Loose Lips

This song makes me cry...and especially in light of the current state of things in this country. I love Kimya Dawson.



Loose lips might sink ships but loose gooses take trips
to San Francisco, double dutch disco,
tech. TV hottie, do it for scottie
do it for the living and do it for the dead
do it for the monsters under your bed
do it for the teenagers and do it for your mom
broken hearts hurt but they make us strong and

[we won't stop until somebody calls the cops
and even then we'll start again and just pretend that
nothing ever happened X2]

we're just dancing, we're just hugging,
singing, screaming, kissing, tugging
on the sleeve of how it used to be
how's it gonna be?
I'll drop kick Russell Stover, move into the starting over house
and know Matt Rouse and Jest are watching me achieve my dreams

and we'll pray, all damn day, every day,
that all this shit our president has got us in will go away
while we strive to figure out a way we can survive
these trying times without losing our minds

so if you wanna burn yourself remember that I love you
if you wanna cut yourself remember that I love you
if you wanna kill yourself remember that I love you
call me up before your dead, we can make some plans instead
send me an IM, I'll be your friend

shysters live from scheme to scheme and my 4th quarter pipe dreams
are seeming more and more worth fighting for
so I'll curate some situations, make my job a big vacation
and I'll say fuck Bush and fuck this war
my war paint is Sharpie ink and I'll show you how much my shit stinks
and ask you what you think because your thoughts and words are powerful

they think we're disposable, while both my thumbs opposable,
spelled out on a double word and triple letter score and

[we won't stop until somebody calls the cops
and even then we'll start again and just pretend that
nothing ever happened X4]

we're just dancing, we're just hugging,
singing, screaming, kissing, tugging
on the sleeve of how it used to be

Seriously? ABBA?

Here is yet another reason to NOT vote for McCain...as if we need more reasons. This one involves musical tastes.

According to the October issue of Psychology Today, one of McCain's favorite groups is the Swedish disco band from the 70's, ABBA. That's right. And if elected "McCain says he'll make ABBA ring forth from every elevator in the White House."

Sounds like torture to me.

What music does Obama like? The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springston, Charlie Parker. Sheryl Crow, Yo-Yo Ma, and Jay-Z. Eclectic, diverse, and interesting!

Opinionated am I? Yes.

ABBA? Seriously? I can see McCain singing Take a Chance on me...

"If you change your mind, I'm the first in line
Honey I'm still free
Take a chance on me..."

OH HELL NO!

Wink wink nudge nudge

Just watched Memoirs of a Geisha last night for the first time. Okay okay...so it was a little overdone at times. But I liked it. There were definitely comedic elements to this movie which were totally unintentional I'm sure.

The one line I giggled about, much like Beevus and Butthead was this one:

Every once in a while, a man's "eel" likes to visit a woman's... cave."

Heh heh heh...she said "eel" and "cave"

So it got me to thinking of other silly euphemisms we have for well...you know...wink wink nudge nudge.

Here are some of my favorites that I have found:

*Burping the worm in the mole hole

*Eating the cream puff in the enchanted forest

*Growling at the badger

*Have a bit of summer cabbage

*Hot dog in a jungle

*Parking the pink Plymouth in the garage of love

*Ride the baloney pony

*Ride the skin bus in to Tuna Town

*Storm the pearly gates with your purple-headed devil

*Taking "old one-eye" to the optometrist

*Visit the Netherlands

*Work the hairy oracle

*Zallywhacking

Know any more? Which eumphemisms make you giggle like a school girl? Do tell all...

EZJOY & Miss Lilly

These were the names I saw on two license plates of cars parked side by side in the library parking lot. Vanity plates always crack me up but these two had me curious. I wondered if these people knew each other somehow. Their names seemed...well... intriguingly compatible. EZJOY's car was a deteriorating old Mustang in rusty brown. The backseat appeared to have a hurricane of papers and junk strewn around. Too much joy perhaps? In direct contrast, Miss Lilly's powder blue volkswagon was neat as a pin, complete with a single flower in the special flower holder. Miss Lilly also had a handicapped sticker. Visions of Driving Miss Daisy filled my head. Did Miss Lilly experience joy? Did EZJOY like flowers?

I looked for the possible owners of these distinctive vehicles within the library but they must have been hiding in the stacks. Did EZJOY enjoy science fiction, fantasy, or perhaps even philosophy? Was Miss Lilly browsing gardening books or maybe something exotic like how to raise angora rabbits? Would they meet to discuss their literary findings?

I would never find out. Perhaps EZJOY and Miss Lilly never crossed paths at all. But in my mind they are sitting at some coffee shop sipping lattes and discussing books and friendship.

Oh the worlds that exist in the realm of my ever wandering and wondering mind.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

In the event that anyone is interested I have been writing about both depression and Multiple Sclerosis this week. I am immersed...and sometimes submerged in both topics.

