Here are some scenes from and around New Orleans. We were there in early January. One picture is of Drew Brees' house - at least this is what a tour guide told us. Another picture is on Bourbon Street. One of my favorites is the bridge. I don't know which bridge it is, the ship was docked under it. Maybe Carol will know the name of the bridge. I love sunrises and sunsets over the water.
195 comments:
New Orleans is my favorite city. It has so much history. There is no other like it.
I wonder what cities are your favorites.
Nice pics Jan. I bet you have spent more time in NO than I have living in La. It is a very interesting city, feels more like being in another country. One of my favorite activities when I go there is watching people, especially at night.
Well I put my new pressure washer to work today. I cleaned my decks and steps. That took all day.
I even mowed part of the yard. I had clover over 6 inches tall. I can't believe I'm mowing in February and after all the freezes. That clover is hardy.
I had planted some green onions I bought last year in the grocery department. I cut off the tops and stuck them in a little window type box. I heard about it on some TV show.
I hadn't done anything to really take care of them and I thought the cold would have killed them but when I made my gumbo I needed some so checked them out and they were all OK.
If you are like me, when you need them, you buy them and there's always some left over that rot in the frig. I just use the green tops. If that happens to you, I suggest saving the bottoms and sticking them in some soil in any kind of planter and they come up fast and you can keep cutting the tops when you need them. They made it thru the 20s but I don't know if they would survive some of the temps you guys get.
Carol, great info about the onions. I will try that. Onions must be hardy little buggers.
We have been watching The Grammys - quite a show. Watching Idol, DWTS and Glee has put me in touch with contemporary popular music and I like it. Lady Gaga is a trip! She came out in an egg and performed her new song. I like her.
Jan, I read there is some controversy over Gaga Gada's performance last night. Evidently it was very similar to something Madonna did a while back. I certainly would know. I do like her music and her. She is weird but in a good sort of way. I didn't see all of the Grammys but I saw most of it.
If anyone wants to put up a Valentine greeting, I would welcome it. When I put up this post yesterday, I forgot today was Valentine's Day. I will not be offended.
BTW, I have been going into the Great Scots blog and reading his stuff. He doesn't live to far from me. I know where Valencia County is - I suspect his house is about 30-50 miles from me. He is a most interesting person and a great writer. Looks like he has quite a following.
one of our neighbors, a young med student brought us some cookies yesterday for V's Day. We were touched by her thinking of us. She helped us a few weeks ago get an old TV out to the car - we were taking it to Good Will. This morning we went over early and put a little pot of tulips on her front porch for V's Day. Her name is Kate. She just started med school this past fall.
I couldn't finish the Grammy's last night. Just can't stay up past 10:30. I taped the end.
I like the message Gaga sends to young people, especially girls.
All my granddaughters like gaga. I think she especially appeals to girls.
I loved the opening of the Grammy's with the music divas' music. They were amazing.
Chloe, do you and hubby do anything special for Valentine's Day?
Sorry I never got to check in yesterday, Jan.
Beautiful pictures! You really caught the personality of New Orleans. And those water shots are amazing.
Nice to read how much you enjoy your neighbors. That is so sweet that Kate thought of you two for Valentines Day, and what a great idea the pot of tulips is. A great way to start her day.
We don't necessarily do anything special for Valentines day, except exchange cards and may a small gift. I made him his favorite cake yesterday (spice with cream cheese frosting) and he couldn't have been happier.
There will be a little party at Emma's pre-school today, and we gave her a little gift in a very cute Valentines Day bag (with ribbon handles), and as I knew would happen, she liked the bag even more than the gift. She loves gift bags, and will be carrying it around for weeks, filling it with 'who knows what'. Loves bags, purses and pushing around her little plastic shopping cart full of whatever she can fit into it. I jokingly call her the 'bag lady'.
Carol, I'm going to try your green onion idea too. I have the same problem - I use a few and the rest end up getting thrown out.
How nice that Jan could honor New Orleans today. I haven't been there (and that's a shame, because it's not that far), but it sure is beautiful - and Jan did caught such great shots of it. You're getting quite the eye on those pics you take Jan.
Yes Jan, that Great Scots blog grows on you. When Ivy first linked it, he was talking about hanging his hummingbird feeders - and that was about the same time that we were all talking about our feeders here at our blog.
I went far enough back to read all about what he and his wife went through when she was dying of cancer. It was a very sad story, but he expresses himself so well, it's often poetic.
The pain people go through and survive is almost unfathomable. That's one of the reasons that this latest problem he had at his home seemed all the more worse. But he'll come through it fine, I'm sure - and then continue moving forward.
Thanks to Carol for reminding us of his blog. I sometimes forget.
... it must be great fun living so close to the University, Jan. Sounds like a friendly, tight little neighborhood. And so convenient for you and John.
Happy V-Day everyone.
Oh, and Carol, since we are having almost identical weather, I know you must be enjoying it. Today is supposed to be 74. YooHoo!
... hope Coreen checks in soon to let us know how she's doing.
You too, Solar.
"Loves bags, purses and pushing around her little plastic shopping cart full of whatever she can fit into it. I jokingly call her the 'bag lady'."
Chloe, I love reading your descriptions of Emma. This one made me LOL. I can just see her pushing her little cart around and putting stuff in it. I remember when one of my little granddaughters was about Emma's age. She loved sorting things. I had a big jar of buttons I had collected for years and she loved sorting them into colors and sizes.
Chloe, thank you for the very kind words about my pictures. I never know how a picture will look until I put it into the computer and blow it up. The little picture square in the camera is not very satisfactory in terms of what it will look like blown up.
I love to take pictures. I don't consider myself especially good at it. I just shoot what I like. I have never worked with a really good camera. I don't know how to do settings and stuff like that. It is something I would like to learn about. Maybe something to think about after I finish this job I am doing. I need to write those things down that I want to do.
Jan, I love your pics also. At the U here they have photography classes or at least used to have. I took a black and white photo class years ago when I was teaching. It was cheap, actually free I seem to remember. That's pretty cheap.
The class did give me good hints about composition and at the time about using the SLR camera. I'm used to being able to control things by setting those old camera setting like shutter speed and F stops. You could do all kinds of things by manipulating two little settings. You could control for front or back lighting. You could do special things with the speed to get different effects.
Now, with these cameras, you need a media degree to figure out how to change those settings to do what you want. The directions are limited, lose something in the translation from Chinese and impossible to figure out.
Your U may also have some kind of leisure learning classes on photography. May help you understand how to figure out the settings on the camera. I need someone who could just explain the directions.
Boy, today was a bitch. I told you that my life seems to go in cycles, high cycles and low cycles. Saturday started a low cycle. And by low, I mean crappy cycle, and that's not the fish I'm talking about. I'd love the crappie fish cycle. Not that lucky.
It started with SF. I've been pondering that problem since talking to him Saturday. I'm not sure what's going on in his head and I really think that being devious is something he is enjoying. I really think he wants to lose everything he has. Only problem in he needs money to survive, he has a hand who has worked for him for 40 years and he owes an obligation to him and third, he has usefruct of my mom's estate.
I did tell him that I would have to have a judge decide what he could competently handle. I've been distressed over it all weekend. I don't know what to do. If I drag him into court and have him proven incompetent, what will it do to our relationship? I'm the only one who can oversee all his affairs even though I would rather not.
I'm seeing some real evil in him and starting to realize that some of those traits may have been there for quite a while and I was in serious denial. Mom knew. But is it him or his dementia or is the dementia making it hard for him to hide those traits???
Therapy folkes so bare with me.
