Laziness-Value or Valueless?

I'm really becoming a slug when it comes to writing.  I have so many projects going at the moment, I haven't had the time to actually sit down and write much of anything.  This morning I decided to write whatever popped into my head. So here goes...

Do news anchors where pants when they're reporting the news, or do they have shorts on under the table?
Do they bother to wear shoes? or are they all wearing flip flops?

When you see the background filled with people working in cubicles behind the news anchors, are there really people working? or are they computer generated images?

How come anti-freeze tastes sweet, if it's deadly?

Do squirrels eat rotten acorns? If they do, do they get a stomach ache?

Why do some people feel they have to be ahead of everyone else in a line of traffic? Are they going to get someplace way faster than everyone else?  Does a nano second ahead of the line make that much difference, really?

How come whenever you change a baby's diaper they immediately poop?

If pipes in a house get corroded by the mineral content in the water, does that mean the people who drink that same water have some sort of "corrosion" going on inside of them?

Home come granola and muesli doesn't look as good as bacon?

I wonder how long it would take for hoarders who get their houses cleaned out, to get the house back into the "hoarder" state?

If we people are all alike, how come we don't do things the same way? Ergo-we're not all alike

Why isn't the whipped cream on the bottom of a sundae instead of on the top?

I could do this forever, but it's boring.....

Computers and all thier add-ons

If you think about all the people in the world, I'm not as computer illiterate as many.  In fact, I've been known to do some pretty good stuff using a computer.  However, I have to tell you, when it comes to changing programs or adding new software I'm a dunce. 

People tell me that everyone has to give themselves time to learn the new nuances of whatever it is that's changed.  That may be so but honest to God, I can count on one hand the number of times I've been able to easily transition from one program or something to a new whatever. 

Almost every time I've had the opportunity to update something to my computer it's like I've decided to pound my head with a hammer.  Everything I try gives me a headache. 

I have a Garmin GPS.  I usually update the maps annually. This is not a big deal.  I've done it before, several times in fact.  No problem, right? Yeah...right.

I have a new operating system in my computer.  It's a hotsy totsy new and improved system.  No more do I have to put up with Vista. I have Windows 7 (not 8 because I don't want that one yet, I can't figure it out). It seemed similar to my Vista so I figured I'd plug the Garmin into the computer using the USB  port with the connecting cable I ALWAYS use...Didn't work... I grabbed the manual (thinking maybe I forgot something) read the instructions (written in Chino/English sort of....).  According to them I did everything correct.  So, I try again....Hooray....success....but....not really.

I downloaded the information from the Garmin site to my computer, then it was supposed to AUTOMATICALLY go to the little Garmin device.  It looked like it was doing what it was supposed to do but it only got halfway; it downloaded to the computer but stayed there. 

Now I'm wondering if I screwed up the little Garmin device somehow....

Two days go by, I've checked the device in the car, it seems to be doing what it's supposed to do but the maps are not the updated ones I need.  I decide to try again with the downloading..

I bring the device into the house, hook up the USB cable again and it starts to make funny noises....sort of like a cat purring, but I don't think this device is too happy... I have a bunch of these USB cables so I figure I'll try another one....I plug the device in again...The purring has stopped and the unit looks like it's doing what it's supposed to do...I was wrong.  A new screen comes on and says, "Please check your Internet connection and try again".  I do, it's connected....

I go to the Garmin site on the web.   AFTER 2 HOURS I'M ON THE GARMIN WEBSITE WHICH IS TELLING ME THAT THEY ARE HAVING PROBLEMS ON THEIR END. Now I ask you, how many people do you know that have problems like this? I swear this is the way my life with computers goes. 

Is it any wonder I have no faith in these God forsaken devices?  And I still don't have the damned new maps in the damned device.

I'm too old for this world I fear..

OK I've know for a while that I'm older than dirt but never more than now... I muddle along like most of my compatriots, and we do seem to go in a forward motion, most of the time to, but honestly sometimes it doesn't seem worth it.

Everybody knows we have to have change, and we all accept it. I mean, what else can we do? We sure can't say, "Stop the world, I want to get off".  (I think that was a play, wasn't it?) Sounds to me like lots of folks before me had the same thoughts. 

We live in an age where we can't do much without the use of computers.  You can fight it all you want YOU will go away, the computers, they're here to stay. So now we all have that straight. 

When the blasted things go bad, they go really bad.  There's no such thing as tearing the page out and starting over.  Well, you can start over,  but it's not as easy as it was when you were using paper and pencil.  You resign yourself to the fact that your life will be a  living Hell until you get the computer back to the way it was when it went bad.  My experience with bad computers is when they go bad, they take no prisoners. Nope, they are the killers...the psychopaths of the electronic world.  They don't give a flying fig about the person who keeps them powered up.  They don't care about the person who makes sure the other person in the house doesn't spill any coffee on/in them.  No, they're bad asses, totally bad asses.


