Maybe I Should Start Reading My Local Newspaper

•May 21, 2013 • 16 Comments
Could you please turn the volume down on all that life going on out there?

Could you please turn the volume down on all that life going on out there?

As a highly sensitive person, I shield myself from unnecessary stress, like obnoxious people, loud noises (especially from guns), and the news.

It’s for my health.

I got rid of cable so I wouldn’t be tempted to watch obnoxious people, loud gun noises, and the news, which all seem to go together these days. Now I watch mainly Netflix programs and movies, which got rid of the commercials and the news, but there’s a lot of disturbing programming out there. I should know. I keep watching it.

I mean, look at this scene of carnage. Will Hollywood ever get a conscience?

I mean, look at this scene of carnage. Will Hollywood ever get a conscience?

Phil, being a sensitive, but not highly sensitive, guy, likes his news. So we get the local newspaper. If I look at it, I scan only three areas:

1. The Obituaries, because people my age are starting to drop like me on ice skates. I need to know if I might be next. Information is power, but only in the right hands. In the wrong hands, information is news.

2. The Horoscopes, but I don’t know why. I keep getting advice about how I need to watch out for snarky people at work, but I’m retired. It’s frustrating. But it makes me glad I’m retired.

3. The Front Page, because there are some really funny (and by “funny” I mean “bad”) editorial decisions involving headlines and photographs. I want to share the most recent batch I’ve collected. If you want to see some from the past, click here and here. They really are pretty funny.

Two things caught my attention here: that getting a chicken wing joint made the big headline and the picture of the two women looking like, maybe, they had too many chicken wings.

Two things caught my attention here: that getting a chicken wing joint in our town made the daily headline and the picture of the two women looking like what happens when you have  too many chicken wings.

We all know the wheels of justice turn slowly. now you know why. We have one old man on the job looking for the hooligan who robbed our Stewarts store. And all he is brandishing is a "Stop" sign.

We all know the wheels of justice turn slowly. Now you know why. We have one old man on the job looking for the hooligan who robbed our Stewarts store. And all he is brandishing is a “Stop” sign.

Speaking of slowly...

Speaking of slowly…Well, have you ever been run over by a couple of ginormous horses and a rusty plow? Speed would be a factor. The slower, the more painful and fatally humiliating.

Chaos

When students around here protest, they do it with style. No dull picket signs for them. It’s coconut boobs and grass skirts that will get the attention of the Board of Education!

Is it me, or are young people just looking younger these days? I mean, these recruits look like they have enough enthusiasm to be good law enforcement officers, but I think they might be taken about as seriously as Barnie Fife.

Is it me, or are young people just looking younger these days? I mean, these recruits look like they have enough enthusiasm to be good law enforcement officers, but I think they might be taken about as seriously as Barnie Fife. And where are they going to holster their weapon?

I'm not sure if "turning the other cheek" is the smartest move here. What would Jesus do? And Shouldn't clergy be wearing their collars in public, even in their rockum-sockum social engagements?

A Catholic priest and Protestant minister walk into a boxing ring…

NOTE: I didn’t alter any of these newspaper pages, except to blot out any identifying names of people or places.

If you liked these as much as did, you can rest assured that I’m scanning my local newspaper every day for more funny (a.k.a. bad) editorial decisions. My motto: we can learn as much (or more) from our mistakes as we can from the stuff we get right. Plus, the stuff we mess up is funnier. And in my book, funny is good. Really good.

What makes you laugh like this?

What makes you laugh like this?

You Can Have It All! But Do You Want To?

•May 15, 2013 • 49 Comments
Is it just me, or do you feel a little trippity doo da by some of the things you see?

Is it just me, or do you feel a little trippity doo da by some of the things you see?

You know me. I’m not a ranter, right?

I’m the anti-ranter.

Even when I feel passionate about a topic, I usually keep my opinions to myself because:

1. I have this uncanny ability to shoot down my own arguments before they even come out of my mouth (blame it on my sociology training or middle child status)

2. I have this compelling desire to make everyone happy (definitely a middle child thing)

3. I have this general opinion that there is enough ranting in the world and I was put here (on earth and in the blog-o-sphere) to be a rant-free oasis (blame this on medication-induced delusions or chronic dizziness, I don’t know which)

I really gotta get me a pair of those wings...

