Food and the word "Nasty"

Maybe it's a southern thing here, but I wish people would stop using the word "nasty" to describe food they don't like. Nasty means dirty, filthy, foul, and/or disgusting. It is very unfair to the cook to worked hard to prepare a meal, only to have somebody turn it down because, "it tastes nasty." Adults are just as bad as the children are about the overuse of this word. There are many words in existance that can describe disliked food more appropriately. Grrrrrr!!!


Soul Sister has a home!

After four months of stress, Soul Sister called me at work today to let me know she found a home of her own. She already had the keys and was moving stuff in. I was so happy and relieved for her that I cried when I got off the phone. This woman has had a string of bad luck, and having to live in a, shall we say "negatively critical environment" wasn't helping with her morale.

Her new home is great! The homes she had lived in while in Moultrie had no ice maker, no dishwasher, no washer nor dryer, and one home didn't even have working heat or air. This is a relatively new place with all the above-listed luxuries plus sturdy floors, new floor tiles, a fireplace, and a back yard with a fountain. She doesn't have a lawn, but her lot is covered with granite rocks. I am so happy for her!!!

I Hate E-mail Spam!!

I hadn't accessed my SpamCop account for a couple of days, so I was taken aback by 75 pieces of e-mail that were spam. I'd hate to think how much more spam I'd have if I were using Yahoo or Hotmail instead.

I recommend SpamCop for their ease and ability to report spam and for the filters they use for their e-mail. The $30.00 a year I pay for the account is worth it. Still, with 75 spam mails in my inbox, it was obvious I needed to add a few filters of my own.

The following domains are now blocked: consultant.com, winning.com, yahoo.co.hk, address.com, canada.com, attbi.com, hongkong.com, mail.com, and e-mail.com. Any e-mail with an address using these domains will not reach my inbox. In addition, if the word "mundlingzone" is in the subject line, that e-mail will be blocked as well.

It's a shame that those of us who don't want unsolicited e-mails have to resort to such measures.

YMCA

Back on April 6, I signed up for a three-month membership to the local YMCA (stands for Young Men's Christian Association). Here is my two-week report:

I have made some progress using the weight machines as I've been able to move the settings up one notch from my starting level. There is one machine I have am still struggling to do three series of 10 repetitions at its lowest weight setting, but I'm not giving up. As Susan Powter said in her workout video "Moving," when it gets too easy, it's time to increase the weights.

Tonight, I got into the pool for the first time. It felt good after using the machines. I started doing what I call the underwater bicycle, which is you move your legs as if you're riding a bicycle. I thought I was doing well, until it was time to get out of the pool. Every step I took getting out made me realize just how weak and worn out my legs were. Gravity was NOT my friend. I just posted to Soul Sister on the green screen that I am having trouble walking. I'm about to go bed because I'm so wiped out. And yet, I'm going back toomorrow night. Determined to get in shape, or glutton for punishment? Stay tuned!

Happy Easter!

Here it is Easter. People have made plans to go to church and/or prepare a large dinner for family members. Aunt Mavis will be coming over for Easter dinner, consisting of picnic ham cubed and slow cooked in the quart-sized crock pot, instant mashed potatoes with gravy, refrigerated southern style cornbread dressing (not bad!), beets, and English pea salad. My family doesn't believe in going all out to make a fancy meal these days; it's too much work and the cook doesn't get to enjoy the meal nearly as much as the rest of the family does. We thought about going out, but we decided to take it slow and easy at home today.

MREs and Emergency Kits

Found a website called Heater Meals. The site claims to sell "The Self-Heating Meal ... Comes with everything needed for A Hot Meal Anytime Anyplace." I'm very surprised at the cost of these meals: $3.99 for the basic meal and $5.99 for their "plus" version. Considering the packages never needs refrigerating AND have a shelf-life of two years, the cost is competitive. Most MREs (meals ready to eat) have been priced higher. Some sites are charging $129.00 for a case of twelve complete MREs. That's $10.75 a meal, and it's not even the self-heating kind! Uh, big difference! Seriously, check out Preparedness.com. Just do some comparison shopping. A quick search on Dogpile.com will show the various sites in which you compare prices.

Russ Chastain, a guide for Hunting/Shooting with About.com gave a favorable review of most of the Heater Meals. It might not be a bad idea to stock up on a few meals, like you stock up on batteries, fresh water, candles, dry matches, radio ... for, you know ... just in case.

All the fighting going on overseas and the after-effects of the September 11 attacks have made me think about getting/creating emergency kits. I've been to a few sites, and I must say I'm confused. There is so much to take into consideration as to what may be needed ... things we take for granted.

At the same time, I can't help but chuckle in disbelief about what's included in these kits that pass for "first aid," like small band-aids and non-aspirin pain reliever (similar to Tylenol). If someone is really injured or sick, band-aids and Tylenol are not going to begin to cover it. Some of these kits need to offer more real first aid products, like bandages, compresses, smelling salts, iodine, alcohol pads ... more serious stuff.

The Green Screen

One can read the most interesting topics on the Green Screen.

Today, someone posed the question, "What really happened in Sodom?" This person's position seemed to be that many people misinterpreted what the citizens of Sodom were doing that brought about God's destruction of the city. This person further theorized that many people claiming to be Godly were hypocritical because many of the laws in the book of Leviticus are not being adhered to while two verses were used to perpetuate "traditional abusive use of the Bible regarding homosexuals."

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I'm probably not the best qualified person to offer learned responses to this person's theories about the history of Sodom nor the verses in the book of Leviticus. I did, however, offer this response when another person posted this response, "... I'm just stating what the word says will happen if we don't turn to Him and live the way He has instructed. "

This was my two-cents worth on the subject:

Live the way "He" has instructed? The bible was written by man ... numerous men, actually. It is full of contradictions and inconsistencies. It has been interpreted and misinterpreted in several languages for hundreds of years.

These are my theories on the situation:

Many of the laws that you listed in your original post were written at a time in which clean water was not easily available and hygiene warranted numerous days of abstinence from certain activities to ensure proper healing or disease prevention.

Many of the laws were written forbidding tattooing, multi-textured garments, or certain hairstyles as a way to ensure identification and bonding of the Tribes versus the pagan tribes that surrounded them.

Even if you don't believe in Jesus, He did make a valid point: it is not what you eat that makes you unclean, it is what you say that makes you unclean.

I am by no means trying to diminish the significance of the Bible. It is still to be revered, respected, and used for guidance in how we are supposed to live our lives. I just don't believe it should be taken so literally that we spend more time arguing over verses than living as Godly people.

And of course, that is just my honest opinion.

My whole point was that the scriptures were written, interpreted, and translated into different versions of the book. None of us are going to agree as to which version is more accurate. All we can do is read the version that we understand best and pray that we're doing what God wants us to do. I do believe we shouldn't be hurting anyone in the process, just because we don't agree with their lifestyle choice.