Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
It's The Equality, Stupid and Hooray for Macy's
Anywho - I wish I could get married all over again just to register with *sigh* Macy's, sweet wonderful Macy's! Ok, here's the deal-e-o on the Macy's registration. You get two drop down boxes, each one gives you a "bride"," groom", or "partner" option! Sweet. Right now, I so effin' HEART Macy's!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Fourth Turning - Revisited
Sound familiar? 9/11? Today's housing market? Gas prices? U.S.led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq? Dissent? Presidential approval rating lowest in decades? The U.S.dollar is worth less than some third world countrie's currancy today, need I go on?
How did a couple of historians predict, with such accuracy, the climate of our great nation in the wake of 9/11, the war on terror, the recession that "is not", the housing market crash, etc. at least 4 years prior to it happening? They explain, in their book, their theory about cycles in history and how they repeat with predictable accuracy. They map out for us how they have for generations and define each cycle, each pattern, and identify the archetypes associated with the rise and fall of each cycle.
History repeating itself, but in cycles that can be mapped and predicted.
In other words, the cyclical view of time believes that which is old will one day be new again. Though mostly forgotten by our post-modern, urban contemporaries, a simple example of cyclical time is the turning of the seasons. Winter to spring, spring to summer, summer to fall, and back to winter – which is both old and new again. This cycle continues throughout centuries, never failing, never skipping a beat. Seasons may be different, one spring may be more rainy than another, but they come in sequential order, time and time again.
Likewise, according to Strauss and Howe, within the social realm, there are social seasons as sure as there are climatic ones. This book explains them, defines them, and shows us how to predict with a meteoriologist's dopplar radar accuracy, when the next "storm" will hit.
Funny how we tend to heed the warnings after the fact. I am revisiting The Fourth Turning and finding that I more fully understand the concepts today than I did 10 years ago. Is it age and maturity? Or experience of the past 10 years that enable me to read it today with new eyes? Either way, I am getting more from it today than I did back then, and I propose that you will too. No worries, it's not all gloom and doom. Strauss and Howe show us how to change the course of history in the making. This book is about empowering us to see patterns so that we can take control and make the changes necessary to ensure a better future for us, our children, and our children's children. That's a lesson worth learning, isn't it?
Monday, May 26, 2008
My memorable Memorial Day & WWC - Penultimate & Entrance
It only took a second for me to realize the lawn mower was no longer running and that this was gong to be the very ugly beginning to everyone's Memorial Day weekend.
I ran across the cul-de-sac with the girls and into their back yard to find one of the assistant workers standing there, hand shoved into a bag, looking a bit lost. I quickly assessed the situation with him and realized he was not fully in shock, but probably headed that way, distant, aloof. You know, for a man who'd just cut off his fingers, he wasn't bleeding as much as you'd imagine. Of course, he was holding his wrist very tight, so that may have been slowing the circulation. Regardless, I expected to see a lot more blood. Not that it wasn't there, it was, just not quite as much as I expected.
OK, now here's the first thing I just don't get. No one had called 911 yet. Someone cut his fingers off and no one called 911. I suppose it was panic, and the first thing that anyone thought was to get the nurses. I used to be one, The Wifester is one and the first instinct was to get us. But still, 911. It's like the first thing we do when when people sever limbs or digits or nearly die. (edit: turned out they couldn't find their phone, you know, they slide in between sofa cushions and hide from time to time)
So here I am, trotting over calling 911 trying to tell them what's happening and where, all before I even arrive at the scene. Once I get there, the first thing I see is the injured man with his hand in a bag of what I assume to be ice. Did I mention that none of the guys speak any English? Thank god M, one of the girls from the house that this happened at, does because my Spanish is deficient, at best. The 911 operator is asking me how many fingers have been severed, I'm looking in the bag at his bloody stumps to see, and honestly, I don't want to look to closely. I see lots of blood on what looks like the first three fingers and tell them it looks to be the first three fingers. They asked if the fingers were found, I look into the bag again, and upon seeing three blood covered nubs, I told them yeah, they found 'em all. Then I looked around and realized everyone is still looking around on the ground. I asked "What are yall looking for? The fingers are right here aren't they?" Nope! See, as it turns out the bag was frozen whole okra, it was the quickest thing that they could grab, and the "fingers" I saw, well, that was just blood covered okra (can you say YUCK!)
Needless to say, I don't think I'll be having okra anytime soon.
Oh, the next thing I don't get is that as we're waiting on the ambulance to arrive, 911 tells me, "Ma'am, the ambulance for La Vergne is currently dispatched on another emergency, we've sent one from Smyrna, so it'll be just a few more minutes." It took over 20 minutes for the ambulance to get here. We could have had the poor guy to the hospital down the road quicker, although, they are not really equipped to handle that kind of situation and the ambulance ended up taking him to Vanderbilt in Nashville, who is. But really, is there only one ambulance for my city? Really? We have, according to the 2006 census, a population of 25,278. One ambulance for what has to be at least 26,000 people by now? I feel so safe. So we're standing on the front porch with the police who got there quickly, I'm still on the phone with 911, his hand is in the bag of frozen whole okra, and plop, there spills out blood covered okra looking ever so much like fingers. One officer is spazzing out saying "if that touches me, I'm gonna puke" and here comes P with another bag, this time a ziploc bag with ice and a piece of finger. It was like some demented horror fest right here in the suburbs. Who needs Stephen King when you have immigrant gardeners who don't heed the warnings on the side of their lawn mowers?
