak louder than words. When your husband won't do anything around the house, but will zip out as soon as a neighbor calls asking him to do the same chore he's neglecting at home, that should be a red flag. When your husband doesn't take you out someplace, makes all the excuses in the world as to why, but then will go off with someone else to that same place, that should be a red flag. When he supposedly works all these overtime hours, doesn't get paid for these hours, won't do anything to demand payment for these hours, and still continues to work for that employer .... yes, red flag time.
Here are some of the behaviors I've witnessed or been told about by a few of my friends: unreachable by phone, acting different (short tempered, distant, defensive, etc.), neglecting chores at home, accusing them of cheating, withdrawing from family/friends, pointing out their spouse's flaws, the " I love you, but I’m not IN love with you " talk, secret e-mail accounts , up on computer to all hours , errands that should take 1/2 hour take much longer, claims to work overtime, yet no overtime on checks, too many visits to "friends", the "he's/she's just a friend" story, coming home late saying they " just lost track of time." This is a partial list compiled from http://www.survivinginfidelity.com. The complete list can be found here.
In the book Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives, Dr. Laura covered every situation, including the women who won't do anything to change the situation they're in. These women whine and cry and ask advice about their situation, but they do very little if anything about it. Dr. Laura advises them that their decision to stay in their unhappy situation should be respected. She also tells them they need to shut up and stop whining about it to other people. I couldn't have said it better myself. Years ago, some of us at work tried to help co-worker who was in a bad relationship; he was cheating on her and was blaming her for his cheating. She complained about it and about feeling trapped and asked each of us separately what she should do about it. Of course, we all said the same thing: dump his sorry butt. She did manage to leave him one time. We collected and gave her money and food to help her out. She went right back to him in less than a week. What's worse, he was overheard bragging about getting some money from her. As badly tempted as we were to ask for our money back, we kept our mouths shut. She quit work right after that. Whether it was out of shame or at her boyfriend's demand, I don't know.
No, I don't think I'm being too hard on any of them. I've been in an abusive relationship before. It was just a casual fling that lasted a little over a year, but I was manipulated and coerced into doing things that were ultimately painful. It was not until someone else showed an interest in me that I realized I was being used and mistreated. Of course, he blamed me, accusing me of "toying" with him and being mean to him. He got the message once I filed the police report against him. I won't go into detail of what I have heard about him since then, but I will say that I was wise to end the relationship and file that report. In my case, the warning signs that I should have heeded were: promises made but not kept, his not wanting anyone to know of the relationship, "don't call me ... I'll call you," "do it my way or I'll leave," blaming me for his behavior, claiming I was the one mistreating him when it was the other way around. I think that's when I decided to give celibacy a try. You know what? There's a lot to be said for it, but I digress ...
Here are some other web sites that are informative and can help you save your marriage/relationship or give you the strength to leave.
http://www.chatcheaters.com/
This site offers guidance, advice, and counseling concerning infidelity, both online and offline. It helps you spot the warning signs of possible cheating. According to this web site, cyber sex is the same as physical sex; the site explains why.
http://www.seeitandstopit.org/
Although this site focuses on teen dating abuse, the behaviors could also apply to the adult dating scene as well. In fact, a couple of scenarios grabbed my attention because some of these same abuses and excuses in the profiles were done to my above-mentioned female friends. In fact, I think this site is what started my thought processes that led me to write this entry. This site is helpful as it give examples on how to recognize abuse and stop it.
Before I close, I want to stress than men can and are abused in marriages and relationships, too. There are men who have been victimized in their relationships by women who cheated on them, abused them, neglected them, and/or took advantage of them in some way, shape, or form. I would also like to take this time to ask you, the reader, to make a donation to your local shelter for the battered and abused. It doesn't have to be money, it could be food, clothing, toys, personal hygiene items, books ... anything will help. You will help these poor souls to make that first step toward turning their lives around and giving them a chance for a happier life.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger wrote a book a few years ago called Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives. Regardless of how you may feel about Dr. Laura, her past, and/or her political leanings, this book hit the nail on the head on why women stay in bad relationships and how they can escape from them. I have recommended this book to every female friend who was unhappy in her relationship or marriage, though I doubt any of them read the book.
In each case, my friends were justified in their dissatisfaction and/or unhappiness. However, each friend had a recurring mantra: "...but I love him, and I know he loves me too." No matter how confusing or how cruel his behavior was, every heart-breaking story of love abused and/or betrayed ended with some variation of that mantra. Sometimes, it was all I could do to keep from grabbing their shoulders and shaking some sense into them, screaming, "Are you listening to yourself? Do you realize what you're saying?" These are smart women who are blinded by their feelings for their men. If they could break free from the spell their husbands/boyfriends/significant others had on them, they'd see they were being mistreated, could do much better, and would leave. Even when it's blantantly obvious the spouse/significant other is cheating, abusive, neglectful, etc., each still wanted to hang on.
