WHAT'S IN A NAME?

When parents realize they are expecting, they generally run out and buy a baby name book or they research baby names on the web, looking for just the perfect name for their child....a name that has character, strength, and can somehow connect to the family history or tradition.

I named my first daughter after my real mother who died when I was 10 days old, showing my respect for the mother I lost. I named my second daughter Paula because of the song featured on today's jukebox pick. I liked the song and it just seemed right to name her that. My other children's names just came about.

Personally, I was named for the American Flag, "Old Glory", to which I have finally attained the true representaion of my name. I was born in 1945, my father was in the Army, and patriotism ran abundantly through the country. They were convinced I was to be a girl and I am not sure what my name would have ended up by being if I had been a boy. I would hate to think they would have been so cruel to have stuck me with that name anyways!

My one daughter named one of her daughters Samantha with the foresight that Sam would still be used whether it be a boy or girl. Samual/Samantha................the same except for gender. Her other daughter is Alexandria. Their nicknames are sure to confuse others..........Sam and Alex. Boy or girl?

We have all seen where some parents seem to lack creativity by assigning a last and first name that is similar (example: William Williams) or parents that try to find a name that coincides with the month of the birth. While some may think this a cruel trick to play on a child, it is one of the first things a parent gives to their child. So who are we to judge?

We all like to think that those names we give our offspring and those names given to us are unique. Even if there are thousands of babies named the same, our name IS unique because it was chosen for us by our parents and IS special because it belongs to us.

It is symbol of who we are and many times a reflection of our personalities. Have you ever looked a small baby and said "He/she looks like a Matthew, or a Sarah." We recognize certain characteristics as being incorporated in a name. My one grandson's name is Anthony and the family just assumed he would be called Tony. But when he was born, we realized that he was not a Tony, but an Anthony.

So what is in a name?.....tradition, creativity, a compliment to the person he/she is named after, or just something that sounds right. Whatever the name, it is ours and unique even though we may share it with thousands of others with the same name, it is our recognition in the world (how else would we be able to receive mail....chuckle, chuckle?). So if you don't like your name, try to find something positive in it because as in Johnny Cash's hit song, you could be "A Boy Named Sue".

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What was Lucy Ball’s middle name? Desiree
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What does the slang term "Cast an eyeball" mean? THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctrl Alt Delete' and start all over?

SMARTER THAN THE AVERAGE COMPUTER

I have spent hours trying to figure out how to add music to my blog...to the point of utter frustration. I downloaded the program, embedded it into my blog and it still wouldn't play! No matter what I did, I could not get it to work.

In all modesty, I think of myself as a relatively intelligent person and have an adverse reaction to when a machine (no matter what the machine) crosses me and tries to prove that it is more intelligent than I am. I have learned over the years of working on a computer, that the primal and first urge to toss the damn thing out the nearest window is not the answer.

Computers are too expensive...I mean it is not like a bag of potato chips that won't open no matter what you do short of cutting the bag. If you get frustrated with the chip bag and toss it across the room the only damage done is broken chips and maybe a grease spot where the bag landed on the wall.

So you take a deep breath, walk away from the compuer, come back, and try again. As you sit in front of the screen, you keep reminding yourself that YOU are the superior being in this situation and that you are above letting a machine wear you down. Then you cross your fingers and begin again. After you have followed all the directions and hit the enter key, you look between sprayed fingers covering your eyes and hope for the best.

With baited breath, doubt in your heart, and a prayer on your lips, you look. Then it comes! VICTORY!! You have proven once again that you ARE superior to any machine, especially your computer. So computer, while you are my buddy, I am the queen here. So remember that the next time you try to out maneuver me!

Be sure to check our the jukebox section of my blog. Th songs will change daily. If you have a request, let me know and I will try to get it on the jukebox.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1950, a new product called :boaters" was invented by Marion Donovan. What was it? "Boaters" were disposable diapers. Her first leak- proof diaper was a plastic-lined cloth diaper. She was unsuccessful at selling her invention to established manufacturers, so she started her own company.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What was Lucy Ball’s middle name?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Why do sick people have to walk to the back of the pharmacy for medicine but cigarettes can be purchased at the front of the store?