Sometimes one acquires a personal philosophy on life after spending time at the bottom of the emotional well.

You can find my ponderings in the aftermath of depression here.

Have you ever used steroids? No not those kind of steroids. I am talking about the kind used to decrease inflammation. And in the case of Multiple Sclerosis, steroids are used to decrease the symptoms of MS. I have written about my personal experience with taking oral Prednisone here. I know a lot of you have had a ton of experience with taking this drug. Please feel free to join the conversation and tell others about how you fared taking Prednisone.

More of this and that to come!

Just chillin

What's sup?

Just chillin with my homies here. Penguins...they just seem to dig me. What can I say?

My son wanted a photo with me and his penguins. This isn't even all of them. I think they multiply during the night.

Had to steal the chair from the dog as you can see here.



Usually I cannot find a chair in the house without either a cat, a kitten, a dog, a boy, or penguins in it. Here is a successful moment when I actually get to sit in a chair without sharing. Luxury! We have this cool round chair which is large and comfy and can even spin around. Who could resist? This is where I do some chillin.



Where is your favorite place in your abode to relax?

Books, blogs, and other things...

Well...here we are on the verge of another Friday. Lots of Fridays in life. Friday is usually a good day. Again...I find myself rambling.

So what is the last book that you have purchased lately?

Mine was the book, "On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction" by William Zinsser. How many of you have read this raise your hand! It has been around for quite awhile, this is its 30th anniversary edition.

I really like this book. It just reinforces all that I believe about writing. I actually have been highlighting the chapters as I read them. I know, I am a real nerd. The first thing I had to highlight was this:

"This is the personal transaction that's at the heart of good nonfiction writing. Out of it come the two most important qualities that this book will go in search of, warmth and humanity."

I believe these are the two most important qualities I look for as well. You can find information anywhere. Anybody can look up a bunch of facts and put them into some logical order or re-hash common knowledge. But not everybody can interact with the reader in such a way that they feel a connection to the human spirit.

I also especially love this part where Zinsser talks about the kind of writing which he delights in finding:

"What I am always looking for as an editor is a sentence that says something like "I'll never forget the day when I..." I think "Aha! A person"

Writers are obviously at their most natural when they write in the first person. Writing is an intimate transaction between two people, conducted on paper, and it will go well to the extent that it retains its humanity. Therefore I urge people to write in the first person: to use "I" and "me" and "we" and "us." They put up a fight."

He then talks about how many areas of writing discourage this and some for good reason. Journalists do not use "I" in their attempts at objectivity. Businesses and institutions do not want "I" in their reports. English teachers frown upon too many "I" centered papers.

What Zinsser recommends is this: "Even when "I" isn't permitted, it's still possible to convey a sense of I-ness. The political columnist James Reston didn't use "I" in his columns, yet I had a good idea of what kind of person he was, and I could say the same of many other essayists and reporters. Good writers are visible just behind their words. If you aren't allowed to use "I" at least think "I" while you write, or write the first draft in the first person and then take the "I"'s out. It will warm up your interpersonal style."

I defintely agree with this premise. One can learn to write in the style and genre necessary for the purpose, but the writing which is most compelling is writing where you get a true sense of the writer as a human being.

I think I want to come back and go through this book more. I am glad I bought it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of writing, I wanted to share some of my writings for this week.

Sometimes it is possible to discover things that can make you feel happy even in the midst of despair. And sometimes these things can be surprising even to yourself.

This post is called, The Happiness Box

I recently heard the sentiment that "We are more than our bodies" and I thought about this especially with relevance to having a chronic illness such as Multiple Sclerosis. Many days I feel that I am my body. So much of who we are is biologically determined. What are your thoughts?

Join the conversation here with my post, which poses the question, "Are we our bodies?"

I hope you all have a great Friday and weekend!

rambles

i don't have anything specific to say.

that's never stopped me before.

i just feel the need to ramble. the rain came today in icy cold sheets. it seemed an omen of autumn. i love autumn but somehow i feel sad. where did the time go?

there is a song by the dixie chicks, landslide, with such a wistful refrain...

"Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too
Well..."

time is the great equalizer for us all. we are all growing older...by incessant seconds and unheard beats. where are we going with all this time behind us? we look back...what do we see? and does it even matter? we can never go back...only forward...time pushing us into some unknown chasm. who will be there to break our fall?

as crazy as it sounds...sometimes i just want to stay here...safe from the muddied impressions of the past and safe from an uncertain and incomprehensible future. like being wedged in between the screen door and the front door. neither in nor out. simply standing still in space.

and waiting for the rain to stop.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

I am in the mood to talk about something light and fun tonight....