Needless to say, the fingers were not saved, even the one that was found relatively intact. The mower does a mulching number. He's lucky he still has a hand at all. He did turn the mower off, but it seems that as he was clearing a clump of grass, the blades were freed and then continued their rotation. I suppose that is precisely why that label on the side of the mower says "Never place hands on or near mover blades" in English, Spanish, French, and German. Poor guy. He thought since it was off, he was safe.
Oh yeah, and after the poor man was loaded up into the ambulance, and the police cleared out, the remaining two workers went back to work! They told our friends, "we finish your yard, then we go" She told them it was fine to leave it unfinished and just go on to the hospital, but they said no, they wanted to finish their job.
Now THATS some work ethic.
I know people who won't go to work when they have PMS, this guy's uncle just mulched his fingers in a lawnmower right in front of him and he went back out there and finished up the job.
Amazing.
Needless to say, that was the penultimate experience I wanted to have launch our Memorial Day weekend.
Which brings us to Tink's WWC words for this week.
Penultimate & Entrance
No worries, I didn't take photos of bloody stubs for my WWC, I promise. Nor of bloody okra.
If you want to join the WWC posse' mosey on over to see the well rested and recently vacationed Tink, of Pickled Beef and she'll show you how.
Before the finger mulching incident happened, I thought that cleaning this closet out was the penultimate thing I'd want to do on my holiday weekend. I was wrong.
Entrance
the entrance to a very yummy beverage
flowers make the entrance to mi casa welcoming and inviting
Friday, May 23, 2008
Friday Blooms
Ahhh... that makes me feel better. Then I noticed, just behind it, another bloom. This one the wife picked out. I'm not really sure what this flower is called, I just know it's pretty. I have yet to plant it, it's sitting there in the pot we bought it in, I'm gonna dig a hole and plant it today when I get home. I'm sure it'll be happy. I've placed a nice trellis for it to climb. Here's wifey's pick:
Today is full of prizes for me, not only did my garden give me these lovely blooms, but I only have to work a half a day, then I get to go get my hair cut! YIPPPPPEEEE! Annnnnnnd... best of all.... 3 DAY WEEKEND!
I never saw such a thing when I worked at the phone company. I never saw such a thing in retail, in nursing, or at the hotel. This is a whole new world for me, and quite frankly, I'm loving it. I am basking in the glory of a nice cushy job with perks that are perky and incentives that are
motivating rather than condescending.
That's it for today, my job awaits...Have a great weekend yall, and be safe!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
WWC - Regret & Pure
That being said, my WWC is late, and pretty much fully taken via my cell phone this week. Again, it was difficult to pry the good camera away from the wife when we were out having fun, and when we weren't out having fun, I was either at work, working, or in school, being well, schooled.
Speaking of being schooled, Tink, of Pickled Beef, schooled us all on the pleasures of running nekked through the woods, but maybe she skipped the day in which they taught us about the gargantuan alligators that reside in the woods in Florida...
Oh well, she made it back, without becoming tasty alligator snacks, and hosted this week's WWC with the words Regret and Pure.
Here's my interpretation.
Regret :
I regret to inform you that my neighbors STILL have not cut their grass...
Me, displaying regret:
and I bet these guys regretted landing in this web (my one and only opportunity to pry the camera from the wife's hands)
Pure:
The Ani Difranco show was pure joy for me
Sunny-dog looks like she's in pure heaven when she lays her head on my pillow
purely for fun, what if the wife and I could make a baby?
Alright, yall, that's all I got this week. I know, I know. Soon I'll be back in the game with a ferocious vengeance, but for now, I must focus on school and work and getting my Green La Vergne group up and running…sigh.
WWC is so fun, if you think you want to join in and play along, go see Tink, she'll show you how.
Oh, and don't forget to drop by the WWC Flickr page too!
Next week's words are Penultimate and Entrance! OOOOH, those otta be fun!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
all apologies
Friday, May 16, 2008
Are you an apple or a pear?
Very interesting.
Something else I picked up on... why is it that when they talk about body types, skinny body types get terms like "hourglass", and "athletic" while fat body types get defined by food-terms like "apple" and "pear". That's just an unnecessary jab, if you ask me.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
California takes one step forward as Tennessee takes two steps back
Monumental.
Lets keep our fingers crossed that the coalition of religious and socially conservative groups who are attempting to keep the ban on gay marriage in place(due to their religious beliefs) are unsuccessful.
