Tag Archives: Musings

Who Would You Choose?

Appreciation, Inspiration, Just Jot It July, Life, Opinion, , , , , ,

ifhad1hour-whospenditwith

If I was given this luxury or gift of spending an hour sitting with anyone from the past or the present, it would be a difficult choice to make. I have a few that come to mind:

My Mom – I would apologize for all the times that I was such a bitch! Seriously!! I wasn’t a bad daughter per say, but I was a rebellious (to say the least) teenager and a hard ass as an adult. Now that I am older, I can appreciate a few of the situations she found herself in and why she struggled the way she did. I can also appreciate and understand the bond and love you feel with your children, especially your first. I don’t think most human beings really understand this until they have become a parent – truly. I know I didn’t. I would want her to tell me all about Heaven.

My Brother – Though I am the oldest sibling, my oldest brother died when I was five. He was 3 ½ years old. Things were said like pneumonia, crib death, and other things, but who really knows. Did he know I loved him? (I was told that I was so good with him and sweet, but did he realize it?) I would want to ask him what Heaven is like in his eyes, because I know if there is one, he is surely there!!  I’d want him to know even after all these years, though I don’t recall much, I have never forgotten about him. HE was my first real friend, and after watching my granddaughters together – I just know he and I were close like that.

My Papa – My grandpa died when I was 14. He had a massive heart attack in his 50s. I didn’t get a whole lot of time with him, but I got enough. I would want him to know that even after all these years, he was one of a few good men I was able to look up to and respect. He was one of the only men I ever trusted completely. I would tell him the lessons I learned from him were lifelong. I still think of him so often even now. They say some girls marry a guy just like their daddy, well I certainly didn’t – but I’m pretty sure I married a guy a lot like my Papa 🙂

My Father-in-law – I would gladly insist my husband take my place and spend that time with his dad and get those last words they needed. The one day he rallied to say goodbye to everyone was the one day out of three and half-weeks that we did not make the 3.5 hour drive one way to the hospital. The next day, we showed up early in the morning, but he was out of it again. He died a week later. We missed our opportunity to say goodbye – most importantly, my husband missed his opportunity. I would love it if they had that time together.

My younger self – I have so much advice, especially in hindsight. There’s a few habits I wouldn’t have picked up, and a few others I would’ve. I would have saved so much more money, had I only known what the future held. I wouldn’t have taken a few things so personally. I would’ve handled a few keys thing very differently, which would have changed the course of my life in some aspects, I believe, for the better.

This is a tough decision, so good thing it’s not for real! If you had this luxury or gift, who would you choose? It’s an interesting train of thought, for sure.

Anyway, just something I was thinking about . . .

http://misslouella.wordpress.com/2014/07/07/just-jot-it-july/ 

Happy 4th of July

Appreciation, Inspiration, Opinion, , ,

As we celebrate Independence Day in the United States, I have many things on my mind.

I am thankful that I can spend the day with my family, several generations actually, eating good food, drinking a few, and playing in the pool. I can do this knowing no one will try to invade the party or bomb us.

I am grateful that I live in a country where, though I do not agree with many things like the recent Hobby Lobby birth control issue, we can discuss it openly – even if I don’t agree, and no one is going to come and arrest me because I do not agree and I voice it publicly.

I respect those who sacrifice and are brave enough to put their lives on the line so I can do these things. My sincerest gratitude!

I value the freedom of expression we all have.

Just something I was thinking about . . .

482-4th-of-july

What I Don’t LIKE

Opinion, Stream of Consciousness Saturday, ,

Stream of Consciousness Saturday Writing Prompt

This week’s prompt word is “like.” Any way you want to interpret it, “like” always.

I like so many things, as such a variety of things bring me incredible joy. I do find joy in all the little things that surround me! I can tell you what I don’t LIKE though:

I don’t like dishonesty.

I don’t like people who are closed or small minded.