I was called all weekend with crap from work. After I finally got to sleep from worrying about SF, I got a call at 11p, woke me up. It wasn't even worth bothering me over. Then I finally got back to sleep and at 12:02 called again. It was to tell me one of the inmates had a belly ache and was hungry. He told me the guy was very thin. Not something I needed to hear at midnight. I didn't blow my top, didn't want to wake up enough to do that.
It was an EMT who called. They usually call the nurse and if it's over her head then they call me. He doesn't bother the nurse and just calls me instead. I think he likes waking me up.
I saw the dude today at sick call. Yes he is thin. He just was hungry last night and didn't have a frig to go to. He's only been there for a couple of weeks. He's old, lives alone, has $60 a month for food stamps and works part time and make $75/week. That limits his food at home. That's his problem. He will gain weight after being in jail for a couple more weeks. I can't fix his pre-existing conditions!
This morning I took on AT&T. That's no picnic. I mentioned that I canceled my phone service last year and just realized they have been drafting my bank account ever since.
I finally got to a human after fighting those damn computers that asked a million questions. She just kept saying my phone service was still active. I told her that I canceled that service. I also told her that I doubted that it actually worked because it didn't work at the time I canceled the service and I doubt anyone came out to fix the line after I canceled the service.
Wasn't her problem. I asked to talk with her supervisor, who was conveniently busy. She said she would have her call me back. I said I'm calling from the Sheriffs Dept and gave them that number. Hoping that would make an impression. Got no call so I called again and fought the computer again. Have you ever screamed and cursed a computer? I don't think some of what I said is in the repertoire of words that computer understands but it did get me to a human. I guess that's all on tape.
I ended up talking to 4 more humans before I got to someone who said they could help. She said she could refund me for only 6 months, better than nothing. She gave me a cancelation number, think I had one before but lost it. She said it would be 3-4 weeks. I made myself a note on iphone to remember to check. I told her that I made of note of it on my iphone but the last time I talked to AT&T they gave me advice that wiped out most of the stuff on my Iphone.
Oh, and then the next patient I saw cursed me with the F word because I wouldn't order him more food on his meal trays. He wasn't as fat as he wanted to be!
That brings you up to about 9:30am and it didn't get better but I won't torment you with the rest.
Carol, what a horrid day you are having. Didn't start out to good either.
I hate talking to computers too. That is one of the most horrendous outcomes of our techie age.
Your problem with AT&T is the reason I don't do my bills with a draft. I refuse to do that. John does have some on draft. I want to see where my money goes. Hope you get it all straightened out with AT&T.
As for old SF, it could be either dementia or he is just evil. I suspect he hates not being in control of what he used to be in control of.
Poor old fellow with little money and no food. Don't the night people have some access to some snacks for the old hungry dude?
Thanks for the info on the photo classes. I know we have some here at the continuing education center. One class a semester does not cost me either. I will look into it. That means I would have to put out money for a good camera. Hey, I think I have one of those cameras around here somewhere.
John's sis in law posts pics on her facebook page that a guy friend of her takes. His pictures are absolutely amazing. I am sure he has one of those fancy cameras where he adjusts settings. I wish I could post some of his pics. They aren't from his facebook page. I have tried to download some of them but cannot.
No Jan, I'm pretty sure they don't use those kind of cameras anymore. Remember they stopped developing film. The last place left doing it quit last year sometime.
Well to top off the day, Maggie just ate my supper. Roomy came over for a hot shower. The hot water heater is still not working. Her boyfriend changed the element, both thermostats and still the breaker keeps flipping. Only thing left is the breaker??
I have someone else coming tomorrow to look at it. What's weird is that the last place this girl stayed, the hot water heater went out. I know it isn't anything she is doing but she must have some bad hot water heater karma. Mine hot water heater is not that old.
Well, after her shower I got up to let her out and left my salmon sitting by the couch. When I came back, no salmon and I don't think it swam off. That bitch, Maggie is one, ate her dinner and mine. She left me the salad. I wonder if she wants some ice cream later?
If anyone is interested, the Westminster Dog Show is on USA right now. I got another movie in today, (for Colored Girls) so I'll tape the dog show.
Westminster started, Carol if you tape it be
aware that after the first hour, it switches from USA network to CNBC...
at least in the NYC area...
Sorry all the movies you guys select are just not what I watch...actaully my attention span for movies is not good, I catch bits & pieces of most...
And as for an accent Carol...not likely, you
must know that we here have NO accent!!!...you guys do...
Jan, your pics are great, was in New Orleans
just once...actually drove across the Pontchitrain? Bridge, that was impressive as
bridges go...don't imagine another trip there
however.
For me the most beautiful place in the USA has
to be Monterey peninsula(where Pebble Beach is)...though if I get to Hawaii, I may change my mind...
Sorry you are having a tough day guys...but
as always that will change too...
About slr's & 35 mm film...pretty sure you can still get them developed...but not the kodachrome processing...
Oh, I did get to eat about 1/3 of my salmon before Maggie finished it off. It was so good that I was savoring it. I bet Maggie didn't savor it. She probably didn't even know it had those healthy fish oils in it. Bet she didn't.
Thanks Coreen for the info. Where ya been hiding? Under some snow, maybe?
No snow for a whole week...& none in the forecast for this week...just busy, not much to say...
Well the hound group is over...I liked the beagle but what do I know...next up the toys...
Nature lovers...remember the Monarch butterfly
losses...a hopeful sign of a little rebound...maybe mother nature will cure her
own...regardless of how hard us humans try to
destroy her...
Monarch butterflies partial recovery
Oh & FYI the grammys...just couldn't get into it...liked the tribute to Aretha, except for
the twangy McBride, never & still don't like country...absolutely do not like
gaga, no way, no how...her schtick well, a waste...the clip I saw of Jagger...my oh my, how time flys...
The toys...love this little black guy (the first one, don't know what he is) named Joey...
Coreen, I have that same attention span. That's why I haven't seen a lot of movies. I'm working on it. Sometimes it takes me most of the night to watch one movie. There have been some movies that I have actually stretched over an entire weekend.
I did see that your temps were coming up. Nothing that I would brag about though. But wait until summer when we're huffing and puffing.
One nice thing about Netflix, when you watch the movie online, if you stop and even turn it off, it will start right where you left off when you come back. Works well for me. And another good thing about the online option, if you don't like it, go to something else. I don't know how many movies I've rented over the years, even though not lately, that I didn't like and didn't finish watching. And that was when you paid 4 bucks to rent them. Almost made me force myself to watch them. Not.
Coreen, with all that snow and cold, do you ever find that you get a little SAD this time of year? I'd probably would have already been institutionalized.
Well, 0 for 2 in my picks...it the non sporting group...& I still don't know how you
choose between diffeent types of dogs...
Remember, I'm not into those 'catchphrases' that seek to define behavior...sad, bad, mad...
my motto always...only the strong survive...
so snow, cold or ice...you just do what you have to do...do I hate snow & bitter cold, you bet...right now it is rock solid, dirty
snow...it is annoying, but it will end someday!!!
Well nite guys. Ya know what? Every now and again, we need one of the kind of days I've had today. It make us appreciate the good ones or even the boring ones.
As you can see my movie is not holding my attention tonight. The plot flits around a lot and then I wonder off.
Ya just seemed a little blue lately Coreen and in your neck of the woods, I bet there are alot people wearing blue these days, in more ways than one.
"Poor old fellow with little money and no food. Don't the night people have some access to some snacks for the old hungry dude?"
Jan, we don't run a hotel with room service where I work. If there is some sort of emergency, like someone on insulin, having a hypoglycemic episode, the guards will share their dinner. Other than that they get three pretty decent square meals a day. It's better at our place than many.
Many in the joint are alot better off there than on the streets. With the way the economy is going I'm afraid jails/prisons are going to be more busting at the seams than they already are.
