Monday, February 4, 2013

Downton Abbey, what a show!

You guys know how picky I am about TV shows and movies.  That Downton Abbey has really wowed me. I decided to make this a New Post.  Maybe we can attract some DA fans.


SPOILER ALERT CHLOE


Jan, there was sooo much to discuss with DA that I needed to take notes. I'm not kidding. I didn't get the feeling that the doc was willing to lie about whether Sybil could have been saved if they followed his advice.  He said he would research it to see. Maybe a very small fib. I think what he said would have been accurate, it was too late to do much and it would have put her through pain and suffering without offering much hope. Sometimes we just can't change fate. They never really focused any on the mag sulfate. Wouldn't that have helped with those seizures?  Might that have saved her?

Cora sure could use a big hug no matter what it took for her to get it.  They weren't terribly affectionate back then.  I actually was glad to see her get one, along with a good cry for the both of them.

Yep Lord Grantham was an ass but he did get it kicked quite a bit last night. Everyone was on his ass, everyone.  I can't see how he could have had an ounce of self esteem left. Don't let him near an assault rifle.

I was very proud of all the ladies last night. Wow! I was thinking, the beginning of the women's lib movement. The ladies were strong, the men were wimps and it's a man who writes this stuff?? Neat, I'd like to meet him.  Wonder if he has a neat wife?  Must have or missed a good chance to.

Lord Grantham and the butler were both wimps, did you notice? And stuck in the old ways.  The women let them know it too. Matthew was not.  He's really neat.

There was quite a bit of humor also. The Dowager, Maggie Smith,  gets most of the good lines there. I had several really healthy laughs with the stuff she said. She can be so old fashioned one minute and just the opposite the next.

I loved the scene at the dinner table discussing religion. I thought it was ironic that over there, in that time, it was Catholics who were looked down on. Over here, it's Catholics that look down on everyone else's religion, like everyone else's is not a real religion. Loved to have been sitting next to John to have that discussion. Did y'all?  Maybe later.

There was much I wanted to talk about with Mary...there's something about Mary... She has me really pondering.  Can't even remember all of it right now. She seems like such a dichotomy, if I'm using the right word. I love her one minute and not so much the next. She's the only one who can get away with telling her father how the cow ate the cabbage. And the only one actually brave enough to do it most of the time.. but she still is very supportive of him.

Mary and her father's relationship is neat and it is usually the oldest daughter who has that kind of relationship with their father.  Often, the eldest daughter is more like the real spouse.  A wife can often take a back seat to an oldest daughter, intellectually speaking.  I've seen that happen.

Well, was that enough to ponder for a while?  What else caught your eye?  Yes, I was very happy about Bates, Master Bates.      

198 comments:

Carol said...

I woke up pondering up one side and down the other over last night's DA show. Phew. Needed to get that stuff down before I lost it.

Carol said...

Jan, I moved your posts from last night here since you started my pondering.

jan said...
I too loved DA tonight. I got so tickled when The Earl of Grantham demanded that all the women of his house leave Mrs. Crawleys and they all refused, even his mother.

I felt bad for the doc that he is having to tell a lie. Is there ever a time with the Means is justified by the End. The means being the doc telling a lie and Cora falling into her husband's arms and they grieve the loss of their daughter together. Time will tell.

February 3, 2013 at 11:07:00 PM CST
jan said...
I am glad Bates is coming home.

February 3, 2013 at 11:08:00 PM CST

Carol said...

I went to the camp to start moving stuff back into my kitchen yesterday. Since I don't want to stir up the back pain, I'm moving stuff, one item at a time. Probably a good thing because I need to decide what I need to keep and what to throw away. I have a serious problem with hoarding crap that I really don't need. I think...I just might need this. I need hoarding therapy. I need someone to tell me..why do you need this?

Carol said...

There's a weird thing going on with my plumbing at the camp. It's all new stuff. A plumber put new water lines, new faucets and new hot water heater. The lines are like hoses, not the pVC I had before. There's a blue line and a red line. They are not supposed to break if there's a freeze. They will freeze but are supposed to thaw out without breaking. Anyone familiar with that stuff?

Chloe, is you husband familiar with that stuff?? The problem is, they put in a new hot water heater and all new faucets. The hot water comes and goes. There seems to be some kind of vapor lock in the hot water line. Weird thing is...that the water will come through the hot faucet but not hot water. It will come and go. My carpenter seems to understand what's going on but doesn't know what to do about it. It seems to me that I have a poltergeist out there, effing with us. I kept running it off and on all weekend and it didn't get better. I'd think that if something was blocking that hot water then nothing would come through. That's not the case.

Carol said...

Oh, and Thomas is going to end up getting his ass kicked. He's being set up. I'm both feeling happy about that and a little sad. There probably weren't too many options for gay guys back then. He's someone who is easy to hate but then feel a little compassion for.

Carol said...

TM is still not back up yet.

Carol said...

And Jan, I do think that their family doc was still so pissed off about how he was treated by that other hauty tauty doc that he may have wanted everyone to believe that he could have saved Sybil even though probably not. He is a good man though and wants to be truthful in the end.

Carol said...

Wallace, on Fox News told LaPierre off recently about his comment about Obama's children getting special protection. Bless his pea picking heart.

Carol said...

Keep talking Wayne and others who are soo extreme on that 2nd amendment crap. It's killing you, ..at least with anyone with half a brain. I'm not sure where those people lost the other half of their brains?? Maybe listening to Rush et al?

Carol said...

Someone needs to drug test Wayne. I think that he may be smoking something.

Unknown said...

Carol,
Glen asked if the plumbing job is complete or do they need to come back to finish it?

If it's complete, and you're getting cold water and hot back and forth, there could be an element in the hot water heater that's bad (there are 2 elements).

He said that those new water lines are the newest most high tech piping and that many plumbers here are using it now instead of PVC. It's faster, you don't have to worry about rust or cracking. He has nothing but good things to say about it.

Can you get the plumber back out?

Carol said...

Coreen, one thing I have to say about Shep Smith, Kris Wallace and Bill O is that, as much as they may want to support the "right's" talking points, they can't hide the fact that they have a brain. They rest of them over there..not so much.

Carol said...

Chloe, the same thing happened with the old hot water heater. It's one reason we changed it, even though it was old and I didn't want it going out. I don't think it is the heater. I think there is some air lock in the water hose system. It changes from hot to cold immediately. Back and forth. It's not like it runs out.

Carol said...

Yep, we will have to get that plumber back but my guy was kinda mad about how much he charged.

Unknown said...

I'm glad you talked about DA -- it won't ruin it for me.

Last night, I didn't have much time so just finished a movie I started the night before. Once I start DA, I think I'll probably spend too much time watching it, so I want to make sure I'm caught up on a few other things (which will be soon).

Reg. this: "There was much I wanted to talk about with Mary...there's something about Mary.... She seems like such a dichotomy".

That's what I started to like about her (you know how much I notice how we all have so many contradictions about us and those contradictions are what make us interesting sometimes, imo).

I think that those contradictions (and conflicts) in us may mean we are open to change (which is a very good thing, once again.. imo).

That's what I mentioned about Mary a while back here. She's strong, but then at times I can see so much vulnerability in her. To me that has made her very likable. I don't know if it's the script or the actress. Probably both.

Unknown said...

The conversation only gave me one thing that stick, and that about Bates getting free. Knowing that will actually make me enjoy starting the new season more. I actually stress out when things are going badly.