I don’t like people who show favoritism when it is not appropriate – like between your kids or grandkids, or employees. etc.

I don’t like when people are disingenuous.

I don’t like mind games.

I don’t like pollution or chemicals.

I don’t like traffic.

I don’t like thieves.

I don’t like grudge-holders.

I don’t like it when the system only works for those who know how to abUSE it.

I don’t like when people re-write history trying to forget their bad behavior.

I don’t like rats, roaches, or anything that bites or stings.

I do like the blessing of waking up every morning & being able to get to the bathroom by myself 😉

Just something I was thinking about . . .

This post is part of SoCS: http://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/06/20/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-2114/

 

Today’s Random Ramblings

Current Events, Life, Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary. We have actually been together for almost 36 years. Though we both truly feel we are each other’s soul mate, marriage is never an easy journey, kinda like life. I am always shocked when couples give up so soon, but understand it is a lot of work to sustain a long term relationship, regardless of how much two people love each other.

Most times, things just don’t always fall easily into place all the time. Couples tend to forget what drew them together in the 1st place. Often, they gave each other the nourishment they each needed to flourish – this was truly the initial attraction and draw to each other. As time goes on and the relationship changes, this basic integral premise for the relationship is forgotten and lost, as well as some of the bond that holds the relationship together.

Marriage is hard work, just like life, and anyone who tells you different has probably never been married for any length of time, at least not to one person. Having said all that, I do realize there are times that it is necessary to give up and walk away, or run . . . depending on the circumstances.

Different subject –

I have pets and treat them as family. I also realize many people are choosing to have pets, as opposed to children. I can understand that, too. But, today was National Take Your Dog to Work Day. Seriously?? Enough said . . .

My girlfriend took me out for a few margaritas tonight. We went to a place I tend to frequent. The waitress, though not one of my regulars, must have recognized me and seemed to cater more to me, though sometimes she treated us both pretty sloppily. My friend complained to me, at the same time expressing how sorry she was for bitching about it. I reminded her she rarely gets upset over this kind of thing and I certainly understood how she felt.

When our waitress brought the bill, she handed it to me and I immediately handed it to my friend and said, “She’s paying tonight – that’s the kind of good friend she is!” The waitress immediately mentioned seeing me there previously with my family. My friend just laughed, and as the waitress walked off, said, “That isn’t going to help her tip any.” My friend did leave her more than 2 cents – a tip she has left when her service really sucked, which I think is funny as hell – but she didn’t leave her but maybe 10%.

When I get bad service to the point I am reducing their tip, I usually leave them a little note – what my husband calls a novel 😉 – on the receipt telling them why they were under-tipped. I do this to ensure they know why I didn’t tip them well and because management typically looks at the receipts at the end of the night. One time when I did this, the next time I visited that establishment, I got the same waiter and he apologized for his previous lack of attentiveness, promising a better experience. He did as he promised and got a great tip! (Okay, I did know the owner of this particular establishment, but . . .)

Point being – don’t make assumptions that can come back and bite you in the ass. Our waitress assumed I was paying and I always tip well – but this time I wasn’t paying and her lack of attention to my friend, and our table in general to some degree, cost her.

Last but not least, I have to mention something that was all over the news today. There is some guy who got arrested by the Stockton Police Dept. The police department has a Facebook page where they posted the pictures of him and a couple of other guys. This is getting national attention because the guy’s mugshot makes him appear to be quite handsome, in a striking sort of way – he does look like model material, big full lips and the most beautiful ice blue eyes. I am pretty persnickety when it comes to finding men handsome and even I thought he had striking features.

So as I am looking at his mugshot on TV and noticing how beautifully ice blue his eyes are, I also noticed he has a teardrop tattooed on the corner of his left eye, and I am fully aware of what that means.

