Tag Archives: Miscellaneous

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Keeping the Government out of Your Unmentionables?

I love commercials. I hate to admit this, but I do. Some commercials are funnier than the television shows we watch. I think that’s one of the reasons I love the Super Bowl so much: I get football, which I love, and hilariously awesome commercials. My oldest son is a big fan of commercials, and can often recite them. And he does recite them often. My toddler stops everything to watch commercials and Jeopardy! but doesn’t watch television otherwise. I think that they get it from me. Maybe it’s because commercials are so short and I have an admittedly short attention span.

Then I see this: They’re right. We shouldn’t let the government play doctor. If the Republicans tell us we don’t want Obamacare because they shouldn’t have the right to tell us about our medical care, why do they want to tell women that they can’t have the right to choose or have access to Plan B? Those are medical decisions, right? How can you make a decision that the government can’t have a say in our medical choices but tell women they can’t have a say? What’s the difference? I’m looking at this in a logical and rational manner. Who decides what is a medical choice that the people should be free to make or what should be illegal? Is it because of the moral issues at hand?

I’m confused. Not really, I’m fully aware of what the logically right answer is. The answer is our government, and rightfully so, views us all as brainwashable zombies that they can mold us however they want. The liberal media is just as guilty as the conservative media for inciting anger and fear into its mindless drone fanbase. I’m not a mindless zombie; I’m an overly opinionated person who borders opinionated and bitchy. The answer is really staring us in the face: the government on both sides wants us to follow blindly and get outraged at the time. The Republican party wants the government to be limited, but only in everything else but allowing everyone the right to be married and for women to choose what they do with their uterus. The government should be limited but only limited to things they believe are morally acceptable, whether that infringes on personal freedoms or not.

The Democrats are equally guilty in this fear mongering. “The Republicans want to take away welfare and kick poor people while they’re down”. “The Republicans are going to gun everyone down and deport anyone with dark skin”. I don’t want to be associated with either party, because both are batshit crazy and think that everyone in America is a twit. I’m not a twit. I know a lot of people that aren’t twits. In fact, I wish the government spent half as much time as they do bickering with each other like toddlers fighting over a toy to figure out how to think logically. When our government gets their head out of their butts and actually think about the things they say and do, I think we’ll be at least a little better off.

We’re guilty parties to this as well. People do follow without consideration of what’s going on in front of us. Why didn’t they bend a guy over a table while he received a prostate exam instead of a female getting examined? We should really think about the information we’re being fed and be careful to make up our own minds. It’s easier to follow blindly, but I don’t like the easy way out. I won’t be told what to think by anyone, and you shouldn’t either. And, I’m going to have nightmares next time I’m at my gynecologist after seeing that commercial.

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My Thoughts of the Week

I wish I could say this post is going to be extra awesome since I missed Wednesday’s post as a result of… well you try getting work done with a toddler climbing over and out of everything while shredding every piece of paper he comes into contact with while screaming with laughter because he knows he’s doing something wrong. The moral of the story: toddler plus working at home equals nothing good can come of it. The lesson is that now I will have to regain a love of coffee after 2 years of sparingly drinking it so I can accomplish writing, parenting, and homemaker duties. What’s sleep? That’s going to be me soon. Again. This isn’t about me. Well, I suppose it is since it is about my thoughts of things this week. So, with that I can get on with my thoughts of things this week.

