Monday, January 18, 2010

So you think you have problems, it could be worse.

How many times have you complained to a friend or stranger, because your friends were tired of listening to you, and heard that response? "It could be worse." I really hate that response but with all the problems going on here, and no one seems to be immune to at least one or two, it could be worse.

I think this time God gave the world that response with the Haiti disaster. We think our health care system is broken, just try laying on a rag out in the heat with a bone sticking out of one of your extremities. We think we have a housing problem, just try laying out on a rag outside in the heat. We think the banks and Wallstreet took all our money, just go to a place where money has no value, all you need is a sip of water and a bite of food and that would be worth a million dollars.

Maybe we all need to wake up because it could be even worse than it is.

And BTW, happy Martin Luther King Day. "We will overcome" if we work together and love one another.

38 comments:

Carol said...

And look whose come to dinner. I see that C-Bob is now listed in our followers. Welcome to the Swamp C-Bob!

Carol said...

I see that, over at the trail, they were discussing who has the best pizza. I know how to make a good pizza dough, should be the same recipe as focaccia bread, so would someone tell me what else I need to add to make it the best pizza.

Carol said...

Solar, I did my exercises this morning. I also tried to do a little meditation. I put my blanket down in front of my windows overlooking the river. I got into the Yoga position and then got distracted watching the birds and squirrel, that I had just put out new food for.

I have one squirrel that took many of the peanuts out of the squirrel bowl and was running around hiding them everywhere. I guess he wanted them all for himself. I named him Wallstreet. He's a little greedy booger, he is.

Carol said...

I did find a good purpose for cable news. Put it on when you exercise. It keeps your legs kicking up high.

And those two who are running for Ted Kennedy's seat. Couldn't they have found a couple of better candidates?

I still think we need to start some kind of grass roots, Internet, site to recruit for better candidates. Candidates could put in their resumes and the people could look them over and decide who would be the safest to represent us. Wouldn't have to have all those high powered, corrupt connections with big business, banks and Wallstreet. Could run an Internet campaign on the cheap. I know it sounds kind of simple but I'm all for KISS.

Carol said...

Did the Rapture come and leave me behind? And does that mean I don't have to go to work tomorrow either?

Coreen said...

Carol,

Just a slow start today...

Do you have a set of exercises you are doing regularly?

Coreen said...

And did you get your tv satellite hookup done.

Glad to see the repairs at the house from the freeze were fixed quickly.

jan said...

Good morning all. I am off today too. I love it when I have 3 days together that I don't have to report to work. I am curious as to what people's morning routines are. I get up early (5-6 am)so I can have a big cup of tea and watch the goings-on on the street outside my window. We live in an older university neighborhood. Houses are about 50-60 years old. Around 5-7, many neighbors are out walking their canine friends. About 7 we see people biking, walking, skateboarding to school or work. If I have time after my tea I take Lobie for her morning walk about 7-7:30 am. Then back home for a quick shower and off to work. Most mornings I don't have to be at work before 9 am, but I often work until 6 pm.

jan said...

Carol, I get my exercise walking Lobie most mornings and then I swim 2-4 times a week. Have an old elliptical I will get on for about 20 min after walking Lobie.

Carol said...

Coreen, I start with my Giselle. It's a cheap piece of aerobic equipment with low impact. Have lots of better options at my house. I do about 25 minutes on that and then try to work out other areas doing floor exercises.

No cable yet, I was listening to MSNBC online this morning. I'm waiting for the cable people now. I hope I have better luck with them than I did with At&t the other day.

Saturday, I called to cancel my home phone that was dead, no telling how long it was, while they were charging me 50 bucks a mo. I made 4 tries of at least 20 minutes a piece, then they'd hang up on me just as I was almost thru to getting the line disconnected. Once I was up to, this is your confirmation number. I wanted to go postal but it was the phone company.

don1one said...

How much do you think the rapture would affect work Carol?

And don't get me started on the whole rapture thing. :^)

Carol said...

I knew you would be off Jan, being a state employee. I like taking walks outside and did walk the Magster yesterday but she is out of shape and wouldn't make another circle. I walk down where I know there are no dogs to chase us. The camp road is a nice long walk but some people let their dogs run loose and I am not up to running anymore.

don1one said...

Make a complaint to the state utilities board Carol. They're all doing that now to stop you from cancelling.

My mother just cancelled. They billed her through the end of the month but had given away her number the next day.

Carol said...

Well Don, I guess I would still have to go to work cuz I'm not sure if the people I take care of are on the list to beam up. Drats. I wanted some extra fishing time.

Carol said...

Don, the first time I called, I got a computer, it said put in the phone number you are calling about. I did and it said that number did not exist. I am sure paying a bill for that number every month. I finally got a human who said he saw it that I must have put in the wrong number. The computer repeated the number and told me twice that it did not exist. Now whose telling me the truth. He transferred me to someone who could cancel the service. I waited for 20 minutes and then lost the connection. Same thing happened 3 more times.

Carol said...

Cable people said they would be here between 8 and 12. Half way there and no call yet.

don1one said...

The bells are why I don't think revenue caps on health care companies will work. They have all kinds of tricks to work around that and have been able to leverage the monopoly to become some of the most powerful corporations in the US.

jan said...