I went and checked the FB page his picture is on and so far he has over 80,000 likes, over  10,400 shares and over 22,600 comments. Just like on the blogs, I find reading the comments to be amusing, interesting, eye-opening whatever. A large percentage of these likes, shares, and comments are about how hot he is, and how all these women want to do him and how he is so sexy, he needs to be set free, and other such bullshit. There has even been a GoFundMe page set up in his honor, and so far over $1800 has been collected in less than a day.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for redeeming oneself, and all that and I am not even passing judgment on him per say as I do not know the specifics of his arrest. What I am interested in is how society and its use of social media are spinning this story. I always find that aspect fascinating!!!

Anyway, all I could think of as I saw his mugshot was, I bet your heart is as icy as your eyes, and you have already marked yourself for the world to see with that teardrop tattoo.

For you ladies who think like this (OMG he is so hot . . . etc) – just remember – he might fuck ya, then be done with ya, and slit your throat – then again maybe not . . .

But why chance it.

I don’t know. Just some things I was thinking about today . . .

(P.S. – Though the service wasn’t the best tonight, the margaritas were awesome!!! 😉 )

Feeling Spanked


There are times in life when things are going well, then all of a sudden out of the blue, when you least expect it – feels like a mushroom cloud over your head while you are choking on the fallout. Definitely been feeling a bit slapped around lately 😉

Then I remind myself . . . I am stronger than any shit that gets thrown at me!! (Just thought I would share that, in the event anyone else out there is feeling the same!!)

Party on Wayne . . . Party on Garth . . .

Just something {random} I was thinking about . . .

Lottery To Do List

DP Writing Challenge, ,

Written in response to http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_writing_challenge/list-lesson/ and in SOC style.

Like many people, I have a “To Do List” should I ever hit the lottery big time. It’s pretty specific, though I am sure there are many other things that I would also do.

There is a little cemetery I used to spend a lot of time in to think and I made one very important decision that I never regretted while sitting out there pondering my future. While there, thinking and visiting a lost friend’s grave, there was a nearby grave I always noticed. It was for a little boy who died on Christmas Eve many years prior. There were many faded toys surrounding his grave, but no headstone or marker, just a piece of paper in a plastic cover. I am sure by now that paper marker is gone, as that was many many years ago. There were never fresh flowers on his grave, just the same old faded plastic ones – like maybe his family was not close by anymore, or maybe they couldn’t bring themselves to come here, or maybe they had all but forgotten about him. I wrote down that little boy’s name, as well as the date he was born and the date he died. I would love to buy him a headstone. I do not know why I am so compelled to do this, other than I think that little boy deserves one and his parents must not have had the money to afford it. I have spent many occasions thinking about this boy and the circumstances surrounding his death and burial. So buying a headstone for David has been #1 on my list for a while now. Yes, call me crazy . . .

I would love to set up a LARGE independent agency to go around and inspect nursing homes – and I mean really inspect them with surprise visits and all. Enveloped with that is the ability to change legislation governing them. My grandma lived in one for close to a decade and I always hated that. I also hated how it was maintained and how she was cared for. Unfortunately I was unable to get her to move close to me, which I think would’ve made things better, as I am certain nursing homes (and hospitals for that matter) take much better care of the residents/patients who have regular visitors, than those who do not. My grandma lived 650 miles away, so my yearly visits were not enough to make a difference, other than to remind me of where I do not ever want to end up. I would love to be able to ensure senior citizens were treated with the kindness, compassion, respect and dignity they deserve and treated others with throughout their lives.

My mother was homeless for a while and I was not close by to help. During this time, she was also looking for a job. The one thing that was always a struggle was having clean clothes and being cleaned up for job interviews. Kinda hard to get on one’s feet when you don’t have a job and it’s kinda hard to get a job when you look and smell homeless. If I had the money, I would love to set up places in areas with high percentages of homelessness that allow for people to not only wash their clothes for free, but to also shower and shave for free. Most people who are homeless do not want to be, and quite frankly most of us are only months, weeks or days away from being homeless ourselves were it not for the grace of God or great luck, or both depending on how you look at it. No, I am not a socialist or a bleeding heart liberal, but I am painfully aware of how hard it is out there and how quickly things can go to shit.