Actions speak louder than words. When your husband won't do anything around the house, but will zip out as soon as a neighbor calls asking him to do the same chore he's neglecting at home, that should be a red flag. When your husband doesn't take you out someplace, makes all the excuses in the world as to why, but then will go off with someone else to that same place, that should be a red flag. When he supposedly works all these overtime hours, doesn't get paid for these hours, won't do anything to demand payment for these hours, and still continues to work for that employer .... yes, red flag time.
Here are some of the behaviors I've witnessed or been told about by a few of my friends: unreachable by phone, acting different (short tempered, distant, defensive, etc.), neglecting chores at home, accusing them of cheating, withdrawing from family/friends, pointing out their spouse's flaws, the " I love you, but I’m not IN love with you " talk, secret e-mail accounts , up on computer to all hours , errands that should take 1/2 hour take much longer, claims to work overtime, yet no overtime on checks, too many visits to "friends", the "he's/she's just a friend" story, coming home late saying they " just lost track of time." This is a partial list compiled from http://www.survivinginfidelity.com. The complete list can be found here.
In the book Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives, Dr. Laura covered every situation, including the women who won't do anything to change the situation they're in. These women whine and cry and ask advice about their situation, but they do very little if anything about it. Dr. Laura advises them that their decision to stay in their unhappy situation should be respected. She also tells them they need to shut up and stop whining about it to other people. I couldn't have said it better myself. Years ago, some of us at work tried to help co-worker who was in a bad relationship; he was cheating on her and was blaming her for his cheating. She complained about it and about feeling trapped and asked each of us separately what she should do about it. Of course, we all said the same thing: dump his sorry butt. She did manage to leave him one time. We collected and gave her money and food to help her out. She went right back to him in less than a week. What's worse, he was overheard bragging about getting some money from her. As badly tempted as we were to ask for our money back, we kept our mouths shut. She quit work right after that. Whether it was out of shame or at her boyfriend's demand, I don't know.
No, I don't think I'm being too hard on any of them. I've been in an abusive relationship before. It was just a casual fling that lasted a little over a year, but I was manipulated and coerced into doing things that were ultimately painful. It was not until someone else showed an interest in me that I realized I was being used and mistreated. Of course, he blamed me, accusing me of "toying" with him and being mean to him. He got the message once I filed the police report against him. I won't go into detail of what I have heard about him since then, but I will say that I was wise to end the relationship and file that report. In my case, the warning signs that I should have heeded were: promises made but not kept, his not wanting anyone to know of the relationship, "don't call me ... I'll call you," "do it my way or I'll leave," blaming me for his behavior, claiming I was the one mistreating him when it was the other way around. I think that's when I decided to give celibacy a try. You know what? There's a lot to be said for it, but I digress ...
Here are some other web sites that are informative and can help you save your marriage/relationship or give you the strength to leave.
http://www.chatcheaters.com/
This site offers guidance, advice, and counseling concerning infidelity, both online and offline. It helps you spot the warning signs of possible cheating. According to this web site, cyber sex is the same as physical sex; the site explains why.
http://www.seeitandstopit.org/
Although this site focuses on teen dating abuse, the behaviors could also apply to the adult dating scene as well. In fact, a couple of scenarios grabbed my attention because some of these same abuses and excuses in the profiles were done to my above-mentioned female friends. In fact, I think this site is what started my thought processes that led me to write this entry. This site is helpful as it give examples on how to recognize abuse and stop it.
Before I close, I want to stress than men can and are abused in marriages and relationships, too. There are men who have been victimized in their relationships by women who cheated on them, abused them, neglected them, and/or took advantage of them in some way, shape, or form. I would also like to take this time to ask you, the reader, to make a donation to your local shelter for the battered and abused. It doesn't have to be money, it could be food, clothing, toys, personal hygiene items, books ... anything will help. You will help these poor souls to make that first step toward turning their lives around and giving them a chance for a happier life.
Friday, July 09, 2004
Another Open Letter to Soul Sister's soon-to-be Ex-Husband
Dude! What part of leave me alone in Soul Sister's e-mail to you do you not understand?
From November 2002 until last month, you have broken every promise you made to your wife. You'd neglect things around the house for months. However, as soon as your mistress (I'll call her Mindy) called wanting something done, you'd dash over there so fast you'd leave skid marks! Then you started using money (that should have been used to pay the household bills) and partied with Mindy and her friends feasting on Pizza Hut pizza and other take-out cuisine while your wife and step-daughter were home living on peanut butter sandwiches. You stopped paying the utility bills, so the phone and electricity were shut off. Of course, this didn't bother you ... you were staying with Mindy in her home. Meanwhile, your wife and step-daughter were driven from their home. You made it clear that you wanted them to leave. That violated her rights as your wife, but what did you care?
She eventually found a place of her own for her and her daughter. She kept trying to work things out with you, but you still chose to associate with that marriage-breaking adultress. It seemed like you came around only when you wanted something. Then, if your wife didn't give it to you, you'd turn on her and cut her down. You don't do this to someone you're supposed to love.
As she spent time away from you, she decided to go on with her life. Oh no! As soon as you found out other men were interested in meeting and becoming friends with her, you accused her of the very thing you were blatently guilty of. I can personally attest that she had been faithful to you, and your double standards don't hold water. Your accusations were uncalled for.