I got in this homeless guy today. 3rd time over a short period of time. He gets out and then he's back in within a week. This time it only took 24 hours. Last time he got out, it was one of those really cold days. I guess his tent and two sleeping bags weren't as comfy as he remembered them being. (His homelessness is a choice he made.)
And as I have to tell many of our clientele, when they come to me asking for a double mat, a bottom bunk, extra food, something to help them sleep, etc,.... they didn't just check in at the Ritz. Of course when I tell them, I do keep an eye on my escape route.
Did ya'll hear about the female security guard that was strangled to death at a prison somewhere in Washington. They didn't even miss her until a couple of hours after she was due off from work.
In my little office, it's just me and my patient but with the door open. If they are known high profile, violent offenders, and that's a big if, a security guard will be in there and they will have on hand cuffs. I always take a quick peek at the wrap sheet to see what I'm up against.
If they are Federal inmates, it doesn't even say what the charges are. It just says detainer. I had a guy a while back who told me he was in for bludging a friend to death with a hammer. Didn't know why he did it. Nice looking young chap. Just woke up in a mood I guess.
Whew, I did finally finish the movie, For Colored Girls, last night. It was rough. I don't think I could watch that in one sitting. The acting was good but the story was hard to get thru. Didn't show well for the black man or the black women either.
"Your problem with AT&T is the reason I don't do my bills with a draft."
I feel the same way, Jan. I don't trust any of these places, because we are often over charged, or like Carol, charged for things we canceled - or even charged for things we never ordered. Then you have to spend a lot of time on the phone trying to get them to credit you back. The frustrating thing is that it is their fault, but they act like it's our fault.
Carol, Thank God hubby always handles these things. Spends hours on the phone straightening out billing mistakes amongst other things. I just don't have it in me to argue that long (unless absolutely necessary).
He would have demanded credit for the entire year, and not accepted the 6 months. They always battle it out until you get to the top.
Glad you got a lot of it back, though.
I have to come back to finish catching up.
Carol, i am thinking of taking the PNP program here. I have to decide by June1. Am I NUTS?
Carol, what a job you have!
Coreen, so good to hear from you. I guess each of us has different needs for entertainment.
Dear Blogger,
Please help us! We recently invited you to participate in an online survey run by the Berkman Center at Harvard University about your experiences and opinions as an active blogger. To the best of our knowledge, we have not received your response to the survey. You can participate in the survey by following this link:
http://new.qualtrics.com/SE?Q_SS=3CYHnK5oOV1wpJq_4Hp4lVv4k0EMdeI
Thank you in advance for your help.
Sincerely,
The Blogging Common Team
Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University
info@bloggingcommon.org
I've never seen any invitation before, have any of you? Anyone going to participate?
Carol,
Not me.
This is first time I have seen an invitation.
Wish I had something to say today. I am here.
I did the survey. It seemed harmless. Didn't leave my email address.
Jan, I wouldn't go back to school for anything in this world but I know you and how much you love being the student.
I woke up this morning and made some big decisions. For one, I'm going to sell my house. I need to lighten my load. I could never have even thought of parting with it before but since I've been away for a while now, I think I can do it. I don't handle change very well.
I can't have two places to take care of and my other place is a monster to take care of. I told my roomy that she has 2-3 months to find another place. Things aren't working out as I hoped they would with that arrangement.
I'm also going to start the ball rolling for getting SF in a nursing or assisted living facility. SF did get at least 8 more months of freedom in his own home and I wish it could have been longer.
That avatar on that blogging comment looks like someone is shooting us the bird.
I've been watching some of the dog show I recorded. Whoever did the narration did a great job with his description of the breeds. He included humor when describing their personalities. Can't remember the comment exactly but when he described the Scottish Terrier he said something about how they feel superior to their masters.
Carol, I agree, it does look suspiciously like they are shooting th bird - could that be an ebird.
I think you are wise you sell your house. It is a lot to keep up 2 places.
Same with a nursing facility or assisted living for SF.
Sounds like wise decisions to me.
wise to sell is what I meant. This computer has a mind of its own.
I am going to give this idea of nurse practitioner thing some more thought. Maybe it is kind of crazy.
off to bed. good night all. Sweet dreams. You all are probably already there.
I agree with Jan, Carol.
Very wise decisions you've made regarding your house and SF. You need to lighten the load.
... I know you didn't take these decisions lightly. But they show a great amount of strength on your part, and such a good beginning to simplifying your life and getting rid of some of the stress.
Letting go is the hardest thing to do, but often the most important too.
I think one of the themes of our new era is lightening the load. I think it may be one of those 2012 things. You think, over the years, that you can buy happiness, that acquiring stuff will make you happy. I've tried it enough over the years. I've never had a lot of money but managed to buy a lot of stuff. It never made me one iota happier. The biggest joy was dreaming, wanting, and researching about what you wanted. It didn't take long after acquiring that sought after item that the new wore off. Fortunately I did recognized that a while back and I recognized that I was out of room because I also have a tendency to hoard, but nothing like those people they show on TV.
Unfortunately a theme that keeps running thru my life is....no good deed will go unpunished.
Loaning out my house was not meant to be a humanitarian gesture. It was so I would lighten my load, reduce what I had to worry about. That didn't turn out to be the case. People have a tendency to have no respect for something they get for free.
And another sad theme is that people have the tendency to take advantage of nice people and those who are willing to do way more than their share. It's happened to me so often that I'm surprised I haven't turned into a total AH. Oh, I do have my moments.
And the entire time you are pulling more of the weight, you get no credit but the moment you want some help, you're the AH.
"the entire time you are pulling more of the weight, you get no credit but the moment you want some help, you're the AH"
I've found that to be true also, Carol. That's why it's so important to set limits.
... sometimes the only way to learn something though, is to make the mistake first. Unfortunately, in my case, it's often way more times than once.
"I think one of the themes of our new era is lightening the load"
You're right on this morning. That should remain our them from here on out.
I heard Jamie Lee Curtis on an interview, several years ago, talking about the same thing, and was struck by it at the time (but it's taken a long time to sink in). She called it 'divestiture' - in this sense of the word "Divestiture, also known as divestment, is the release, rather than the acquisition, of assets."
That way, there's a key word we can keep in our heads. 'Divest', along with 'simplify' -- equals less stress and worry (especially about the future). I think it can also mean more freedom and peace.
... and people don't really appreciate what you give them for free. I'd even go so far as to say they 'resent' it sometimes - most definitely resent it if it makes them dependent on you in any way.
Psychology is very complicated, and varies so much from person to person. What we need to examine and fine tune is our 'philosophy'.
-- and avoid the gimme, gimme, gimme people.
It's a New Year!.
Everything we do 'right' this year, will make next year even better.
... like you said, the fun is in the process.
Let's go!
I watched 'Becoming Jane' last night, about part of the life of author Jane Austin. Boy, if you think we women have it bad now, just take a look at a hundred years (or 200 years) ago. Makes you count your blessings. I think that's one of the reason I like these 'period movies'.
It always reminded me how much I liked the movie "Sense and Sensibility' years back, and will see if I can stream it or order it. The screen play was by Emma Thompson (I think she got an award for it that year) and starred Kate Winslet (who is always amazing, but best in these period movies).
Another movie from an Austin novel that I really liked (way before my Emma came along) was 'Emma'. I may watch that again too.
Something else that makes me weary is having to beg and bribe others to pull a tiny portion of their fair share of the work. And on top of that having to listen or read thru the crazy rationalization these people use to justify their lack of carrying their weight or a small fraction of it. I wonder if they really manage to fool themselves. They aren't fooling anyone else even if we do have to suck it up. I just have to pray for their enlightenment. At work waiting for patients or patience.