The decision I made in the cemetery and never regretted was leaving everything I knew and all my friends behind and moving to Arkansas to spend the last year of my father-in-law’s life living with my in-laws in the middle of nowhere in the Ozark Mountains, with no income. We moved there so my husband could finish building his dad’s dream home he had planned to retire in. After his dad died, and the house was finally completed, within five years, his mom sold it. The original plan was to keep that property in our family going forward. Though the price I am sure has gone up considerably, I would make every effort to get the house that Jack built (killed himself to build, or maybe that’s what kept him alive five years after the diagnosis) back into our family name. That is a possession I would truly cherish.

Then I would do the other “normal” shit people who win the lottery do: pay off my bills; move to the mountains – possibly in Colorado, Oregon or Arkansas; replace my 10-year old car; buy a little place in Panama City Beach, Florida, for my beach fix; play Santa Claus to a few family members and friends; and last but not least . . . take the family to Disneyland, of course 🙂 I’m kind of a simple woman like that.

I don’t know, just something I was thinking about . . .

Do you have a list like that?

Oh Lord ;-) {A little comedy for a change!}


Typically my posts are serious topics, but  needed a break and a little comedy.  Lately, I have been exploring some new music and was introduced to this artist by a friend. I stumbled across this little gem out in YouTubeLand, while listening to some of this guy’s songs. Laughed my ass off!!

Hayes Carll does a great job with the song and personally I really enjoy the timbre of his voice. The video parody is funny as hell! I do hope you enjoy it as much as I do – if you like this kind of music, or this kind of comedy.

I know the subject matter might be considered a bit controversial, but only if you take things too seriously. I am a believer and it doesn’t offend me. It’s “black comedy” kind of reminds me of Jerry Jeff Walker or David Allan Coe. So, if you don’t like them, you probably won’t enjoy this. My  sense of humor can be a bit warped at times 😉

Anyway, just something I was thinking about LOL –  that and freedom of expression ☮

 

Is the Giant Panda Sleeping?

American Infrastructure, American Jobs, China, Current Events, Education, Employment, Future Generations, Life, Opinion, Politics, Reality, Thinking Independently, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Let me start by saying that I have nothing against China or the Chinese people. What I am fixing to talk about is bigger and far more encompassing and quite frankly it’s not about the Chinese people either. It’s about governments and their desire for control and expansion. It’s about the second-largest economy in the world.  It’s about people in general not paying attention to what’s really going on around them – which is hard to do, as there is a lot of noise coming our way these days. Sometimes it’s hard to get a clear channel on anything.

Mainstream media is good at distracting people from what’s really important and needs our attention or consideration, by providing us lots of other crap to focus on. Right now one of those focuses is North Korea, Iran and Syria, as well it should be. But, we better not lose sight of the sleeping giant panda or fire-breathing dragon – however you choose to look at it. I’d be willing to bet there is a legend somewhere that tells the story of how one became the other . . .

Most of us are aware that we , the United States, owe China an immense amount of money — in the ballpark of $1.3 trillion, if my sources are correct. The U.S. government continues to borrow from them.

The Chinese have also been buying a considerable amount of U.S. assets over the past decade, with projections in U.S. investments of $15-20 billion a year over the next decade. They appear to be focusing on acquisitions in energy, financial services, food production, real estate, and manufacturing, as well as entertainment and technology. The Chinese own One Chase Manhattan Plaza and the General Motors building, in New York – both nice commercial real estate coups for sure. They own all the AMC Theaters.

Most of these assets are owned by the Chinese government, under various state-owned entities. China needs energy to fuel their rapidly growing industrial development, and have purchased power assets in Portugal, Brazil and the Philippines. They had an unsuccessful attempt to buy the U.S. oil company Unocal in 2005.