I really gotta get me a pair of those wings…

But (and you had to know a “but” was coming) I saw something in our Sunday (Mother’s Day) paper that stunned me. Maybe this ad ran for a while (I hope not) or maybe it was a one-time Mother’s Day blitz (I really hope not). The ad bothers me; the timing bothers me more.

Identifying names and places redacted to protect the scoundrels.

Identifying names and places redacted to protect the scoundrels.

The message is not new: Hey, you disgusting excuses for women! Here’s your chance to change just about every aspect of your physical appearance (which needs changing, Honey, don’t fool yourself) so that you can catch a man or keep the one you’ve got. You know that’s the only way you’ll be happy, right? Don’t worry about the money, the physical pain, or any so-called “side-effects.” Focus on looking like this obviously sexually satisfied woman and deluding yourself into thinking that you can look like her if you get just a few, well, a lot of “procedures” done.

What procedures are they offering? I’ll list some of them in case you can’t read the ad:

**Breast Augmentation and Lifts, because bigger is always better and gravity is such a bummer.

**FREE Botox and Latisse, because paralyzing toxins injected into your head is a good idea.

**Mommy Makeovers and Tummy Tucks plus new Lipoperfection Liposuction, which should erase any evidence of your children (although I wonder what they do with them?)

**Face, Neck, Eyelid Lifts; Nose, Lip, and ear Reshaping, because maybe you want to enter the Witness Protection Program.

**Leg Spider Vein Laser Treatment, because spiders tend to scare people.

**Feminine Intimate Surgery (Labiaplasy), because one of the most common complaints of men these days is, “Honey, I’d love to be more intimate with you, but that labia of yours is a real turn-off.”

Witness the end of the Baby Boom. It wasn't birth control; it was all those labias in need of prettying up.

Witness the end of the Baby Boom. It wasn’t birth control; it was all those labias in need of prettying up.

**New Ulthreapy, because every woman wants her face to look as if she just experienced re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere but  her skin hasn’t caught up to her bones.

**Laser Body and Facial Hair Removal, because hair is is simply not natural on a woman.

*****

I don’t know about you, but I found this ad insulting. Especially because it ran on Mother’s Day. We love our mothers but don’t accept women in all their natural beauty and variety. No wonder we are a confused bunch of people.

I wonder if, on Father’s Day, this same Plastic Surgery outfit will run an ad with a sexy guy and offer men ways to become more attractive and “have it all?”

Men, you can identify with this guy, right? You're pants are always falling down, too.

Men, you can identify with this guy, right? You’re pants are always falling down, too.

It might read something like this:

Enhance Your Muscles, Package, and Overall Sex Appeal–You can have it all!

Your procedure is done at our office for your Safety, Privacy, Comfort, and Convenience.

**Hair Implants–you choose the look you want: Elvis, Clooney (George or Rosemary), or Fabio

**FREE Steroid injections to get a jump-start on pumping up those muscles

**Daddy Makeovers and Belly Removals (Warning: this is a major medical procedure, but you can take it–you’re a man)

**Buttock Enhancement to convert Flat Butt Syndrome to the Shapely Butt Syndrome women admire so much (materials from your Belly Removal procedure are used in this procedure)

**Male Intimate Surgery to reverse the effects of gravity on “the boys”

**Nose, Lip, and Ear reshaping or replacement, as if you haven’t already had this done by non-professionals…

**New Snorectomy to, once and for, all eliminate snoring (Warning: may also eliminate breathing, but it is a risk your sleep-deprived significant other is willing to take)

*****

This type of ad would be just as outlandish and just as inappropriate as the real ad run in my newspaper.

I don’t think the remedy for equal treatment of the sexes is to send the message to men (like we have to women and girls) that they are not good enough as they are. I believe that all of us are better off when we lift everyone up, treating each other as we wish to be treated.

I wish to be treated as a person with both elements of beauty and flaws. Both make me interesting; both make me human.

Changing my exterior does nothing to change the really important stuff anyway, does it? At the end of the day, when the lights are out and all is dark, what is left is the me on the inside.  If I’m okay with that, the rest of it only matters to the extent that my body is healthy enough to let me be and do what I need to be and do.

Okay, I think I've said enough.

Okay, I think I’ve said enough.

On this day, and every day, use your brain for good…not tomfoolery

•May 12, 2013 • 19 Comments

Philip and I have been enjoying watching a series of T.E.D. Talks on Netflix.

For those of you who don’t know about T.E.D., click here. You’ll learn all about the initiative to bring the latest innovations of Technology, Education, and Design (hence, T.E.D.) into public awareness and discourse.

