He Got Her Done

A funny thing happened on the way to passing H.R.1: Speaker of the House John Boehner proved to anyone with a functioning brain that he can handle whatever is thrown him. The man with the orange tan and teary eyes finally got something that Rodney Dangerfield would have coveted: respect.

If you read my blog, you know that I was betting on Mr. Boehner. Underneath the cheesiness, the almost-embarrassing urge to outfit him in a white knit liesure suit, lies a genuine article. That's what I saw...a small-town Catholic boy who was taught right from wrong, humility from hubris, and spine from spin.

Most of all (and great for us), I think he was taught to see the forest above the trees, find your real versus imagined adversaries, keep your eyes on realistic versus ideologic, figure out the best thing to fight for and then give it all you got.  And, think outside the box if you have to, but get her done.

And git her done was what Boehner did. We just saw a President who began the year hawking a spending freeze in his state of the union address, and ended last week trying to take credit for the historic spending cuts that Boehner negotiated. As Michelle Obama liked to say during the campaign, the playing field kept moving on Barack. Well, Boehner moved that playing field on him again and pretty much made him cry uncle.

How? Why, just a week ago the talking heads were aching for Boehner to fall apart under the weight of his challenges. It seemed impossible for him to handle the different factions of the House GOP membership, as well as the Dem opposition. Add to that: Obama's silence. It was as if the president was literally standing on the sidelines waiting to see who to support, who to oppose. Or perhaps he too was waiting for Boehner to fail.

In the end, Boehner ended up brilliantly playing those supposed challenges into IOU markers against the Dems. He took partisan GOP threats and offered to stifle them for Dem concessions in spending cuts, and the Dems had no chance but to agree. NO ONE saw that coming until it had come and gone. NO ONE, and I read the opinions every day.

Now, this week, I've read several Dems asking what are Boehner's weaknesses, what can Obama use in the next standoff to best Boehner. And my first response to this is to remind those Dems that Obama is in re-election mode now and not even caring about acting as if he gave a wit what you want. His only Master right now is the independent voter because he needs them to be re-elected. He already has you, Dem. I mean, where ya gonna go? And independents like and support Boehner, so the best Obama can do in that relationship is to negotiate, and negotiate from a standpoint of weakness, and that means concessions. After all, spending cuts are no longer optional, they are reality and neccesity.

The next fight, for trillions of cuts instead of billions, should be fun to watch. Of course, Boehner's only human, and the stakes are higher than ever, so the possibility for blow-up is still there. Yesterday on his show, John Stewart admiringly described Boehner's success as "mundane, pragmatic compromise", something we need more of. So, I'm betting on Mr. Mundane...or as Dennis Miller teases, Tammy Faye Boehner...or as MSNBC talking head Ed Shultz calls him, "The Tan Man".

A rose by any other name still smells as sweet. :-)))

The Back-Up Plan

This is one time when saying I'm backed up and loving it doesn't mean I'm addicted to Imodium! {winkwink}

As I may have mentioned previously, my trusty OLD (circa 2007) Windows XT desktop died last fall when the motherboard decided to fry itself. Although I had recently done a data backup to my portable hard drive, I opted to buy another portable hd and have the local computer shop back up my hard drive again, thinking at the time it was just the graphics card that had fried since it had done it once already. My pan was to just transfer the data to my Gateway laptop and move on with life.

Luckily, the shop guy was able to do a backup, but I was panicked when I couldn't read my Outlook Express and Address Book data. Turns out that when you migrate from XT to Windows Vista or 7, you cannot import that data. I would have had to have upgraded to Vista or 7 on the old desktop, which I would have been more than willing to do, except that my motherboard had other plans and I wasn't willing to fork out $400 for a refurbished (and hard to find) replacement. So, I had to accept the sad fact that my contacts and emails were gone forever. I transferred what I could to my Gateway and made plans to check out online backup.

Actually, my files really weren't gone. They are still sitting in my backups, merely waiting for the right program to come and wake them from slumber. I do have a 2000 model Gateway laptop that I think still may work and is probably running Windows 98, but I have temporarily misplaced it...it's in a box somewhere waiting for me to find it. And when I do, look out.)

Since that very traumatic month in my life, I've discovered that life did go on, much easier than I'd feared. I really didn't miss much of anything aside from the addresses of a handful of online friends. So, I became less enthusiastic about checking out Carbonite, the online backup service that I'd researched and decided to go with. Finally, after a meltdown with The Hubster over our photos and my nonexistent scrapbooks he never could look at, a plan was developed jointly, and #1 on the list of to-dos was "Back up to Carbonite".

So, for the last week I have been doing that. The first 4-5 days I was doubting the exercise. 50 gigs takes forever to back up even with high speed cable internet. But then I got a wild hair and decided to pay for a year subscription (I began the backup on their 30-day trial.).

Well, guess what? The backup *suddenly* began to go much faster and I finished Monday. And that's the hard part, because the program works in the background and immediately backs up anything new or changed. So, I guess I have 2 bits of advice for anyone considering Carbonite: pay before starting your backup, and don't freak out about it taking a while the first time you do it, because unless or until you have to restore all of your files (if you get a new computer or hard drive), you won't have to endure that again.

Anyway, I really underestimated how plain old good it feels to have this done. I feel safer, lighter (even more so, I've already lost 3 of the 5 pounds I'd gained leading up to that gastric attack I had recently).  I feel like I don't have to worry one wit about losing any more data. That is such an awesome feeling! And for $55 a year, it's an awesomely inexpensive feeling, too, for what I get. Most anywhere, paying to feel this good would surely cost several hundred to a thousand bucks, no?

One nagging thought remained, though: exactly how would the restore work? Well, today, as if to read my mind, Carbonite sent me an email, with this in it:

Congratulations! Your initial backup is complete. Now, you can rest easy knowing your irreplaceable files are backed up safely offsite. From now on anytime you add or change a file, it will be backed up automatically in the background – you won’t even notice it happening.


Want to see how easy it is to get your files back when you need them? Try restoring a file from your backup by following these easy steps:
1.Create a new document that you will use to test a restore. Save and close the document.
2.Let Carbonite back up the file. You’ll know it’s backed up when there’s a green dot next to the file. If you want to back it up right away, right click the file and select “Back up this file as soon as possible” from the Carbonite menu.
3.Delete the file from your computer.
4.Double-click on the lock icon in your system tray to open the Carbonite InfoCenter.
5.In the restore tab, click on "Search for files to restore."
6.Type in the name (or part of the name) of the file you deleted. Locate it and select "Restore."
7.Check to make sure the file has been restored.

Now, I feel even better! Obviously, I highly recommend Carbonite. So far, so very good. The removal of worry is in my opine worth every penny and then some.

Eye Yigh Yigh Yigh!

It's hard to know where to start...

