Before I go any further I want to make it perfectly clear that the title of this blog is a harmless saying, perhaps not in the greatest of tastes, but it does have meaning. “Burning Your Babies” in this case refers to doing away with your previous posts when you want or need to purge. It’s actually a video/picture term that I’ve borrowed here to make a point.
How many of us have taken family or vacation photos and have saved every single one of them? You know the ones. Aunt Ida’s head is cut off, or you look just plain stupid, but you’ve taken these pictures of loved ones, had them developed and by golly you’re going to keep them. Even the headless ones. Now, when you think of it, what are you really going to do with these pictures? Put them in picture frames? In photo albums? Probably not. Most likely they’ll get stuffed inside a shoe box and turn yellow all because you don’t have the heart to throw them away. Or now, in the digital era, your hard drive gets overrun with duplicate and unwanted pictures. That’s prime hard drive space you could be freeing up. How about videos where the family is smiling and waving obediently for hours on end and are about as interesting as watching paint dry? Well, this is the time to burn your babies.
So, now it comes to blog posts. You’ve written the next great American blog and you’re thoroughly proud of yourself. People will flock to your blog just to read your pearls of wisdom. You’ll have more hits than you’d ever imagined. But then you publish your masterpiece and no one reads your post once. It’s like giving a party and nobody shows up. But it’s so wonderful, you moan. I can’t get rid of it, you think. Ah, but you must. People begin to judge you by your posts. When and if you become a popular blogger people will check out your blog often and will read your newest posts. Be honest, if you’ve written something that hasn’t been read by a single reader then chances are it might not be as wonderful as you think (or you may not have used your tags wisely or to your best advantage).
There are times where I’ll go back over all my posts and look at some of my very first writings. I sigh and get ready to purge, but then suddenly an old post will stir up some hits. Interests come and go. Situations come and go. But alot of issues and subjects are timeless. Personally, I have never burned a single baby yet. I can’t bring myself to do it. But I’m honest enough with myself to recognize that some posts aren’t exactly my best. For now I think I just might allow my babies to rest comfortably in my blog. So I don’t exactly practice what I preach, but that’s okay too. To purge or not to purge is a personal decision. It’s the headless pictures of Aunt Ida that can hit the trash can.
I’m forgetful sometimes. Okay I’m forgetful alot of the time. I’ve misplaced keys, walked from room to another and forgotten what I wanted in the first place, I’ve called my kids by their sibling’s names (what Mom doesn’t do that, unless you only have one kid you probably shouldn’t worry about that one), I even forgot I was scheduled to work one particular day and didn’t show up. My immediate thought is, Alzheimer’s Disease. It turns out I’m not alone in this line of thinking. But there are lots of reason why we get forgetful.
Stress can play a major factor in memory lapse. If you’re worried or preoccupied it becomes difficult to remember and concentrate on the little things.
Vitamin Deficiencies can also lead to temporary memory loss. Lacking certain vitamins in your diet can actually mimic the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Over-hydrating can have an impact on memory also. I drink alot of water, so naturally I pee alot, thus losing important vitamins and nutrients along the way.
Certain illnesses can also lead to forgetfulness. Lyme disease and thyroid problems are two biggies. If you seem more forgetful than usual, ask to be tested for either of these diseases.
Unfortunately on the down-side forgetfulness can actually be a symptom of Alzheimer’s Disease. If someone is forgetting the names of their children or whether or not they’re married then something is wrong and they should be tested for the disease. But don’t automatically assume you’re in the early stages of Alzheimer’s just because you forget to pay a bill. Chances are it’s one of the reasons above. And, just for the record, I have three children and I am but one Mom so, as I often remind my laughing children, I’m bound to call one of them by the wrong name at least once in awhile.
Nasal sprays, zinc lozenges, mega-doses of Vitamin C, chicken soup. They’re all thought to be cures for the common cold. But do they work? The truth is none of these “remedies” have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as being effective at preventing or curing colds. The best way to keep acute viral nasopharyngitis or acute coryza, otherwise known as the common cold, at bay is the same as it always has been. Avoid infected people, avoid touching your mouth and face and wash your hands. And speaking of washing your hands, forget thinking you must only use anti-bacterial soaps because they don’t have any more effect on the cold virus as generic hand soaps have, hence the name “anti-bacterial”. It’s purely the mechanical process of hand-washing that removes the cold virus particles. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers don’t have any effect on the common cold virus either. The common cold and cold weather do not go hand-in-hand. With the cold weather comes the necessity of being inside, often with many other people, thus providing the opportunity for a higher rate of exposure to the virus.