I was recently looking at a Psychology Today article which talked about how the average sexual encounter lasts from between 3-10 minutes.

And in April of this year, an Associated Press article on the MSNBC site stated that: "A survey of sex therapists concluded the optimal amount of time for sexual intercourse was 3 to 13 minutes."

But then I read from several different sources including California sexologists William Hartman and Marilyn Fithian, (who reported that they monitored over 20,000 female orgasms) that it takes an average of twenty minutes for women to reach orgasm.

So you do the math.

I also read that on average it takes a man on average 2-5 minutes to reach orgasm.

No wonder the Pointer Sisters extolled the virtues of having a man with a slow hand:

"I got a man with a slow hand
I got a lover with an easy touch
I've found somebody who will spend some time
Not come and go in a heated rush
I've found somebody who will understand
I've found a lover with a slow hand"

Thoughts? :>)

I <3 TV

Translation of title: I heart TV...second translation....I love TV

It's true. I grew up on TV. My mother was poor and couldn't afford a babysitter so she left me alone with the company of the television. Okay and she was schizophrenic too so sometimes she didn't make the best of choices. But nonetheless I grew to love watching TV and not only that...using it as background sound. All through my school days and including two graduate school programs, I would do homework, write papers, and study with the television on in the background. And even now as I write this, my TV is on, with the evening news.

I have vague memories of the first TV shows I watched as a toddler. I remember Ed Sullivan with his "really big show" as well as the antics of the Smothers Brothers. I have fond memories of being at my maternal grandparents home and watching wrestling, Tarzan, and Star Trek. I felt I was there for the 1976 Bicentennial celebration because of TV. When I was a kid, I played with dollhouses and pieced together huge puzzles to the game shows including The Price is Right and The infamous Gong show.

In later years I watched Dallas with my college girlfriend as we studied chemistry. I mouthed the words, "Be Careful out there" to Hill Street Blues. I saw the very first MTV show when they actually played music. The first song was When Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles. When I came home from my first day of my first real job, I watched the very first crudely drawn Homer Simpson skit on The Tracy Ullman show. I was only twenty something when I was watching Thirty Something.

Then there were the years of video games. I would play Zelda and Kidicarus while eating nachos and cheese. And later in the evenings I would watch Twin Peaks with friends and look in book stores for Laura Palmer's diary. I watched the Gulf War live on CNN. I did happy hour with the sports channels flickering in the background.

When my boys were babies and got up in the middle of the night, I would sit in a big armchair and nurse them while trying to find anything worthwhile to watch. I actually turned off the TV more than once when I saw the likes of Rush Limbaugh. Then there was kid's TV programs. Some were my childhood favorites like Mister Rogers and Sesame Street and some were new to me like Barney, Blue's Clues and the infamous Australians, the Wiggles.

I can trace back every time period in my life to what I watched on television at the time. TV has been entertainment, a way to relax, and also a social bonding time with friends and family. What can I say? How else could you know about such cool things as Conjunction Junction what's your function...without TV? How would you know the theme song to Scooby Doo? How would you know anything about politics without Fox News telling you? (heh heh)

But seriously no...I will never be one of those TV snobs who claims only to watch documentaries or "educational" tv. I even...*gasp* like some reality shows. And guess what? I am not warped (I see you smirking over there!) and my IQ has not been lowered...I still read books...I still get fresh air and exercise...I spend time with friends and family...I work and play...and have fun. I have never considered television to be some evil force threatening to take over our society.

When the fall season officially begins I will be recording these shows to watch when I have time: The Office, Desperate Housewives, Ghost Whisperer, Grey's Anatomy, and Pushing up Daisies.

So what will you be watching?

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

During commercial breaks feel free to read some of my latest writings including:

Sad Songs Say So Much What songs appeal to you when you have the blues? Do tell all.

Hey...it is a universal problem I say. Somewhere in the world at this minute is someone who is constipated. And I am not afraid to talk about it.

Everybody Poops

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have Multiple Sclerosis, have a kid who has autism, and go on a family vacation to Walt Disney World during the most crowded week of the year? Read if you dare.

Mickey Mouse and Multiple Sclerosis

We now bring you back to your regularly scheduled program already in progress...

Lots-o-stuff

I have lots of stuff to tell you guys.

First of all there are a lot of new links on my sidebar. I did have a separate writing site but it is just too much for me to keep up with now that I am doing some freelance writing. So I brought everybody over here. I plan to have a little writing nook here where I talk about writing on this blog. If you know any good writers you want me to check out, let me know and I will add them to my list.

----------------------------------------------------

Wanted to tell you about Susan over at her site, If you are going through hell keep going, sent me a media packet about the fact that this week is National Suicide Prevention Week.

This is a topic which I do have some personal experience with, unfortunately. I write about my experiences here.