LITTLE MISS SUZIE HOMEMAKER

LITTLE MISS SUZIE HOMEMAKER

In the last 24 hours, I have earned the title of "Little Miss Suzie Homemaker" hands down. I even amaze myself!

Yesterday, using the tomatoes from my own garden, I made 5 quarts of homemade spaghetti sauce. It was a job and it was messy, but oh how good it tasted. I froze it, so I will have the fruits of my harvest and labor throughout the winter months.

Today I was doing my impression of Rachael Ray, hustling and bustling around in my kitchen. I felt like her when I gathered up all my ingredients in one hand and took them to the counter. I was half hoping to see a TV camera and crew when I looked up from my culinary art work. I made a batch of diabetic brownies from scratch and tasted one with a glass of cold milk..........out of this world!

Okay, moving onto more practical culinary projects..........I make some of Sheba's dog food, so I prepared enough cooked rice and cooked carrots to last for a week or so. The aroma from my kitchen flowed through the house with the tang of the sauce, with the sweetness of the brownies, and the stronger smell of the cooked carrots.

Then to top it all off, I cleaned my house and supervised the man who does my yard work, All this, in 24 hours. Eat your heart out, Martha Steward. It is in times like this that I wish I had a husband just so he could be impressed with all my domestic skills!

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Finish this 1950’s ad, “Get the best, Get__________” "Get the best, get SEALTEST"...Sealtest made ice cream. It was featured on a Saturday morning TV kids program.

TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1950, a new product called "Boaters" was invented by Marion Donovan. What was the product?

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Three words guaranteed to humiliate men --- "Hold my purse"

SACRIFICES

THANKS TO ALL THOSE MAKING SACRIFICES FOR US

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAHPE6d71NM

This is a Busch beer commercial, but it should be a testamony to our gratitude to all those who are serving in the US armed forces. I have yet to view this when I have not begun to cry. It should serve to remind us all of the high cost of our freedom.

The other day I was leaving Wal-Mart and about 6 soldiers in uniforms were just about to enter the store. I went up to them and just said, "Thank you!". At first all they did was stop, then I began to see smiles creep onto their faces and then one said, "You're Welcome". I felt so good that I had taken those few seconds to tell them how I felt and to let them know, how on some small scale, that they are appreciated as are their sacrifices and those sacrifices of their families.

It is the obvious to say that they put their lives on the lines every day they are there. They sacrifice their physical lives as well as their every day lives. They miss seeing their families, they miss being part of the world without violence, they miss the very things we take for granted...those very things they are fighting to preserve.

It is not only those young men and women who are making the ultimate sacrifices. The families make sacrifices on a daily basis. The community makes sacrifices on a daily basis. We can never repay them and their families and their communities for all they sacrifice. Nor can we say thank you enough. So the next time you see a group of soldiers in the grocery store, in a parking lot, walking down the street or wherever, take a couple of seconds to let them know they are appreciated and their sacrifices are not breing taken lightly.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What president enacted a law requiring cigarette manufacturers to put health warnings on their packages? LBJ (1965)

TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Finish this 1950’s ad, “Get the best, Get __________”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Old age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy

ALL IS WELL WITH THE WORLD

ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD

I am a loss as to what to write about today. I have no campaigns to launch, I have no major complaints, I have no amusing antics from my son in Greenland, and I have no funny story to relate....all I have at this moment of time in my life is a sense that all can be right with the world.

I passed another personal test yesterday and left the safety of my home and returned to the YMCA for aquatic classes. I wish I could say it was a snap, but there was one moment, while walking to the entrance, that a panic attack came over me. My friend just told me to breath deeply and that I could do it. Guess what? I did it! Besides the personal victory in all this, I was pleased to be greeted and welcomed back by so many people. It is nice to know people care and that you are missed.

Our weather here in Buffalo is absolutely a delight. People can say all they want about our Buffalo weather, but it is in times like today, I am tempted to say. "Eat your hearts out" all you people suffering in the heat in the rest of the country. The days are warm (in the 70's), sunny, clear and the nights are cool...just perfect for sleeping.