I really feel comfortable describing only my rough ideas and initial impressions these days, because things are changing so fast and moving at breakneck speed. Complete analysis to form an actual opinion becomes such a laggardly endeavor.

I do know one or two things with certainty, though. One, I am finding myself almost disgusted at times at how often and by whom President Obama gets criticized because so much of it is either obvious political gain ploys from the Right and tedious trivially ridiculous nitpicking on the Left. I wish both sides would institute the rule that if it is not very important and reasonably fair, then STFU, will you please?

Put another way, I should think that the same rules begging civility towards Palin should also apply to Obama. Just this week alone, I've counted more than a dozen instances on cable news where the talking head demanded civility for one and then denegraded the other to no end. And those dozen-plus examples were on both sides of the political spectrum.

I'm dumbstruck by the realization that the Congressional GOP is now doing exactly what they pointed out that the Congressional Dems did. And, speaking as an Independent and one of those vast numbers that both parties need to get elected, the GOP was not elected in the midterms to behave this way. They were elected to handle economic matters, not to further restrict abortion in half a dozen bills and measures and increase costs by codifying the IRS as the abortion police.

The only reason I am not going balistic over this is that I'm holding out hope that this is the only way that Speaker Boehner has found to form a coalition to handle the budget-cutting, and that the Senate will never pass the so-called abortion police bill. It is entirely possible to my mind that Boehner's been faced with an ultimatum that certain conservatives have to have some social concessions (thinly and duplicitously veiled as cost-cutting measures) before they join the budget cutting party.

It's still perilous. At some point, independents like me will want to see some action in the economics department and so far, nada. I know that for myself, I'm gearing up to have to write some letters pretty darn soon.

On the other hand, it's all for show as long as the two houses of Congress are in the majorities they are, unless Senate GOP'rs can pick off some Dem allies.

And on the offchance that it does pass, when the 2012 campaigning starts and your Congressional incumbent brags about cutting NPR and Planned PArenthood, make him or her explain why they installed the IRS as the police for abortion deductibility...and why the bill had not one word exempting miscarriage D&C's. And watch them squirm. By that time, if I know the IRS, they will surely have lumped it as just another kind of abortion you'll have to prove you got due to rape, incest, or threat to your life. That your fetus's heart quit beating on its own...not a good enough reason for an allowable deductible D&C, apparently. Oh, the fools rush in to fill any vaccuum, don't they?

Last post, I was down on Trump. And I still am, except that I feel the need to add that he does make for great TV. Not his show. HIM. He really stirred it up on the View, and I loved it. If I could wish one bad thing on
Obama, it would be for him to come to royally regret not getting his birth certified by the Senate just like McCain did. He could have avoided all this crap had he only done so. I can just hear Whoopie screaming, Why should he? No white man ever had to do that! Well, McCain's pretty white, and Trump missed a golden opportunity to shut it down with that, in my opinion. He's not quite as sharp as I thought he was, but his potential for bringing up all kinds of crap is pretty big. Good TV.

And finally, Charlie Sheen. What a difference a few days make. CBS wants to talk about him coming back now, he has a comedy tour booked, and he's arguably more popular now than before the meltdown. I love it, and predicted as much if you will recall. I'm also very thankful that the TV talking heads quit booking all the Dr. Drews. The impending predictions of my death are greatly exxagerated, blahblahblah, or something like that. They have the figurative egg on their faces now.

Marchness

Skull of the wild hog that The Hubster bagged while hunting (cigar is Hubs', too).

Well, I took quite a break from blogging, did't I?

It began with an impromptu week off for my birthday. Then another week while I was ill with an arthritis flare. And then I'd kinda gotten used to not doing it and that led to forgetting about it.

So, tonite I vowed to post something. Here that something be. winkwink

I'm all set to begin a new daily health regime, shown above. This is called the Hills Treatment for arthritis caused by a build up of uric acid in the joints. It's basically drinking hot water with honey and apple cider vinegar dissolved in it, 3 times a day; and also 1 tbsp. of molasses 1-3 times a day.

Both concoctions are nothing I'd willingly ingest, but they're bearable. It can take up to a year to see differences and a minimum of 6 weeks, so we will see how long I can keep it up without going nuts about it. I have a hard enough time with my medications, so I tend to push away any other commitments along those lines. But if the inventor is right, it is certainly worth forcing myself to comply. It's based on alkaline versus acid, and when I took a look at the charts of which foods are which, I was like ready to bet my life savings that my body is too acid and that's what too much uric acid is.

I also could be honest and add that the idea that it's not a universally touted treatment among doctors appeals to the rebel in me. Add to that, it won't interfere with my current traditional treatments, so I'd be almost derelict in not trying it. I shall report back when there is something to report.

I've been emailed by a few readers about GOP candidates for 2012, and I've actually formulated some thoughts. One, Herman Cain's been in some convos and I see nothing wrong with him, other than I would like him more if he were just sticking with an economic platform. I am not impressed with any of them that are pushing the conservative social ideals and then just addressing the real problems with broad generic strokes. Needs to be the other way around in my book.

And Gingrich...I am currently not able to get past remembering how he was a serial adulterer coincidentally at the exact same time that he was skewering Clinton for Monicagate. It's just yucky. I'm sad that he's gonna even try.

And then there is the possibility of Trump...The Donald. At first, I was very open to him, as I think he's a brilliant businessman who got caught in bad circumstances and overcame them and learned from it. So I began paying attention, and I also began watching Apprentice again.

That changed my mind. It made me see how fricking ruthless he is, and we already have that now. It's like "Winning!" but without the humor.

I realize these are flippant first impressions, but that's what I got right now. And since the election is a ways off, there is nothing else to go on, so it's really just impressions right now anyway. And, voting for Obama is a possibility for me, too, to be honest, as long as Congress is controlled by the other side. The closer we get, the better off I can assess that risk. There are so many other pressing issues right now, anyway.

I really feel bad for the rest of the world, and then again, I gladly turn it off in my mind after awhile...sort of isolationist, I guess. I'm more Paulian (as in Drs. Ron and Rand) about it, ie, we need to get out of the Empire business. And if we are gonna continue being the Peacekeepers, we need to charge for it. I've been pretty okay with Team OBama's approach to the democracy protests because of this. It's uncharted territory. I may even be at odds with McCain over that no fly zone thing.

At the same time, I enjoyed the latest undercover brother NPR tape of James O'Keefe's. And then the Glen Beck-controlled Blaze critique of it that pointed out several material faux pas. One never knows where it is coming from these days, lol.

And then there is Charlie Sheen. I've enjoyed him most of all. Part of me deeply suspects that this is all a punk on us and a new way for Charlie to perform. The people all psycho-analyzing him and predicting doom...well, it may well end up that way, but those diagnoses all go so well with what those folks sell, too. Kinda lessens the trust factor there, altho Celebrity Rehab is gripping tv at times, fo sho.