Most common colds are caused by rhinoviruses. There are no immunizations to prevent the common cold because it’s a viral infection and not a bacterial infection. This also means there are no antibiotics either. The now common practice of automatically prescribing antibiotics just leads to more drug resistant infections. It becomes an entirely different matter when a cold progresses to something more serious such as bronchitis, sinusitis, pneumonia and other opportunistic coinfections and superinfections because those can be treated with antibiotics.
Save your money and don’t buy those nasal sprays meant to prevent colds. They’re just not going to work. If you do get a cold there are things you can do to help alleviate the symptoms. Decongestants, pain relievers and cough medicines are all effective ways to help make a cold a little more tolerable. I, myself, do not use nasal decongestants. I find they work for awhile, but when they wear off my nasal passages are even more swollen than before, causing a need for more nasal decongestant and so on. Steam inhalation has also been proven to be ineffective and can also be dangerous. There have been reports of children being badly burned when inhaling steam to alleviate cold symptoms.
Most colds last about seven days and, while they can be a discomfort, most times you just have to wait it out. And have you ever wondered why it seems that just when you’re getting over a cold you seem to get it right back? It’s actually not the “same” cold. The common cold virus mutates frequently during reproduction resulting in constantly changing virus strains. Colds have been around since ancient Egyptian times so chances are it’s not going anywhere. It’s just a nuisance we’re going to have to continue to live with.
Before I go any further let me explain what the term “tightwad” means to me, because I mean it in a complimentary and affectionate way. We grew up poor in Brooklyn and things were very tough for both my parents, but more so for my mom. Mom was a stay at home mom. “Experts” agree that being a mother can be compared to holding down two full-time jobs. But no mother has to hear this from an expert, she’s already well aware of it.
Mom raised four children and my dad often traveled for business. This left Mom in charge of raising the kids, making sure we had clean clothes to wear and ensuring we had full tummies. Not an easy feat to accomplish when money’s tight. But, Mom always managed to pull it off. I remember watching her go through coat pockets trying to find enough change to buy something for dinner on any given night. She always said, “Give me a bag of rice or a bag of potatoes and I can make a meal.” And she did. I’m not saying I always cleaned my plate. Far from it. I was a terrible eater, which was probably to Mom’s dismay. She managed to put something together and I, the fussy eater, would turn my head away and refuse to eat. But, in my defense I HATED Spam, which was one of Mom’s favorite meals. Does anyone really like Spam, the famous mystery meat in the can? But, it was cheap so it was often on the family menu. I remember holding my hand over my mouth and gagging whenever I was encouraged to take at least one bite. My mother also made a mean chipped beef on toast, which I actually liked.
Well, that was a looooong time ago. But I’ll tell you what, I have absolutely learned everything I know from Mom. She had me sit on a chair while she cooked and she taught me everything she knew about cooking and stretching a meal. And, I learned alot. I’m much older now and certainly not wealthy. The kids and I have had our share of lean times, but Mom taught me well. Give me a bag of rice or a bag of potatoes and I’ll make you a meal. I’m the most frugal mom I know, except for my mommy. Thanks Mom! You’re the best teacher I’ve ever had. 
I’VE POSTED THESE HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS TO MORAL DILEMAS TO PONDER AND CONSIDER:
1. You’ve scratched someone’s car in the parking lot. Would you leave a note on the windshield or would you drive hastily away and hope no one saw you?
2. You’ve witnessed a co-worker stealing goods or money. Would you report the theft to a superior, speak privately to the co-worker or ignore it?
3. You’ve received too much change back from a cashier. Would you pocket the money and not say anything or would you bring it to the cashier’s attention?
4. You’re walking on the street and someone in front of you drops $20. Would you pick up the money and keep it or would you catch up to the person and return the money?
5. You abhor racism and prejudice. A friend or co-worker uses the ‘n’ word during a conversation with you. Do you tell him you’re offended by his racist comment or do you ignore it to avoid hard feelings?
6. You are friends with a couple. You’ve found out one spouse is cheating on the other spouse. Do you feel this is a private matter and keep quiet, do you approach the injured spouse and tell them about the infidelty, or tell the cheating spouse that the behavior is wrong and shouldn’t continue?