You even tried to make up crises as an attempt to get her attention and her sympathy. When you got in trouble with the law, she was the one who bailed you out. No one else. Just her. Did you know that paying your bail bonds left her in financial hardship? Did you ever pay her back the money she loaned you? You pushed her a little too far. The one night might have had a legitimate crisis, she decided to leave you to suffer in a mess of your own creation. Yes, I can imagine just how cold a trailer can get when it's only 24 degrees outside at night. Whose fault was it that the electricity didn't get paid?
Soul Sister realized that in order to get away from your manipulations, she needed to put some serious distance between you and her. Even her daughter was ready to leave! So, they packed up their stuff and made preparations to move. You did help her move; I will give you that. However, it got your attention, didn't it? Made it much harder for you to keep stringing her along, didn't it? Of course, that didn't stop you from trying.
Things were extremely unpleasant for her for a few months. You used that to try to convince her to move back to your town. You almost succeeded. However, between me and her friends in chat, she came to her senses.
Then she found her own place. Oh, how convenient for you! You just lost your trailer and needed a place to stay. All of a sudden, you want to move here, bring the kids and resume your marriage and family! You could have succeeded; you had her bamboozled into thinking you changed. When you left, she was loopy-headed thinking she was finally going to get her family back. However, you kept making promises you wouldn't keep. For someone who claimed to love his wife, you sure didn't show it.
You promised to fix her car, you came without the parts, you promised to come back the next weekend with the parts to do the labor, and you didn't show up. Not so much as a phone call. It was two weeks before you got a hold of her, and it was only to tell her you were in jail. Was Soul Sister too hard to find? No. You couldn't have someone else call on your behalf? No. She was counting on that promise to have her car fixed because the rental car's rates were eating her alive financially. She frantically sent you e-mails, literally begging you to hurry up and get here to fix the car like you promised. Nope, you were no where to be found. She was about to lose everything because she took you at your word, still trying to give you the benefit of the doubt even though you didn't deserve it.
You promised you'd be here with her last month. The date you promised came and went with no sign of you in sight. No phone call, no e-mail, no text messages ... nothing! It was the straw that broke the camel's back. She finally realized that she could not trust you, and the marriage was irretrievably broken.
She sends you an e-mail that plainly and clearly said, "I'm filing for divorce. Do not e-mail me, do not call me, do not come around me." Talk about opening the floodgates of communications!!! All of a sudden, you're flooding her emailbox with e-mails and ringing her phone off the hook "wanting to talk." It's too late to talk. You had your chance. You had lots of chances, and you blew them all.
What it looks like to Soul Sister and me is that you want to come around just often enough to keep her "hooked" on you because she still has feelings for you. You've been using her as your "safety net" for when you mess up so you have someplace to go or someone to bail you out if you get into trouble. The longer she is away from your influence, the stronger she gets, and the more clear-headed she gets about what she wants and how to go about getting them. Then you come around saying you love her, and it gets her all confused, just to keep stringing her along. Guess what? She cut the strings! That's why you've been going overboard with the e-mails and phone calls; you're trying to reestablish that "connection." She's onto your scheme, and she's not falling for it again.
You even had the audacity to come to her home at 2:30 Saturday morning to find out, "what's going on?" You got your answer. It was bad enough you rehashed your tired old lines to get her to take you back. However, you sunk low ... you brought up the kids and used them as leverage. When you saw it wasn't working, you brought up your mother and her poor health. When you saw that wasn't working either, you sunk lower than a skunked snake: you threated to perform a drastic act if she didn't take you back. That was the scummiest, lowest act of emotional blackmail you could have done. She and I came to the same conclusion: how dare you!
And to top it all off, you drove here in Mindy's van! I don't get it: she has stolen checks from your checking account (by your own admission) and bounced them. Instead of prosecuting her, you pay for the bounced checks and the fees. You gave her cash to pay for your probation fees and she kept the money instead and got you put in jail. Why are you still associating with her??? You claim to love your wife, but you keep going back to Mindy even after Soul Sister stated that renouncing all association with Mindy would be a requirement of reconciliation with her. And you want to know why we don't believe anything you say anymore? All you proved that morning was that you hadn't changed and you're still blaming everyone else but the real cause of the breakup: YOU.
Now, I'm going to clarify a couple of things:
First, I do not hate you. I just hate the way you've treated my friend the last 19 months. I do not trust you, especially after you made a threat concerning my job (by the way, my supervisor was advised of this threat). Ever since I met you, I have been supportive of the relationship you had with Soul Sister. I even defended your relationship against her parents and her brother. When I came to visit, I NEVER came empty handed. I helped out with groceries or gasoline expenses. I was not a mooch nor freeloader. I think I proved my friendship and support. I am not your enemy. I am merely expressing my feelings, based on my observations. I'm not out to trash you; I'd be using your real name if I was.
Second, Soul Sister and I care very much for your mother. We think the world of her. We know she's not in good health. However, it is too emotionally painful for Soul Sister to contact your mother at this time. Stop using your mother to make Soul Sister reconsider her decision to file for divorce. The emotional blackmail is uncalled for. You prevented Soul Sister from contacting your mother for a long time, claiming that your sister did not want your wife to call. Now, all of a sudden, your sister is allowing your wife to call and your mother is available for phone calls?