  1. I’ve been working out a lot lately, trying to get back into my pre-baby shape. Well, my pre-baby pre-baby shape, since I did gain a few pounds before I got pregnant. I opted for a girl power-esque station. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I definitely was thinking that I’d get some P!nk, some Katy Perry, some Adele, some Kelly Clarkson. I definitely didn’t consider Rihanna would be on that list of “girl power”. When I think girl power, I think of someone like P!nk that just tells everyone “well, this is me and if you don’t like it too damn bad”. When I think girl power, I think “Stronger” from Kelly Clarkson. I even think of Christina Aguilera or the Spice Girls. I can’t say I’ve ever considered Rihanna, though I will give the station credit for not subjecting me to Miley Cyrus. I don’t think either of those really represent women empowerment. Miley Cyrus acts like a 2-year-old that is desperate for attention and gets it. And Rihanna… I’m sorry to say but a woman who gets beat up by a man and precedes to go back to him not once, but twice or thrice is not someone who promotes women empowerment. That makes me think weakness, not strength. I know it’s Pandora and I know that it’s a music station and not a social issues station, but I really just needed to get that off my chest.
  2. Michigan is trying to pass a food stamps bill that requires people to work or do community service to receive benefits. It also denies unemployment benefits to people who refuse a drug test, which I’m noting because I don’t want people to think I only read half of it though this has nothing to do with what I’m about to celebrate. That is absolutely perfect and I agree with. If your argument is that you can’t get work so you don’t work, this makes it so people aren’t getting free money anymore. You don’t want to work, fine but you’re going to do something that is responsible and giving back to their community. I’m surprised this isn’t everywhere, because I’m 100% for this and it doesn’t make sense why you wouldn’t be. I can’t get free money so I can sit around playing videogames all day, why should anyone else? Too many people get too much for free. No, I’m not against programs made to help people. I’m against programs made to help people going to people who think that it’s a free ride, not a tool to help people in actual need. And for people who think there aren’t any jobs for them, I’m certain there’s a lot of programs that are there to help communities that need volunteers. Everyone wins, except those who think the government is there to support them. It seems the federal government might follow suit, and I would support it.
  3. I keep seeing that Ben Affleck commercial about hunger in America. I’m glad an actor is trying to raise awareness of this problem. However, I don’t think he should say “they go to school with our children”, because I’m fairly certain that his children do not go to school with people who suffer from poverty or hunger. So don’t say “our” children. “The country’s children”, yes, that would be acceptable. If celebrities are that concerned with children’s hunger, more of them should donate time and money to food shelters and pantries that need the help and supplies to feed these children while you’re busy making commercials about them. I appreciate the awareness being raised, but I think they should more collectively put their money where their mouths are.

Those are my thoughts for the week. Have a great weekend!

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To Empathize, or not to Empathize

I was talking to my friend and was joking about how a life insurance place called me about a résumé I had up on a site. She laughed, and said “now that’s a good career for you if the writing thing doesn’t work out.” I wondered what she meant, but then it hit me. She was right, and I’m not sure if it was a compliment or an honest observation on my personality. It’s true though; I could sell life insurance or coffins. “What do you mean you don’t want insurance? It’s not like you’re going to live forever. You’re going to be dead anyways. Could be today, could be tomorrow. You should be ready.” “Oh you’re not dead yet? Why not get a coffin while you can pick your own. Before you know it, you’ll be dead and your kids will buy the cheapest one possible.” Death isn’t an “if” scenario. It’s going to happen. In fact, it’s one of the few definites in life. And I have an abrasively rude enough personality to admit it and tell everyone else when they don’t want to admit it.

I wonder about empathy. Do I have empathy? I’m empathetic to the animals on those ASPCA commercials. Those are innocent creatures put in their situations by cruel and horrible people. I feel bad for innocents being put into horrible spots by people. Victims of genocide, innocent people caught in the crossfire of non-innocent people. I feel empathy for people in other countries who live in abysmal situations because that’s the only option they have. I do have empathy. I have empathy for innocent people in the world who suffer wrongdoing for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I empathize when I know someone who has a family member that’s ill or passing.

But what makes a person in their principles is to know what their shortcomings may or may not be. I admit that I lack empathy for people to. I don’t feel bad if someone gets in a car under the influence of something and smashes themselves something and killing themself. I don’t feel bad for people who are victims of their own circumstances and not of others. I don’t feel bad when people get themselves into rough spots and complain instead of getting out of it. I don’t feel bad for people who I don’t view as innocent in their problems. I’m not sure if that makes me a bad person. It might, but I’m honest enough to admit it.

Empathy is all perspective. Personally, I’m more empathetic to animals or fictional people than I am the everyday person. Again, I’m confident enough in my short comings to admit that although I’m not sure if that is a shortcoming. Maybe my friend is right though, I’ll check out that career path at a later date if everything else fails. Until then, I’ll share my honest opinion here and have the mass population of people view me as a cold-hearted person.

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It’s a Cruel Joke?