In the area of family relationships, all is well there too. Since my last illness/hospital stay, relations between my one daughter and myself have been reopened. We now talk on the phone and end our chats with "I love you" and it is comfortable. My granddaughter checks up on me every day and she may never know how relieved that makes me feel. Living alone with a medical problem can be frightening, but it is comforting to know someone is watching out for you.

After more than a year, I am finally nearing the end of preparing a family album of my family that covers from the mid 1880's to now. I am excited to get it sent out and published. I feel like I am about ready to give birth to a baby who is long over due. So the sense of fulfillment and acomplishment only adds to my sense of well-being today.

I look around me and see an abundance of everything: shelter, food, friends, family, and daily activites and can only feel good about it. I know that Life is not always this simple and balanced. Actually this is rare........we face challenges, problems, situations daily that could and generally do rob us of our peace of mind and well-being. So all I can say is that at moment of time at this point of my life, all is well with the world! I may have to pay for this in the very near future and am positive I will, but all that counts is this moment.............you can't live in yesterday's moments nor can you live in tomorrow's.



ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1958 who was the 1st woman designated a full-fledged "Chef."? Julia Child
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What president enacted a law requiring cigarette manufacturers to put health warnings on their packages?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Some people are like Slinkies...not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

A RIPPLE IN THE WATER

A RIPPLE IN THE WATER

As most of you already know, my son is in Greenland teaching English to the children there. We have arranged to have me send him food packages as well as teaching supplies. The teaching supplies come from the Dollar Stores as does some of the food. (Thank Heaven for those good old dollar stores!).

I mailed him 1 food package and 2 teaching packages about 1 month ago. They all arrived safely. He used some of the toys I sent in the teaching boxes to help celebrate another teacher's little child's birthday party. That was great.

But what surprised me was a couple of the items in the teaching boxes that went to even a further use. 4 of the items I sent in one of those boxes were washclothes that could be used as hand puppets. There were nothing unique here, but apparently they were very unique there. My son has a friend who runs a television station in Nuuk (capitol of Greenland). This friend produces a children's show. My son felt that those washclothes/puppets would be better used if he sent them to his friend.

I just received an email from my son. He told me that those silly little dollar washclothes/puppets are being used on the children's show which is being shown nationality in Greenland. Gosh, who would have thought that those washclothes/puppets would be so valued there? They were no more than silly trinkets.

But the best part is that those silly little trinkets caused a ripple effect in a remote country. I purchased them thinking my son would use them with the younger classes.................he figured that they might do more good in the hands of someone else.........who in turn is now sharing them with an vast outreach of children. There must be hundreds and hundreds of children now enjoying those silly washclothes/puppets.

We never realize and may never know what ripple effects we cause by our actions. One person reaches out to touch one person and that person reaches out to touch 2 people and those people reach out to touch 2 more people and so it goes. So the next time you go to do some little thing for someone else, remember you may never know what that one act of kindness...that one gesture may lead to and how it may change lives of others. So I guess the point is, no act of kindness is just a small thing.....it is meant to grow.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1958, NASA is created. What do the letters stand for? National Aeronautics and Space Administration
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1958 who was the 1st woman designated a full-fledged "Chef."?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: I had a life once . . . now I have a computer and a modem

TOO WEAK TO LIFT THE BAR BELLS?

TOO WEAK TO LIFT THE BAR BELLS?

Since my last heart failure attack and my last admission to the hospital, I have had a hard time bouncing back. This time, it had effected me emotionally and mentally. I have lived in fear of another attack, I have had panic and anxiety attacks, I do not want to be anywhere where I am more than 5-10 minutes from a hospital, I dread the nights, I don't want to be alone, I live one minute at a time and do not even care to make plans for the next day, I have not begun to return to my normal activities, etc. I am terrified most of the time.



I do not hesitate to go to a doctor when I get physically sick and I am not too proud to go to one when I am mentally or emotionally in pain. I went to see my primary doctor yesterday who has been concerned about my well-being. After talking to me for a half hour or so, he told me I have PTSS or Post Trauma Stress Syndrome. At least I have a name for my mental state now and it is real.