And who cares about keeping church and state separate? Tennessee sure doesn't seem to! This week a bill has passed that will approve of Tennessee's public schools teaching bible classes, so long as they utilize a text book and maintain a "nonsecular, nonreligious atmosphere". If this is the case, well then, lets introduce koran class, and torah, and fairy tale class, hell we could even have a pagan class complete with text books too!
I thought that if you wanted your child to have bible studies in school, you sent them to private school. End of discussion.
My parents wanted me to know and understand the bible, so they worked hard and made sacrifices and sent me to private school. Sure, not everyone can afford tuition, I understand that. But that is why private schools have scholarships.And when that fails, you know what? Teach that at home and in Sunday school. Where it belongs.
This raises some serious concerns about church/state separation issues.
If you have concerns about this bill, please, do like I did, and send an email, a letter, and/or place a phone call to your House Representative
you can find them by clicking HERE.
The full text of the bills are available in PDF here : HB4089 and SB4104
Monday, May 12, 2008
Thinking of the Pandas & WWC
Since Tink has everyone on lockdown, I had to shoot photos in my own yard and neighborhood this week. No strip clubs, strick orders from the Tinkster! I know, I know, how boooooooring! Oh, and a little off the subject, did I tell you guys? My Green LaVergne group had our first meeting! YAY. Thats my litter pick up team that I've been organizing. We hit the neighborhood last weekend, there was only four of us, but hey, as my friend says, magnificent things start with minuscule beginnings, just look at pearls! We removed several bags of garbage, a tire, tons of cigarette butts, you name it, we removed it. Anyone in the La Vergne, TN area who may be interested in the effort, see the Green La Vergne link at the top of my page.
Ok, ok, enough shameless self promotion...so here's my WWC. Our words this week were 7 and Earth...
random 7's
this is how I tend the earth around mi casa, I decorate it with beautiful flowers and cutsie frogs playing chess ...aren't they adorable?
Oh, and don't forget to check out the WWC on Flickr too!
Thanks for stopping by! Come on back, and do keep the pandas in your thoughts, and all those people who have lost homes, friends, moms, children, families...it's a horrible thing, a little well wish or good thought from you and you and you will do a world of good, I swear, it really will!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Dude, I'm Almost Famous Too!
I liked babysitting for them. I learned about Buddha and vegetarianism, and they taught me, the daughter of an avid hunter, the wonderful phrase " the only way to shoot an animal is with a camera"! what a novel notion for my young developing and influential mind. I sopped it up like gravy with a biscuit on Sunday morning!
I had another brush with a country star, but it didn't go as smoothly as the Alan Jackson party. of course, that was leisure and fun and Alan is genuinely a nice guy, so there's no comparison, really. This incident happened when I worked at Kmart. I was helping an elderly gentleman shop for clothes when I heard this "psssst! PSSSST! PSSSSSST! Hey! HEY! HEY YOU! MISSY! I need some help here!" I turned around and there was this man, somewhat disheveled, waving me over to him. I was somewhat perturbed, because it was obvious that I was already helping someone else, so I said, "Sir, I'll be happy to help you, just as soon as I finish up with this gentleman" to which the disheveled man replied " MISSY, don't you know WHO I AM? DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM? YOU MUST NOT KNOW WHO I AM DO YOU MISSY?" Now, I was getting pretty riled up myself, 1. because my name is not Missy 2. because my name is clearly printed on my name tag 3. what a presumptuous ass to expect people to know who the hell you are and to stop helping this nice elderly gentleman to help your belligerent ass4. if you're so friggin important, why the hell are you shopping at Kmart?
So you see, in a very obscure way, I'm almost famous too! It's kinda fun to recount brushes with fame, so come on, what's yours?
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Down Time
After the movie, my wife had to, of course, look up Real Girl dolls. Those puppies go for six grand! I asked her if I needed to be worried, but she assures me, it's only for research purposes. We had fun playing on their web site. Out of curiosity, I wanted to see just how specific a person can make their dolls. The answer is pretty friggin specific. However, due to safety issues, shipping issues, etc, they will not make a Real Doll larger than a size 12 I think it was. Translation, if you fantasize about a plump faux-woman to keep you company, too bad for you. Apparently they are afraid that some schmuck will get smothered under her and sue. Maybe he already has. Sigh. What a shame. The fat girl gets the shaft, yet again.
The movie is less about the doll for the purposes that you would expect, and more of a feel good movie. I really enjoyed it fully and now, I think I'll buy it. I highly recommend it.
The movie, not the doll you pervs!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
WWC - 3 & Fire
This week's words are Fire and 3 and since we haven't invested in the very, very, very expensive camera that my wifey poo wants, and I was extremely sick for the entire weekend, and I had a ton of school work, I did a different twist on my WWC this week. You'll forgive me, won't yah if I photoshop some dvd's and some cd's that represent the words? I'll be back out there next week with my camera to get some photos, pinky promise!
Meanwhile, here's my interpretations of
Fire:
& 3:
Friday, May 2, 2008
Blogging from my death bed
And now, I'm going back to bed, hopefully I'll live to see my city litter free.