Chloe, I too have loved all those movies from Jane Austen's books. I think I saw "Becoming Jane" also. I may need to see that again.
Carol, I am also on that trek to simplify. I too have collected too much stuff and want to "divest" -a great word.
I think my favorite JA movie was Pride and Prejudice.
Looks like you have made 2 good decisions Carol...hope the real estate market in your town is better than here though...the spring
market is usually the strongest, so good luck...
As far as SF, in the end, assisted living/NH
will likely be best for him as well as you...
Watched some of the Jeopardy Watson computer shows..was disconcerting that the IBM computer crushed the 'human' competition...
Shades of Terminator...Skynet & all that...but
maybe you guys didn't like those movies...
Not sure it was smarter, but I got the impression that it was faster at chiming in
to answer...
Watched Idol tonight. Some of best singing I have heard on previous Idols.
Thanks for the support guys. Both of these decisions are two of the hardest I've ever had to make.
The really hard part with SF is that he is not totally off him beam. He knows what's happening. I don't understand the depth of his understanding though. I don't know if he understands that I did get him at least 10 more months of freedom but now it's to the point where he refuses to cooperate and when I broke him out I proposed that when that time came, I would see to it he was safe.
I was at the lawyer's office for almost three hours yesterday after a hard day at work. I left feeling like a wet noodle. Then for while after I got home, I was on the phone with other stressful calls. I ended up going to bed about 8:30. I couldn't even answer calls from friends. I had no energy left to even talk.
I really don't want to deal with this but since I kept SF from being put away last year, I accepted that responsibility. I really don't have any choice.
I knew last year that I was biting off more than I could chew but think that I was feeling guilty that I hadn't been more involved with him at that time.
It's really pityful that the GOP is using the current financial situation in this country to protect the rich, big business at all of our expense but also to screw to the max everyone else.
Now they want to bust the unions. And they are going after the Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
"One key amendment to the GOP's 2011 budget plan seeks to strip federal salaries from President Barack Obama's so-called "czars," effectively removing them from their offices -- as well as Elizabeth Warren, the consumer watchdog tasked with setting up the CFPB -- while another would prevent the bureau from hiring any staff at all."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/17/republican-budget-amendment-czars-warren_n_824844.html
If anyone wants to read about a blog-o-self-destruct, stay tuned. I took off work this morning for a number of reasons but still have been on the phone with work most of the morning anyway. I have no regional support system. I refuse to beg and bribe some who should be involved to help when their help would be more stress inducing than relieving.
SF's hired hand called this morning to beg me to put him away. He's not one to do that. Evidently he allow SF to manipulate him into bringing him places to do things that will get SF in trouble. He's not used to telling SF no because SF is still the boss man.
I was at the point of tears but crying always gives me a headache, doesn't help and I don't have time for that. I was racking my brain this morning, trying to remember the assisted living facility that wanted SF. Couldn't remember.
I was doing some serious praying for help. Yes, I'm doing some kicking myself for rescuing SF but no one else involved, except the ones who I guestioned their motives, tried to talk me out of it. The people who spent the most time with him thought that I was doing the right thing or at least that is what they said at the time. It was certainly obvious that he did need the kind of help we set up for him. He couldn't be totally on his own anymore.
After temporarily warding off a nervous breakdown, I decided to take a shower because I needed one and it was all I could think to do. While in the shower I got a call. It was the social worker from the AL facility just checking in to see how SF was doing. I called back and asked if someone had called them for help. It was spooky. No one had. At least no one we can see, that is. Another prayer answered. God has been working overtime for me.
They said they would send someone to visit him this afternoon and I just talked to the social worker, she is at his house right now. She will give me a call when she leaves.
Carol, Waiting to hear what happens.
I hope, for your sake, that they will take control of him for you. Way too many difficult decisions for one person.
Hang in there -- remember, baby steps.
"God has been working overtime for me."
'Cause of all that good Karma you've been working on all your life.
Don't lose your faith -- good deeds are too rewarded.
... in mysterious ways.
Don't try to understand it, just count on it.
The AL facility sent out a social worker and nurse to see SF this afternoon. They were there by shortly after noon. They said he was pleasant, even laughing. At least one of them must have been pretty. SF is a sap for a pretty girl.
The SW said he was open to going into the facility. His twin brother came over from next door, probably checking to see what was going on. That's good. He even told SF it was time to go. I wasn't sure what his thoughts were about all this. He's almost as feeble as SF but has more of his wits about him. He still drives and I think he may also bring SF places he doesn't need to be going. His sons did tell him not to.
I talked with another one of SF's friends, cowpoke hand this afternoon. He's someone important to SF. He agreed with the plan. He takes SF to church every week and usually out to eat on Saturday after church. He told me that SF embarrased him last week. He told some poor overweigh handicapped girl that if she got any fatter, they would have to park her outside.
SF never had any social skills when he was at his best but he's really awful now. It seems Alzhemiers destroys all the good in people and leaves just the shit. And maybe that just happens in people that have that potential before it strikes.
I got that movie Inception today. It says that it is unnerving. I think I just burned up the last nerve I had today. Think I can handle the movie?
Yes, Carol. It takes your mind off everything else. I watched it when I had a lot of worries, and it helped.
Were the concepts involved in religion and karma just invented to keep good people honest?? I often ponder this.
Maggie was off her feed for most of the day yesterday. She was also trying to eat grass. She couldn't find any that she really liked. She wouldn't even take a bite of a french fry I offered. I was scared because she has never stopped eating. Everything else about her seemed OK.
Finally, last night, she started eating again. Maybe, my state of mind was influencing her. She doesn't really demonstrate any sympathy when I'm stressed but I do think it bothers her.
Carol, I agree with Chloe, your karma does seem to be working in terms of SF. Yes, and God does answer prayers - especially when we have come to the ends of our ropes. The fact that everyone in his circle of family and friends are thinking in the same way means this is the right decision for him. He may still go "kicking and screaming" or maybe not. You and the others have made a good decision.
I am thinking about you and sending all my love and prayers your way too.
I didn't get on the computer yesterday. Was using all my energy to help students get ready to do teaching yesterday at a staff training for the teachers and home visitors in our Early Head Start program. Four in my group of students were each doing 10 minute teaching sessions in communicable diseases in children. They all four did so well. I was so proud of them. So it was a good day! I was pooped at the end. They got good feedback from the people in training. While I was doing this, John went over to our 9 year old granddaugher's house and met her after school and stayed until her parents got home.
I had a shampoo and haircut and my first pedicure today. It was delightful. I am hooked now. No manicures however, I have my hands in water too much. Also stopped by the quilt shop and signed up for a class on making a cloth bag (in April). I was into treating myself today.
Oh Jan, that sounds delightful. The only thing that would have topped that is if you could have worked in the part between the head and the feet.
Do you ever get a massage? I used to have this big, teddy bear of a guy named Spider who came to the house to give me a massage. He worked at one of the local industries as a operator but got certified in massage after his dad had a stroke. After a bad auto accident he retired from the plant and just did massages. I'd try to find him to get him out here but I don't think he could handle all the stairs.
Good for you, Jan! Sounds like a wonderful day.
Glad to hear that all your hard work with your students paid off too. Sounds like a good group.
Also good to hear that Maggie is back to normal, Carol. Hope you keep us informed on how things are moving forward with SF in the coming days or weeks.
... not good news, but it's nice to hear the truth once in a while.
Scientist finds Gulf bottom still oily, dead
Oil from the BP spill remains stuck on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, according to a top scientist's video and slides that she says demonstrate the oil isn't degrading as hoped and has decimated life on parts of the sea floor.