Your constant e-mails promising the world and your incessant phone calls have got to stop. It's time to face reality. You lost her. She told you more than once, "don't call, don't e-mail, don't visit." It means "leave me alone." If you continue to bombard her with e-mails and phone calls, you're leaving yourself wide open to be charged with stalking and harassment. Is that what you want? Considering your current circumstances right now, it would be in your best interest to back off and leave her alone as she has requested.
If you really truly love Soul Sister, let her go. It's over. Let her go.
From November 2002 until last month, you have broken every promise you made to your wife. You'd neglect things around the house for months. However, as soon as your mistress (I'll call her Mindy) called wanting something done, you'd dash over there so fast you'd leave skid marks! Then you started using money (that should have been used to pay the household bills) and partied with Mindy and her friends feasting on Pizza Hut pizza and other take-out cuisine while your wife and step-daughter were home living on peanut butter sandwiches. You stopped paying the utility bills, so the phone and electricity were shut off. Of course, this didn't bother you ... you were staying with Mindy in her home. Meanwhile, your wife and step-daughter were driven from their home. You made it clear that you wanted them to leave. That violated her rights as your wife, but what did you care?
She eventually found a place of her own for her and her daughter. She kept trying to work things out with you, but you still chose to associate with that marriage-breaking adultress. It seemed like you came around only when you wanted something. Then, if your wife didn't give it to you, you'd turn on her and cut her down. You don't do this to someone you're supposed to love.
As she spent time away from you, she decided to go on with her life. Oh no! As soon as you found out other men were interested in meeting and becoming friends with her, you accused her of the very thing you were blatently guilty of. I can personally attest that she had been faithful to you, and your double standards don't hold water. Your accusations were uncalled for.
You even tried to make up crises as an attempt to get her attention and her sympathy. When you got in trouble with the law, she was the one who bailed you out. No one else. Just her. Did you know that paying your bail bonds left her in financial hardship? Did you ever pay her back the money she loaned you? You pushed her a little too far. The one night might have had a legitimate crisis, she decided to leave you to suffer in a mess of your own creation. Yes, I can imagine just how cold a trailer can get when it's only 24 degrees outside at night. Whose fault was it that the electricity didn't get paid?
Soul Sister realized that in order to get away from your manipulations, she needed to put some serious distance between you and her. Even her daughter was ready to leave! So, they packed up their stuff and made preparations to move. You did help her move; I will give you that. However, it got your attention, didn't it? Made it much harder for you to keep stringing her along, didn't it? Of course, that didn't stop you from trying.
Things were extremely unpleasant for her for a few months. You used that to try to convince her to move back to your town. You almost succeeded. However, between me and her friends in chat, she came to her senses.
Then she found her own place. Oh, how convenient for you! You just lost your trailer and needed a place to stay. All of a sudden, you want to move here, bring the kids and resume your marriage and family! You could have succeeded; you had her bamboozled into thinking you changed. When you left, she was loopy-headed thinking she was finally going to get her family back. However, you kept making promises you wouldn't keep. For someone who claimed to love his wife, you sure didn't show it.
You promised to fix her car, you came without the parts, you promised to come back the next weekend with the parts to do the labor, and you didn't show up. Not so much as a phone call. It was two weeks before you got a hold of her, and it was only to tell her you were in jail. Was Soul Sister too hard to find? No. You couldn't have someone else call on your behalf? No. She was counting on that promise to have her car fixed because the rental car's rates were eating her alive financially. She frantically sent you e-mails, literally begging you to hurry up and get here to fix the car like you promised. Nope, you were no where to be found. She was about to lose everything because she took you at your word, still trying to give you the benefit of the doubt even though you didn't deserve it.
You promised you'd be here with her last month. The date you promised came and went with no sign of you in sight. No phone call, no e-mail, no text messages ... nothing! It was the straw that broke the camel's back. She finally realized that she could not trust you, and the marriage was irretrievably broken.
She sends you an e-mail that plainly and clearly said, "I'm filing for divorce. Do not e-mail me, do not call me, do not come around me." Talk about opening the floodgates of communications!!! All of a sudden, you're flooding her emailbox with e-mails and ringing her phone off the hook "wanting to talk." It's too late to talk. You had your chance. You had lots of chances, and you blew them all.
What it looks like to Soul Sister and me is that you want to come around just often enough to keep her "hooked" on you because she still has feelings for you. You've been using her as your "safety net" for when you mess up so you have someplace to go or someone to bail you out if you get into trouble. The longer she is away from your influence, the stronger she gets, and the more clear-headed she gets about what she wants and how to go about getting them. Then you come around saying you love her, and it gets her all confused, just to keep stringing her along. Guess what? She cut the strings! That's why you've been going overboard with the e-mails and phone calls; you're trying to reestablish that "connection." She's onto your scheme, and she's not falling for it again.