I took my son to the dentist for his regular teeth cleaning. The very nice hygienist sat there and spoke to him about the usual stuff. They had music playing, to which my son started dancing in his chair while the cleaning was going on. I stood there and thought about every time I’ve been to the dentist. I wondered, why do they ask you questions that aren’t ones you can nod or shake your head at? I know they aren’t dumb enough to think that while your mouth is wide open, filled with assorted dental tools and gauze, that you can properly converse with them. So why do they do it?

I think it’s all a cruel joke. They’re mocking you, showing power over you. “What do you think of Miley Cyrus? Oh I love this song, and I think you do too, so I’ll just turn it up a little for you!” If I were a dentist, I would do this and torture my patients with ‘NSYNC or Spice Girls or something else. I would tell them all about my terrible day and save money on therapy by venting to my patients. They can’t speak back to me, and I could speak in a low enough tone where they can’t hear over all the loud tools I’m using. Imagine that?

I wonder if doctors do this as well when you’re having surgery. I bet they talk about all sorts of sordid things while you’re unconscious. I wonder if they do silly dances or sing like their in the shower. Actually, I don’t want to this about this at all. My son had surgery, and I’d like to lie to myself and think they focused solely on him and not what they’re going to order for lunch later or which nurse is having an affair with which doctor. Hopefully also, the doctor in question wasn’t his surgeon so he won’t be distracted with that.

Maybe I shouldn’t wonder about things like that. I’ll just settle this and say that doctors are angels in the operating room, and that dentists talk to you to make you feel calmer. Maybe there isn’t anything sadistic behind the dentist conversing with you when you can’t converse back because they want you to feel welcome and safe, which is probably smart considering how many people are terrified of the dentists. Or maybe I’ll stick to my original idea and settle for that dentists are sadistic crazy people. That sounds like a plan.

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Remember, Remember, the 11th of September

I loved V for Vendetta. I will argue that the graphic novel was much better than the movie, but that’s the same argument everyone uses in similar situations. When I think of today, all I can think of is the famous line from it: remember, remember the fifth of November. I like my version better. Today is an important day in American history, and an important day in my own, as today my little one has turned one. My once little burrito baby is now a toddler. Today of all days, I celebrate my son’s birthday while the rest of the country seems to be mourning.

On a day of such sadness, we need to look at the positives. It’s fine to remember the past, but we can’t dwell on it. The best part about living through a tragedy is gaining strength to move on from it. It’s 12 years, and I would like to think we’re better people. We’re not, but I would like to think we are. We’re stronger than we were, if nothing else. Just like the Boston tragedy this year, we learned that when tragedy strikes people join together to help out their fellow-man. It’s after that, the camaraderie fades away and it becomes a dog eat foreigners world. We’ve grown from it, we’ve become more paranoid and we’ve survived.

The last part was the most important of my statement: we’ve survived. We survived 9/11 and we’ve survived the Boston Bombing and the tragedies that followed within days after. We are survivors. We don’t sit around being victims. We stand up and live our lives anyways. What we need to do is to not look at this day as one that may or may not be forgotten; it won’t be forgotten. We need to look at this day as something that happened in our past that made us a nation of strength. We join together today but it’s important that we treat this like our own lives: we accept the past as the past and focus on what we are today. So while there are events all over the television to commemorate today, we should remember that we’re different now. Also, we should point out that remember today doesn’t mean that we need to rewatch the incident repeatedly all day long. Living it once was enough for me.

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If It’s Easy, It Isn’t Worth It

I keep hearing that phrase lately. Anytime I get frustrated with my writing, my husband keeps pointing out that if it were easy, than everyone would do it and be successful. Everything requires hard work to accomplish goals. It’s true. I keep pointing this out to my son, and it works since he already has his plan for how to get into college and pay for it. That’s the easy part. The hard part comes afterwards when you get yourself in a situation of sink or sail in the real world situations. Ashton Kutcher made headlines telling kids, “I washed dishes, and worked my way up.” It’s an important lesson. You can’t complain about your situation if you’re not doing anything to change it. No one feels sorry for the people who think that by staying the same, they’ll get a different outcome in life. They won’t, and it’s silly to think otherwise.