Does this series reinforce your belief in destiny?

To me, it reinforces my belief in the choices we make.

I know most people don't agree with me, but like you've said several times, that's OK. I don't mind being different.

Reg. Mary's dichotomy: I saw a movie once where the lady had a necklace with a small charm with a 2 sided (faced) head. She said she wore it to remind herself that there are 2 sides to every person. I looked online for ages to find something like it, but never did.

Actually, 2 side may not be enough. We probably have multiple sides, depending on how many conflicts we have in the flow of our thinking (philosophy)and the amount of contradictions that we have to deal with everyday.

Unknown said...

Carol, Get the plumber back out there.

Since the old hot water heater did the same thing, then something had to happen 'before' the new installation. You've had a lot of workers there, and things can happen (and usually do). You need a plumbing trouble shooter, one who knows what he's doing.

Glen was asking me questions about when it started, how big the hot water heater is, how long is it hot before it gets cold and so on. Things start getting over my head pretty quickly.

Carol said...

Chloe, it goes from hot to cold immediately. The old heater worked well before the new plumbing. It was feeling warm on the pipes but no hot water would even come out of it after. Then it started doing this hot and cold stuff. The new heater is doing the same thing.

The highest water pipe is in the shower and that has not been hooked up yet. They are still putting it together. That might be where that air lock is.

Now it could be the poltergeist because nothing else makes sense to me. I definitely don't believe it has anything to do with the water heaters.

Unknown said...

"Yep, we will have to get that plumber back but my guy was kinda mad about how much he charged."

Well, then, he should come back out for 'free' and make what he charged you too much for right.

Plumbing (like Air Conditioning) has gone up so much much over the last few years, along with everything else. Glen has a couple of friends who are plumbers (well he has friends and associates in every trade, because of the nature of his work).

You know all (or most of) the reasons that everything has gone up. Prices are much higher, although profit is about the same (although profit has had to go up too, since the contractors have higher cost of living too).

Just look how much gasoline has gone up since Obama's Obama's been in office. Gasoline prices affects 'every thing else' too.

The problem is while prices go up, salaries haven't been able to keep up.

Unknown said...

... and now taxes and health insurance are going up again. The average guy doesn't have a chance.

Carol said...

I think the plumber guy charges 90 bucks an hour and I bet it includes when he gets in his vehicle.

Carol said...

I'm heading to the camp to start working again. I have to go to WM to get stuff for lining the cabinets and some, not out of date, junk food. I get hungry out there. I still have quite a bit of food from the cabinets but only old junk food.

Unknown said...

Regarding DA... one of the things I liked most about it, are the strong women in it.

The fact that Mary (and others) have made different decisions than we would now (under different circumstances with more equality of women's rights) are understandable.

They had a different set of realities to deal with.

Unknown said...

That plumber should not get $90 an hour to fix what was never right in the first day. You paid him to do a job, now it's his 'responsibility' to make it right. You 'already' paid. Hold your line.

"...not out of date, junk food"

Hostess may be back soon! Although you don't strike me as a twinkie, cupcake sort of person. :)

Carol said...

You're right Chloe. It's salty, sour, then chocolate. Repeat. Fav snacks chips, olives, pickles, crackers and cheese, popcorn, chocolate. I guess you can understand why I'm porking up a bit.

Carol said...

I have also recently bought frozen dark red cherries and walnuts. Both have natural pain killers. They're working

Carol said...

No Twinkies or king cake.

Carol said...

Tell me the truth...did you shed a tear watching that Budweiser commercial? I did and again this morning when it was played again.

Carol said...

I also liked the old folks Taco Bell commercial. I can see us doing that.

Carol said...

I'm making very slow progress unpacking at the camp. I've been monitoring that trial I mentioned.
The accused murderer has taken the stand. I can tell she's going to try for a CA like defense. She's developing a story of being a victim of whipping. So far no sexual abuse. Her mom hit her with a wooden spoon. Hey, I got an igloo ice cooler to the side of the head. Somebody better watch me.

Carol said...

Just before she started her testimony I saw her mom look at some other woman sitting next to her. I think she knew something was coming. This is a capital offense case so mom would probably go along with whatever her daughter wants to make up.

Carol said...

My guys didn't come today. It was sprinkling and construction peeps don't like to work when it's raining. They may have other work they need to do. They have been tied up here since before Thanksgiving.

Carol said...

I've been out here for longer than usual and that's because I brought along all my fav food groups. I have something from all the afore mentioned snack groups. I could hold up here for quite a while now that I'm stocked up. Before, I'd have to go home to satisfy my desire for a feeding frenzy. LOL

Unknown said...

Carol, I didn't watch last night but is this the One?
Super Bowl 2013 Ads: Budweiser’s ‘Brotherhood’ Wins the Big Game

If so, I really love it. Horses are such kind, loyal animals with very long memories. Only a well trained one is safe to be around in the way he was though. I guess you know that. I just remembered you lived on a farm growing up.

I'd never been around horses until we moved here. There's been a lot of first here and I've learned a lot.

Nothing like a Clydesdale though. Unbelievably beautiful.

Our prettiest horse is a paint... she's a thoroughbred. Her name is America, because the shape on her side looks like similar to the outline of the U.S. Our first horse we got here is a buckskin quarter horse named Cheyenne. She was a real beauty and as smart as can be... but is really showing her old age now. She'll always be my favorite, and it's going to be hard to lose her.

Unknown said...

... Cheyenne is old, but still smart as a whip. She's also still the lead horse. Leadership must be a state of mind.

Coreen said...

Yes Carol, the bud clydsdale ad was the best as I said last night...

There is a contest to name the foal
from the ad, who was only a week old in the ad...

beyond the clydsdale ad, repeating myself, really didn't like any of them...& it seems the consensus has been that mostly the
ads were less than winners...

Coreen said...

By the way do you walk around talking on your iphone Carol...around here that is a prime
target for being assaulted/robbed....stealing the iphone is the goal...

Carol said...

Coreen, I might walk through Walmart on the phone occasionally but not much else, except in the house. Everyone I see around here has better phones than I do.

Coreen said...

Something to consider Carol, with your love of being at waters edge...what would you do?...

NY Gov. Cuomo is proposing that residents of coastal areas impacted by Sandy be bought out by the govt, houses removed & a buffer zone along the coast be
developed where no houses would be built...

needless to say that is not going over well with most of the affected residents...

Coreen said...

NYT article about Cuomo's plan
Cuomo seeking home buyouts in flood zones

Coreen said...

An alternative proposal is to allocate funds to raise the existing houses or rebuilt ones on stilts (or some bracing) to withstand flooding...

Honestly, I don't know what the answer should be, weighing the desire to be at waters edge (a way of life for many v. the repeated
destruction from flooding)

Carol said...

Chloe, I didn't grow up on a farm. We had that ranch property, shared by three families, father's side, but my Uncle and his family lived on it. We lived in town.

Mom didn't marry SF until I was 23. That's when my intense farm experience started. I had about 4-5 horses of my own over a period. Started with one quarter horse, race horse stock, and a Thoroughbred, race horse stock. A friend who bred race horses lost the property they used and had to sell them. Took them to the sale. I didn't want something bad to happen to them so I bought two young fillies.