You even had the audacity to come to her home at 2:30 Saturday morning to find out, "what's going on?" You got your answer. It was bad enough you rehashed your tired old lines to get her to take you back. However, you sunk low ... you brought up the kids and used them as leverage. When you saw it wasn't working, you brought up your mother and her poor health. When you saw that wasn't working either, you sunk lower than a skunked snake: you threated to perform a drastic act if she didn't take you back. That was the scummiest, lowest act of emotional blackmail you could have done. She and I came to the same conclusion: how dare you!
And to top it all off, you drove here in Mindy's van! I don't get it: she has stolen checks from your checking account (by your own admission) and bounced them. Instead of prosecuting her, you pay for the bounced checks and the fees. You gave her cash to pay for your probation fees and she kept the money instead and got you put in jail. Why are you still associating with her??? You claim to love your wife, but you keep going back to Mindy even after Soul Sister stated that renouncing all association with Mindy would be a requirement of reconciliation with her. And you want to know why we don't believe anything you say anymore? All you proved that morning was that you hadn't changed and you're still blaming everyone else but the real cause of the breakup: YOU.
Now, I'm going to clarify a couple of things:
First, I do not hate you. I just hate the way you've treated my friend the last 19 months. I do not trust you, especially after you made a threat concerning my job (by the way, my supervisor was advised of this threat). Ever since I met you, I have been supportive of the relationship you had with Soul Sister. I even defended your relationship against her parents and her brother. When I came to visit, I NEVER came empty handed. I helped out with groceries or gasoline expenses. I was not a mooch nor freeloader. I think I proved my friendship and support. I am not your enemy. I am merely expressing my feelings, based on my observations. I'm not out to trash you; I'd be using your real name if I was.
Second, Soul Sister and I care very much for your mother. We think the world of her. We know she's not in good health. However, it is too emotionally painful for Soul Sister to contact your mother at this time. Stop using your mother to make Soul Sister reconsider her decision to file for divorce. The emotional blackmail is uncalled for. You prevented Soul Sister from contacting your mother for a long time, claiming that your sister did not want your wife to call. Now, all of a sudden, your sister is allowing your wife to call and your mother is available for phone calls?
Your constant e-mails promising the world and your incessant phone calls have got to stop. It's time to face reality. You lost her. She told you more than once, "don't call, don't e-mail, don't visit." It means "leave me alone." If you continue to bombard her with e-mails and phone calls, you're leaving yourself wide open to be charged with stalking and harassment. Is that what you want? Considering your current circumstances right now, it would be in your best interest to back off and leave her alone as she has requested.
If you really truly love Soul Sister, let her go. It's over. Let her go.
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Pardon the mess ...
If you've been to this site before, you know that this page looks radically different from the previous one. I'm making my journal the main page of the site. The site menu will be to the right. Nothing has been deleted ... yet.
I just feel a change is in order. I've done the frilly, fancy, graphic-intensive website thing, and now I'm ready to be taken more seriously for my writing. I'm not abandoning doing web graphics, but that's not the sole purpose of my site. I'm still keeping my other pages the same. This site is to allow me to express myself, whether it's my crafts, my poetry, my essays, my pictures, or my web graphics.
The biggest challenge ahead of me right now is to decide what to do with my webring data. I will probably have to move them to their own separate page or end my membership with them. To be brutally honest, I'm not getting the web traffic from them that they implied I'd get. I'm proud to be affiliated with Phenomenal Women of the Web and Designed by Women for what they represent; please don't misunderstand me. However, they have requirements as to where and how their webring information is to be placed. The trick is trying to comply without cluttering this Blogger template or creating an alternative page. Just from the way things are going, it looks like the alternative page will be the direction I take.
I love my weather decals, but I've got to figure out where the heck to put them. The missing children's banner is another matter altogether. It's important to me to want to keep it. However, unless it's placed prominantly somewhere for people to see it, it's not going to do much good.
I've removed the archive links because I'm going to create a site index page of all the blog entries. That will take some time, but look for it in the next couple of days.
So now, the renovation is underway ...
I just feel a change is in order. I've done the frilly, fancy, graphic-intensive website thing, and now I'm ready to be taken more seriously for my writing. I'm not abandoning doing web graphics, but that's not the sole purpose of my site. I'm still keeping my other pages the same. This site is to allow me to express myself, whether it's my crafts, my poetry, my essays, my pictures, or my web graphics.
The biggest challenge ahead of me right now is to decide what to do with my webring data. I will probably have to move them to their own separate page or end my membership with them. To be brutally honest, I'm not getting the web traffic from them that they implied I'd get. I'm proud to be affiliated with Phenomenal Women of the Web and Designed by Women for what they represent; please don't misunderstand me. However, they have requirements as to where and how their webring information is to be placed. The trick is trying to comply without cluttering this Blogger template or creating an alternative page. Just from the way things are going, it looks like the alternative page will be the direction I take.
I love my weather decals, but I've got to figure out where the heck to put them. The missing children's banner is another matter altogether. It's important to me to want to keep it. However, unless it's placed prominantly somewhere for people to see it, it's not going to do much good.
I've removed the archive links because I'm going to create a site index page of all the blog entries. That will take some time, but look for it in the next couple of days.
So now, the renovation is underway ...