At first I shook my head at anything crazy that a celebrity does, and we sit back and talk about it for weeks afterwards. We think that Miley Cyrus or Lady Gaga are crazy people on drugs, but I think they are the smartest people in their business. They’re creating buzz. They’re being talked about like crazy, which in that line of work, any attention is positive. Kim Kardashian and her family have only come as far as they have because she had a raunchy sex tape. That wasn’t accidentally leaked; it was a purposeful ploy to exploit herself to make millions upon millions. And years later, we’re still talking about her as if she was a celebrity that has made it on talent and not smart business sense. Maybe I need to make enough controversy to get notoriety and then I can sell mass amounts of e-books until a publisher recognizes my talent and then I can go on book tours or watch my words on the big screen or on Broadway.  Miley Cyrus was slowing fading into the background because Hannah Montana wasn’t around, and she wasn’t more talented than any other country singer out there. She chops off her hair, twerks, and admits to being on drugs and now she’s back all over the place with a new album that people can’t stop talking about. She changed her image, and created a new one to make money on. How is that different from the likes of say, Madonna, before her? Madonna had many looks over the years, changing as a result of the era she was trying to succeed in, and she did it.

Change can do you good. You don’t like the path you’re following now? Change it. Get a new career you enjoy. Leave that partner that drags you down. Reinvent yourself and you can change the situation you find yourself in now. Work at it, and work at  your dreams. Eventually they’ll come true. I’m hoping my time comes soon, but until then I won’t give up trying. The cards might be against me, but I refuse to allow myself to be my own worse enemy.

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All It Takes is Some Effort

I’m not sure if it’s because of my age, or what, but I’ve decided it’s time to make some improvements in my physical appearance. Nothing like plastic surgery, if I was meant to look like Olivia Wilde, I would’ve been born that way. As I near 30, I realize that sometimes wanting to look better has little to do with how other people view you but how you view yourself. I hate to admit it, but at 30, wearing ill-fitting clothes from the Juniors department while hangs out is no longer an acceptable way to go about life. This has to do with how well you feel about yourself, and how you want to represent yourself to the outside world. If your goal is to look like a 30-year-old who’s trying to be 15 again, fine go for it. That’s not my goal, and it probably shouldn’t be yours if you want to be taken seriously or respected. Unfortunately, that’s a fact of life. Some day, it’s no longer cute to try and hang onto your teens and it because immature and trashy.

This was the standstill I still have trouble with. Thankfully, I know better than to shop in the Juniors Department, but I think we all get a little lost during this transition from our twenties to our thirties. I refuse to be one of those people stuck behind, because eventually I will get somewhere with my writing and I want to be taken seriously for it. I want to be taken seriously as a parent at school events. I don’t want to be that mom that looks awful and have my child be judged based on that. I don’t want my work judged based on that. As a wife and mother, my appearance reflects on them. I accept I need to look pristine at my husband’s work functions. Every decision I make in that account does affect them, and as parents we should realize this too. When a neighbor would come to the bus stop in her pajamas and a bathrobe, people looked at her like she had 3 heads. I then saw children on the bus laugh at her son for it, and the son looked embarrassed. It’s a sad reality we face, but we have to face it because society won’t change.

Most importantly, I’m doing this for myself. I gained a lot of weight while I was pregnant, and I wanted to lose the weight because I didn’t like the way I look, and with some effort, I’m already down 10lbs since I’ve come home from the hospital and nearly 40 since my son’s birth. I’m not starving myself, I’m eating better. I’m exercising an hour or more a day, and in the few days I’ve made this resolve I feel a million times better about myself and I feel like I’m succeeding at something. I’ve also dealt with acne since my teens without much success, and finally have found some and it’s slowly working too. My skin is looking fantastic, though I hear that’s a side effect from healthy living too. It’s a slow process, losing weight and adjusting to the upcoming decade of my life, but I can handle it. Bring it on.

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Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day! Or as most parents in America call it, “c’mon, one more day…” We’ll get our homes back from those children of age that sit around saying “I’m bored” all day. And what better way to celebrate it than buying those last-minute school items for you children while you get the day off, rubbing it in the faces of those who don’t get the day that celebrates how hard you work all year off. Sorry guys, but hey at least you’ve got a job!

For the rest of us, this is our unofficial last day of summer. If you’re luck in my area, it’s rainy and you can’t even BBQ or pool party it away. I’ll keep this short, as I also have to get on with my day and buy last-minute school items for my little 5th grader. So happy day off everyone that gets it off, and enjoy it. Those sneaky “Monday” Tuesdays are the worst, but at least it’s only a 4 day work week!