Pa wasn't impressed with race horses. He wanted cow horses. The quarter horse was a beaut but he thought she was too tall for him but did use her. He thought that race horses were too high faluting for his taste. They had never been trained to race. Pa took care of them. I actually bought them for his use. He wasn't always easily pleased.

Carol said...

I traded the Thoroughbred for breaking the quarter horse. She was really tall. The other horses came from breeding the quarter horse.

Coreen said...

More to consider...you wanted this administration to send some of the wall streeters to jail, not likely since it looks like justice will sue S&P rating company this week but it will be a civil case not criminal....same old, same old...
justice prepares to sue S&P over mtge ratings

Carol said...

I had that pic of Pa right after he died. Those two horses he was standing with were my horses.

http://ct-carolssouthernspice.blogspot.com/2012/02/happy-trails-pa.html

Carol said...

I saw that Coreen.

Carol said...

I'm whopped. I had to sit and get up off the floor many times, working in cabinets. That's almost an impossible task these days.

Carol said...

I talked with my guy today. He said he's getting that plumber out there to get the air lock fixed. He said he doesn't have the special tools to work on those lines.

Carol said...

That kid who was kidnapped and held hostage has been freed. The man who took him killed himself. Thank God it turned out OK. I guess the NRA thinks he was one of those good guys with a gun. He was probably a card carrying member.

Carol said...

Maggie sat out at the camp with me today and as usual, she didn't lift a paw to help.

Coreen said...

OK so what are the odds that this is for real....
Jay Leno show-balloon breaking dog predicts super bowl winner

Carol said...

Luck Coreen.

Carol said...

50/50 chance of being correct.

jan said...

Great discussion questions about DA Carol? Mary is the textbook oldest daughter. Yes, I too believe the eldest daughter in the family may be closest to the dad. My sister and I (I did not realize at the time) always competed for my dad's attention.
I too believe that it is Mary who the Earl listens too. Mary certainly has a lot of confidence in her ability to influence her dad. I remember when Matthew first told her that Robert was not managing the estate well, she got pretty ticked at Matthew.

jan said...

I think Julian Fellowes did a good job of writing this story. It maybe that the writers of the screenplay may be taking some creative license too.

jan said...

I think the doc was not completely truthful about Sybil's changes of living through this.

I think he was going along with the dowager countess and trying to bring peace to the household.

There was one other thing from last week's show that bothered me. They made a big deal out of her ankles swelling. Well, ankle swelling is not necessarily a sign of preeclampsia, but swelling of the fingers,hands and face are signs of PE. 70% or more of pregnant women will have swelling of the lower extremeties. They did not mention high blood pressure but that may have been a more recent symptom.

jan said...

I suppose it was the value of the times, but I was really annoyed with the men of the household and how ugly they were to Ethel, the young woman who was accused of being a prostitute. Again, here is the double value. Ethel had to give up her child and prostitution was apparently the only way she could provide for her child before that, and the men are shameless. I wanted to hit both Carson and Robert. Good for the women. In last night's show, all of the women were, in some way - though not directly, being supportive of Ethel.

jan said...

The Earl is really p***** me off. First, he made a stupid investment, then he is being an a** to his youngest daughter's husband and then he treats a woman who has just been trying to get by - so badly. Cora really called him to task on the choice of the physician.

Carol said...

Agree Jan. Thanks for your input. Watching that show is fun.

Carol said...

Coreen, I just found what you wrote about buying up water front property or raising it. Mine camp is up on stilts but not as high as it probably should be. We've had two major surges and some significant high water and I lucked out every time. I have flood insurance. I think if I would have had to use it, FEMA may have helped pay to raise mine higher. I pay way more to insure my camp than my house, over twice as much for less insurance.

Carol said...

Actually, except for the floods, the water level has been unusually low for a while.

Carol said...

I'm still listening to that Jodi Arias trial. You know, kids these days don't know what a real whopping is. I guess what many of us got when we were kids would be considered severe child abuse today.

Yes, I know Coreen, I bet you never got one. However you may have needed one. I bet you were a spoiled brat. Just kiddin. LOL

Carol said...

Actually, being an only child probably doesn't bring out much deviousness in a kid. It's sibling that can really try one's patience.

Coreen said...

No Carol, no one ever raised a hand to/against me...

Coreen said...

And no I was not devious, never even considered it, no need to...

Carol said...

I would have put a million bucks on that Coreen,

Carol said...

My father seemed to spank because of his frustration with my mom. It was worse for my older sister. With twin and I, it was divide and conquer. We did get some good beating though, the kind that leave whelps. I felt a lot of anger about that. I didn't believe in spanking, hah. I think that if I thought they were deserved, they wouldn't have bothered me as much. I tormented more over the beating my older sister got.

Mom would get angry because I wasn't listening to her and she'd use whatever was handy. I got a lot of blows to the head, with shoes, brushes and that igloo ice cooler that I mentioned. I'm surprised I don't have epilepsy. I'm sure there had to have been a subdural hematoma or two in my head.

Carol said...

I have never had the desire to hit anyone/anything. Let me take that back. I remember this time when Twin and I were driving thru Oregon. She was at full volume rant and I envisioned smashing this jar of Italian seasoned olives into her face. Fortunately, I didn't want to waste the olives. They were too good.

Coreen said...

Sorry for your history of family frustrations/difficulties...and that it was taken out on you...I was a fortunate child, my family, (extended as well, my grandmother, aunts & uncles all took turns taking care of me, since my parents worked) & none of them exhibited signs of violence in any manner...

Carol said...

Listening to the sport's pundit today, they all felt like it was a good super bowl except for the lights going out. That was weird. I've seen most of the games in the super dome and I've never seen that happen. There were all kinds of wild thoughts about it. I dropped out of watching the game until DA was over. It didn't get real exciting until I came back to it. My timing was perfect. I wondered why that SF QB didn't try to run in that ball himself when they only had a couple of yards to go. I would have. It may have changed the outcome.

Carol said...

They are worried about how dangerous football is to the player's brains. They make the big bucks and play a very rough game and all I had to do is sit on my couch and ignore my mom to get a concussion. I shoulda had a helmet.

jan said...

Sorry to not write much today. worked until 5 and then needed to go buy dog food. So stopped and had something to eat on the way home. Too tired tonight to mess with the computer. Maybe tomorrow.

BTW, DIL is doing much better. Did not get up to hosp to see her but son joined us for a bite to eat. He said she wanted me to text her so I did and we texted back and forth for a while. She was up most of day and she may be going home Friday.

Carol said...

Spending a good bit of my day out at the camp was uplifting. Good thing since I needed some uplifting to get off the floor after working in the lower cabinets. Have you noticed that it's not that easy to get up off the floor anymore? I really hate this aging process.

But seriously, being able to look out all those windows and see the river and nature is very healing. It does wonders for everything, mind and body. I didn't even mind that I was having to do physical work.

Carol said...

Glad your DIL is doing better Jan. It's good that she is texting. She must be doing pretty darn good. Texting is a more challenging skill than just talking on the phone, well it is for me anyway.

Carol said...

Hey Jan, even the dude who does the weekly review on Huff Post agrees with me about Dr Clarkson.

"Eventually, she persuades Dr. Clarkson to inform Lord and Lady Grantham that Sybil's chances of survival would have been slim to none even if they had operated (we're left to assume that this is real information, since Dr. Clarkson isn't the truth-stretching kind), thereby letting the air out of Cora's rage and enabling these two crazy love birds to grieve together, as they must."