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Food Ads
Remember the movie Falling Down with Michael Douglas as a recently-fired defense worker who loses it one day and goes on a lashout rampage against things he finds unfair? Remember the fast food scene in which he comments on how the food he was served NEVER looks like the food pictured in the retaurant ads?
The only reason I'm bringing this up is because I had a thought today at work. I was eating a Banquet Fried Chicken "tv dinner" for lunch, and I was looking at the box, then looking at my lunch. Of course, my lunch was not as appealing as what was pictured on the box. I wonder how small of a plate they used to make that piddly little meal look bigger on the package than it really was in the sealed tray?
I'm wondering just how long in this letigious society it's going to be before some greedy lawyer gets the idea to sue against deceitful pictures of various food items in ads, in stores, in restaurants, and on labels of packages. Hey, it could happen! Several people tried to sue the fast food restaurants for making them fat. It made the news and got some serious debating started.
I'm wondering if anyone ever got the idea to go to a fast food restaurant, order a Big Mac, then complain when he/she receives his/her order? "I'm sorry, this is not what I ordered. Yes, I wanted a Big Mac, but I wanted the Big Mac as it looks up on your menu board. This sandwich does not look like the Big Mac on your menu board. I don't care if you want to call it a Big Mac, but the sandwich you gave me does not look like the picture up there. If you can't give me a Big Mac that looks like the picture up there, then I want my money back."
With my luck, they'd ban me from the restaurant (LOL!).
The only reason I'm bringing this up is because I had a thought today at work. I was eating a Banquet Fried Chicken "tv dinner" for lunch, and I was looking at the box, then looking at my lunch. Of course, my lunch was not as appealing as what was pictured on the box. I wonder how small of a plate they used to make that piddly little meal look bigger on the package than it really was in the sealed tray?
I'm wondering just how long in this letigious society it's going to be before some greedy lawyer gets the idea to sue against deceitful pictures of various food items in ads, in stores, in restaurants, and on labels of packages. Hey, it could happen! Several people tried to sue the fast food restaurants for making them fat. It made the news and got some serious debating started.
I'm wondering if anyone ever got the idea to go to a fast food restaurant, order a Big Mac, then complain when he/she receives his/her order? "I'm sorry, this is not what I ordered. Yes, I wanted a Big Mac, but I wanted the Big Mac as it looks up on your menu board. This sandwich does not look like the Big Mac on your menu board. I don't care if you want to call it a Big Mac, but the sandwich you gave me does not look like the picture up there. If you can't give me a Big Mac that looks like the picture up there, then I want my money back."
With my luck, they'd ban me from the restaurant (LOL!).
Monday, June 28, 2004
E-mail Disclaimers
I've been receiving joke e-mails forwarded from friends who receive them from people who are using their work e-mail addresses to send them. How can I tell? Most of the time, the e-mail address is a dead giveaway. But, like all forwarded e-mails that are not cleaned up of coded tick marks and e-mail addresses of multiple recipients, there's this "disclaimer" at the bottom of many of these e-mails:
"The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that your access is unauthorized, and any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this message including any attachments is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer."
Interesting! So what this disclaimer is saying is that I'm not authorized to read the joke because it was not originally intended to be read by me. Oh, God forbid the FBI comes knocking down my door for reading someone else's e-mail not intended for me and being notified of such! I'd better get off the Internet and bolt my doors right now! Oh, dread! Oh, worry!
Oh puhleeze!!!!
When it comes to jokes, cartoons, or other non-work or personal e-mails, these disclaimers are so annoying. They're impotent at best. Is someone really going to take the time to contact the author of the e-mail and tell him/her that they accidentally received it? What if someone sinister accidentally received it? Do you think a stern disclaimer is going to stop him from "sharing" the contents of the e-mail with others?
I know I'm bordering on the ridiculous here. What I wish people would do is clean up these e-mails to remove other people's e-mail addresses and the little codes and characters embedded into the contents of the e-mail.
It's not that hard, actually. Open up your WordPad program, then copy and paste original body of the e-mail onto the page. Then select "edit" then "replace" at the top of the screen. In the "find what" space, type in the "> " character with a space right after it. Leave "replace with" blank. Then click on "replace all." Do the same thing, but this time, remove that space after the ">" in the "find what" space. Doesn't the contents look better already? A little more adjusting might be needed, like deleting extra spaces to make two lines of text into one line of text. It doesn't take much time nor effort to "clean" up the contents and make them easier to read.
There is another benefit to this trick ... it reduces the bandwidth needed to send the e-mail. You might not think it would be important, but think about this: have you been on the Internet and it seems your service suddenly slows down or is slow when you log on? The main reason is bandwidth usage. The more bandwidth being used, the slower the affected Internet servers are. One e-mail may seem harmless. However, when you multiply that e-mail by millions of people, it adds up. That is one of the main reasons e-mail spam is so reviled and considered the scourge of the Internet; spam uses up A LOT of bandwidth.
Hmmm ... I started with one topic and finished with another. I guess that's my bohemian thought process at work. My mind wanders from one subject to another. :-P
"The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that your access is unauthorized, and any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this message including any attachments is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer."