We mostly consider this to be an illness that soldiers get once discharged from the military or that others get when exposed to a violent crime or such. I learned that it can be triggered by any event that has been life-threatening or traumatic. I also learned that it can not be "cured" with waiting it out or ignoring it. It takes time in "talk sessions" and in some cases short term meds are prescribed.



I feel weaker and more vulnerable that I have ever felt before in my life. My doctor (who has been my doctor for years) told me that the very first thing that impressed him about me when he met me was my strength. He told me that this is what will eventually get me through this PTSS.



Somehow I do not feel strong. Why is it others can see our strengths and we can't? Why is it that we deny ourselves our strengths in times of crisis? Perhaps it is because we reach a point that we want to let go and let someone else take charge. We do NOT want to be strong.....we want to be weak so we don't have to fight whatever battle it is we are fighting. We do not want to hear it anymore. We tell ourselves that the strong must stand outside the circle and stand alone. And we do not want that isolation or quarantine anymore. Personally, I am too terrified to feel strong, I am too wore to tap upon whatever strength others see in me.



My doctor sees a stength in me, my friends have told me I am strong and can overcome this. I hope they are right....that they know something I don't.



ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What did TV’s Lucas McCain, Ben Cartwright, Vernon Albright, Jim Newton, Bentley Gregg, Steve Douglas, Andy Griffin, Jed Clampett have in common? They were all single dads. (The Rifleman, Bonanza, My Little Margie, Fury, Bachelor Father, My 3 Sons, Andy Griffin Show, The Beverly Hillbillies)
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1958, NASA is created. What do the letters stand for? THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The 10 Commandments are not a multiple choice.

CAN CRUELITY BE ACCEPTED AS A WAY OF LIFE?

CAN CRUELITY EVER BE ACCEPTED AS A WAY OF LIFE?

If something is considered in one society as tabu or as non acceptable, is it ever ok within other societies? A good question. Just as we are all individuals, so is each country in the world separate from its counterparts. One would like to think that cruel (or what we perceive as cruel) behavior is not ever accepted no matter where your push pin lands on the map.

Below is an exerpt from a blog entry my son made yesterday on his blog site (http://www.charleskinney.blogspot.com/). He is currently teaching English to the villages of Greenland. Currently he is about 600 miles past the Artic Circle in the village of Qasigiannguit.
In this village, as in many in that part of Greenland, dogs run in packs. They are needed to pull dog sleds and are not the toss-the-ball and play-fetch variety as we know dogs here in the states.

"Yesterday, on the way to a parent-teacher town meeting to discuss educational reform, three girls (rough age guess...5 to 7) had cornered a puppy against a wooden embankment. One began to kick it. By the time I got to the puppy, she had her foot on his head, holding him down. I don't know why. The puppy was squealing with pain. She won't be doing that again any time soon. It reminds me of the time last year when I saw kids torturing a seagull in Nuuk, which I never wrote about."

This made me shudder inside at the sheer cruelity of this and brought tears to my eyes I know all kids have a tendancy to be cruel to an animal until they are taught that this behavior is NOT acceptable. But this kind of behavior IS acceptable there. I don't believe it is encouraged, but neither is it discouraged. It is just a way of life for these people. Boredom, the status of a dog in their country, or for whatever other reason turns their hearts to such cruel treatment on others of their society. This is true of spousal abuse and child abuse there, so an animal would come further down the chain for sure.

So my question poised to you today is: "Can cruelity ever be accepted as a way of life?" In our society the answer would definately be NO. In other societies, the answer could be YES. What separates us from other parts of the world? I really don't have a correct answer to that other than our upbringing,which triggers a conscience in us all. All I can truthfully say is that I am glad I am living in a "civilized" country where such behavior is wrong, where a helpless animal means more than a cruel game or way to pass time, and where lines are drawn as to what is cruelity.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1961, StarKist Tuna introduced its new spokesperson, making his first appearance in a TV commercial. Who/what was that spokesman? Charlie, the Tuna, of the "sorry Charlie" ads.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What did TV’s Lucas McCain, Ben Cartwright, Vernon Albright, Jim Newton, Bentley Gregg, Steve Douglas, Andy Griffin, Jed Clampett have in common?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: If there were no golf balls, how would we measure hail?