That report is at odds with a recent report by the BP spill compensation czar that said nearly all will be well by 2012. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110220/ap_on_sc/us_sci_oil_spill_lingers
At first I thought this looked funny, seeing a fat little monkey, then as I read on and had a chance to see what was happening, it really did start bothering me. I guess the reason they're doing it is because of what was said in the article: “Nonhuman primates don’t lie to you,” said Dr. Grove, who is a neuroscientist. “We know exactly how much they are eating.” ... but it is a form of abuse, especially see that pic of Shiva looking through that small cage. (And here we humans do the same thing voluntarily - now I wish I hadn't seen it).
... the article:
Today’s Lab Rats of Obesity: Furry Couch Potatoes
"Like many these days, Shiva sits around too much, eating rich, fatty foods and sipping sugary drinks. He has the pot belly to prove it, one that nearly touches the floor — when he’s on all fours, that is.
Shiva belongs to a colony of monkeys who have been fattened up to help scientists study the twin human epidemics of obesity and diabetes. The overweight monkeys also test new drugs aimed at treating those conditions. "
Monkey studies can cost up to several million dollars. The animals are so precious that only a small number can be used. And there are ethical reviews before a study can begin.
“Doing primate studies is about as difficult as doing human studies from an ethical standpoint,”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/health/20monkey.html
Laptop on the blink. Will bring it to my guy at work tomorrow. On iPhone while I take a break from hard labor outside.
Saw that story about oil on our local news Chloe followed by a story about M Landreu demanding pres lift the moratorium on oil drilling in the Gulf. Almost gagged.
Carol, hope your laptop is fixed soon.
Chloe, how interesting about the obese monkey. We may all die out soon with the increase in obesity. How strange, we have obesity in the developed countries and starvation in the developing countries. One of my problems with "cruises" is that there is so much food and so much waste. I could not help thinking of the people who are starving.
Had a nice day yesterday. Relaxing. The university is open today. They take MLK day off and have classes on President's Day. Yet, the agency I work with is closed as is the public school system. Its all a little disconcerting. I do have a home visit with a family to do a hearing screen. The child would not cooperate during the health screening so I will go to the home and do it while she is asleep.
Carol, I love head, shoulder and neck massages. Not fond of full body massage. The pedicure included a foot massage. I liked that.
Chloe, Is Emma still enjoying "school?" Also, are you enjoying having some time to yourself?
Coreen, is your snow melting?
My husband heard from a long-lost Priest-friend who now lives in Conn. She was telling him about the 70 inches of snow where she lives.
Carol, I think dogs are a lot like kids. Kids are very aware of the moods and feelings of their parents. They are so dependent on parents that it is in their best interests to be aware of these things. I
Arrg. I just wrote a message and hit the wrong key and it disappeared. I too am having computer problems today. How are you doing with your computer, Carol?
I think I just erased part of a previous message that had been posted. How strange.
"... there is so much food and so much waste. "
Jan, that is true everywhere I go to eat. Restaurants serve huge servings of food, and I see half of it thrown away at the tables around me. I always take my left overs home with me, but more often than not, end up eventually tossing them too. Even here at home, we end up throwing away so much. It's so sad that people in the world are starving, and we have so much more than we need here.
... and Jan, good luck with that home health screening today. Hmmm, wouldn't cooperate - sounds like Emma. Except she won't cooperate in her sleep either. She sleeps long and well, but wakes up if anyone opens the door to her room. We have to tiptoe around once she's asleep for the night.
And thanks for asking Jan - - yes, Emma is enjoying school more - I'm noticing a change in her already. It's just that she hasn't really been there that often. Between holidays (there's no school here today), illness, a school power outage, etc.... I think she's only been there 7 or 8 times at the most. But when she's there, I use the time to get all the things done that are difficult when she's with me.
Eventually, I may even make it Mon. through Fri., 9a-noon if she gets to a point that I think she's ready. But not anytime soon.
Carol, It seems that your Anti-Virus program isn't protecting you computer very well. Which one do you use? And do you do all your updates religiously.
Not long ago, frustrated with the Anti-Virus programs I had tried, I went on line to do a little research. I came across a 'Geek' site that evaluated 10 free anti-virus programs in detail. Then at the end, he said the one he uses is Microsoft Security Essentials. The best part is that it's free. All these years, and I'd never heard of it. It's the best I've ever used, and seems to be a very well kept secret, because I haven't run across anyone else who has heard of it either.
Jan doesn't have to worry much about viruses or hackers on her Apple, because there aren't as many of them, and the hackers aren't all that interested.
But with Windows, we're constantly being bombarded. I going to link a download site for it, but if you decide to use it, you need to uninstall your existing anti-virus program first - either that, or wait until it expires, then try out this one which is free. Even when it expires though, you'll still need to uninstall it.
If you need any help doing that, let me know. Or ask your buddy that helps you with your computer. Has he diagnosed it?
Here's the link to Microsoft's best kept secret: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=e1605e70-9649-4a87-8532-33d813687a7f
Jan, sorry you lost those posts. That is so frustrating when that happens. Usually I just give up on whatever I had to say when that happens, especially if I put a lot into it. Too draining starting over.
... and thanks again, BILL GATES!
My computer is with my geek. I used to have Trend
Micro. My geek downloaded something he likes better. I
Don't think any of my problems are or were viruses just quality of today's computers.
I'm pretty lost without it and IPhone isnt a good substitute. Not a good thumb typer. Too much work.
My favorite geek called and after taking lappy apart wasn't sure what was wrong. He mentioned I could have jarred something. I then remembered I tripped over the cord and pulled it off the table a short while back. It seemed ok after that. I did have trouble with one of my keys sticking. That gave him the idea that the stuck key was causing the problem. He blew it out and found a stuck key. Now it's working. He'll check it again in AM and if still working I'll be back in business. I had planned on buying a new one tomorrow. Might have gotten lucky.
He did mention that i might want to stop eating over it. It really is my eating partner and significant other.
I hope lappy made it thru the night. I really need a
back up. SF oversight requires email. I got 17 torturing calls related to SF yesterday. If anyone else does something for him, I still pay
for it emotionally.
After I got to sleep last night, the joint called. One of
my diabetics had a blood sugar drop. I told them to get him something to eat and was told there was nothing. Each diabetic given a night snack and we have lots of juice in medical. They have a key but said it wouldn't work. They did end up finding something but I had to coordinate that from my bed. I will fix that today. Lately I feel like I'm stuck in a nightmare.
And the one place I'm can share the shit is down.
And I couldn't make it thru that movie Chloe. I can't handle anything but light entertainment.
I'm really sorry to hear that life has begun to fell like a nightmare, Carol. Stress is an extremely painful and damaging feeling.
I think once SF is being cared for by professionals again, I think things will look much better to you.
I've had those stuck keys so many times. I'm constantly eating over my laptop. They sell the cleaning spray in the electronics department at Walmart, but it only works on the dry crumbs (and not always). The sticky stuff is almost impossible to remove without ruining the keyboard. A stuck key is usually easy to recognize, because your computer will keep making a humming noise, or repeatedly type things on it's own.
Desk top computers last a lot longer than laptops. There's probably several reasons, one of which is they run cooler. Also, if you damage a keyboard, you can replace just that (you can on a laptop too, but it's so expensive, it doesn't see worth it). Same with the monitor being easily replaceable, and so on. Desktop's seem to last about 6 or 7 years, if you don't get too many infections.
Seems laptops have about about a 2 year or so life span - but I also still prefer them. I've taken a real liking to the new Toshiba's. And not just because they're cheaper (which they are), but because it has become such a great laptop in the last year or so.
Carol, hope your lappy is up and back with you soon.
Chloe, not good news about laptops. I didn't realize they were so short-lived.
John had a laptop for 7 years - I guess that might be a record - when it crashed, it really crashed.
off to do a home visit with a family. Back soon.