Speaking of fo sho. Bo Burnham. Hilarious. That guy is immensely talented. I could and did listen to him for almost an hour. It went by in a flash.

Well, Red Eye is finally on again, so arrivaderci and laterz...

Good old Texas girl...and guy

You can take the good old girl out of Texas, but you can't ever take the Texas out of a good old girl. Jenna Bush's Today show stint made the internets this week, when she tried to teach Ann Curry and Willy Geist some Soulful Dance moves.

Although the main thrust of the debate surrounded how lame it was, or not, what struck me is how completely and utterly natural in front of the camera Jenna is. And graceful, too. And when I thought about it, I realized, why she's just a good old Texas girl, no more complicated than that for an explanation.

When you think of other Texans in the limelight, from Matthew McCounaHunkahay to Beyonce to Owen Wilson to Angie Harmon to George Foreman, this is just the way a lot of Texans are. Okay, sure...Lyle Lovett and Rene Zellwegger are two who don't fit the mold, but they're outnumbered by those who do.

I really can't imagine anyone in Jenna Bush's immediate world who could actually stay mad at her for long. Barbara, Jr, however, remains something of an enigma.

I was very impressed this week with Ky Senator Rand Paul's performance on a number of news shows while pitching his new book. Since he grew up in Texas, he's the guy mentioned in my title.

After listening to him explain in more detail a rational game plan for entitlement reform, reigning in spending, and handling the debt, I decided to go sign the petition for a national right to work act that he wants to propose...since I've been an advocate of right to work for quite a while now. All of this is interrelated and I see that he gets that. I also see that the slowest effective transition is a high priority with him, too. That's pragmatic and a good logical viewpoint, as far as I'm concerned.

I think I saw him interviewed on Fox, CNN, MSNBC and on ABC, I think, one of the networks. And he is unflappable. Now just think for a minute (try to dispassionately, without political bias): can you imagine what the debates in the Paul household were like? Whoa, Lincoln-Douglas probably had nothing on those two getting it on, complete with pocket protectors, even. {Sorry, couldn't resist!}

On the other hand, did they have anything TO debate? Cuz, you have to take opposite sides to have one. Somehow, Rand either got these skills by osmosis or by practice, and my gut says the latter. Perhaps he was assigned the role of his dad's devils advocate around the dinner table?

Embracing the invisible...

Lately, one of the *in* things has been to "embrace imperfection", and I am all for that. You know that old adage "Nobody's perfect"? Well, it was coined for a reason. Reason is, it's 100% true. We live in stressful times right now. Many people are dealing with lives that are not what they planned. Perhaps it makes folks feel better to practice this *in* thing.

However. (Here's where the invisible part comes in.) There has to be some visible imperfection to embrace. I'm not gonna say never, but you usually can't embrace something that you don't really think exists. I bring this up because in real life and online I see a surprising amount of this, and not only is it just a facade or coverup, I also think the people trying to appear to embrace something they don't want to admit exists leaves, shall we say, their naked arsses hanging out for everyone else to see...everyone but them, apparently. Or maybe that's the joke, I dunno. I don't see the humor in doing that.

I'm in a private online chat group that formed a couple years ago as a bit of a rebellion against the attitude that was beginning to prevail about the time that the book "The Secret" caught fire. Nowadays, it is generally known this book is a veritable pile of b.s. for the most part. But the themes of positive thinking and retaining a positive aura were of course mined to the point of overkill and distortion, and suddenly diversity of opinion was the black sheep of the online family. Our online group is not a gossip nasty nook. Au contraire. Mentioning names, links, relationships, and obvious facts are forboden. We bring up more general thematic trends to notice and beware of. And the other day, the invisible imperfection embrace was the subject of a very long convo.

A convo that brought up instances of people ignoring others who asked something they didn't want to answer, instead of using good manners to explain they prefer not to answer, for example. Apparently, there's some folks out there who would just rather completely blow you off if you do anything they think is contaminating their positive aura with anything negative.

A few in my group actually think that kind of behavior borders on supertitious. I'm more in the category that sees it as a little rude, selfish, weak-willed, along those lines. I think back to the generation who made Zig Ziglar a household name, and before him, Dale Carnegie of "How to Win Friends and Influence People" fame. I think both of these men would be turning over in their graves to see how little their landmark strategies are avoided today. I mean, my memory of reading Carnegie is fuzzy, but I know for damn sure that he never advised to just walk away or to chastise with expulsion or to not respond when someone reaches out to you, no matter what they say.

Oh, Great Spirit, cast out all those with negative thoughts from my life! Nope, pretty sure he never would have signed off on that one.

So my group got me thinking. At first, I thought, man what a trivial gripe! Then, I began to see that there were some people that I knew, in my real life and online, who suffer from this. For me it was kinda like when you realize that someone you know and think is condescending as hell is actually terribly insecure and in pain and is covering up. And when I say suffering, I really do think they are. Because it's remarkably freeing and delicious to be imperfect and to be perfectly fine with it. Maybe even proud of it, a little, but just okay with it is the picture of good emotional health. I think.

I really try to give a lot of latitude to others online, so it took me a little while to realize that I do not enjoy what they were talking about...and then I thought about what I do enjoy.

You see, I love reading bloggers who write about their boys' buggers, their daughters' catfights and tantrums, their marital spats, their stupid behaviors, all the real and tangible problems of life. I love hearing about it all from my irl friends even more. This to me screams authentic life, real people.

"Always put your best foot forward" was the literal thing to do no matter what back in a time when knowing these truths about you could result in your spouse losing his job or not getting the better one, or your kid being excluded. Or prove you were a bad mother. Nowadays, it might subject you to a little idle gossip...as long as Child Protective Services cannot be involved, that is.

True, there are still some jobs that require you to appear to be upstanding, but there's also never been a time more understanding of imperfection. And I'm not saying it's okay to take on Snookie as a mentor for good behavior. Not at all. It's just that I lament and feel for those folks who try so hard to only show a perfect family and life picture, because it's transparently showing a cancerous mass of insecurity and self-doubt. And ulcer-inducing stress. Cuz that's a lot of needless burden to carry. And it distances you from others much more than it ever unites.

I admit that I really haven't analyzed it much deeper than that. Instead, my head took me down a back side road of this topic, to thinking about bloggers I love, who need to express themselves no matter what (and more than a photo or a phrase) and blog the occasional long post about their problems or feelings. I don't always know what to say, and I hardly ever comment at all because of my fingers, but they usually have my heart.

Then I think of the couple of bloggers I read who are trying so hard to keep that perfect veneer up that I know hardly anything about them other than what they carefully have chosen for me to know, and I realize that it keeps them from having my heart, even though they may need it just as much or more.