ONE RINGY DINGY

ONE RINGY DINGY

Today I was walking around Office Depot looking for a particular label when I heard the familar ring of my cell phone. I answered it and it was my son calling from 600 miles past the Artic Circle. The call was as clear as if he were standing right next to me. WOW...all the way from the Artic Circle in Greenland!! And even in a store!


I remember living on the farm in Dalton, NY., in the last 1950's-early 1960's. We had a wall-mounted phone with an extended shelf to hold paper, a crank on the side to "dial" the person you wanted to speak to, a receiver that your held to your ear with one hand, and a mouth piece that was attached to the phone that you held with the other hand. The phone was right out of "The Waltons" or the very early "Lassie Show". We lived in a rural area and were lucky to even have phone service.


There was no such a thing as a private line. There were about 15 people on the line. Each family had its own special ring to distinguish them from the other 14 families. Our ring was 1 long/3 short and my best friend's was 3 short. When someone's ring came through, anyone could pick up the phone and listen. Someone talking too long????....no problem, someone would just get on the line and tell you to get off!!


There were a few operators who worked the switchboard in shifts, plugging and unplugging long distant calls. We thought it progress when you could call Millie (our particular operator) and ask her to patch you into someone from Buffalo. We considered ourselves lucky that we were one of the 15 families that actually had phone service and not some other family who had to wait until such time when they would put in a new line.


We have progressed from that old farm house phone to semi-private lines to private lines; from that old crank phone to circled dial of the old Bell telephones, to the sophisticated slim line phone with push buttons; from having a phone that was stationary to having ones that you can carry in your pocket or purse.


Yes, my friend, we have come a long way since Ma Bell........it is called progress. As I held my cute little compact cell phone in my hands whilke talking to my son, I thought, with some fascination about all our progress in communications, the world IS getting smaller and smaller. Personally I will take my cell phone that fits into he palm of my hand over that country phone on the farm any old time!!!



ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Maynard, Thalia and Zelda were characters on what TV show? The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: In 1961, StarKist Tuna introduced its new spokesperson, making his first appearance in a TV commercial. Who/what was that spokesman?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: You must pay for your sins. If you have already paid, disregard this notice.

BELIEVE IN NOW

BELIEVE IT NOW

I am not a major sports fan. I don't often get excited about any sport. I lived in the "days of plenty" when the Buffalo Bills were at their peak 4 years in a row. So I guess you can not say I am a die-hard Bills fan.


Last week my granddaughter asked me to watch the game and invited me over to her house to watch the game today. I must say, there is promise with the Bills if the last 2 games are any indication. Last week we played the Seattle Seahawks and won 34-10. Today we played the Jacksonville Jaguars and won 20-16.


If the last 2 weeks are any indication, then the Bills look real good this year. I enjoyed watching the game with my granddaughter and sharing the suspense and excitement of a game well played. Who knows, maybe I will get to be a Bills fan again this year. I guess the secret is "Believe it Now". So until next game, "How bout those Bills?!!!"



ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What were the seven original Kool-Aid flavors?
Cherry, Lemon-Lime, Grape, Orange, Root Beer, Strawberry, and Raspberry
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Maynard, Thalia and Zelda were characters on what TV show?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Therapy is expensive. Poppin' bubble wrap is cheap. You choose

WHO WOULD YOU CALL?

I watched most of the specials on 9/11 yesterday. Most of them have been shown before. But there was a special program on the videos taken by the average person in the average setting. Some were taken from a building 5 miles away from the WTC. These were the ones in which the stark reality of that day struck.

There were videos of people just standing there looking up at the towers as they burned. On these faces was the shock, the disbelief, the reality, the confusion, the sense of moving in slow motion, and the sense that all was not right with the world, but you were unable to figure what was wrong at that moment.