Lappy's back and all clean. What happened the other night is I fell asleep with Lappy on and turned it off when I woke up to go to bed. Then the Joint called woke me up so I turned it back on and got this message on a black screen asking which operating system I wanted to use. Only have one. Never got any message like that before. I hit Vista and pressed enter. It came up but the mouse wouldn't work properly. It moved around but nothing would open. I couldn't even close it down properly.
I powered it off and tried again, same thing happened but after a while it was back to normal. I turned it off the right way and the next morning the same message came up. Nothing to really indicate that a key was stuck. It wouldn't work properly so I powered it off and brought it to work for my geek. He couldn't even tell that it was a key until he checked everything else and couldn't find the problem. After telling him about a key sticking a while before he realized that must be what was causing it to come up in the other mode. He cleaned it good and it was back to normal.
My Geek likes this Avast virus protection. It's free and can be downloaded from the Net. He does a lot of research about computers and it is his hobby. He won't even take money for all he has done for me. I'll have to come up with a way to reward him for his help.
I am going to look into getting another laptop to keep in the other room I use the laptop in. Carrying it back and forth is too traumatic. It's hit the floor twice in the last month. I can't go without a computer with all that I have to use it for. The laptops are cheaper than they used to be but if you have to shell out even $700 a year, that gets expensive. I don't have a good place for a desktop and carrying that to my geek would be too much trouble.
Have you noticed all the foreign stars we have had lately. Anyone have any ideas what that's all about? How do they fall into the swamp??
Have ya'll been keeping up with this labor union controversy. It really pisses me off that they are going after the teachers. My years of teaching was a big sacrifice. I did it because I loved teaching and because I'm an idiot...and being a martyr seems to be a theme in my life. Little money, long hours. Being single, I had to work two extra jobs just to make ends meet. I was making half or even less than that of what my students made when they graduated, and with far more education.
I'm tired of teachers getting screwed. How would this world function without them??? You notice that Wi wasn't going after the cops or firefighters. Most of the teachers I know are dedicated. They have more than just an undergrad degree, some much more. Their job doesn't stop when they go home at night. They spend much of their own money on their students.
There is so much unrest all around the world, not just in my personal world. Anyone pondering what it all means??
There does seem to be a movement going on in this world of the little people starting to stand up the the big, bad, mean, greedy people. My prayers are with those little people.
Not quite thru rambling yet.
My day didn't get any better today after being shorted in my sleep last night. I did make up a little sleep not having Lappy to wake up and share coffee with this morning.
In the middle of my morning sick call, they wheeled an inmate that had just come in yesterday. He was clutching his chest and vomiting. Complained of severe chest pain. He did reveal a history of having 4 stents. We went into emergency mode. Initial assessment did look like he was having a heart attack but there were some significant findings missing. No diaphoresis, that's profuse sweating, vital signs good, and EKG normal looking. We called for an ambulance and had to send him out. Can't take any chances but I was feeling like it wasn't a heart attack by the time he left us.
I checked with the hospital later and his blood work and EKG checked out OK but they had to admit him for observation anyway. Not sure if he just had a bad anxiety attack or if it was an Academy Award performance. The Doc that got assigned to him at the hospital called me for info. I told her what went down with us but that I have never seen the guy before.
Had an appointment with AL facility this afternoon after work but changed it until tomorrow afternoon. Was slap dab out of tolerance today.
Bernie Sanders, who I love, said essentially that the unions set the standards for the rest of us worker bees in the middle class. They go down to the powerful corps, we all go down.
I caught the Colbert Report the other night. He mentioned that when you Google Santorum, as in Rick Santorum, without the Rick added you get a definition of santorum. Try it. Icky definition. Evidently someone did that to get at Mr Santorum. Kinda sick humor but lately I will take whatever humor I can get.
Coreen, wasn't your mom a big union advocate? And where are you? Has any of your snow melted? Need a boat?
I saw a Moscow star in the Texas area. I was sure that must be a mistake but googled it and sure enough, there is a Moscow, Texas. Ever heard of it Chloe?
Chloe, this and my last laptop were both Toshiba's. My geek prefers working on Toshiba's. This one, so far, has survived two slam dunks. This one is better than the last one.
Carol, I too am tired of teachers getting screwed. My DIL is a teacher and she works so hard. The $ she gets paid is not nearly enough for what she does. You are right - she pays for supplies for her classes. She takes work home. She has evening meetings with parents. Her summers off are no longer than about 6 weeks. While at work she cannot go out to lunch or run errands during her lunch hour and forget breaks.
Carol, you have the toughest job of about anyone I know.
Wow! there are a bunch of new stars out there. Wonder what that is about?
I am in need of some entertainment. off to watch a little "Glee"
Jan, believe it or not, work is actually an escape for me right now. Even if it gets tough, I know what to do. I can't say that for the the rest of my stressors. That's the problem with those. I really don't know what to do and can't find any really sound advice or support.
Carol, I'm ok...& yes, my mother was the vice-president of the G.E. union here for some time...She walked many a picket line & I was
taught NEVER to cross a picket line, & to this day it is something I would not do...
As far as the Wisconsin problem...the efforts
to break the unions is not a remedy I would
favor, however, I do believe that public sector
unions all over really need to understand that the contracts negotiated when times were flush for the states are no longer sustainable & that they must make concessions or risk the
consequences...such as extensive layoffs...
In CT, NY, & NJ, the state budgets are all billions in the red & each governor is trying
different ways to attack the problem...it remains to be seen which governor's plan may succeed...
Here our new gov. (who I voted for) is asking for all residents to 'share the sacrifice' which to him means the highest tax increases seen in many years, cuts in services & union concessions (which to date the unions have not
agreed to) to cover a $3 billion dollar deficit...right now I am reserving my opinion of his plan...
Needless to say no one is interested in paying
more taxes (myself included)...nor do people
want services cut...so how does the shortfall
get made up...beats me...
It will be interesting to see if any of the tri-state gov's plans get passed & if any of them actually succeed in cutting the deficits...
As for teachers...don't agree that they are
put upon/screwed/whatever...here they are well-paid (as are most state employees), so much so that their benefits packages have not cost them while private sector employees have had
to bite the bullet contribute more of their $$$ to pay for health/pension benefits (if they are lucky enought to have those benefits) & still be expected to be taxed to cover the public employees benefits package which those
employees do not contribute to in any similar manner....creates a confrontational attitude from the start, especially when those taxpayers are being squeezed to take care of their own families & listening to public employees whining that they are being put upon...
Teachers here are well paid, the school year is 180 days, ample vacation time, good salary/benefits packages & once they are a teacher very little chance they can be terminated...I do know teachers that are retired & their pension is $50,000 & upward, they put in their time & couldn't wait to retire & they have fully paid health insurance, with no contributions at all....
The past contracts are not sustainable & it will be interesting to see how the conflict between the taxpaying residents & the public sector union employees plays out...so far it looks unpleasant at least what is happening in Wisconsin & I suspect it won't get better soon...
And FYI, the school superintendent in my town
salary is appr. $225,000 with all kinds of bennies...my property tax is $15,000 a year...the town's budget goes mostly for the
education portion...
In CT teachers salaries are local costs primarily paid by each town's property taxes, with some proportional amounts town by town
paid by the state (again through our state income tax which is being proposed to increase as well) the tax increases are ever more burdensome for those of us that pay....
Forgot to tell you...we had 3" of snow yesterday....& possibly more Friday & Sunday...
Snow is the pits...
From what is being reported, the teachers have agreed to the shared sacrifice, all except the loss of bargaining rights. Governor just wants to bust the unions. And yes, Connecticut has some very high taxes compared to other states.