You need to go read his review. He hit some of the same areas I did but did it so much more eloquently. He is also humorous in his analysis.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-hogan/downton-abbey-recap-season-3-episode-5_b_2611416.html

Carol said...

He also mentioned the religion question. You skipped over that one and the relationship between Jimmy and Thomas. I wonder what will happen there.

Speaking of the discussion re Catholics, I remember a chat I had with some kid on the playground when I was in grade school. South La. is very Catholic. This girl told me that the Catholic church was the only true church. I thought..I bet mom and dad will be surprised to learn that we're not really going to church.

Carol said...

Heard anything from Craig Coreen? His site is still down. Says under construction. Is he building a mansion?

Carol said...

Just read that Joe Paterno's wife will be on Katie Couric's show on Feb 11. She is breaking her silence. Huh, think she will reveal anything new?? I know Paterno had to know. And I know their wives had to know. Those women weren't stupid but they were stuck with all of it.

I'll watch the show. I've learned, after working with a bunch of liars for years, how to smell the truth, or at least how to smell whether what someone says is the truth.

Carol said...

I put on my calendar to alert me for that show. I like that feature on my phone. I need that feature on my phone.

Carol said...

This morning I fell asleep listening to one of C2Cs recent shows. George had on Glynis McCants. She's the numbers lady. Numberology. She's fun to listen to, very upbeat. I bought one of her books but don't know where it is, the story of my life.

She told us what to expect for the year because of our personal year cycle number. Give me your number and I'll tell ya what she says for you. To find your number you add the month and day of your birth, get it to a single digit. Like mine is 11/6, equals 8. Then I have to add that to the year cycle number and I get a 5. The year number is 6. 2013 adds up to 6. Add 8 to 6 equals 14. add 1 and 4 and get 5.

For a 5 cycle she says: "cycle of 5: A year to embrace freedom, and travel if possible. It is also a year to take care of your personal needs."

Carol said...

I need to get my butt moving. My carpenter guy wants me to meet him at the camp early. I told him that I had been there all day yesterday and plan to be there again today. Figures he wants me to meet his schedule.

That's another story of my life, everyone expects me to adapt to their needs. I've kinda put a stop to that recently. It's wasn't easy and it ended up cutting people out of my life, hey, it cut that job out of my life last year but at some point we each have to insist that we aren't going to be the one who does all the compromising. I was always the one who did it. I'd warn others to try to meet me closer to half way but because I never really insisted in the past, they wouldn't do it. They figured that, as I had always done, I'd give in. Nope, not this time.

Unknown said...

Yep, Carol,
You've got stand your ground.

Unknown said...

I just got a chance to go read that article you linked on DA. I scanned, since I only finished episode 2 last night, but thought the guy was so catty that you'd think he was talking about real people.

As for the marriage, when you put an American and a rich, traditional, aristocratical Englishman together, you can expect a lot of conflict (there's that word again.... I seem to be stuck on it here lately). I think he was a little hard on everyone, and I can't say I find any of the characters boring (as he does).

The critique exhibits all that I dislike about most reviewers of movies, whom often seem to have a personal act to grind with the actors or directors or whoever are connected to the movie they are critiquing.

This is a period series and cannot be compared to present day values, 'especially' here in American. It was a different world (and a different country). Just think about the crap that was going on in this country in the 20's. Was it the 30s or 40s when the mafia was running so many things here in the U.S. I swear, I think Chicago and the Mafia are running the country now. Just sayin'

Unknown said...

act = ax

Unknown said...

Carol, I agree with what you say about the 'mansion' CC is building.

Maybe he's taking Jamie's advice and making it a gateway to other sites (like Drudge started out doing).

Am I remembering correctly that you set up this site in an evening? However you did it, it has been such a refreshing place to come and read what you all have to say. Also, it's a great place to shoot off my big mouth, and not worry that I will be crucified for saying the wrong thing. Thanks.

Carol said...

Actually Chloe, I pretty much agree with that guy's review but it's cool if you don't. You may want to see what you think after you have watched the episode. You might also agree.

I hope that no one here will ever feel the need to agree if they don't. That is what will cause some built up anger. Then it can explode with something that isn't even that significant. And we all reserve the right to chance our minds from time to time..and change them back again.

Carol said...

Hot water is fixed. It did have to do with something in the shower fixture that wasn't up yet. There is some kind of cartridge in it that allows hot water to bypass. Don't make me explain it but that's what my carpenter guy thought. The plumber attached the shower faucet and everything works now.

Unknown said...

I wasn't meaning to be disagreeable, Carol. Even though you linked it, I didn't know you agreed with it. If I had known, I wouldn't have said anything. I'm opinionated, but I don't feel the need to push what I think on others (usually).

I'll probably get to the third one tonight... so I have a ways to go before I get to five.

Unknown said...

... good to hear you've got your hot water working properly now.

Carol said...

I think TM is back but with an old post. You'd think Craig would have written a new post.

Carol said...

Dang it Chloe, I want to hear your opinion and it can be totally opposed to mine. I spend enough time talking to myself and I don't even always agree with me.

Carol said...

My brain is stimulated by different opinions. I'll always ponder them. When you are too agreeable, I smell BS.

Carol said...

And I know you are OK with my expressing my opinions even when I know you won't agree. OK?

No one wanted to know what their number suggested for this year??? None of them are bad. Just tell me what your month and day of your birth and I'll know what to expect for you. If you don't want me to know the month and day of your birth then add up all the numbers until you get a single digit and give me that number.

Carol said...

Jan, if your birth date is 4/13 then you are a 5, just like me. You add 4+1+3=8 and add that to 6, the year cycle. That comes to 14 and then add 1+4=5. So your cycle this year is the same as mine.

"A year to embrace freedom, and travel if possible. It is also a year to take care of your personal needs."

Since travel is in both of our cycles, we need to take a trip together. Sounds fun to me.

Now, do any of the rest of yous want to give it a go?

Carol said...

I just posted something that was wrong so I erased it.

Carol said...

Emma is 1/15= 6+6=12. 1+2=3.

"A year to communicate, and really find ways to laugh and enjoy yourself"

Emma may be a little chatty this year!

I just found your BD Chloe. 2/27=11 which added together is 2 plus the year of 6= 8.

An 8 cycle says..."A year to work on the financial side of your life, and improve your physical health"

Now Coreen, give me you numbers.

Carol said...

Well, I've done quite a lot here at the camp and again, Maggie didn't lift a paw to help. We did go take a walk so she could get some exercise.

I'm going to head back to the house, mouse.

Unknown said...

LOL, Carol.
Mines 2/28 and the reason I didn't do it is I don't understand the formula.

You sure got Emma pegged though. She talks more than me, and that's not an easy task.

Craig changed his blog.

Carol said...

I screwed yours Chloe. So it's 12 which added is 3 and add to 6 and that's 9 which changes your personal year cycle to:

" A year to clear remove all the clutter, and heal any unresolved emotional scars from your past. It is all about learning to be in the moment."

Pretty cool.

Carol said...

Well Chloe, with TM down, I've kinda gotten used to just being a home body here at the Swamp.

Carol said...

Chloe, your personal year cycle sounds kinda profound.

Unknown said...

I've gotten to be a homebody here at the Swamp too, Carol.

Thank you for doing my numbers. I LOVE it!! It couldn't have been more apt!