The Chinese government also purchased private equity assets that fund GM pensions, if I understood correctly. I want to do some more research on that, & a few other things. I have so many questions. Though these are my opinions, I do try to thoroughly research topics I am interested in, verifying my info with several sources. Most of this information came from sources like Reuters, Market Watch, LA Times, USA Today, Business Week, and Forbes – encompassing a variety of agendas.

There is concern about China’s foothold in technology and possible breaches in our national security. Some analysts think that it’s in China’s best interest to stay friendly with us, as our markets thrive, so do Chinese investments. But what if their overall strategic goal is to control or even own the U.S. in some unknown manifest destiny design. They have quite an established growing assertive military presence, as well. Regardless of what might happen, I would not want to be at the mercy of a Communist country.

A month or so back I happened across CNN doing a piece on The Guardian’s Predictions for the World in 2014. Predictions shared involving China were:

  • China will eventually be the world’s largest economy.
  • Though Western brands will continue to dominate, China will own them.
  • U.S. will soon celebrate Chinese holidays.
  • Western politicians will clamor for Chinese investors.

I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I find all of this a little disconcerting. I am not a political person, nor do I know much about economics. I realize the world is now a global economy, but maybe the U.S. is a little too open for business? And why do we do so much business with China, in particular? The government does not allow any partnering with them involving NASA, spaceflight, or manned exploration – but then again there is considerable technology involved in those endeavors and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) come into play.

I will be writing about this again, as I have so many questions that are not answered and concerns I wish to address. I also did not want to make this post to awfully long, as I have lots more data to share. I would love to hear what you think about this, too. Is the giant panda a good business partner or a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Anyway, just something I’ve been thinking about . . .

locator map of China

** I watched a most interesting program quite a few years back about China – I have been keeping an eye on this development for quite a few years now – their growth, increase in consumption, and interdependency with the United States. In all honesty, it was a bit disconcerting. This link no longer shows the ABC News/Bob Woodruff video, but you can read the accompanying story.

 

Random Ramblings . . .

Life, Opinion, Reality, Thinking Independently, , , , ,

My random opinions for your consideration: 

[These are my quotes, and I have been using them for years. Those that know me well will recognize them – sometimes smiling, sometimes cringing LOL 😉 ]

The best thing and the right thing are NOT always the same thing. (This is when moral and ethical dilemmas occur . . . )

People think death is the worst thing that can happen to you, but in reality there are many things in life worse than death. (Think about it, I have . . .  and I’ve seen it.)

When something bad, wrong, unplanned or unpleasant happens, I try to remember if no one is scarred for life, no one is terminally ill and no one has died, as a result – then it can’t be all that bad. (The three things I mentioned can be devastating!)

If it was easy, where would the fucking fun in that be?!? (Sometimes I leave the F* word out depending on my audience, though I have said this is the quote I want on my headstone, with the F* word 😉 )

Just something I was thinking about . . .

China’s Moon?

American Infrastructure, American Jobs, China, Current Events, Education, Employment, Future Generations, NASA, Opinion, Politics, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When our government decided to cancel NASA’s Constellation Program several years back, which would have taken us back to the moon and to Mars, Homer Hickman (author of Rocket Boys and October Sky) wrote a short story set in the not-so-distant future. This was his take on America in a “post-NASA” world, a world where the United States is not the leader in human space flight exploration.  I wanted to share it with you, as I have some specific opinions that are of a similar topic I will be writing on in the future, and thought this would be a perfect preface.  It’s an interesting tale, for sure – and a little disturbing to say the least.

I hope you find it interesting, as well, whether you support NASA’s endeavors or not. Oh, and were you aware that China landed its first rover on the moon last December?

The Boy Who Looked at the Moon by Homer Hickman

Just something I was thinking about . . .