Spring Forward, Fall Back…Just Let Me Sleep, OK?
Has everyone recovered from our yearly moving of the clock? It seems to me that most people are okay after a day or two…for me, it takes about a month. I see it as jet lag, without the fun travel part, and I don’t like it. Maybe I should move to a state that does not practice the art of confusion or as most call it, Daylight Savings Time.
It has to be the only thing I don’t like about Spring.
Can someone explain why we still do this? Twice a year it’s like a big joke that the government plays on us. Let’s move the clocks. What lunatic invented this? I’ve heard the reasoning behind it: Continue reading Spring Forward, Fall Back…Just Let Me Sleep, OK?…
Forty…Fabulous? – Not So Much!
Spring may be when a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, but for me, this is the May I’ve been dreading for 39 years. Yes, I’m gonna hit 40. Did I just admit that on paper?
I must be getting old.
Facing 40 makes you ponder some of life’s biggest most mysterious questions?
Why am I here?
What does it all mean?
Will there be any Social Security left for those of us who paid into it?
What ever happened to Cyndi Lauper?
When the hell is garbage day and why can’t I ever remember that?
Things You Gotta Love About August
What does Bill Clinton have in common with the cute and cuddly imaginary elephant, Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street? They share a birthday, August 19. So does actor Matthew Perry and… oddly enough… Tipper Gore. They must have had some wild birthday bashes at the White House back in the day.
Sometimes while struggling to come up with a fitting topic I look up the month and try to find some odd holiday or interesting tidbit to run with. However, August is just chock-full of stuff.
August is Cataract Awareness Month and Romance Awareness Month, hmmm…proof that love is blind. Don’t worry, it’s also Eye Exam Month – I’m not kidding.
So Much to be Thankful For
Every year around this time, we are reminded that it’s time to reflect on our blessings and be thankful. However, I can’t help wondering about these things…
Is it the media, or me?
The chatter about the environment has reached epic proportions. You can’t turn on the TV without a reminder that the glaciers are melting too fast, the oceans are rising and warming, the buildings on Singer Island are about to fall into the sea, fires are burning in California, droughts, floods and recently I heard on NPR, (National Public Radio) that the rainforest will be halved by the year 2030 if people keep encroaching on it, burning it for clearing out space, and drought. It’s unsettling. I’ve even started recycling.
Autumn in Florida, I’m not Falling for That
If there is one time of year that I don’t like being a Floridian, it’s the fall. I miss everything about the fall that you can’t get here. There is nothing quiet like autumn in New England. That first morning you wake up and the air is a little cooler, but by afternoon it fades becoming warm. Then comes the first night you have to reach in the closet for that extra blanket, the thick, really warm one. The first time you get home from work, get out of the car and immediately recognize that familiar smell – ahhh, someone’s fireplace is burning.
Continue reading Autumn in Florida, I’m not Falling for That…
Sweet Revenge
Lately I’ve had some run-ins with people I like to classify as the ill tempered and ill mannered. They come in all shapes and sizes, some are your friends and family, some are your co-workers, and some fall into a strange category that has no name.
Ex spouses, and perhaps your future spouse’s ex.
Just who the Hell do they think they are? They are not related to you, but if you have kids, they are an invasive part of your entire world. They actually think they have a say in your life because you spend time with their kids. Continue reading Sweet Revenge…
Freedom is SO Free
The Fourth of July should have been celebrated with a bigger bang this year, because Americans love their freedom so much… we just want to slap a little on everyone. If you can’t earn your own, it’s ok… we’ll die trying to give you some.
I’m thinking of the soldiers in Iraq who should be home by now woofing down burgers, guzzling beer and telling war stories to their friends. It’s been a long five years. Continue reading Freedom is SO Free…
“I’m Sorry!” – Not!
Forget the atrocities that are going on all around us, things we just don’t see: Darfur; the war in Iraq; and the immense gap between the rich and poor in this country. Let’s put a microscope on what we do see and damn – are we ever offended.
It seems we can’t get by a day without someone apologizing for something they said.
Imus is by no means my favorite person; I much prefer Howard Stern. Anyway, when he uttered a comment that was considered offensive, off-color, or, in my opinion, just plain stupid, it opened the floodgates and started a First Amendment cleansing in this country. Imus is a dope. Even Imus knows that. His listeners even expect that. Continue reading “I’m Sorry!” – Not!…
Mother’s Day and Other Guilt
Well it’s May, that month again. May, synonymous with spring, baseball and that weird Hallmark holiday – Mother’s Day.
OK, really what’s the point here? For me a perfect Mother’s Day starts with NOT having the kids around. Having a day to myself…peace and quiet. Long bubble baths and a day at the bookstore.
However, now that my kids are at the age of understanding, they’re insulted.
They want to spend the day with mommy, giving me mother’s day, whether mommy wants it or not.
Being a single mom is more than a challenge. I can empathize with so many out there who are doing the mommy thing solo – even the dads.
I have to say, when Hillary Clinton said it takes a village to raise a child, I thought that was credible, but in today’s society, not possible. I was young and childless. Today, not only do I know what she means, I want IN on that deal.
A Moving Experience
There comes a time in your life when you have to face facts. You’re not as young as you think you are. There’s no such thing as Santa Clause, the tooth fairy, or catching up on your sleep… and moving is a bitch.
If you really want to face your true demons, pack up and move. For me this was move number 25, or so…the early 90’s are a little foggy. You’d think I’d learn a thing or two about being prepared, but no. Again I was furiously packing boxes while the movers were hauling out furniture. And as much as you hear, “if you haven’t used it, worn it or seen it in a year, throw it out,” I still save crap…and really that’s what it is. Continue reading A Moving Experience…
The Brady Bunch Syndrome
Sometimes you’ve got to believe that things happen for a reason.
It’s figuring out the reason…that’s the tough part. As far as relationships go, I’d like to believe that people are put into your life for a purpose: either to teach you something, or for you to teach them something, or if you’re lucky, both.
When Good Service Goes Bad
OK everybody, you can come out now, the holidays are officially over. It’s safe. Who doesn’t love spending a little off time with the family? And it’s great to be able to hang out with friends. It’s all good, except for the preparation. I don’t mind the cooking and the cleaning. I just hate the getting out there, having to deal with the traffic, and the incompetence that is running rampant in the stores.
Home for the Holidays
December and January are nothing if not synonymous with the Holidays. Whether it’s Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, or if you chose to side with George Costanza father, Frank, and celebrate Festivus, a holiday for the rest of us, get out the aluminum pole, Christmas tree, menorah, kinara candles and meet me in the next paragraph.
‘Tis Almost the Season
Just around this time of year I start longing for home, because nothing comes close to fall like fall in New England. I miss the feeling of fall, the first night when you notice the chill in the air, just enough to grab a blanket for the couch. I miss the smell of fall, fireplaces, hot cider, coco, tea with cinnamon and vanilla. The way fall looks, the vivid reds, bright yellows and the shades of burnt orange in between, hayrides and pumpkin patches. The sound of fall leaves crunching underfoot, the crackling and popping of burning logs.
However, nothing says fall like the granddaddy of all holidays, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, a real non-partisan holiday, it’s all inclusive, and as far as I know, still hasn’t offended anyone – yet.
It’s All A Game – Who Knew
There are some rites of passage that everyone goes though.
Birth, graduation, first kiss, first well, you know, first car-shopping experience.
After 98,658 miles, I had to say goodbye to one of my best friends, my Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. Heartbreaking as that was, it was nothing in comparison to the ordeal of finding a replacement – on a budget.
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