I'm going to finally start some daily affirmations to read, and will start with that one at the top.

Thanks!

Unknown said...

Yes, and very profound.

Carol said...

We'd all be better if we shared yours Chloe. I'm actually working on that now at the camp.

Carol said...

Chloe, sorry but I screwed up Emma's number also. I can't even add anymore. I'm surprised that no one caught that.

1+1+5= 7 not 6. So 7+6=13. 1+3=4

"Cycle of 4: A year to study something you have always been interested in, and increase your knowledge base."

Well, Emma does have a lot of knowledge base to increase at her young age.

You'll better check my addition.

Carol said...

My guy gave me an estimate for doing the outside of my camp. It sound reasonable for all that he will have to do. My place will be nice when they get through. By that time, they'll feel like they are related to me. That's a plus because I need some guys for fishing partners. At least the dad and one son are fishing fans.

They used to have a camp down south of here but Rita took that out. They do share one with several families up on a nice fishing river up north of here. I told papa that I needed an occasional fishing partner, don't care who. He sounded agreeable. I don't feel comfortable going out alone anymore.

Carol said...

Chloe, my cycle sounds fun and all but I think I will embrace the one you got...." A year to clear remove all the clutter, and heal any unresolved emotional scars from your past. It is all about learning to be in the moment."

I think that I would find that more useful and necessary.

Carol said...

I'm watching Christie who was on Letterman night before last. I record Dave. I really like Dave but didn't know how much. I always watched my guys on Comedy Central at that time. I caught Dave one night and realized what I was missing. I still watch my guys but now I record Dave.

Christie is a good sport about the all the jokes about his weight. I guess, what choice does he have? I told ya that it is still cool to be fat prejudice. I've always been a little prejudice myself because I've always been afraid of getting fat. Yep, I endured years of shaking, rapid heart rate, bone loss with hyperthyroidism, just to be able to eat and not gain weight. I am sympathetic.

I sincerely understand how terribly difficult it is to lose weight. Our bodies are programmed to hold on to our pounds in case of hard times. You cut back on the food to sneak those pounds away and the metabolism drops. You think you can suffer by starving for a while and then reward yourself and wham, those calories double on ya. It's not fair. And it's not fair that some are blessed with a higher metabolism and some are cursed with a low one.

Carol said...

And Coreen, Christie is one of your Republicans that I do like. Don't like some of the Republicany things he says but I like the man. It's a shame that he picked the wrong party. I'm sorry but many Republican ways are just evil and creepy. Just MHO.

They are pro life, only when it involves abortion, which I think they really couldn't care less about except that it sucks in the "religious" people. When any of them need or want an abortion, there's no hesitation. When it comes to most everything else that involves life, you're shit outta luck. Capital punishment, kill um, war, kill um, guns, kill um. No real support to help people survive hard times, that's pro life too. No, they are not pro life, just pro con.

I really do have some conservative beliefs but not Republican beliefs because I don't consider any of theres to be really conservative. Sorry.

I heard on the Daily Show Frank Luntz on Fox trying to retool the Republican vocabulary/talking points to better suck in people who may still have a heart/soul in that party.

I can totally understand your not wanting to give up your, hard earned and/or lucky to have, wealth just for the government to waste it. I hate giving up mine also. The problem is that your guys are OK with wasting it on war, on more wealth for the fat cats who already have more than they could ever need, but not on helping out people who are really in need. It just doesn't compute for me. There's not much left in that party that does anymore, IMO.

Carol said...

They were also talking about people who live near the water, should they be able to rebuild. If you stop people who could potentially be in harms way from rebuilding, it just shouldn't be those who live near water. What about those who live near a fault zone, those who live in dry areas that are prone to wild fires, those who live in tornado alley, etc? There are only a few places left that aren't prone to some potential disaster.

Carol said...

They do need to go for some stilts and stronger building codes if they live near the water.

Carol said...

Hope everything is OK with you Jan. You usually drop in to at least say you are busy and don't have time to chat.

Carol said...

And Coreen, I hate to mention it but I think it was your guys who were slow to respond to helping the victims of Sandy. They don't hesitate to vote on an oil subsidy though or anything else that supports those rich entities who send them nice campaign contributions.

Carol said...

My guys should be back today to finish my shower. I hope everything goes well. When it's done, I can go stay back there again. At least today, with hot water, I could wash dishes. I have to wash everything that goes back into the kitchen.

Carol said...

You know that Lance Armstrong did all that confessing so he might, one day, be able to compete again. He has a lifetime ban from competing. Then I heard, on the View, Tom say that they wanted him for DWTS. He declined. That's competing, what's wrong Lance? No rhythm/musicality?

Coreen said...

So Chris Christie is no longer 2-faced...just took a couple of fat jokes....

Y=







Unknown said...

I'm anxious to hear from Jan too.

Jan, I'm hoping you'll let us know how you're doing soon.

Unknown said...

I should keep my mouth shut, but that would be like moving heaven and earth in my case.

I really wish we could do away with the 'them against us' point of view. I know it's difficult, because we see it somewhere everyday (even though I don't watch TV news).

Still think everyone's view comes from a very personal set of circumstances, and that two people can disagree, and both still be right. I know that is true, even though it is purely on a theoretical basis and I often get emotional and temporarily forget to practice it in reality. That's where a lot of my chronic feelings of guilt come from.

I loved that you gave me that wonderful affirmation to work on Carol.

"A year to clear remove all the clutter, and heal any unresolved emotional scars from your past. It is all about learning to be in the moment."

I've tried so hard, but usually have such a hard time learning even what it means to only live in the moment. Another thing I understand theoretically, but putting it to practice can be quite another thing. I'm not going to stop trying though, and I am so grateful you gave that gift to me by posting it here.

Unknown said...

I watched the 3rd episode of season 3 of DA last night, and yes... the plot does thicken.

However, I know I have a long way to go in the next 2 episodes, because I can tell by what I've read, a lot is going to happen.

In case you've forgotten, episode 3 is where Mathew decides to donate his inheritance to DA (if I get names wrong, don't be surprised. I know the characters well, but sometimes names escape me). It ends on that note.

The night before I had meant to mention how much I liked what Mary said to Mathew at the alter. He said something about not being sure she's show up, and she said:

"I should hate to be predictable".

That's when I knew how much I liked Mary: faults and all.

jan said...

Sorry to stay away so long. Sometimes I come in and read and forget to leave a message. Yesterday afternoon and last night I was busy going through pictures for 15 y/o GD in Ark. She wanted me to scan some pics I took when we took them to Mesa Verde about 9 years ago. Took me several hours to find the ones she wanted. Problem was, in going through pics, I got distracted looking at others. One of the nicest things about pics is the memories they bring up. Finally found the pics and then took a while to scan them. Then took some more time to figure out how to send them to her. I was a little rusty, but got it done. I would post them here on the blog but don't know how to do that now. Was unable to get them into my documents and that is how I post pics on here.

Unknown said...

"Then I heard, on the View, Tom say that they wanted him for DWTS. He declined."

That movie that I loved (probably because it's so quirky): 'Silver Linings (etc)' is still going strong here. There's some nifty dancing in it (not a lot though) because the couple in it are preparing for a dancing contest. It's not the major plot of the plot, but probably more metaphorical than anything. But the dancing in it is a very nice touch.

Watching movies is always more of a metaphorical experience to me than anything else and I always try to stick to fiction.