And the longer they hold that veneer up, the more likely I am to just walk away. Even when I don't want to. I hesitate to go where I am not wanted. Even if that is not what they want deep down, it is the message they send. I know well that I've done the same things myself before, even when I didn't mean to or want to. Tis the nature of life, I suppose.

I guess I just prefer, identify more and group with *real* people, warts and all. Among them, I'm not the only smiling face with a wart or two on it. :-) xoxo

Ways of Eating: {everydays}



The Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid, 
courtesy of Dr. Andrew Weil

Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Dr. Weil's excellent guide is a must-read!
Fitday's explanation  is good.
Learn more about inflammation and chronic inflammation at Wikipedia's page.

This is basically the WOE (Way Of Eating) that I am supposed to follow. If you have any kind of physiological inflammation, you should look into it. It's hard but not impossible.

Types of inflammatory conditions include all forms of arthritis (including lupus and fibromyalgia), other diseases including parkinsons, alzheimers, pelvic inflammatory disease (pid), irritable bowel (ibs), crohns, colitus, dermatitus, ulcerative colitus, atherosclerosis, and most forms of allergies.

Inflammation destroys body tissues and worsens over time (destructive effects are cumulative). It can be caused by...

...a deficiency of the essential fatty acid Omega 3
...a diet high in acid foods, particularly animal proteins
...a lack of cortisone in the blood
...a high level of estrogen

It has been found that people with any of the inflammatory diseases can have a saliva pH of as low as 5, almost 1000 times lower than normal. It's been found to be helpful to concentrate particularly on eating alkaline foods (to bring the pH up) and the anti-oxidants: vitamins A, C and E, selenium, zinc and particularly Omega 3. You should also try to find your specific food allergies (everyone has atleast one, even if the reaction is nil) and avoid those foods as much as possible.

The following natural anti-inflammatories should be considered:

...arnica, gingko biloba and ginger to improve circulation and healing
...the citrus bioflavonoids to prevent vascular disease and bruising
...quercitin, glutamine and progesterone to inhibit inflammation
...silymarin to detoxify the liver

So....looking at this food pyramid, what we immediately see is that after the veggie and fruit predominance, a grain level makes up an almost equal amount of the diet. 3-5 servings per day of grains? How is one to find that much healthy unsugared and complex grainage without becoming a whole earth mother?

I have two answers for you that work for me: brown rice and homemade fresh muesli.

I buy Texmati brown rice and make some every week, which I put into individual serving containers of about 1/2 cup each and refrigerate. If the Hubs wants rice with an evening meal, we cook more. Leftovers can easily become desert with some dried fruits and a little honey or brown sugar.

Martha Stewart also has a delicious recipe for fresh muesli, but here is a basic one that is good:
Homemade fresh muesli (makes 8 servings at approximately 199 calories per) 
Ingredients:

4-1/2 cups old-fashioned uncooked rolled oats
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup oat bran
1 cup raisins (you can use other dried fruits of your choice)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (you can add other nuts of your choice)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (or less depending on your taste)
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

Preparation:
1. In a large mixing bowl combine the rolled oats, oat bran, wheat germ, wheat bran, dried fruits, chopped nuts, seeds and brown sugar. Mix the ingredients very well.
2. Store the home-made muesli in an airtight container. No refrigeration needed.
3. Soak each serving in liquid just before eating.

It is always best to soak muesli well before eating it. It is far more digestible and, once you get used to it, you will probably find that it is delicious that way. (It is more digestible because phytates in the fibre break down. Phytates are a problem for some people because they block absorption of some nutrients.)


Soak it overnight or for at least half an hour before you want to eat it. You can soak it in milk, water, fruit juices or any number of milk substitutes such as soya milk or rice milk. It's really nice soaked in a mild apple or cranberry juice. Orange juice and other citrus fruits are not so good as cereals and citrus tend to not mix well.

Martha toasts her oats prior to mixing hers and it is tasty but also adds to the prep, so I only do that on occasion.

Muesli mix is a great breakfast, but is also a great snack -- super high in fiber, stabilizes blood sugar. The Swiss even eat it sometimes as an evening meal. The thing to remember is to keep the ingredients as raw and natural as possible, and do not add sugars or corn-based sweeteners. Don't turn it into super sugar crisp or fruity pebbles, ok? If you must use an artificial sweetner, try stevia products. But the liquid you soak the oats in can help sweeten it, so don't overdose on the sugary taste. In fact, try learning to like the taste of less sugar!

Also, eat it sparingly at first in order to gauge how well your digestion handles it, as you would when introducing any very high-fiber food.

Muesli has similar properties to brown rice, which I have previously mentioned, so I won't go into them again, but if you are serving white rice with your evening meal, you are completely missing an excellent opportunity to improve your diet and digestion and nutrition by not simply changing over to brown rice.

If you regularly include muesli and brown rice in your diet, they will improve your overall health, leave you more full and satiated, give you more energy and start your road back to natural food eating. Two ways to begin that are pretty quick and easy, and can also help you comply with this new food pyramid that most experts are getting behind.

Sharing: {everydays}

How do you file your digital photos? I file mine in folders by year and month, with older photos of unknown date getting the miscellaneous treatment within the year I'm able to best guestimate. I've tried other ways, but it seems that my brain remembers our memories chronologically 99.999% of the time. I am working on tagging my photos in order to dimensionalize them. (Tags create additional *virtual* files, which come in handy when you are looking for, say, all of dd's halloween costumes thru the years, etc.). But I'll probably always group the actual digital files by year folders, then by month folders.

Brown rice with marshmallows? Noooo, that's cut up string cheese melting in there...

So, it's fun for me to look through a month folder of photos, because I see *everyday* snippets of my life, a photography practice that's in vogue right now with scrapbookers and art journalers. When I see the shots of the healthy foods I'm trying to eat more of (like the brown rice, above), this reinforces my good behavior and helps me remember to do it. I caught myself the other day looking at a plate of food that The Hubster cooked that was not all that healthy and thinking, oh I shouldn't photo that. (As it was, I decided to not censure my record, but my camera battery was dead, so no photo got taken after all.)

Now, I wish I had a photo of that high-fat-high-calorie fare, because I think it would trigger "bad dog" self-criticism and help me say no next time. I probably didn't explain that the best way, but I hope you get the basic gist of it.

The photographic truth of our lives can trigger the memories we might not want to recall when we need to...

So, what else have I found in my January photo file beside brown rice? Well, this photo, above, of my recent genealogy software purchase, reminds me of a goal I wanted to achieve in 2011: get my main ancestor lines down on paper in a narrative and in charts. This photo reminded me that just buying the software unfortunately has not and will not make that happen on its own, darnit.

Over on my Paper-Paisleys art blog, I've been recording photos of some of my clothing combinations that I've worn during the cold weather. This has, in a small but important way, helped me take more of an interest in what I wear {ie, when dressing, I sometimes think, will these take a good photo? I still wear the "no's", but more and more I do wear the "yes's"}.