We can make it really fair and make everyone who has the same education, works the same number of hours, all get the exact same salary and pay the exact same price for benefits, even those Senators, Reps and the Governor himself. Even doctors, lawyers and CEOs. What kind of benefits do they get?? How much do they pay for their benefits? What kind of retirement do they get? Or should we just pick on those we're so used to picking on??
Whoever decided that those who prepare people for their occupations should get paid so much less than those who work in those occupations?
I was kinda aggravated last week in the lawyer's office while he charges close to $200/hours to slowly, very slowly, print everything I said, everyone's name, address, SS# etc, etc, etc. I was thinking that I should have written it all down before I came in, handed it to him, so he could just read it and got started from there. Probably wouldn't have gone for that.
Yep, life ain't fair. I bet that is one concept that I have pondered more than any other over all my years.
In life everyone makes 'choices', there is no
'fairness'...no one must be a teacher, doctor,
lawyer or whatever...
the problem with the public union
issues is that the taxpayers in each state are
those that fund others income stream,& in the present economy...those very taxpayers (high end, middle) are becoming more & more restless
with paying what they believe are an
unfair burden on them....all things being considered...
I suspect Carol, you are one of those that pay taxes on multiple fronts...
honestly are you content & willing to continue to pay more to fund others benefits... in particular, when that ever
increasing tax burden encroaches on your own
lifestyle needs....
that is the ultimate issue for all to consider
& as I said, I have no idea how the govt will
remedy the economic problems that all are facing...
Unfortunately as far as your $200/hr attorney,
at least you get to choose whether you want to
retain him/her...painful choices, but a choice
you do get in any event...unlike paying taxes....
I know LA is a right to work state (CT is not)...
Just wondering...
Do you have unions there...teachers, state employees.& others...are you a member of those unions if you have them...
Do you believe that public unions should be
required to pay a portion of their benefit package (if your state has such) or should the taxpayer bear the full cost of those plans...
Actually not even sure what taxes LA residents
pay...are there state income &/or local taxes,
property taxes etc...there must be some taxing
structure to fund services, though I am aware
that southern states traditionally have provided less in the way of 'public services'
than those of us in northern half of the country...
A not some 'funny' Daily Show 'stunt'
when they attempted to bring a camel to the Wisconsin protests to haha!!! make a connection
between the Cairo protests & the teachers protests...
What a bunch of schmucks...
Daily Show stunt a disgrace
We pick on the teachers but they aren't the ones who caused this financial crisis. It's the rich bankers, Wallstreet gamblers, politicians, etc. Many of them got a bailed out, big tax breaks and huge bonuses and are still continuing their nasty, greedy practices. Since we can't touch them, lets go after the teachers. Makes perfect effing sense!
And you can't really differentiate between private and public sector unions. Even the private sector unions end up costing all of us. Our tax dollars are used to buy all those products needed to run the government.
And even though life ain't fair, unions came into being to help make it a little more fair for some.
And many of us can get by without Doctors, lawyers etc but none of us could have gotten where we are today without a teacher. Kinda makes them the most important in my book.
Here's a comparison and break down of taxes per state.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/89702927.html
La has a higher tax burden on income ranking than Connecticut. That's hard to believe. Probably it's because we're so poor down here.
I went to talk with and take a tour of the assisted living place. Pretty swanky and still a couple of thou less than a nursing home. Of course it is self pay and when the money is out, you hit the road Jack.
They wanted me to sign on the dotted line but I can't do that. He still has to agree and I'm not sure he's there yet. The room is only available until Mar 1 and I can't push until he is officially ruled incompetent. Don't know what we'll do if that room goes. Hell, I'd move in tomorrow.
Mary will bring him on a tour tomorrow and try to talk him into it. Please help us by praying that she can convince him. I don't have the time to do it myself and actually I might be too intimidating. There are some pretty women who work there and I hope they surround him when he gets there. It might be our only hope.
Oh, Texas has one of the lowest tax burdens on income rankings. Good going Chloe, for moving there!
That was pretty cruel about that camel. I blame the trainer. He or she is the one who should have known what he or she was doing, not some comedians. I think the intentions of the comedians was good if it was Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. They both try to champion the little guy.
Oh, I couldn't count all the times they suggested something SF didn't need and said, "Medicare pays for it". I said, yes and that is why Medicare is out of money, having to pay for things people don't need.
Here is the Tax Foundation state & local
tax burdens for all states...2009
As usual, CT is ranked #3, 12% of total income
going to state/local taxes... only our neighbors, NJ & NY carry a higher tax burden...12.2% & 12.1%....
Appears LA tax burden is ranked at 42, spending 8.2% of income for taxes...
State-local tax burdens all states 2009
As for private v. public unions...a significant
difference...private sector unions bargain
with an employer, are at odds with the interests of shareholders, management, while
public sector unions push against the interests of taxpayers...
Unions in the private sector can only push so far knowing they risk the company going out of business, thus losing their own jobs/livelihood, while no such leveler has existed with the public sector unions,(at least until the economy went belly up for all states) leading to the current state of affairs where public employees are being pushed to make concessions they never had to make in the past...
Again the taxpayer is the captive audience when
govt negotiates with the public sector unions...& politicians have traditionally been
very generous in giving up OPM (other people's
money).....
As for the camel incident...the Daily Show
people were the ones trying to "make their
point"...so I do hold them responsible...as I
said they are schmucks...
And I don't see either Stewart or Colbert as
any 'champion of the little guy' they are entertainers first & always...playing to a certain audience...in the hopes that they will
continue to draw a crowd & make a lot of $$$$....I don't watch either show....don't think they are clever, funny, or entertaining...but each to his own...
Jon Stewart was very instrumental in helping to bring attention to the NY firefighters plight with their healthcare.
Coreen, my intuition tells me you could be one of those right wingers and if not, you missed a good chance to be.
My excuse is that I'm up to my ass in alligators.
And there are many really smart people who I know who quit teaching to go to work in industry where they make lots more money. It only took me 23 years to realize the sacrifice wasn't worth it.
Carol, you are so far off base that it is laughable...I just try to deal in reality...
I do resent the class warfare that is being regularly spouted by those who claim to be progressive/liberal...the whining blame game about all that is wrong here, with no solutions but to take more from others...
the fact that life is not fair is a given...you either take care of yourself & those you can or you blame others for your life....
we all make choices, some turn out well, others not so much...
And Coreen since.."I don't watch either show" it would be hard for you to judge.
Carol, again you would be wrong..the fact that I do not choose to watch either show, does
not preclude me from having had the opportunity to have viewed just enough of either show in the past to make an informed judgment that I don't like either of them...
and since you seem intent on wanting the last
word on every comment...go for it...I am finished, I have nothing more to add to the comments...
Good morning folks. For those who watch Idol, it is a pretty talented group based on last nights show. I do believe they are tossing out some very talented younger contestants. I was sorry to see a couple go last night. It may be difficult to manage those 15-16 year olds. Maybe the show should limit the age to 18 and above.
Jennifer Lopez seemed to fall apart emotionally last night from having to tell some of the contestants they had to go home. She took having to give the news worse than than the kids getting the news. I guess it is show business, but the kids had to walk a long path to the judges to get the news and then walk back down the long path - some of them sobbing. Too much drama!
I want to encourage all here to read The Great Scots posting from last Sunday. It says so much about how we live our lives day-to-day. He is such an inspiring person.
Rainbows are created, not found
Jan Thanks so much for mentioning The Great Scot blog (which once again I forgot to read). Very uplifting and couldn't have come at a better time. I completely agree with him -- and as usual, he says it so beautifully.