There were videos of those in authority who took command........police, firemen, etc. These were the ones that tried to keep control of the crowds by not allowing panic to run rappart until the situation could be fully assessed.

But the videos that struck me the most were those that captured the horror of it all in their voices and screams and actions as they recorded and watched the events. What took my attention was that these people didn't yell for their money to save them or for their position to save them or their intelligence to save them or for another person to save them. They cried out to God. "Oh, God, oh my God", was the battle cry.

In our world, it is not politically correct to refer to God in the same breath as those matters effecting the public in case someone should be offended. Politicans and law makers try to remove the name God from our coins, our federal or state buildings, etc. How vulnerable do they want to make us??!!!!

I don't know about you but if faced with a situation that even resembles a fear factor, God is the one I will call out to, not some senator or lawmaker or other politican. So the question is, "Who would YOU call?"

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What movie was hyped like this: “Jim Stark - a kid from a 'good' family - what makes him tick...like a bomb?" Rebel without a Cause
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What were the seven original Kool-Aid flavors?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: I'm confused...no wait...maybe I'm not.

7 YEARS AGO

7 YEARS AGO

Can you recall what you were doing 7 years ago or where you were? We have learned to measure time in this country by 9/11. The days leading up to it may be a little fuzzy, but no one can ever forget what we were doing or where we were on that fateful day in September of 2001.

It was a day that would forever change our lives, our country, and history. I am sure that all of you were just going about your business 7 years ago today...............maybe getting your yard ready for the winter, maybe enjoying the beautiful fall day, maybe going grocery shopping, maybe taking your kids to school. maybe watching the clock until quitting time. Whatever you were doing was very routine and would have basically been unmemorable had it not been for the following day.

America and Americans lived, for the most part, not in fear but in accepted trust. We lived in America!! We would always be secure. We knew our government would protect us without even giving it a second thought. There was no need to waste energy or time in thinking about how vulernable we were...............vulnerablity was never associated with the strength and power of our country.

And then it happened!!! We were attacked and our lives would never be the same as they were 7 years ago. Once the shock wore off, after the anger set in, the realization that we, as a country and therefore we, as a people, were not unconquerable. We were no longer the power house we thought we were. We were vulnerable and would never again be secure. Our lives and the world in which we lived in changed, never more to be the life and world of 7 years ago.

We can all tell you where we were and what were doing when those planes exploded into the World Trade Center towers, but I doubt if many of us would recall where we were or what were doing 7 years ago today. Now we relate our country's fate to that fateful day of 9/11. We, the trusting people of 9/10, are no more. In a sense we have lost our innocence, so to speak and that fact is only overshadowed by the events of 9/11.

Let us never forget what our lives were before that fateful day and how they have become since that day. May God bless all those who lost loved ones on 9/11.

ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: Gone with the Wind trivia: Olivia de Havilland always meticulously researched her roles. As she had not yet had a baby in real life, she visited a maternity hospital to study how various women coped with the stresses of childbirth for the scene where Melanie has her baby. Off-camera, the scene's director, George Cukor would occassionally do something to her to cause her to feel pain. What did he do? He would occasionally pinch her toes to make her feel pain.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What movie was hyped like this: “Jim Stark - a kid from a 'good' family - what makes him tick...like a bomb?"
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician

HIGH TECH TECHNICAL SUPPORT

I recently purchased a new cell phone from a new cell phone company. At this point, I wished I hadn't. I have spent nearly 3 hours (off and on) with their technical department in a grand total of about 8 phone calls. And they still haven't told me what the problem is or how to rectify it.


Then, of course, you get a technican who can't speak English and the frustration gets deeper. After being told to do all the things I had already done (I am not a dummy), I was told to follow the same pattern as I had. At one point, I actually told him to be quiet and let me finish what I was explaining.


Just because they are called technicians, they think they know it all. I would agree with this were it true. Two of the ones I spoke to, had to put me on hold, but not before I heard them explaining the problem to a supervisor, who didn't have a solution either. I actually think they put you on hold so they can refer to the manual.