Here's a record of a new habit that The Hubs and I have begun again after 5-6 years: subscribing to the daily local paper. While the jury is still out on whether it was a fruitful change to make (local news being what it is), this photo will remind me that we did it.

Some of my naughty food meals are ones I love to eat so much that health be damned, lol. This was our Super Bowl Sunday meal: pulled pork bbq sandwiches, cole slaw and ranch-style beans. Oh gosh, I could probably eat this every day for an entire year (well, month for sure). I smile just looking at the photo. Yum......

So, anyway, you get the idea. Take photos of your life. Take lots. You can always delete them. But you can't get back what you never took, right?

All Ice and No Snow

There's an old Texas / Western saying that's used when someone is boastful or a braggart and has nothing to back up what they say or represent themselves to be: "He's all hat and no cattle", a reference to back in the cattle rancher days.

So, all I've heard for 3 days is, we're gonna get snow, and although I fought hard not to be taken in (I've heard this a few times in my 5 decades), it finally got to me and I could feel my excitement building.

I went to bed last night nice and early (9:00pm) and was so anxious that I promptly woke up at 12:30am to check....no snow yet. The tv weather gurus said there was also going to be ice and sleet -- the whole enchilada. Well, it was cold, but dry as a bone, and to top it off I ended up wide awake and staying up.

I stayed busy with this and that, waiting...waiting...waiting. Finally, about 4:30am we began getting a drizzle. Actually it was really a misting...a fine intermittent misting so slight, so minimal that it made no sound. I usually will hear rain eventually drip off the roof at some point. This rain was silent and stayed on the roof and wherever it fell, turning to ice. Still no snow, however. A renegade layer of warm air had snuck in undetected and blew our chances for powder.

Ice my grill, Bro!

...the cold, hard facts (ice chunks on the morning paper)...

...our flags were stiff with ice trimming...

...icicles hanging out on the overhang: look out below!

We fared much better out in suburbia compared to Houston. I stayed entertained for several hours watching the Houston news station document various fools trying to drive on the freeways and overpasses, and hittinh ice patches that caused wrecks, blocked roads and stranded motorists until well into the late morning when first responders could reach them without putting themselves in danger.

I'll admit to worrying about where Missy was (as she lives in Houston now in her own apartment). But about 8am I broke down and texted her, after seeing one too many wrecks from her area of town. She was working at home, safe and sound. Mayor Annise Parker had declared a veritable work holiday for today and urged everyone to just stay at home until temps rose above freezing (not expected until Saturday afternoon) so the road ice could have a chance to thaw. I finally quit watching around noon as the roads began to fill up with motorists. I just hope the sun comes out to help the thaw. There are already 4 vehicular fatalities and a couple dozen injuries requiring hospitalization.

More wet cold weather is expected to hit us Wednesday. The tv guy said just keep the pipes wrapped; we're not through yet. Oh, my aching thumbs!

KO'd off the island...

I could never be accused of being a fan of MSNBC anymore. Although, prior to the eve of the 2008 NH primary I was one of the cable channel's biggest and most loyal fans. Up until that fateful night, MSNBC was my tv's de facto channel and you could win a little fast cash by betting that it was on at my house unless they were airing those docu-dramas like "To Catch a Predator"...remember those? Ugh, not even I could stomach them.

I practically worshipped at the Altar of KO, aka Keith Olbermann, and was known far and wide as actually being able to pay attention through an entire Special Comment (which in those days were always about The Evil Dubya and lasted upwards of an hour). I even enjoyed most of them and could and did quote entire paragraphs as friends and family rolled their eyes...a lot.

The way that KO and most of MSNBC reacted to Hilary's tears that night (and in the process shed their objective facade in favor of outright salivating over Obama) just made me ill, a reaction that continues to this day whenever I'm forced to watch more than 15 minutes of their tripe. So, it gave me a bit of joy to hear that Keith was fired finally, although I did experience a dejavu-ey sentimental moment remembering the good old days before Olbermann went insane/was abducted by aliens/sold his soul to Chris Matthews. Good Night and Good Luck to you, KO, as lon g as I don't have to see you anymore or hear your name...how about giving radio a try this time? winkwink

Speaking of cable show hosts, I cannot believe someone posted this shot comparing Rachel Maddow to Ralph Macchio...yet the resemblance is a little eery, eegads. Ralphie's almost unrecognizable from his former youthful personna, but he's become a handsome man, hasn't he? I enjoyed seeing him, his wife of 23 years and his two cute kids in Funny or Die's video spoof of his, well, niceness:

Wax On, F*ck Off with Ralph Macchio from Ralph Macchio

I think my favorite part was in the driveway when Ralph's {really cute and hip} son counselled him, "You know he wasn't being nice, right?" after some guy drive-by insulted him and Ralph smiled and waved. My second fave part was the 'I'm not Chachi!!!" bar incident scene. But then, there's also the hooker who told him to come back when he was 18 ("Damnit, I'm 48 years old!"). It's all too dangggg funny!

Let's hope wholesome makes a comeback so we can see him in something besides men's face cream commercials, lol (you have to watch the video to get that joke).

Speaking of MSNBC and their general survival, I enjoyed reading various comments around the blogosphere. The gang at the Activity Pit (late night FNC show Red Eye's fan site) had me in stitches with their idea that MSNBC should rev up their stinking ratings by adopting a "Survivor" type of format.
Here's some snippets:
"Every week, someone gets voted off the island. It will be a lot of fun coming up with what sort of immunity challenges you could put their "personalities" through - and how each would fare in them."
And:
"I have an idea for one of the Immunity Challenges. How about a group stroll thru the south side of Chicago at midnight? Good thing the city has strict gun control laws, eh?"



I find myself really wanting to see this played out (is that wrong of me? lol) and I especially would love to see both Chris Matthews and Andrea Mitchell humiliated beyond words and voted off the island, followed close behind by that chubby little idiot Ed Schultz. It would definitely tempt me into watching again to see all that!

Are you listening, Comcast? winkwink

Updates on the updates

I realized today that it has been awhile since I updated the blog on the various personal projects ongoing here at Casa Winans, so without further ado...

Somehow, don't ask me how, I managed to get through the holidays only gaining 2 pounds, which were quickly shed once I got back on my plan. And I've managed to continue to maintain and lose a little more. My adventure with Nutrisystems ended right before Thanksgiving when I cancelled the December food shipment. At that time, I had quite a lot of their food left, which I began integrating into a loose diet regime of mostly lower fat and lower calorie grocery store foods.

My recently re-organized pantry, above, shows the last remains of my Nutrisystems inventory and the addition on the bottom shelf of our new inside toolbag that was one of Hubster's Christmas presents. Since this pantry sits right next to our laundry room, it's a great place to keep frequently-used tools that are too nice to get gunked up or lost in our garage. And since it's a bag, we can just throw the tools in after using and every so often straighten up the bag's contents. Workable. Do-able.