Interesting! So what this disclaimer is saying is that I'm not authorized to read the joke because it was not originally intended to be read by me. Oh, God forbid the FBI comes knocking down my door for reading someone else's e-mail not intended for me and being notified of such! I'd better get off the Internet and bolt my doors right now! Oh, dread! Oh, worry!
Oh puhleeze!!!!
When it comes to jokes, cartoons, or other non-work or personal e-mails, these disclaimers are so annoying. They're impotent at best. Is someone really going to take the time to contact the author of the e-mail and tell him/her that they accidentally received it? What if someone sinister accidentally received it? Do you think a stern disclaimer is going to stop him from "sharing" the contents of the e-mail with others?
I know I'm bordering on the ridiculous here. What I wish people would do is clean up these e-mails to remove other people's e-mail addresses and the little codes and characters embedded into the contents of the e-mail.
It's not that hard, actually. Open up your WordPad program, then copy and paste original body of the e-mail onto the page. Then select "edit" then "replace" at the top of the screen. In the "find what" space, type in the "> " character with a space right after it. Leave "replace with" blank. Then click on "replace all." Do the same thing, but this time, remove that space after the ">" in the "find what" space. Doesn't the contents look better already? A little more adjusting might be needed, like deleting extra spaces to make two lines of text into one line of text. It doesn't take much time nor effort to "clean" up the contents and make them easier to read.
There is another benefit to this trick ... it reduces the bandwidth needed to send the e-mail. You might not think it would be important, but think about this: have you been on the Internet and it seems your service suddenly slows down or is slow when you log on? The main reason is bandwidth usage. The more bandwidth being used, the slower the affected Internet servers are. One e-mail may seem harmless. However, when you multiply that e-mail by millions of people, it adds up. That is one of the main reasons e-mail spam is so reviled and considered the scourge of the Internet; spam uses up A LOT of bandwidth.
Hmmm ... I started with one topic and finished with another. I guess that's my bohemian thought process at work. My mind wanders from one subject to another. :-P
Friday, June 25, 2004
Lookalike Celebrities
Just some casual observations:
Couldn't Traci Lords and Renee Zellweger look like sisters?
How about Catherine Mary Stewart and Kristian Alfonso?
Couldn't Lisa Zane play Madonna in a movie if she bleached her hair blonde? She even sounds like Madonna when she talks.
Just me, huh?
Couldn't Traci Lords and Renee Zellweger look like sisters?
How about Catherine Mary Stewart and Kristian Alfonso?
Couldn't Lisa Zane play Madonna in a movie if she bleached her hair blonde? She even sounds like Madonna when she talks.
Just me, huh?
Thursday, June 24, 2004
PC Game Triggered False Virus Alert
Note: the following is diary of a series of events that occurred after an antivirus update on my computer. This issue was resolved in a timely manner by Oberon Media and McAfee. If something like this should happen to you, contact the software and antivirus companies involved to see if the alert may be in error.
Last night around 9:20 PM EST, my antivirus program McAfee had an update that required I restart my computer. When I restarted my computer, it alerted me that a file called gutterball.exe was infected with W32/Gaobot.worm.gen.e.
Gutterball.exe is the file that opens up the game Gutterball 3D, a 3D bowling game offered by IncrediGames, Oberon Media, and Skunk Studios LTD. IncrediGames is an offshoot of Incredimail, LTD.
The file sizes of the Gutterball installation files were different. The file size from the Oberon Media location was 7850 KB, the IncrediGames location was 7779 KB, and the Skunk Studio location was 6998 KB. I downloaded the installation file from Oberon Media and IncrediGames, and both times McAfee alerted me to the same infection and deleted the gutterball.exe file. However, when I installed the game downloaded from Skunk Studios, McAfee didn't detect any viruses, worms, nor trojans. I find this very interesting!
I retrieved the e-mail receipt from my files. I purchased this game from the IncrediGame web site, but the receipt came from Oberon Media. I have written Oberon Media expressing my displeasure and have asked for a refund. I promised an update as soon as I got some information.
UPDATE: 6/24/2004 6:20 PM EST
I received my first response from Oberon Media. The entire e-mail is as follows:
-----------------------------------------------
Below is the answer to the question you recently sent to the Oberon Media Support Team. If this response does not answer your question please use the link to update your question so we can take another look into this incident for you.
Almog Flitter 6/24/2004 9:44:50 AM
Dear customer,
We checked this issue several times as seriously as possible, and confirmed that our system is indeed virus free.
From time to time anti-virus companies publish false alerts. We suspect this is the case and are waiting for Mcafee to fix their definitions. We expect that soon, probably today. As soon as it comes, we will send it to you so you can enjoy our games to the fullest!
Once again, I would like to assure you that our system is safe and protected, and that no harm was caused to your computer by our games.
Thanks,
Almog Flitter,
Oberon-Media
--------------------------------------------
This still does not answer the question about why there are three different file sizes for the same game. However, I have to give them credit for giving me a timely response. My antivirus program just had another update, so we'll see. I will update as I get more information.