Before you get the wrong idea, this is NOT Philip and me AND this is NOT the Ted to which I am referring!

Before you get the wrong idea, this is NOT Philip and me AND this is NOT the Ted to which I am referring!

This nonprofit group invites the greatest minds from around the world together for two conferences a year. They video the talks, then share them with us. I’m not smart enough to know how it all works. If I were, maybe I would be invited to one of these TED conferences.

If this sounds too erudite or stuffy, it’s not. Most of these talks are fascinating and even funny. And they only last about 20 minutes each, so the real science geeks don’t have a chance to flood my brain cells with too much technical information. Just enough to get and keep me thinking.

Netflix, in their infinite goodness, has compiled a series of these talks thematically. We’re in the middle of watching the one called “Head Games.” These TED presenters explain elements within the complex world of behavior, from psychological disorders to self-awareness and the everyday smile.

Why am I posting this on Mother’s Day? Am I playing a “Head Game” with you? No! I don’t roll that way and you know it!

This is the only Head Game I play. I call it "talking to myself so no one else can hear what I'm saying so they don't think I'm crazy." I'm not sure it works.

This is the only Head Game I play. I call it “talking to myself so no one else can hear what I’m saying so they don’t think I’m crazy.” I’m not sure it’s working. I hear myself, but people look at me like I’m twitbag, which I think is the name of the devise on my head.

We watched a talk about our brains’ propensity to seek out patterns in experience and make assumptions based on those experiences, and often those assumptions are incorrect. Basically he explaining why people believe weird things. Things like urban legends or why buying your mother/grandmother/wife something and treating her special one day a year is good enough to make her feel special the rest of the 364 days. Outlandish! (Michael Shermer, the scientist doing the talk, didn’t use this example, I am).

So I’m telling you about this because:

1. I care about keeping you informed.

2. I care about keeping you entertained.

3. He played a hilarious video at the end of his presentation to illustrate the suggestability of the human brain.

4. I have a compelling need to share this video with you because laughter is one of the best gifts you can give anyone on any day.

If you don’t have Netflix (these talks are instant streamed, so you don’t need to buy the upgrade for DVDs), the TED web site has tons of videos and audios of their talks. You can search by topic. It really is a wonderful resource if you are the curious type.

Now here is the video. Warning: do not drink or eat anything while watching this.


Hope you enjoyed this!

And to all of you who are mothers and have mothers,

Happy Mother’s Day!

My Best

•May 10, 2013 • 35 Comments
Just don't tell Scrappy about this post, okay?

Just don’t tell Scrappy about this post, okay?

Alex was born 27 years ago.

Over those years, I’ve called him many things: Alex, Alexander (when he was in trouble), Zander (which he thought was his first middle name for a very long time since I only said it rarely, as in Alex Zander [real middle name] [real last name], get over here right now!), Lex, Lexter, and, my favorite, “My Best.”

I only called him “My Best” in private. It was something as unusual as it was precious; it was something that only he and I understood.

Alex was and is the best I have to offer this world. For two reasons.

I Did My Best Raising Him as a Mother Deprived of Traditional Maternal Instincts

Most of you know I consider myself maternally challenged. His father had plenty of great traditional parenting instincts, though, so Alex survived. I read books, asked for help, and cried a lot with Alex, modeling empathy.

I did my best. And that’s what matters.

So what if I almost jettisoned out of my arms while in a movie theater when he was only one month old? He was sleeping and we went to watch Crocodile Dundee. When that big old crocodile came out of the water, ala Jaws style, I was so startled that I jumped and nearly flung my infant three rows back. His dad held him for the rest of the movie.

Hey, don't judge me, Missy. You're the one bending over in a crocodile-infested river. And if you think that thong is going to save you...well, you're right.

Hey, don’t judge me, Missy, for launching my baby. You’re the one bending over in a crocodile-infested river. And if you think that thong is going to save you…well, you’re right.

So what if, while shopping in the grocery store in Washington, D.C., both his dad and I left our sleeping 5-month old in his stroller in the dairy section while we each went off in different directions to hunt and gather items on the shopping list. Each of us was sure we told the other to stay with Alex. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. We met somewhere in the middle of the store with the shopping cart, but not the stroller and panicked. This time we abandoned the shopping cart and went running around looking for the stroller. We found Alex right where his dad left him (it couldn’t have been me, right?)–near the cheese. I may have grabbed some Muenster cheese just to make it look like I hadn’t just forgotten my son in the dairy section.