My little bit of warning for the rest of society...Don't say I didn't warn you.  That's all.

Who are he bad guys and who are the good guys?

In my past I could probably tell you who was a "good guy" and who was a "bad guy".   Today I couldn't even guess at times.   People hide their true selves under all sorts of facades.  You don't know who you're talking to any more. 

This past election season was proof positive of that.  I listened to all sorts of speeches, debates and tirades from both sides of the realm.   I tried to stay neutral to listen to all of the ideas and notions before I took a strong stance for myself.

I was on a forum panel of sorts with some men I didn' know.  These men were intelligent and well spoken (written?).  I liked reading their thoughts and ideas but after a while I thought about some oft the things they were spouting and I started to wonder about it.  The things that were being quoted, ranted and raved about were things I thought had been discussed years ago and everyone had come to the realization that life as we knew it was gone and we would have to adapt to a new...everything. 

Of course none of us like change in our life.  The reality is, you don't have a choice in the matter.  Things change every minute of every day.... We don't have the ability to make things stay the same. It isn't going to happen no matter how much you fight for it.  Give it a rest and make the best of what you have, is what I say.  But then I'm just a lowly logical person. 

It was hard to tell which hat some of these politicians were wearing this time.  In the past you could tell in an instant who was who and what they stood for.  This time it was a bit hazy to me.   I would listen to everyone then decide how much of what was been said was to get my attention to vote for the candidate....Never mind that it was probably lip service and the speech was written for a particular audience to garner votes.  I saw this happen over and over again, from both sides...I guess that's why I'm not in politics. I don't usually hone my statements to fit a particular audience.  I am what I am, like Popeye.

Some people never give up. They can't believe that everything they believed in was not accepted with open arms by everyone.  Again, it doesn't matter which side you may be on, it's seems the same for all the politicians.

It's time we all evaluate who we are and what we want for ourselves and our country.  This is the holiday season now and it's time to "make nice".  Let's all try to put on one hat and try to get along.  Let's see the other side for what they really are, Americans.  That's all....

Kids today

When My kids were little we lived in a housing development with 2.5 kids per house...At least that's what the statistics said. With that many kids in the neighborhood there was always some kid here or my kids were at some other neighbors house.  We didn't have a need to "socialize" the kids.  If they weren't at a house on the street then they were in the street playing some kind of group game.

When my grand kids were born I didn't think how different today's world was going to be.  I honestly didn't give it much thought at all.  My granddaughter was born and all of a sudden things changed. My daughter had a full time job, I had a full time job so the baby was going to have to be cared for by someone other than a family member.  My heart went into my throat at that thought.  I don't know why it never occurred to me  before that, but it didn't. 

My daughter and son-in-law interviewed daycare centers. They wanted to be sure the center would provide the best environment for their new baby. They wanted a school and not just a baby sitting service.  I thought they were nuts, the kid was only 6 weeks old. She didn't know how to be a kid yet, why did she need a school?  But I kept my comments and thoughts to myself...

The fateful day came when baby Kelly had to go to the Daycare center.  I was working down the street.  I decided to check it out that day and several days after, making sure she was being cared for in the way I thought she should be.  The teachers were wonderful.  The one who mainly cared for Kelly was a loving and caring woman who had experience with babies and children that far surpassed my experience.  I felt my fears fall away...

Kelly was in the Daycare from the time she was 6 weeks old and is still apart of their system as one of the after school kids, who comes to the "Clubhouse" after school and does her homework and plays with the friends she's had since babyhood.  She's never known anything else so she's very well adjusted.  Her brother Keith is as well. 

Keith started with daycare when he was 10 weeks old.  They didn't have room for him at the center when he was 6 wks old so I took him to work with  me for those 4 weeks.  That was interesting. He had a special swing and he slept most of the time. If my clients thought it was strange, they hid it well by cooing and playing with Keith while I helped them with their problems.

Both of my older grand kids have adjusted well to the Daycare.  They have many friends and seemed to have had a great time in the center. They love their teachers and know they must follow rules. It's been a very positive influence in their young lives.

My youngest grandson is 2, almost 3.   He has been cared for by his grandparents both sides.  I have had him once a week while his other grandmother has cared for him the other 4 days a week.  I am still working so I have to juggle the schedule at times, and we travel at times so things have to be juggled for that as well.  

I thought it was a great thing to have the grandparents care for the kid and I felt as though I had done the first two a disservice by not caring full time for them, however I'm not so sure about that anymore.

My youngest grandson is timid around other kids he doesn't know.  He hasn't had the socialization the other two have had and I think it's going to be a bit more dicey for him when he does go to daycare or if his parents wait for him to go the school. Luckily he's going to Sunday School so he is being exposed to other kids but generally he's by himself or with old folks.