Update: June 25, 2004 12:20 AM
I received a second response from Oberon Media, confirming that McAfee made an error. I checked the virus info page on the McAfee web site, and, indeed, the update concerning this situation had been issued.
The entire e-mail received is as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------
Below is the answer to the question you recently sent to the Oberon Media Support Team. If this response does not answer your question please use the link to update your question so we can take another look into this incident for you.
Alon Hod 6/24/2004 8:08:13 PM
Dear customer,
Mcafee just released the following:
"An incorrect identification of some modified ASPacked files as W32/Gaobot.worm.gen.e has been identified in the 4368 DAT files. The 4369 DAT files are being released to resolve this incorrect identification."
(http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=description&virus_k=101447)
The game may just work now.
If not, an update of Mcafee should solve the issue or you can update by download the 4369 DAT file from:
http://www.networkassociates.com/us/downloads/updates/dat_download.asp
It's clear Mcafee had a mistake here. As you can see we did our best to fix the problem and make sure you'll be able to enjoy your games as soon as possible!
If the game still doesn't work, just enter the original website you downloaded the game from.
Find your game and click Download, no need to purchase again, if you get limited time play, use your registration key we sent you in the confirmation letter.
Please don't hesitate to contact us at any problem, we will be happy to assist you a always.
Enjoy,
Alon Hod
Oberon-Media
---------------------------------------------
I did respond to let them know that I have received their information and that I appreciated the timely responses and solution to my situation.
My confidence has been restored in the company, and I have reinstalled the game and have been happily playing it.
Last night around 9:20 PM EST, my antivirus program McAfee had an update that required I restart my computer. When I restarted my computer, it alerted me that a file called gutterball.exe was infected with W32/Gaobot.worm.gen.e.
Gutterball.exe is the file that opens up the game Gutterball 3D, a 3D bowling game offered by IncrediGames, Oberon Media, and Skunk Studios LTD. IncrediGames is an offshoot of Incredimail, LTD.
The file sizes of the Gutterball installation files were different. The file size from the Oberon Media location was 7850 KB, the IncrediGames location was 7779 KB, and the Skunk Studio location was 6998 KB. I downloaded the installation file from Oberon Media and IncrediGames, and both times McAfee alerted me to the same infection and deleted the gutterball.exe file. However, when I installed the game downloaded from Skunk Studios, McAfee didn't detect any viruses, worms, nor trojans. I find this very interesting!
I retrieved the e-mail receipt from my files. I purchased this game from the IncrediGame web site, but the receipt came from Oberon Media. I have written Oberon Media expressing my displeasure and have asked for a refund. I promised an update as soon as I got some information.
UPDATE: 6/24/2004 6:20 PM EST
I received my first response from Oberon Media. The entire e-mail is as follows:
-----------------------------------------------
Below is the answer to the question you recently sent to the Oberon Media Support Team. If this response does not answer your question please use the link to update your question so we can take another look into this incident for you.
Almog Flitter 6/24/2004 9:44:50 AM
Dear customer,
We checked this issue several times as seriously as possible, and confirmed that our system is indeed virus free.
From time to time anti-virus companies publish false alerts. We suspect this is the case and are waiting for Mcafee to fix their definitions. We expect that soon, probably today. As soon as it comes, we will send it to you so you can enjoy our games to the fullest!
Once again, I would like to assure you that our system is safe and protected, and that no harm was caused to your computer by our games.
Thanks,
Almog Flitter,
Oberon-Media
--------------------------------------------
This still does not answer the question about why there are three different file sizes for the same game. However, I have to give them credit for giving me a timely response. My antivirus program just had another update, so we'll see. I will update as I get more information.
Update: June 25, 2004 12:20 AM
I received a second response from Oberon Media, confirming that McAfee made an error. I checked the virus info page on the McAfee web site, and, indeed, the update concerning this situation had been issued.
The entire e-mail received is as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------
Below is the answer to the question you recently sent to the Oberon Media Support Team. If this response does not answer your question please use the link to update your question so we can take another look into this incident for you.
Alon Hod 6/24/2004 8:08:13 PM
Dear customer,
Mcafee just released the following:
"An incorrect identification of some modified ASPacked files as W32/Gaobot.worm.gen.e has been identified in the 4368 DAT files. The 4369 DAT files are being released to resolve this incorrect identification."
(http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=description&virus_k=101447)
The game may just work now.
If not, an update of Mcafee should solve the issue or you can update by download the 4369 DAT file from:
http://www.networkassociates.com/us/downloads/updates/dat_download.asp
It's clear Mcafee had a mistake here. As you can see we did our best to fix the problem and make sure you'll be able to enjoy your games as soon as possible!
If the game still doesn't work, just enter the original website you downloaded the game from.
Find your game and click Download, no need to purchase again, if you get limited time play, use your registration key we sent you in the confirmation letter.
Please don't hesitate to contact us at any problem, we will be happy to assist you a always.
Enjoy,
Alon Hod
Oberon-Media
---------------------------------------------
I did respond to let them know that I have received their information and that I appreciated the timely responses and solution to my situation.
My confidence has been restored in the company, and I have reinstalled the game and have been happily playing it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)