I will leave you with a quote:

"The most important of life's battles is the one we fight daily in the silent chambers of the soul."
- David O. McKay

There are an awful lot of people fighting their own private battles. Remember that whatever you are going through, there is someone else going through it too. You are not alone. Don't be afraid to reach out.

Here is a number to call for anyone who might need it. I called one day and it did help me.

to get help (1-800-273-TALK (8255)

----------------------------------------

John D. over at his site, A Storied Mind,graciously gave me a Brilliant Blogger award. If you haven't visited John's site, please do. He is an exceptional writer about the topic of depression. I am now supposed to give this award to seven other bloggers and I will do just that in a separate post.

------------------------------------------

What else? Mew Mew the kitty should be re-named Mew Mew the Diabolical Kitty. I have seen her licking her genitals and then going after my toothbrush. If cats could snicker I swear she would. She has also taken a liking to falling into the toilet. The first time it happened I thought she just fell. Then I saw her practically dive in. She also has a penchant for my earrings which she likes to chew right out of my earlobes. But then she looks at me all sweetly and does the whole cuddle purr thing and it makes you forget all the naughty kitten antics. For a few minutes anyways.

So what's new with you guys? Good? Bad? Do tell all!

The McRib sandwich is back and so am I!

Did you know? The McRib sandwich is back. But then again it is always back. Does it ever go away as it should? I am not getting the idea of it. Ribs on a bun. Something not right about that. And when you get a hankering for ribs, I dare say it probably won't be from McDonalds. Okay here is my confession, I have never tried one. I just may like it Sam I am, here or there or with a bear. But for now my opinion sticks.

What are your thoughts?

I am also back for time limited quantities. Alert the media! It has just been a crazy busy week. Labor Day seemed to mess me up. I was always a day behind.

The family hamster died on Tuesday, or so I thought. I sent my eldest son to school telling him the news before he left the house. And then later in the day I even obtained a small shoe box and began digging the grave in the backyard. A rodent coroner I am not because as I went to retrieve the said hamster...I noticed that the body had mysteriously moved. And then I just about screamed when I saw him moving just the slightest bit. That morning I had poked and prodded, and blew on his fur, and he had not budged nor did I see him breathe. Maybe he was in a hamster coma or something because he came back to life in the next hours! He isn't doing well and will expire soon. But a survivor he is, hanging on for his life. It is hard for me to watch him like this. I realize I am talking about a lowly hamster here but a pet is a pet and yes I love the rodent.

Been writing a lot this week. Wanted to share my latest pieces with y'all. I am really enjoying writing as I now have more structure, discipline, and purpose. I seem to do well with someone telling me to write.

Have you ever felt guilty for things which are beyond your control?

Here is a post I did about guilt. It comes straight from the soul. Perhaps you could relate to some of it.

The
Guilt Magnet

Have you ever had the experience of feeling dismissed by your medical professionals? If so join the conversation and share your experience. I write about my times of feeling that some medical staff really don't take my symptoms of MS or otherwise too darn seriously.

My piece is entitled, You are Dismissed.

My last bit of writing is about how I feel about receiving help, the good and the bad. In my life I have had to accept a lot of help especially because I have a son who has special needs. And now with my MS, I also find myself in need of help at times. When does it feel okay to accept help from someone and when do you just want to run for the hills?

People who Need People may be found on Stuart's site.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. As for me, I am going to hunker down and do more writing.

See you in the funny pages!

"Fercuckta"

This is the word to describe how I feel today. Have I simply made up this word? I know it exists. I know it is a yiddish word. Am I hallucinating? Please tell me you have heard of this word and then tell me how to spell it.

Anyways..I feel crappy today. This is day two of being completely off Prednisone, which if you are new to my blog or did not hear of my sordid tale, I was put on this steroid for 12 days to combat my Multiple Sclerosis exacerbation. While on it, I felt like I could walk through fire. Now I feel like superman on kryptonite.

As David Letterman would say, "Are we having fun yet?"

My eldest boy looked at me today and pleaded, "Can you please make your chocolate chip cookies for me today?" He is now a teenager so any discussions we have are priceless but here he was asking for something and how could I refuse. So just got done baking two types of chocolate chip cookies because my youngest son is allergic to wheat and dairy so his have to be gluten/dairy free. Thank goodness the health food stores carry mixes now for that sorta thing.

On a totally different tangent I am excited that there is a coffee table book out which has images of all the Wacky Packages cards. Raise your hand if you remember Wacky Packages! You know...like instead of Crest toothpaste...it would be Crust. Ha ha! I know...but to a kid..that shit was funny. Seriously...I love me some Wacky Packages. I am definitely gonna buy the book. Looky!



Well...T-t-t-that's all folks! I hope you are having a grand Labor Day.

More of this and that to come...you betcha.