7. You’re friends with 2 mutual friends who are feuding. One friend insists on bad mouthing the other friend. Do you go along with and contribute to the gossip or do you tell them each to leave you out of their feud?
8. You’re in a foreign country and are invited to eat at the house of an acquaintance. The family is serving goat’s brain, which you’ve never had before and just the thought of eating it makes you sick. Do you decline your host’s hospitality and take a chance on insulting the family or do you eat the goats brain anyway and hope you can keep it down?
9. You’re browsing on an online dating service. You see the profile of a married friend. Do you let the friend know you’ve seen the profile and advise that it’s inappropriate, tell the friends spouse, or ignore it and mind your own business?
10. You’re driving in your neighborhood and hit a dog. Do you try to locate the owner of the dog and tell them what happened or do you drive away and leave the dog injured and laying there?
True to form and with a long-standing apathy for Americans in need, our esteemed president has dropped the ball once again when offering help and support for the victims of the California wildfires. A few words of sympathy and a vague promise to help victims was all Bush could muster at an already scheduled speech. Only after presidential aides scrambled to deliver facts and figures did Bush schedule a last minute and hurried trip to California. The disengaged attitude of Bush is reminicent of his poor handling of the Katrina disaster. The desperate cries of Katrina victims were heartbreakingly televised and painfully obvious for every viewer besides the president. Only then did Bush make a hasty trip to the Gulf Coast in order to dispel the impression of detachment and insensitivity. And to make matters worse, Bush was quick to place the blame on the local government.
Perhaps the Bush administration has lost the momentum and drive of a politician who’s running for presidential office. Despite the promises made during his bid for re-election, his “efforts” have fallen short and dissapointing to those he promised to serve. And to this day Bush continues to turn a deaf ear on the victims still in need in New Orleans. Thanks to Bush and his administation, residents are still left helpless in the aftermath of Katrina. The fate of the victims of the California wildfires is still yet to be seen.
In another lifetime I belonged to the Assemblies of God Church. This was before I knew better. This was before I decided to think for myself instead of following other human beings blindly. I never felt comfortable in this church. I always had a dark feeling, something unexplainable, but something that was “off” to me. It seemed hollow, phony and fake. My mom came here to visit once and we all went to church. Later I asked her what she thought about the sermon. She said, “The preacher yells too much. I didn’t like it.” I think she felt the same uncomfortable feeling I did.
One Sunday the preacher seemed very aggitated. Apparently he lost his glasses and was obviously angry. The children were being children out in the vestibule before the sermon. When we went to sit down to listen to the sermon, the preacher glared at every parent sitting in the pews and accused us all of allowing our children to run wild. It was a place of worship he said, not a place for children to be loud and disrespectful. It was all very demeaning and my first instinct was to take my children’s hands and walk out the door, after telling the preacher what I thought of his admonishments and insults. If he felt my children’s behavior was inappropriate for church the decent and christian-like thing to do would have been to speak to us privately after the sermon instead of lecturing and yelling at us from the pulpit. It was a private matter and not something to be brought up in front of the entire congregation. I just sat there and took it and to this day I wish I had stood up for myself as a parent and also for my children.
Later I told my husband at the time how angry I was at the way we’d been reprimanded in front of other church members and to my amazement he actually agreed. When someone calls himself a man of god then he should show patience, kindness and understanding. Not anger and accusations because he was having a bad day. He should have realized that if he wanted to be sure his church continued to draw younger church goers then he’d need to be a little more understanding of the behavior of children. Needless to say I never go to this church, nor do I attend any church. I can honestly say that The Assemblies of god soured me towards organized religions of all kinds. I have my own, individual beliefs and am much happier now. I no longer have that “uncomfortable and off” feeling.
It’s no secret that the Catholic church has been paying out millions in damages as a result of allowing pedophile priests to continue molesting innocent children. The church has a long history of harboring child predators and enabling them to continue to come in direct contact with their victims. After decades of sweeping these hideous secrets under the Catholic rug, the church has been forced to acknowledge, at least in the form of monetary compensations, that child sexual abuse has long been running rampant behind the secrecy of the pulpit. So, with all this said, what kind of self-respecting politician would allow an accused predator to be part of his organization? Apparently Rudy Giuliani because he’s hired an accused pedaphile to work in his consulting firm.