Carol, I sympathize with your trying to reach someone about your phone and cable service. We have gone round and round with both groups. Now, I don't try to call any more. I just go to their offices. It takes time. But I get so frustrated trying to do anything over the phone anymore b/c we have had same problem you are having. I love all the new technology. It makes life simpler in some ways. The problem is that the companies use technology instead of people now too. So when we call a company now we seldom get to talk to a person.

Carol said...

Dish Network is here and I don't even have an address on my camp. Well it does have an address but not identified outside. Those GPS thingys are wonderful. I figured they would have to call and I would have to guide them out here with smoke signals.

Carol said...

Yes Jan, I just love cursing a computer. It keeps saying it doesn't understand my response. I just say it's a damn good thing you don't.

Carol said...

So far Dish Network has impressed me. When I call them, the computer does say that I am one of their best customers. I guess they want to keep it that way.

jan said...

Carol, yaaay. so glad dish network is there. I will remember your good words about them. We bundled with Comcast for on line, TV & on the ground phone service. I really hated to do that b/c they are such a monopoly now.

Solar said...

Carol,

Glad that U are doing you morning exercises. I have always a good feeling about them when I finish, and make them part of what ever is going on.

Don, glad that all is well, and I agree with most of all U say...we do think alike....get out of my head, hobo man.....that hobo moniker fits you...

don1one said...

I think if I didn't like warm showers so much I probably would be a hobo. My whole family follow the call of wild geese.

The phone companies don't provide good service because it's not in their interest. Phone companies always equip for less than 100% connection. They try to provide service most of the time. They don't buy enough equipment to connect everyone if we all try to make a call at the same time.

Same with customer service. They have no interest in helping you cancel, so they ender equip that office. And if you don't complain to your state utilities board, they have no reason to chance. Board complaints get their attention though.

Solar said...

later, going to start my exercises.

Carol, I would make those squirrels and the whole scenery part of my meditation...and concentrate on the overall pic..nature and the synergy of it...the swamp, animals, river, fish, ( don't include that prehistoric beaver tho :-))) a little at a time..your ability to go into mental relaxation should increase with time...

Carol said...

Well I'm all hooked up.

I don't have a phone out here Jan, just use my cell and that is At&t. Have Verizon for wireless Internet. I have had good luck with them. When you bundle and your server goes out, does everything go out?

Carol said...

I see Fox Business finally talked Dish into putting them in the channel lineup. I guess Cavuto finally got thru to them.

jan said...

We have not had server go out. I guess we have been lucky. We have not had any services go out - yet!

Anonymous said...

Carol, Glad to see that things are moving along for you. Only the eighteenth day into 2010, and you've got your plumbing fixed, your dish network installed, and you're exercising.

Here I am, having accomplished next to nothing. That's what happens when I don't write it down -- it doesn't happen.


The Seattle times has a nice set-up page honoring Martin Luther King. Very specific, and nice pics to go along with it.

"Martin Luther King Jr. has now been dead longer than he lived. But what an extraordinary life it was.

At 33, he was pressing the case of civil rights with President John Kennedy. At 34, he galvanized the nation with his "I Have a Dream" speech. At 35, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. At 39, he was assassinated, but he left a legacy of hope and inspiration that continues today." MARTIN LUTHER KING and the Civil Rights Movement

Anonymous said...

Jan, You are 'lucky' your servers haven't gone down. Out here, when something goes down, it's always weather related. Anything with wire, it means a tree fell on them. We've had lots of things go down over the years.

don1one said...

Chloe,
It seems like you're always very busy. When would you have time to accomplish a list?

Carol, congrats on the exercises. I'm curious, you didn't like my list of food. What tastes good to you?

Carol said...

I agree with Don, Chloe. You have a one year old you are helping to raise. What else do you think you need to accomplish?

Anonymous said...

"It seems like you're always very busy. When would you have time to accomplish a list?"

Ha! Don, The reason I'm always busy is because I need to be more organized. What I would put on my list would be changes to make in my thinking; things that I would like to see happen, etc. More like the affirmations I was talking about. I believe in them wholeheartedly. I think the reason I put it off, is because once I do it, other things in my life will automatically change, as the new things start to happen. You know how it is. I guess I could say it's a bit like the domino effect.

I think most of us here on this site, probably realize something we do, can indirectly (or directly) affect the rest of the world. Well, maybe I'm being a little too philosophical. Or not so much philosophical, as dramatic. I tend to get too dramatic sometimes.

Anonymous said...

Carol, I'm not 'helping' raise her, I am raising her. She lives with me. :)

Anonymous said...

... still, raising kids is all about organization, just like everything else. When I was young, I raised kids and worked full time. Many women do that, and still accomplish as much as I do besides.

Anonymous said...

How's the TV working out?

Anonymous said...

... and the weather for you, Don? Is it warm and beautiful. Going to be in the 70s here for a few days. When's your interview? How's the ocean look?

Ha! I want to know everything!!

Anonymous said...

Rare bird's breeding ground found in Afghanistan

"The first known breeding area of one of the world's rarest birds has been found in the remote and rugged Pamir Mountains in war-torn Afghanistan, a New York-based conservation group said Monday.

A researcher with the Wildlife Conservation Society stumbled upon the small, olive-brown large-billed reed warbler in 2008 and taped its distinctive song -- a recording experts now say is probably the first ever. He and colleagues later caught and released 20 of the birds, the largest number ever recorded, the group says." http://www.mail.com/Article.aspx/world/asia/APNews/Asia/20100118/U_AS-Afghanistan-Rare-Bird?pageid=1