Hubster finished my bathroom project right after the holidays, and I've been enjoying my like-new bathing place. It's the first time since I was single and living alone that I've had a bathroom to myself, and I do love it.

This is the new Peerless showerhead I chose. The big circular head looked like a great idea, but it's not really all that. The removeable handheld head is all that, though. So, overall, glad I chose it.

Along with the regrout and caulking, the new shower door enclosure, showerhead and faucet fixtures make a huge difference. Here's hoping I can keep it this fresh and clean!

We did have one little plumbing problemo a few weeks ago. Our house is built right on a concrete slab, meaning there is no wood subfloor. Over time when the house and foundation settles, the pipes can break and this has been happening to us. First was the kitchen plumbing a few years ago which we had redirected around the house. Now, the washing machine has followed suit. So, we had to move the washer and dry out the wall. Hubster preferred replacing the drywall with some leftover panelling he had. It was quicker and he didn't have to drywall (always a plus, as he hates doing that).

Then the plumbers dug the trench connecting this cleanout to the kitchen sink cleanout further down the wall.

And by the end of the day, the job was finished.

Hubster didn't pay much attention when the kitchen sink drain was re-directed, so he asked our plumber to find where it intersects our front walk. This time we took photos with a measuring tape to remind us where it lay, just in case. Not a bad idea for putting in the old This Old House book if you have one.

Now we know exactly how many inches from the front porch the pipe is buried. Would be nice if it was buried treasure, but oh well.

A pox on both houses

No, you don't have to change your astrology sign...here is a great explanation why. I'm still a Pisces, Phew!

***

On the First Lady's open letter to parents...Mrs. Obama, since you brought up tolerance, I expect you and those you influence to demonstrate this by being more tolerant towards Sarah Palin. Oh-oh, better have a talk with your bud James Clyburn, aka The Race Baiter. He just made a no-no comment. Not that I'm surprised.

***

Not that I'm entirely happy with Sarah's video remarks. Yes, she has been horridly maligned. Being wrongfully accused of accessory to murder does demand a rebuttal and defense. She was 100% within her rights to reply.

***

I just think that her timing was off...late...I suspect there might have been a lot of debating within her ranks whether to rebut and what to say. She must have read Glenn Reynold's reference to "blood libel" in his Wall Street Journal piece on Monday (see, she reads WSJ, take that, Couric! winkwink). What he can reference about Sarah, apparently she can't?

***

Reynold's piece is quite good and I think we all should read it, because it reminds us that this current blame game against anyone on the Right (ie, anyone not on the Left, and that's where they include me, as I am in the middle) is just the latest in a long string of accusations that ended up being wrong wrong wrong.

***

Remember the guy who flew the plane into an Austin IRS building? Remember the Army psychiatrist who shot up Fort Hood? Remember the Times Square bomber? All were accused at the get-go of being Tea Partiers. Now Jared Loughner receives the same fate.

***

You'd think this would embarrass our public voiceboxes after awhile but it doesn't and I think it is time to call this what it is: a political tactic. A sad one, especially used repeatedly without conscience and without intelligence (take that, Clyburn! Me thinks you cannot handle it intellilectually, plus you are pretty butt-ugly if you ask me. Just sayin').

***

Let us remember that Loughner did not vote in 2010. He did vote in 2006 and 2008. Now, if you were an angry Tea Partier, would that be your voting track record? Since the Tea Party did not even form until 2009, I think not!

***

My real and sincere kudos go to President Obama for his speech Wednesday evening at that pep rally at the U of Arizona. Yes, he had to have known it was going to be a receptive audience to whatever he said, being that it was a liberal venue filled mostly with his supporters. But compared to his track record of uber-partisan speech audiences, how is that shocking? I was very happy that his speech did not further inflame the situation. And more importantly, in his own way, he did speak to his supporters and told them enough. He told them that the verbal vitriol did not cause the Az. shootings...to quote his ad-lib in his speech: "It did not." ***

I suspect that was a bold and rebellious thing for him to say, given how his minions are still spewing partisan crap against the other side and refusing to apologize for their knee-jerk conclusions. Anyway, I appreciated it. And may I say that most of the GOP voices are saying the same thing, and I appreciate that. If only the Lefties would calm down and quit positioning for political advantage over this, maybe we could move on. I'm not holding my breath, though.

It Takes Two

Okay, I got something unpleasant to talk about and I'm just gonna get it out and over with.

First, concerning the horrible, horrible tragedy in Tuscon, AZ on Saturday, I'm incredibly sad. Apart from being devestated at the death of a little girl born on 9/11 for godssake, and a federal judge and Congresswoman and many others shot, some killed...apart from all of that senseless misery, it should be no surprise that Gabby Gifords was my kind of legislator, even if she was a Dem and voted for some bills I wouldn't have. She believed in compromise and centrism, and she believed in helping Arizona, not boycotting and suing it. Had AG Holder felt likewise, I very much believe there might not have been a massacre on Saturday.

And that brings me to the other thing. Listen, no matter how much the Far Left tries to blame the Far Right for Laugher's actions, until they acknowledge their mistakes that directly led to this as well (AG Holder suing AZ instead of trying to help them out, Pelosi's and Obama's inciteful speech, the Leftwing bloggers causing as much evil as Talk Radio, just to name a few), bad things are going to continue to happen and it's only gonna get worse.

You might be asking, what mistakes? 

As I said before...

AG Holder suing Arizona instead of figuring out a compromise way to help them deal with the border violence and infiltration/invasions. Arizonans didn't ask for any of it and they've been suffering in silence with it for years now. Nobody on the Leftie Blogs shed a tear for the border rancher, a US citizen, when he was murdered, now did they? To them, the state was only a place to travel to for protests and then to tell what to do otherwise. A place to be against. Certainly living with that kind of stigma (ask any resident of Dallas or even Texas in the 1960's and 1970's, believe me!) will bring out stressful emotions on both sides of the aisle.

And that brings me to President Obama. America elected a president who is comfortable with unleashing CHAOS, let's face it. And inciteful words? Remember these?

•“If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.”  Barack Obama in July 2008•“I want you to argue with them and get in their face!” Barack Obama, September 2008


•“Here’s the problem: It’s almost like they’ve got — they’ve got a bomb strapped to them and they’ve got their hand on the trigger. You don’t want them to blow up. But you’ve got to kind of talk them, ease that finger off the trigger.” Barack Obama on banks, March 2009

•“I don’t want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry! I’m angry!” Barack Obama on ACORN Mobs, March 2010

•“We talk to these folks… so I know whose ass to kick.” Barack Obama on the private sector, June 2010

•“A Republican majority in Congress would mean ‘hand-to-hand combat’ on Capitol Hill for the next two years, threatening policies Democrats have enacted to stabilize the economy.” Barack Obama, October 6, 2010

•“We’re gonna punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us.” Barack Obama to Latinos, October 2010

(Many thanks to the BlogProf for gathering these quotes.)
 