Although Monsignor Alan Placa has been accused by several altar boys and students of molestation during the seventies, Mr. Giuliani finds it acceptable to pay this man for his services. “I know the man; I know who he is, so I support him,” Giuliani said. “We give some of the worst people in our society the presumption of innocence and benefit of the doubt,” he said. “And, of course, I’m going to give that to one of my closest friends.” Right Mr. Giuliani, apparently you’re the only one left in the U.S. who knows that pedophiles are our friends, neighbors, relatives, teachers and clergy. Haven’t you been following the news lately?
Although several alleged victims have come forward, Mr. Giuliani isn’t taking this nearly as seriously as any responsible politician should. “This man did unjust things, and he’s being protected and employed and taken care of. It’s not a good thing,” said one of the accusers, Richard Tollner, who says Placa molested him repeatedly when he was a student at a Long Island, N.Y. Catholic boys high school in 1975.
At the very least Mr. Giuliani has a responsibility to look into the accusations made against his “long time friend”, the “honorable” Monsignor. It’s deplorable that any man, let alone a politician who is currently running for President of the United States, would blatantly ignore such serious charges. Perhaps Mr. Giuliani isn’t taking his political campaign nearly as seriously as he should be. I, for one, would never vote for a candidate who ignores his responsibilty to protect and serve those who’ve put him office.
I’m fairly short by today’s standards. At 5′ 2, aside from my mom, I’m the shortest member of my immediate family. I really don’t mind. Being petite can have its perks I suppose. Nice clothing selection. Cute little shoes. All the shallow and superficial reasons so common in today’s society. But there is something about being a short woman that really bugs me. Being short, female and single makes me a prime target for every short, single guy on the dating market.
Why do short guys naturally assume if a woman is short she’ll automatically be interested in him? Personally, I prefer a guy who’s taller than I am. I like the freedom of being able to wear a nice pair of spiky heels if I so desire. I hate having to confine my footwear to flip-flops and sneakers. Having my pants drag all over the floor because I can’t wear high-heels is a tad irritating. And, let’s face it. Who among us doesn’t do a double take and a head scratch when they see a tall woman out on the town with a short man?
I know a few short guys and they’re very nice, respectable gentlemen. They’re just too short for my taste. But when I try to let them down easy, making no reference to their height, they often still don’t get it. I really just want to say, “You’re too short for me”, but I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I’m not saying I constantly fight off hoards of little guys because this isn’t the case. But I do have to say I’m approached more often by guys under 5′7 than any other group of men. I’m sure it must be difficult for short men to meet women who are either shorter than they are or who just don’t mind dating a shorter guy. I’m sorry about that, I really am, but please don’t think we’re a match simply because we’re the same height.
I stubbed my toe last week and it still hurts. I’m thinking about applying for a handicapped parking permit. Afterall, it must be incredibly easy to get one. Everyone has one. And it’s not just a regional thing. My dad lives in Texas and it’s one of his biggest pet peeves. Goodness knows there are certainly people who really need the advantage of parking as close to a store entrance as possible. You can pretty much tell if a person is disabled afterall. But how about the people who hop, skip and jump out of their vehicles? It’s obvious they’re not handicapped. How about those blue tags that are hung from rearview mirrors? Why is sufficient to just have those and not handicapped license plates as well? What prevents a family member from borrowing Granny’s tag and using it to get a more convenient parking space? And are there enough of those stupid little blue people in wheelchairs painted in parking spaces? How heartbreaking to think you’ve finally found an empty space, but it ends up being handicap spot.
I don’t want to seem awful, but has old age, senility and just plain stupidity become a valid handicap in this country? I’m sorry, but I have to say that whenever I get behind someone who is going 15 miles an hours in a 55 mile an hour zone they often have handicapped plates. Do handicaps and poor driving go hand in hand? Or perhaps laziness is a valid disability. For crying out loud, I’ve seen pictures of 175 year old blind people with one leg in third world countries hobbling along to get somewhere. Granted they probably don’t even own cars, but at least they still get around. Come on America, quit being lazy. Either you have an actual disability or you don’t. Let’s stop the fraudulent use of handicap plates and tags.
**This post and all others (included posts not published on here) can be read at my brand-new blog site: http://www.mylovesleftovers.com. Thanks for checking it out!