I loved reading every word, but this is my favorite paragraph: "We all want rainbows and laughter. What we don’t seem to grasp–and I must relearn this truth daily along with the rest–is that creating rainbows and laughter and grace-notes in our life is our calling, our gifts to Life, not what Life owes us. My grief work over the past year and my ongoing ‘tests’ by circumstances in daily life, are showing me happiness is not ‘found,’ it has to be made by me out of what I have right here, right now. Rainbows of the soul are not out there, but in here, creations that occur in my life when my inner light shines through Life’s rain."
... and, if one sentence could summarize best what he is saying so well, I would choose this one: "Nothing changes until our consciousness lives it". I like the idea that he pointed out that we are creating our own reality in our every thought, every day.
I often find myself under that metaphorical 'boulder' he speaks of, and won't deny that is where 'I' voluntarily put myself. I know I should spend less time talking, and more time doing.
Carol, Those assisted living homes are so fantastic. They get to keep their freedom, live a normal life, while at the same time there is help at hand any time they need it.
We looked at one here years ago (with my father-in-law in mind) - it was brand new, high security and so nice.
They fed them food from an on site Luby's cafeteria twice a day and had more services available to them than I could believe. They'd take them to their doctors appointments, shopping, and other places.
A very sociable environment too.
Good Luck!!!
Medical help was just a button away. A
That medical help line should have been a couple paragraphs up - don't know why it ended up on the bottom. Kinda changed the meaning, but anyway, mentally replace it.
Good luck to Mary too. Hope she gets through to him.
.. came back with this. I ran across this quote a few days ago, and jotted it down because for me, it is so true. I think that's why I've learned so much about myself in the last few years -- on this computer, talking about the things I believe in, along with hearing what the rest of you think and feel.
"I never know what I think about something until I read what I've written on it."
William Faulkner
I did read Great Scots blog early this morning. I even forgot to read it Sunday when he usually puts up his new post. My favorite part was what he wrote: "..creating rainbows and laughter and grace-notes in our life is our calling.." I think we would get along real well with that guy. Also when I find out someone is a real dog lover, not just dog owner but dog lover, I know I will most probably like them.
And regarding your last quote Chloe, we have discussed something very similar here before and on the Trail. I really never am quite sure how I feel about some concepts until I've had the opportunity to debate them. I can't be bullied out of my opinions but after considering facts that are thoughtfully presented, I can be swayed.
I haven't had a chance to talk with Mary since she is probably still with SF but the lady at the AL facility did call to tell me that they convinced him to come in for a visit. The two women who dealt with him today are very attractive, that's a big plus with SF. I think he thinks he's going in for an evaluation not to live there. It's not how I would like it to have been done but it's a start and I didn't participate in any lying.
They suggested that I be deceptive yesterday and I said no, I won't lie to him. What they did tell him was not exactly inaccurate but bordering on it. Heck, he may be on to them anyway. In a way I have wondered if he might enjoy the place. It certainly offers more than what he has at his home. It's nicer than the Marriot. He has to be there by early next week so I hope we can get that together.
It's major windy outside today. Surfs up on the river. Temps have been quite balmy, just about perfecto. Feels like a late warm March day.
". What they did tell him was not exactly inaccurate but bordering on it."
Think of it this way. It'll give him a chance to get in there, and start feeling at home. I feel sure he'll be much happier and safer, once he's settled in. It's got to be scary for him too right now - surrounded by people who have the same concerns he has.
Plus, he may not be competent to make such major decisions. You're doing what's right for him. He'll be safer and also have more of a social life.
.. and yes, it is a beautiful day. I think I saw it would be in the 80s on Sunday. I've been waiting for months to be this warm, and am not back into my summer clothes (at least temporarily). The current weather is a good preview though.
Chloe, it was 81, misty here today!
I'm hearing more owl sounds around but haven't had the time to keep an eye out. It's getting close to owl baby season. There may even be some already there. I did hear a begging call the other night.
Jan, I did see JLO's emotional meltdown on Idol online today. I do like her.
"Shepard Smith said the battle over union rights in Wisconsin was all about busting unions and securing Republican political power, not about the state's budget deficit."
"There is no budget crisis in Wisconsin," he said, adding that the unions "[have] given concessions." The real point of the fight, Smith said, could be found in the list of the top ten donors to political campaigns. Seven out of the ten donated to Republicans; the other three were unions donating to Democrats."
I've always liked Shep. He's got some real nads.
Shep Smith: Wisconsin Fight Has Nothing Do With Budget, All About Busting Unions
Considering he's on Faux News.
Carol, the assisted living thing sounds wonderful. where can John and I sign up? LOL.
Wow! you all are having summer weather there. Our hi's are in the 50's and 60's but is still pretty cold at night and in mornings. Actually, that is just fine with me. I could live with these temps year-round.
Glad you all read the Great Scott's writing. I too loved the sentence about rainbows.
They have some fantastic talent on Idol this year. It's gonna be a tough choice for the judges.
"the assisted living thing sounds wonderful. where can John and I sign up?"
Yes Jan, it's kinda crazy that we're having to go thru what we are to get SF to move into the Ritz. Beautiful place. You know this stuff is all new to me. There's really nothing that prepares us for some of this stuff. Mom would have killed to go somewhere like this. Mary and I would also.
And as much as this place costs, it's a couple thou less than a nursing home. Someone will get every last penny the man has before he leaves. I did think the two ladies I talked to kinda looked like buzzards circling over a carcass.
Too bad we don't have a button that we can push when quality of life is gone and our body has outlasted our brain's ability to live how we want to live. I hope someone invents one before I need it.
Carol, I always like Shepard Smith too. He's more of a 'news' man than most of them, but still isn't afraid to tell it like it is. He was actually my favorite for a while. I just don't watch much news now, but if I start, he'll be one I'd go back to.
"Our hi's are in the 50's and 60's"
Those temps can be just right Jan, when the sun is shining (and there's not much wind).
Sunshine is the most important thing to me, and I go batty when it's overcast too long (mainly in the winter) 'and' I don't see any sun for an extended period. I think I get that seasonal disorder in the dead of winter, like so many others.
I called Bob's lawyer today to see what the status was on the interdiction process. He's on vacation until after Mardi Gras. No one in his office had a clue about the status either. He didn't mention that he was going on vacation and he knew this needed to be done soon. I'm sure he did cash his retainer check, probably used it for his vacation. I can't catch a break.
Had a new inmate come in this afternoon. I looked at her rap sheet and she had 14 counts of theft from the elderly for $1500 or greater along with several other charges. I felt steam coming from my ears. I guess someone hired her to take care of an old person.
I've seen a huge rise in cases of forgery, theft, unauthorized use of a monitary device. Watch out people.
SF is due to go to the AL place next Friday. If we can get him there it will get rid of one of my stressors but I'm afraid there will be several others pop up, for one, finding how to continue to pay for it. He's cash poor.
I'm going for my Mexican fix tonight. I think it just might have to include a Margueria.
Margarita's sound wonderful. Maybe get John to take me for one. I guess I should get the fixins and do my own here at home.
We missed the 1st hour of Idol last night. I had taped it and our machine played another show - it was a quilt show I had taped. The machine does that sometimes. Drives me nuts. I am expecting to see what I have taped and something else is there. Maybe a little ghostie in the machine. I also missed seeing Big Bang Theory. I just love that show. It is so eccentric but I think its a scream. I read that the writer for it is one of the writers for Two and 1/2 men. Have you been seeing what Charlie Sheen is doing. He is so deep into his alcoholism that he it is pathetic.
Too bad we don't have a button that we can push when quality of life is gone and our body has outlasted our brain's ability to live how we want to live. I hope someone invents one before I need it.
I think the name is Jack Kavorkian, Carol. He is the button. I would like to see the movie about him. I think it is "You don't know Jack."
I think I will put up a new post.
Sorry Carol, forgot to put quotation marks around your quote above. Its a good one.
New Post!
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