And here's another very long list of violence against Republicans...not just words...actual deeds.
 
Now, when you read or hear that Sarah Palin caused the 22-yr. old Jared Loughner to unleash his violence Saturday because of her Facebook crosshairs map graphic , just remember, as I've shown you, BOTH sides have used violent metaphors, phrases, and images.
 
I could go on (Pelosi and Reid both have a list of quotes as well, but thinking of them gives me indigestion. And that Sheriff Dupenik aka Dopenik even has some partisan choice quotes). I don't listen to right wing talk radio or read their blogs, but I'm sure they have their quotes, too. The whole thing makes me angry, sad, sick, and more convinced than ever that moderate centrist compromise is the only thing that will save us. But the possibility of that happening gets more and more remote by the day.
 
Gabby Gifford is what you would call a moderate centrist. She's a Blue Dog Democrat who is pro-Second Amendment and pro-border security. I don't pretend to know if Jared Loughner had a political agenda that fit into any of the little square or round pegs we use, or if he just operated by the Wild Hair Rule. And, I don't think even the FBI's gonna be able to find a clear path to either political extreme. But both sides will use him against the other, sure enough, even if it's not accurate.
 
I have more to say, but not today. I need to get John Brown out of my head....

Chameleon-in-Chief

Well, I'm back now. Hope everyone is having a happy holidays.

Michael Barone's latest article, Even After Shellacking, Obama Looks OK In 2012, is in my opinion required reading for those who keep up with politics regardless of party or position.

Barone is a conservative columnist and author as well as a historian of sorts. While most conservatives are touting the 2010 midterms elections results as the beginning of Obama's end, Barone's insights should be good cause not to be so glib and confident about it.

Ever since the midterms, Obama has begun to dance the Two-Step, albeit not our Texas version down here. He has shown at least a little bit of willingness to broker compromise while managing to end up with a lot of the spoils on his side.

Other brave conservative columnists such as Charles Krauthammer come right out and posit that Obama did some shellacking of his own with a Tax Bill that the lame duck Congress passed, ending up with extended unemployment benefits, a payroll tax holiday and various other credits in exchange for continuing the Bush tax cuts for everyone. Obama then wrangled deals to pass a repeal of DADT and a continuation of START.

Krautie even dubbed Obama the new Comback Kid. I find that I must acknowledge a newfound respect for the guy, and I wouldn't have passed that tax bill (too much cost and the rich can afford a tax increase is pretty much how I see it). I think Krautie is spot-on in recognizing Obama's stubborn cunning when it looked like he was about as down as a President could get.

I know this marks a change in how I look at Obama and I needed to note it. There is still A LOT I cannot abide in him. But where I can abide, I want to recognize.

What he did with the Lame Duck Bunch is classic Generation X Just-Do-It ruthlessness. Watching it in action is almost breathtaking because it defies the odds and shows maximum risk-taking. This is part and parcel of the greatness that I knew he possessed, my beef was that he was not yet ready for prime time, an observation that I think has been well proven by now in the many ways he has bombed on the job. Yet, he does exhibit a penchant to be a quick learner, so he may yet grow into the job.

I think that both Krautie and Barone sense what I've described and they know it's special talent. They are both going against their party powers-that-be and proverbial thinkers by writing their columns, too, by the way. I follow what Krautie writes and he heretofore had been biting about Obama's behaviors that Krautie perceived to be childish and immature for the most part. My take is that Krautie finally has found some behavior in Obama that he admires, that Obama has finally begun to rise to the occasion, something that is expected in American presidents.

Whether Obama continues to please remains to be seen, but the most important thing that I take away is that the man cannot be underestimated or predicted. That alone makes it impossible to rely on election results or mandates from the public, because all Obama has to do is appear to mirror those mandates. Conservatives/Republicans would do well to remember that as they take leadership of the House and sport a more powerful caucus in the Sentate. Obama is doing everything he can to put the ball in their court so they can screw up as he lays in wait.

I find myself saying a nightly prayer for Speaker Boehner, because I feel that he has the talent to be a statesman and above the fray, as long as he doesn't fall into a defensive trap laid by Team Obama. If he's alowed to be the statesmen, we all win. If he becomes a defensive snipe, we all lose.

This Video is Amazing!

Since I love history so, this is like giving me crack cocaine, I imagine. I admit, I got a thrill watching it. What a cool way to show this over time! Enjoy!

~Click on the square in the lower righthand corner of the YouTube menu to watch fullscreen. ~

Kick-in-the-Pants Kind of Week...

~ Cartoon by LISA BENSON ~

I was just thinking about how partisan everything seems to be nowadays, how that shadows both of the topics I wanted to blog about.

First topic: the Palins. Loved Sarah's new show. The next morning I surfed around to read several reviews of it. I got a diverse mix of different points of view on Sarah and Bristol, but one thing that rang consistent was the comment sections.

Best jewel mined from the comments was this: after the exchange grew partisan (as they all do), one particularly nasty insult to Sarah resulted in a responding comment "you are just jealous, you know you can't wait for TLC to produce "Alan Grayson's Florida!"

LOLOLOLOLOLOL, that was histerical.

And then it devolved back into hideous partisan crap-throwing when later that day, Willow Palin was getting slimed on her Facebook about the tv show, and Willow -- in typical teen fashion, trust me, my child was recently a teen -- shot back with replies like, "you're gay". So the next day, the Huffington Posts of the press came out with suggesting she's guilty of gender bullying. omg, that is what teens say and the fact that it's not politically correct is part of the sarcastic humor in using it. I'm not defending the practice, but I have attempted to understand it. And it is so prevalent as to not be bullying. Bullying has to have some degree of measurable effectiveness, and this is a ridiculously lame attempt and does not succeed. I mean, if you use humor to make fun of something and your accuser chooses to not see the humor, are you guilty of what they accuse? Just sayin...

Then, the story broke about all the pooping over Bristol beating out Brandy to go on to the finals on *that dancing show* (that I used to watch religiously). My gawd, you'd think it was something worth a crap. Here's the deal. Was there even a peep of a comparative whine when Emmett Smith kept winning every single week and even won the dang thing? No? Well, them's the rules, live with it and get over it. Damn, when Emmett beat out Mario, I was whining loud. I clearly remember criticizing the taste of his fans, but that's it. Now, the going comments are full of it being a tea-party cheat party of vote fixing...when what Bristol's fans are doing is...following the freaking rules of DWTS.

What the heck? And what's your point? and Really?