That's why I feel I earn so much from them. It's not that I necessarily take them that seriously, but they are an important part of my fantasy life (escapism?) and feed the 'idealism' part of me. That's why I insist on some kind of happy ending whenever possible.

jan said...

Chloe, I was interested in your comment some time back about the multiple sides we each have. Interesting thought. I think as I get older, my multiple sides are becoming more integrated. Sometimes I act or react in ways that surprise me. Sometimes the way I react to something has more to do with being tired/weary/sleepy or hungry/low blood sugar. I have slight headaches often and just need a snack and a little nap to be myself again. I think there were more sides to me when I was younger and had more more hormones going on.

Unknown said...

Glen and I went back to see it together (the first time we were theater hopping, and saw 2 different movies, as often happens with us if we feel like seeing something different).

We've had fun discussing it. It's one of those movies that started from a book that was more on the dark side (just like 'Pretty Woman' did) but ended up being a comedy.

The cast is wonderful, and for the first time I realized why Glen likes De Nero so much. He plays a (very humorous somehow) 'Obsessive Compulsive' in it. It's nice seeing it at the theater because I think that sharing the audience reaction to the movie was an important part of it. Plus, it needs to be followed closely, which isn't always possible at home.

jan said...

Hi Chloe, I see you are on here too. I really want to see the movie, Silver Linings Playbook. I had so many movies I wanted to see in the theatre, but other life experiences have gotten in the way.

Coreen said...

As for those impacted by sandy, you really need to listen to them, not the comedians... they place blame for not getting help fast enough on both sides of the aisle, directly to this adm. for taking credit, making promises then walking away as well as those who held up the vote on future funding...

And like you really didn't want to mention the slow response to sandy, I hate to bring up your peet peeve those evil oil companies always getting oil subsidies (if anyone should be complaining constantly its those of us here who pay the most taxes)hey here's a thought, stop/refuse to accept those royalties/leases for use of lands in your area...the good old pot/kettle on full display...

jan said...

Chloe, I too like movies in the theatre because it is more of an "experience" to see them there. There is something to just immersing oneself in an experience and I don't do that as much when I watch a movie at home.

jan said...

Hi Coreen, you are on here too.

Unknown said...

Jan, I completely agree with everything you just said.

Hearing 'you' say them makes me wonder if we shouldn't embrace all those sides of ourselves. I usually hate the side of myself that I know are probably unacceptable to others, but they're no more than moods affected by many things, of which you mentioned some of them.

Yesterday, I was in a bit of a FU sort of mood (not here at the Swamp or toward you guys - but toward the world in general.

Like you it depends on the food I've eaten, how much caffeine I've had, how I slept as well as countless other circumstances in my life.

I so glad you shared that thought with us. I know it really help me anyway.

Unknown said...

" life experiences have gotten in the way."

I know exactly what you mean, Jan. As they say, reality keeps getting in the way of happiness (not always though).

I'll never give up on reality, because to me that's all we have.

jan said...

I feel bad for Christ Christie and all the flak he is getting for his weight. Obesity runs in my family. My mother, brother were obese and so is my youngest son and his youngest daughter. I read an interesting article that was citing some research about obesity and it said that much of what we health care providers tell people about how they can lose weight is nonsense and not supported by good research.

Unknown said...

"There is something to just immersing oneself in an experience and I don't do that as much when I watch a movie at home."

Me either, Jan.

Carol said...

"stop/refuse to accept those royalties/leases for use of lands in your area...the good old pot/kettle on full display..."

No, not at all. They make a crap load of money and I'm gonna donate more to them. Dang, that sounds like a Repub thing to say.

jan said...

The life experiences I am talking about getting in the way of seeing movies I want to see - are that I have felt the need to be available and support to my son whose wife is in the hosp. That to me has been more important than seeing a movie. I can always go to a movie.

I am not sure what happiness is any longer. Happiness now is simply, for me, just living in the moment and being content with who I am and what I am doing. I guess we each define what happiness is to us individually. What is happiness to me is most likely not the same as to my sons or grandchildren or to you.

Carol said...

One advantage to seeing a movie at home is that I can stop it to walk around or use the bathroom. I can also rewind and repeat and watch it more than once. I don't have some of the distractions you guys have. And then around here, they often just don't have a movie at a theater.

Carol said...

And Coreen, I do pay a crap load of taxes on that money and don't complain about it. I'll share with the less fortunate.

jan said...

The show "Smash" was on last night. Not as good as last season, or I just was not as interested in it. Idol is on tonight. Looking forward to it.

Carol said...

It's not like I deserve it any more than anyone else does. I was just fortunate. I didn't work for what I inherited. I didn't build it!

jan said...

Update on DIL. She is up and around, talking normally and is going home sometime this week.

Chris Christie on Dave is repeating. Christie is funny. Makes fun of himself. When did we become a nation of such judgmental people? Of course I have my biases too. Not telling what they are.

jan said...

Got to get ready for work. Have 2 students coming to accompany me on my rounds. Going to one of our child care centers to do some hearing/vision screens and weights and measurements and just generally observe some child development of the littlest people. Fun, fun, fun.

Carol said...

I'm going to the camp to work/play. Fun fun fun.

Unknown said...

"I am not sure what happiness is any longer. Happiness now is simply, for me, just living in the moment and being content with who I am and what I am doing."

There's a lot to be said for 'contentement', Jan. I remember when I was younger, that was the one emotion that always escaped me. Contentment is such a wonderful feeling, one that often evades me.

I think you are mother.... through and through. Like I told Amy (when I thought she was going to be one): your life will never be the same. Well, turned out I was talking to myself. But the rewards are many.

Am I prying to ask if you got the results back regarding your esophagus? If so forgive me for asking.

Coreen said...

Carol, then stop whining about it all the time...you sound like those you have complained about using the system for so long....didn't build it, didn't earn it, but expect to be taken care of...

Coreen said...

Glad to hear your dil is recovering Jan....



Carol said...

"......you sound like those you have complained about using the system for so long....didn't build it, didn't earn it, but expect to be taken care of..."

What I inherited, I didn't build like most of you people think, but I've built a whole lot more than most of those greedy, spoiled
Repubs have built. And for most of my life I worked at least a job and a half or two jobs to make ends meet and continued to go to school. I just selected jobs that didn't pay that well. And I've never gotten much of shit back. Never collect unemployment and my SS is pennies.

I TAKE CARE OF MYSELF but I'll share. And if I want to whine, I'll whine!

Coreen said...

Carol, you direct your negative judgmental comments at me ('you people') & you seem to have a problem with the fact that I and mine are in a better position than you...it comes across as resentful & envious...so be it...your privilege...

I am exceedingly proud of my family, myself & the success we have had in life...

Don't have to defend it to you or anyone...sorry you have had a difficult life, but that doesn't make your opinions any more noble...

You certainly can whine away all you want...if it is directed at me I may point out what I consider the flaws...or better yet, just let you whine away to whomever....you are on your on girl..










Coreen said...

And on a better note...

Seems Cats Rule!!...
Monopoly fans add the cat & get rid of the iron

Carol said...

Not jealous sister. I have my owl camp and my river and it's a comfy 67 degrees outside. I don't want anything anyone else has.

I felt you were directing some of what you said at me so I threw it back to ya.

Unknown said...

"Sometimes I act or react in ways that surprise me."