He will be starting daycare very soon and I think it will be a little bit different for him at first and he's not going to like it, but comparing the kids and their adaptability, I think daycare is a good thing.  Would I have said that 10 years ago when I didn't have grandkids?  Not a chance...I thought daycare was the worst thing parents could do for thier kids, but I've turned my opinion completely around on that after the exeriences I've witnessed with my own grandchildren.   

With two parents working for what ever the reason, daycare is necessary. I used to say a necessary evil, but that's not the right thing to say.  Daycare has proven itself to be a stepping stone into the culture we live in today.

Time Marches on-whether we want it to or not

I'm at an age now where I look at the calendar and think, "How the Hell did it get to be this month...Whatever happened to the months before?" Time has a way of flying at warp speed now.  I remember when I was younger I would wish the days would hurry up and get over.....I always wanted something that was scheduled for later in the week/month/year.  Now, I wish time would slow so I could figure out what to do with the next thing that's presented itself to me. 

Things are so damned complicated today.  Gone are the simpler times. Now we have all sorts of "things" grabbing at our time and energy.  Even if you try to slow things down, you can't....there's always something that pops it's head up and stops you from doing what you want to do. It's nuts...

I went to the phone store....(When did we ever have a "phone store" in the past)....I needed a new phone and it was time to get into the 21st century. I spoke to all sorts of folks about what kind of phone to get before I entered the hallowed halls of the "phone store".  I was advised to buy some kind of smart phone that would allow me to do anything I wanted electronically, you know, stay in touch with everyone (but I don't want to stay in touch with everyone), I can get all my e-mails at all times, (who cares about that?) people would always be able to get hold of me at all times with this hotsy-totsy new phone (do I really need to have people get hold of me at all times, I ask you? I think not). there were apps to do all kinds of things....Why?  For what reason did I need all this stuff?  I did need one thing and it was a normal part of the phone, nothing hotsy-totsy about texting ability. 

The folks in the store wanted me to buy the newest and best of the phones they sold.  They tried in vain to sell me what they thought I wanted....I wanted something user friendly and easy, not complicated and up to the minute newest and greatest.  After an hour and a half they gave in... I got a simple, regular basic phone.  But why did I have to go through the fires of Hell to get what I wanted?

Everywhere I go, I find things are not all that easy to complete these days. There's always more to do than you anticipate.  You plan to do something and without a doubt something or someone stands in your way and you can't do what you planned on doing.

Oh well that may just be the way life is now and I have to learn to adapt...but I don't have to like it.....

Exercise a.k.a. Torture to the masses

A couple of posts ago I wrote about my foray into the hallowed halls of the YMCA. This has nothing against the Y, let me get that disclaimer out there right at the start.  No, this is more about the real life things that happen to an old broad who decides to enter those hallowed halls to become more flexible and flowing (that's a laugh).

I've been at the Y for several months now, and I will admit, I am able to maneuver better than before I joined.  Since that first day I've learned a lot about the "protocols" of today's "Exercise Routines".  In every room at the Y there is some sort of assistant/teacher/facilitator/guru/ whatever.  They have the very best of intentions for all the participants in said class.  However, being a place filled with humans you get these little splinter groups within the classes.  In high school we used to call them, "cliques", but we're all pretty old so I don't think that's the correct terminology...I might be wrong.

Because I'm an observer I've taken to watch some of the actions of these folks. It's pretty interesting.  We're all out of shape. Some are too fat. Some are too skinny. Some have no teeth (no lie). Some bring their assistants with them. Some bring their service dogs with them (I like the service dogs the best).  All of these woman (and I have to talk about the women because it seems to me they are the worst offenders of this, for want of a better word, "clique-ness") can get their "nickers in a twist" in less than a second.  If one of them thinks they're in any way being slighted you can actually see claws forming on the ends of the fingers...I've learned to keep my mouth shut and step away. It's incredible.  These are grown Mothers, Grandmothers and Great-Grandmothers and they still act as though they were in high school...I don't get it.

The locker rooms are a riot.  You see everything there, as you should, it's a locker room. It's also the place where you hear the most outlandish tales and stories.  There's enough things discussed there on a daily basis to write a short book everyday.  The information I've garnered in the last few months has been amazing.  I think I could probably heal all ailments sent my way.  Everyone of the women in that locker room knows some kind of healing for something or other.  That's no joke and I'm thinking about bringing a notebook starting tomorrow to keep some of these little tidbits of information for future reference.

Although, I have to tell you, the women I'm taking about are all of a "certain" age.  They've lived their lives and can do whatever the Hell they want, they've earned the right.  Some of the other women haven't earned their stripes yet but they think they have.  I see the older bunch looking, listening and nodding their heads with a tiny smile hovering on their lips. They know, they know, the younger ones have to go through the Hell fires a bit longer until they've earned their stripes in the army of the "Women of a Certain Age".  If the young ones are lucky they'll get there.

It's a very interesting place "The YMCA"...

to be continued...