Okay, so here is where this led. Into one of my daydreamin' what-ifs. It's best to say that if Kanye West is seated in the audience, look out for a repeat, jumping on the stage as Bristol wins and saying that Brandy was robbed! LOLOLOL Just kidding. My wild imagination!

T minus 5 minutes and counting...

~TLC "Sarah Palin's Alaska" promotional photo~

As I sit here waiting for Sarah Palin's Alaska on TLC, I am reflecting upon the fact that now is the first time I've felt like President Obama is in a *sincere* compromising spirit. And yet, my suspicion is running high for it not really being what it appears. I'm not alone either, by any means.

It's a public reaction that I have to wonder if Team O anticipated or fully recognizes. I often see analogies in current events to books and film. The parable fables Emperor's New Clothes and The Boy Who Cried Wof leap to my mind in this circumstance. We may look back on this time and realize that when Obama lost the majority of the American people it was because they lost their trust in him. He may win it back, but that's still a future possiblity and as of now, not a sure thing.

The current event I'm thinking of is the posturing around the tax cuts expiring. My personal opinion is that neither side has it right. I don't think that any income level should be getting permament tax cuts. This consistent, if you think about it, with my position that everyone should own some tax liability. Logically, you would extend the cuts to everyone in this recession but re-visit it year to year. Since yearly is not long enough a time frame for business investment decisions, then 2 or 3 years max. We have problems and those millionaires are only delaying the inevitible. I am looking at it dispassionately and without ideolgy.

I do have to mention my utter amazement at Speaker Pelosi. She has no shame at all, and is becoming increasingly similar to one of those creatures in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, in that you could not seem to kill them. Her decidion to stay in leadership feeds the suspicion of insincerity for real compromise.

Well, time for Sarah. Laterz...

A New World Every Day

Reggie poses with his new heater

Did you ever have one of those weeks, where something breaks or messes up everyday? You solve the day's problem and the next day something else totally random occurs? Yeah, I've had a whole week of that, and it ain't stopped yet.

I'm typing this on my laptop, which I am very fortunate to have, but I usually blog on my desktop where all my photos are stored. About an hour ago, my desktop's monitor died. I went outside for a while and came back to a black screen and the on button was lit. A reboot did nothing. I could hear the cpu do all of its normal noises and then I remembered...this has happened to me before and it was the graphics card that time.

Makes me wanna cry, because I am going to have to access that hard drive, so I am forced to get a third graphics card for this computer that I should have replaced a while back but I was unsure about getting another desktop versus a laptop.

I have a Laserjet that I love that only talks Windows XP and nothing more recent. That was one big reason I was hanging onto the desktop. So, I have some decisions to make right away. One lesson learned is to move my online bills over to my gmail account. I think the next time something is due is 11/18 as I just paid some bills the other day. Worst comes to worst I can go to every bill website and see if I've paid or not, lol. Guess I shouldn't laugh cuz that may be what I have to do.

The upside is, that is all that is top priority on my computer. The rest that is valuable to me on the hard drive can wait until it can be retrieved. And I can access my email accounts via the ISP webmail site. I need to keep repeating the upsides to keep my stomach from churning...not supposed to stress out per the doctors. But that is only the latest thing that's fallen out of the sky to bless me...

Let's see, in no particular order:
---> the kitchen faucet cracked on the handset and sprouted a leak. Luckily Price Phister is sending us a replacement, free. Lifetime warranties rock, as that unit cost us $100 just 3 years ago.
---> Hubster has 3 grinder molars all in a row that are gold-capped and the middle tooth cracked in two, popping off the gold cap that he almost swallowed. So, he goes to the dentist who tells him that he can't have a bridge since the surrounding "pillar" teeth are capped and not sturdy enough, and referred him to a specialist who says he needs an implant and that'll be $2302.00 since our dental plan does not cover implants. So, I call the insurance in disbelief and they recommend that I ask for a "pre-determination" which will probably end up with the same results but there might be an alternative treatment agreed upon. I can't get past the fact that we have the high plan. I also cannot quit imagining that between us we'll probably end up needing our entire mouths implanted before it's over and spend all our savings. Ugh.
---> Right in the middle of the last cool snap (low 40's at night), Reggie's doghouse heater quit. To be fair, it was past time, and I discovered it in enough time to order another one on Lowes website so Hubs could just go pick it up before they closed.
---> Hubs cannot seem to get the wallboard above the bath tile cut right. The walls and ceiling are not plum or level exactly, so he has had to shop for appropriate trim. He's been avoiding nails, opting for adhesive, and nothing he buys is working that great. The front bath is 99.5% finished, but already Hubs is talking like he's sick of this house. Ha! He is so predictable -- the talk is due to him actually having to do some repair work around here. Can you tell, I am not impressed or paying attention. Like we could sell the house right now. Anyway, it seems like we have been working on this bath forever.
---> My dad has announced plans to move back down here by 12/31 so he won't have to pay 2011 state income taxes where he is. That means a pre-Christmas or Christmas move. I think. I don't really yet know exactly what that means. He is still figuring it out himself. Two weeks ago, it was just fuzzy tentative plans, then a friend warned him about the income tax residency. But even before that, Missy's apartment lease is up and she is moving Thanksgiving weekend. Hubster has taken off a day to help her, and every time she moves some kind of drama happens. I can't wait.
--->My playroom redo is inching along in slow motion, more like watching grass grow. I am beginning to wonder if I'll even be able to make Christmas cards now. Every day I plan to move something or do something in there and every day something else pops up. I have been able to organize lace and ribbon, but that is really trivial compared to getting a few more big furniture pieces ready and moved.
---> We need to get serious about getting our mortgage refinanced if we are gonna do it. We've been working on it, but annoying little obstacles keep appearing to thwart success. Tried Lending Tree and our balance is not high enough. Tried our local bank (just barely made the balance minimum with them) and Hubs thought the interest rates were too high. Going to try to get it together to go next days off to our current lender and see what they can do.
---> I was supposed to figure out if we should keep our medical insurance with the PPO plan or move down to an HMO plan, but I let the open enrollment deadline pass without doing a thing. The whole thing gives me a headache and makes me wanna cry every time I try to research it. I finally told Hubs that he was the one who needed to ask his coworkers pros and cons on their experiences, so suddenly it was 'let's just keep what we've got' from him. I swear, he needs a whack upside his head sometimes. However, I'm too lazy to do it myself, so he lives to fight another day.

So, as you can see, nothing deadly or dangerous or really worthy of complaint, just annoying crap day after day like waves hitting the shore, never ceasing. Some of you may read this and be wishing your days were this easy and I shouldn't complain. But my days are usually uneventful, so this is a bit traumatic for me. I guess it's all in the perspective and the ability to handle stress (which I suck at). I have been working hard at pretending that I'm just waking up in a new world every day and it's all a great big adventure.

Not my best fantasy....winkwink