I've been thinking about what you said earlier, Jan. About how our reactions can surprise even us (personally), even though we're looking right back into our own psyche.

Those surprises, I think, may be the gateway to getting to know ourselves better.

I came across what I think to be a very good article about Hillary, and what she's done to help women in our country, and even throughout the world. Many are hoping she will continue in the future to lead us even further.

This sounds like what we were saying about the outside (and inside) forces that affect our decision making:

"And being "overtired" doesn't just affect our health, but our decisions (and thus the health of others). The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School concluded that lack of sleep was a "significant factor" or played a "critical role" in the Exxon Valdez accident, the Challenger space shuttle explosion, and the nuclear accidents at both Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. "Sleep deprivation negatively impacts our mood, our ability to focus, and our ability to access higher-level cognitive functions," report the Harvard sleep doctors.

.. The combination of these factors is what we generally refer to as mental performance."

Redefining the Meaning of Success: Hillary Clinton's Next Great Challenge?

Carol said...

I'm making some good headway on restocking my kitchen. My guys came by with sad news. They said they opened the box for the shower doors and the glass was broken. The people at the hardware store said that happens in 1 in 4. They were sooo sorry but it's no big deal. I'm in no hurry for the shower. They stayed and had coffee and we exchanged fishing stories.

I'm having fun watching my trial, playing on the Net, watching wildlife, and doing my work.

Unknown said...

... and more (from the same article:

"We do need a new architecture. The old ways of doing things have broken down. Hillary Clinton was talking about foreign policy, but the architecture of how we live our lives is also badly in need of some new materials and structures. Which is why I hope that after unplugging, recharging, getting some sleep, and becoming "untired," Hillary will return to public life and bring with her a new blueprint for employing those values. If so, there's no ceiling on what she could accomplish for women -- and yes, for men too."

I was surprised that Arianna wrote this article, and she seemed to have done quite a bit of research for it too.

Carol said...

I think my new adopted Cajun family likes me and the camp as much as I like them. They are very neat people.

Unknown said...

It's raining and therefore (to me) beautiful here today, Carol. Still plenty warm too.

We heard one our huge flock of birds coming through yesterday... the sound alone is breathtaking. I think they were going south, but didn't get a good enough fix on things to be sure.

I'm sure the wild life is enjoy the non-winter we are having. I certainly have no complaints.

Glad to hear that your camp is still such a comfort to you and Maggie. (.. you haven't said much, but I assume she's enjoying it too?).

Carol said...

Chloe, for a woman who was as tired as she must have been and had just gone thru what she went thru, our Hillary kicked some ass in that hearing. She's a tiger.

Carol said...

Chloe, Maggie is laying on the couch next to me. She's good.

Carol said...

It's sprinkling here also. A little gloomy but OK. I'm warm and dry in the camp but from up here, it's like I'm outside.

Unknown said...

" I'm warm and dry in the camp but from up here, it's like I'm outside."

Same here, Carol.

Except you seem to be accomplishing more than I am. I'm going to follow your lead and get to work before it's time to go pick up M.

She ran into this room (where I am right now) this morning... after apparently just waking up, like one of those Clydesdale's from the Bud commercial. Just as loud too.

Carol said...

Chloe, I would have voted to get rid of the iron also.

jan said...

Chloe, My doc said my esophagus is fine. I did have some esophagitis and were lots of eosoniphils in esophagus- my doc said probably result of allergic reaction to the golightly. But apparently the lesion was nothing to be concerned with.

jan said...

oops just got a text from DIL. Not so good today and neuro doc does not want her going home soon. More leaking of cerebro spinal fluid. DIL sounds despondent. Better go up and see her. Does not like her nurse.

Unknown said...

Oh, Jan,
You and your family are going through a rough time.

Hope things go OK with your DIL and I'm so glad to hear that lesion wasn't a problem either.

Between all you've got going on right now, along with your job, you must be under a tremendous amount of stress.

Hopefully things will turn around soon.

Carol said...

Poor baby Jan. How long has it been now? Hospitals aren't fun places to have to live in. Is she wanting to go home? Is she nervous to go home?

jan said...

We went up to visit DIL. It is only 3-4 blocks. It would have been easier to walk. I wanted John to go. She likes John a lot. But he cannot be out in cold air, makes him cough.

Anyway, she was sitting up, eating dinner. She looks and sounds great. She says her neuro doc does not want her to go home and she does not want to go home. Says husb and girls want her home. sooooo - not sure about this.

Carol said...

The trial I'm watching has degraded into 50 shades of gross. The defendant has been on the stand for 3 days now describing this sordid sexual relationship with her victim. Not sure what the defense is trying to do. I had it on at the camp today when my guys came over. Son carpenter has also been following it also.

The defendant's victim was a Mormon. He talked her into converting. He seemed to be using her for sex but didn't really want a serious relationship with her. Treated her as a sex object. She just should have terminated the relationship instead of terminating him.

She described an episode where he baptized her into the Mormon faith and then took her to a hotel and had anal sex. She didn't want it but she didn't want to hurt his feelings. He told her that even though regular sex was not allowed by their faith, all other types was A-OK. Truth is stranger than fiction. Can't wait until the prosecution gets hold of her. I actually felt a little sympathy for her for being such a dork. Doesn't excuse her for slicing his neck, shooting him and stabbing him close to 30 times. She must have been holding on to a little anger.

Just goes to show ya, it's better to express your anger instead of bottling it up. Wait too long and it can blow way out of control.

Carol said...

Jan, she's probably scared and maybe concerned that she will have to resume the...I will have to take care of everyone else, role. Are the rest of the fly going to wait on her for a change?

Carol said...

If she is afraid to go home, her body will not be very motivated to heal. That worries me.

Carol said...

I really don't know her role in the family. I remember that her kids have put her through a lot.

Carol said...

OK, it's been raining all day. Enough already!

Carol said...

Sorry Chloe, I know you like the rain but there's always too much of a good thing for ya.

Carol said...

Actually, I don't see this yellow blog that we have had over us all day, over your way. If you want it back, you can have it.

Unknown said...

I figure the rain in February is going to give us a more beautiful Spring, Carol. We've lost a lot of tree's over our way, and need the green.

Remember there was an extremely bad fire in our area not long ago, and it got way to close for comfort. Plus I think our water tables were getting too low. So I see the rain from a very positive point of view.

And don't forget, I am a Pisces (maybe that's why I don't like seeing dead fish. (?)

Any, seems to me that February is always the most dreary (hate using that word to describe weather, but...) month of the year.

The only good thing about the end of February, is that the next day is March.

.... except this year. Isn't it leap year? I'm too lazy to even look.

God bless the rain!! At least here in beautiful Houston. :)

Unknown said...

Jan,
I'm going to assume that doctor and patient know best.

Therefore, maybe things are just as they should be for the time being. It's good that he's not taking any chances. That way maybe she won't end up back in there too soon.

Hope 'you' are doing well. Hope all the things going on don't take away from your caring for yourself.

Unknown said...

Software makers Microsoft Corp and Symantec Corp said they disrupted a global cyber crime operation by shutting down servers that controlled hundreds of thousands of PCs without the knowledge of their users.
cyber crime ring


... Carol, I was just thinking. Hope my Avatar camera doesn't make you too nervous. I remember you were concerned about your laptop camera playing peek-a-boo. :)

Not laughing at you but with you. I hope that goes without saying.