The World Needs More Fine Men Like Alex, So He is My Best Contribution to this World

I’m sure most mothers believe her offspring are wonderful people–gifts to humanity in some way. I guess I have at least that much maternal juice in me, because I believe that, too.

Alex was and is always polite, respectful of adults, has a positive attitude (once he’s over his morning grumpiness), never got into any serious trouble (no drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, indiscriminate youthful shenanigans of the juvenile delinquency variety), and has a sensitive side he was never ashamed to express in front of his friends. He loves nature and animals and has a deep sense of social justice. Did I mention he’s plain old smart, too?

Most remarkable, I feel, is Alex’s willingness to speak up and stand up for what he believes is right and moral. He was never afraid to walk his own path–to not go along with the crowd. I admire that about him, especially because I still am one who has a hard time speaking up for fear that I might upset someone. Alex has no such misgivings. But he is aware enough of other people’s feelings to temper his words with good humor and he knows when to change the subject. He reads others well and his intention is never to cause harm.

While this quality may come across as youthful arrogance sometimes, it will only serve him and the world around him well as he matures.

Does Alex walk on water? No! He sinks just like the rest of us. I did say sinks, not stinks. He’s human and has his faults. But he will always be my miracle child, the one special soul who made it through me–the woman who had at least 7 miscarriages. He will always be my best.

I discovered this song a long time ago and the lyrics remind me so much of Alex, the boy (now man) who could only ever travel his own path in his own way. I’m just glad he chose me to travel it with him.

 Happy Birthday, Alex!

 

Me and My Best. Again, please don't tell Scrappy!

Me and My Best. Again, please don’t tell Scrappy!

For more of my fond memories of being a bungling mother, read the Alex Chronicles, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Think of them as my tip of my hat to Mother’s Day

 

 

Living in the House of Drugs

•May 8, 2013 • 17 Comments
Oh no you don't! We'll have none of that in my house. Scrappy is very impressionable...and willing to try anything.

Oh no you don’t! We’ll have none of that in my house. Scrappy is very impressionable…and willing to try anything.

No, not me, Silly! Although, I do take a number of medications to keep my dizziness under control…

But I don’t live in any house of drugs! Although I do live very near a drug store…

They only sell generic drugs and their hours are kind of hinky, but they are conveniently located.

They only sell generic drugs and their hours are kind of hinky, but they are conveniently located.

Anyway, you ( and by “you,” I really mean “I or me or who ever is writing this blog post”) are totally missing the point.

I just read this awesome-pants new book by a fellow WP blogger. Actually, she’s not a “fellow” at all, she’s Christine Keleny and her book is called Living in the House of Drugs.

Here is my review of her book.

Striking cover, huh? Well, what's inside is just as compelling.

Striking cover, huh? Well, what’s inside is just as compelling.

*****

I have read many memoirs and this one is, by far, the most…well…memorable. Willie wants the world to know his story, maybe so he can clear his conscience or maybe so he can help others avoid the mistakes he made. But Willie has a big problem. He can barely tell his story in proper English, let alone write it down.

Enter Christine Keleny, author and compassionate soul. She spends countless hours with Willie to decipher his attempts at his own notes and listens to his stories. The result is this incredible book, which is a true collaboration between a lost soul trying to find his way and an insightful, skilled writer able to present Willie’s life to us in his unique “Willie” voice. She does the work of organizing his story, narrating parts of it while translating others, asking questions I wanted answered, and sharing her reflections about her journey with this man so different from her.

Through Keleny’s gift of knowing when to let Willie do the talking and when to let her own voice shine through, I came to understand the roller coaster life of a drug addict and a convict. I found him both admirable and despicable, endearing and aggravating; in other words, Keleny made him human.

This was not an easy book to read, but it was an important book to read.

Willie’s story is one that we rarely hear told so honestly. Poverty, violence, misguided searches for love and acceptance, drugs, crime, recovery, broken support systems, falling back into destructive patterns, finding hope in the smallest of places…these are the pieces of Willie’s life you will read about.

But there is another reason to read this book. It illustrates the best in humanity–the kindness that one person can offer to another by giving the gift of time and talent to make an unlikely dream come true. Because of Keleny’s willingness to do the hard work of collaborating with a man who didn’t make it easy, that man’s dream of having his story told to the world was realized.

I truly hope the world gets to hear his story.

 
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