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My Faith in Humanity…

Or lack thereof. The truth is, I have none. I haven’t had that incredible moment where I said “wow, we’re great people as a whole and I’m proud to be among them”. There were brief moments where I was proud of people, like when the Boston Bombing happened and people helped each other out in such an extreme situation. Those were brief moments, and immediately I get brought back to the reality of people are a group of selfish and disrespectful morons that go through every day without an ounce of remorse of anything stupid and horrible they do to each other. People are bullies, that bully people to get their way. People are inconsiderate. People care about things like race and nationality and not people as people. I know, it’s a sweeping generalization of close to 10 billion people, but I said it anyways.

Maybe this is all in my head, and the fault lies in a personality defect of my own. I wouldn’t doubt that. I have no patience for people, and less so in those that I’ve observed enough to know that I want nothing to do with them. I observe people a lot, I consider it a hazard of my writing. By watching behaviors of others, I can create realistic characters for my stories. I watch people interact. I’ve learned from my own experiences and observations all I need to know about particular people. I’ve learned a lot, and I don’t like anything I’ve learned. You find out eventually that you can read them from this. Then, you realize that they often read like a bad book where you wish you never read them. That’s when you find out who a person really is. I’m a cynical person, but I generally give someone the benefit of the doubt before I judge them. More often and not, I give a few opportunities for this. Usually my gut ends up right, and I learn to just trust it. And my gut tells me that my original statement holds more truth than I’m sure any of us care to admit.

My husband tests this theory. He is probably the best of humanity, and I’m fortunate my children will learn from him. He’s kind, generous, and helps when he can where he can. During a massive storm a few years ago, he was waiting in line to get gas for 3 hours. The person in front of him stalled out, and he got out of his car and helped them push their car to the pump, risking losing his spot in line. Another time, a woman locked her child in her car with the keys, and he called security and waited there until he was sure she was going to be safe enough. I stayed by our car with my phone out ready to call 911 in case she was a serial killer trying to take advantage of a kind person trying to help. I would’ve left that last part out, but it shows that he’s the best of humanity while I’m a mistrustful cynic that watches too many crime shows. The main point is, he is the evidence I have that there is some good in the world in my generation, and I see how people walk all over him constantly while he just sits back and takes it. People like him get eaten alive in this world, while people more crude and vile make successes beyond him whether they work hard for it or let others. I try to change my mind for him, I try because I see it in him. But for everyone one of him, there are 30 of ones not like him.

I’m not calling for a mass murder of humanity, only a re-awakening of it. People can change if they put their minds to it, if they really give a crap to change. You don’t need to be an ass. Too many people who lie, cheat, steal and abuse live out their lives like that because no one has the balls to fix it. We all let that happen. Until we put our foot down and make it so this isn’t acceptable. The way I’m going to change this is by making sure my children grow up so they have the strength to not be walked on, but the kindheartedness that the world needs more of. We can have both. It’s probably too late for us, but our children might be able to live in a world where superficial things like race and nationality are unimportant.

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That Time of Year Again

The blog today will be very short and to the point. Every year, the local sports channel NESN does a telecast to raise money for The Jimmy Fund. The Jimmy Fund is an organization that helps raise money for The Dana-Farber Institute, a place where children and adults fight cancer. They help support cancer patients, survivors, and their families providing excellent care and researches to hopefully find a cure someday. Hopefully with enough money, this cause will be seen through. Until then, every little bit help. I dare you to watch or listen to some of the telethon and not feel a little something for these people.

As a parent, I can’t help but to look at my own children and be grateful that I haven’t had to go through what some of these parents go through or watch my child go through what the children go through. It amazes me that every person, whether it be a cancer patient or survivor, feels lucky to have been through this experience. It humbles me. It makes me sit back and think that my worst day is still a good day to them. They are graceful and kind and absolutely perfect. As a person who has seen cancer take family from my life, I can’t help but to be angry at the disease and want to pay whatever I could to cure it. The Jimmy Fund gives us that chance.

Reports say that funding for cancer research is at an all-time low, when it really should be at an all-time high in my opinion. Change that. Visit http://www.jimmyfund.org/ to help a very worthwhile cause. Every little bit always helps.