Carol said...

No Chloe, your avatar doesn't bother me. It did concern me when the news reported that our little cameras on our computer can be activated from a remote computer and we can be watched. One day, that thought actually crossed my mind. If we can even conceive it, someone can probably achieve it. So much of what we now do, without a second thought, was just a wild fantasy in someone's head in the past.

Carol said...

I don't mind your getting your nice rain Chloe, as long as I don't get a not so nice flood. I like a rainy day also. It's cozy. Enjoyed yesterdays until it just wouldn't let up. Often we get a lot more than you do. I just looked at my gauge here and it was 2 1/2 inches. That's OK.

Carol said...

You can join me in a little meditation with God/Universe. A few deep cleansing breaths. In, out, in out. In out.

God, Universe, Mary's, not my sister, we would appreciate it if we could forego any fires, floods, earthquakes, tornado, tsunamis, and anything else I forgot to mention. If you want to throw one in some remote spot where it doesn't do any serious harm, that's OK. We understand that an occasional controlled fire does help the planet. In return, we promise that we will try to be good to our earth home, show it some love, and the inhabitants also. We'll try to convince those pesty Republicans to do the same, but don't hold your breath. Thanks you in advance.

It's always important to thank God/Universe in advance.

Carol said...

Jan, is DIL's mother still alive? Can't remember if you told us. You mentioned that DIL had a control issue with her daughter? I think that I remember that. Wouldn't you also consider that her daughter, having a serious eating disorder, would be a severe control issue also? How much does her daughter's illness control her entire family?

Control issues in family and friends is something that causes me the most distress in my life, always has. Even though I do realize that we all want a certain amount of control in our lives, I don't think that I'm as bad as most others in my life. But then they seem to have no clue just how controlling they are. I really try to let go and let God and hope for the best. It didn't bother me in the least when my guys told me yesterday that the shower material was broken yesterday. That's progress.

Carol said...

Now, my poor animals, who also want to control me, are waiting to be fed.

Carol said...

It looks like our little rain is going to bring 8-10 inches of snow to you Coreen. Yuk. Don't let it be.

jan said...

Carol, yes - lots of control issues in this family. DIL's mother is very much alive and involved in family. I am going to step back.

jan said...

Carol, I need to separate myself from son and his family now. If I get too involved, I start not living my own life. I was being supportive while she is in the hospital but she seems to be doing well now and the issues are their issues.

jan said...

Carol, just caught a smippit of the Jodi Arias trial. Wow! Don't want to follow that too much either. I get too emotional.

jan said...

Chloe, yes - I need to step back in order to care for myself. I have not been doing much of that lately.

jan said...

Woke up about 2 this morn with overall generalized itching. I had been thinking it was an allergic reaction. Am beginning to think it is a reaction to some stress. I was worried about son and DIL last night before I went to bed and I now think it is an unconscious reaction to the stress. I got up and took an antihistamine and fixed a cup of tea and went back to bed in the other bedroom and fell back to sleep after about an hour or two and slept about 3 more hours. It just seems that this happens after I have some kind of issue I am fretting over before I go to bed. I feel fine now. Glad I did not have to go to work this morn.

jan said...

Took my walk and stopped in to see DIL. She is wanting to go home. Don't know what happened between yesterday and today. She still has headaches and may be going home on oxycodone.

jan said...

This ex cop in Calif sounds bad. I feel for all the cops there and their families.

Carol said...

Jan, I think you are doing the right thing. Dealing with that kind of stess can do more to ya than cause some itching.

We need a new post and can 't wait for Coreen's blizzard to get one. Not my turn.

Coreen said...

yes, your little raindrops are on a collision course with a cold blast all headed for new england...

it is nonstop talk about
the weather...will let you know on saturday just how much finally falls...the reports are all holding at a foot here, with much more to the east end of the state, ri, ma...

today its the calm before the storm, even some blue sky & sun shining right now...

Coreen said...

Don't know about where you live Jan, but this time of year, everyone around here gets really dry skin, causes itching & no amount of any lotion really stops it...

but am sure your stress level may also be responsible considering your family's medical issues...

Carol said...

Coreen, did the comments on TM go down again. I got them earlier but not now. I can get to his post but not the comments.

Carol said...

I went to a furniture store this morning. I need a recliner for out here. That's how I sleep and I don't have one here. I found a nice one on sale. I've kinda gotten used to sleeping in a recliner. I need a little help from a small piece of an Ambien but that works for about 4-5 hours.

There is a silver lining playbook with sleeping in a recliner. I am a chronic grazer. I can't stop it and nightime is my worst time. Going to bed with a full stomach was probably eating up my esophagus. Now, it's like sleeping with my head elevated. It was much cheaper than a bed where the head elevates.

I also bought a little love seat for the kitchen. I had an old one in there, soaked when the roof leaked. Insurance gave me some money for it. I have a nice place for it in there and I like having a little couch in the kitchen here. If I have company, it's a nice place for people to sit to visit while I cook. I need to go sit to rest my back also when I cook. That couch got used.

Carol said...

Jan, that trial is a once in a lifetime kind of trial. My carpenter son guy has already texted me about it today. If a trial can attract the attention of a 28 year old carpenter guy and a 62 year old woman, it's got to be fascinating.

Yes, it's sad but I get sad when I watch just about everything, even commercials. I seem to get teared up with half the commercials I see.

I'm fascinated with human behavior. This is a capital punishment case...which I think is a big mistake. People may say they are OK with capital punishment but when they have to vote to do it, especially to a young attractive, innocent looking woman, they just can't do it. I, like what Chloe said, think that anyone who kills another person is mentally ill. I haven't heard any argument that, to me, supports putting another human being to death. Don't even try Coreen.

Carol said...

Coreen, why don't you put up some before pics of your yard. Then if you get that blizzard, you can add the after pics. That would be cool. No, that would be bitchen cold!

Carol said...

The trial went into closed sessons. I wonder if they might be discussing a plea deal?? I have plenty to do to keep me busy here.

Coreen said...

At my office Carol, no pics to work with...TM did the same that you said happened, didn't see it this a.m., so no idea when it went down...

Don't know much about the Arias trial, think she was on 48 hrs before the trial started...she was not believable then, more like a manipulative scheming, was she dumped? don't recall...not sure if this case merits death penalty or not...but not a problem with a jury so finding...if lanza didn't kill himself & if our incompetent
legislature had not recently removed the death penalty from consideration, I strongly believe that any jury allowed to consider that penalty would have done so in a nanosecond...

Carol said...

Coreen. there was no doubt in my mind that Lanza was sick, sick, sick. I would have never voted for death for him. I'm more angry with those who created the situation that leaves those high capacity weapons for mentally ill people to have available. They are much more responsible. I think that even many of the parents of those kids would agree. I can tell from what they said at the time. Those parents were some highly spiritually evolved individuals. Believe me I listened to every word they had to say at the time and cried with every one of them.

Carol said...

If I had to pick people who most represented the Christian values that Iearned in Sunday school, I'd pick some of those parents from Sandy Hook I was in awe of them.

Coreen said...

Probably would never had been selected for a jury in this type case Carol...You would not get through jury panel selection with your views...Here attorneys question every propesctive juror indivdually & your views would certainly be cause to disqualify you that is, when we did have the death penalty as punishment....

Carol said...

I know Coreen.

New post until someone gets one ready. I didn't want to run into over 200