Getting tech support by this method is enough to make you want to throw the phone out the window or through a wall. For the life of me, I wll never get used to talking to someone who barely can say hello in English. What happened to Americans helping other Americans. Of course, the answer to that is money....it is cheaper to hire people from other countries than to hire your own.


Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against any nationality or people personally. But I wouild love once to call any kind of business or tech support base and just hear a real human voice that speaks English instead of a recording telling me to press 1 if had an egg for breakfast, or press 2 if it was raining where I am, or press 3 if you feel senile, or press 4 if you don't give a damn!


PS They could find no solution and told me to go to a center near me.....well, so much for online tech support.

FINAL WORD: My granddaughter came over and got it to work in about 2 minutes!!!


ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What does the 50's diner slang of "Burn one, take it through the garden, and pin a rose on it" mean? Hamburger with lettuce, tomato and onion.
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Gone with the Wind trivia: Olivia de Havilland always meticulously researched her roles. As she had not yet had a baby in real life, she visited a maternity hospital to study how various women coped with the stresses of childbirth for the scene where Melanie has her baby. Off-camera, the scene's director, George Cukor would occassionally do something to her to cause her to feel pain. What did he do?
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Support your right to bare arms! Wear short sleeves!

LOVE AFFAIR WITH YOUR CAR

Our cars? Where would we be without them? Probably taking public transportation, or hailing a cab, or just plain hoofing it. Once a car was a luxury, but with the world chanigng so rapidily and explanding so quickly, a car is now a neccesity and it is rare to see a family without at least one car.

Our cars provide us a means to work, a means to obtain food, a means to relax, a means to reach out to those who are far away. In reality we have a love relationship with our cars. Did you ever notice a new car owner or a person who has obtained a "new" used car? They will attend to all of its needs (washing it, waxing it, vacuuming it, "feeding" it with the best gas), faithfully taking it in for a routine "physical exam", and seeing that all of its needs are met.

But then, as in a human love relationship, we slowly cease to pay excessive attention as we did when we first purchased it. We have no need to impress it of our feelings for it........we let it get dirty, we may not attend to routine procedures like changing oils and a tune up, we no longer keep it as clean inside as we once did.

That biscuit/egg/sausage/chesse wrapper from McDonald's finds it way onto the floor of the back seat. The plastic bag from the store gets hidden under a seat. The coffee stain on the front seat from where your Tim Horton's breakfast coffee spilled when you hit that pot hole remains as a dark reminder to put your coffee cup in the cup holder next time. The sucker a little one dropped remains stuck to the seat. There is dog hair all over the back seat from when you gave your best friend a ride to the vets. I think you get the picture.

But let that car begin to act up and you take instant notice. Just like a human relationship when one spouse begins to ignore the other and the other lets him/her know his/her disapproval in not-so-often subtle way, your car is screaming for your undivided attention again. Without yor car, you would be stranded in so many ways.

So the next time you begin to take advantage of your car and it lets you know by not running properly, remember you can't maintain a lasting human relationship without some effort and scarifice, you can't ignore your car's cries for attention either. By the way, turning up your radio when your car begins to make strange sounds of protest will not get you back on your car's good side........expect more complaints in the future.


ANSWER TO LAST TRIVIA QUESTION: What was known as the Telephone Box Squash? telephone booth stuffing. The idea was to cram as many people as possible into a telephone booth. A competition sport, cramming soon spread across college campuses as each one tried to set a new record. There were very few rules except that it was widely accepted that the booth must still contain a phone. Under British rules, you had to be able to be able to either place or receive a call, but that did not apply anywhere else. The door was left open and only half of a person must be inside the booth to be counted. And the booth had to upright
TODAY'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What does the 50's diner slang of "Burn one, take it through the garden, and pin a rose on it" mean?
THOUGT FOR THE DAY: Insanity is my only means of relaxation

I'M BACK!!!

Unfortunately, I was hospitalized this week. I had written a previous blog entry entitled "Living in Fear". Well, what I feared in that entry became a reality last Thursday morning. The fear and the panic were all too real. And once again I find myself living in fear.......more than before. The fear to go on to the next moment, to hope that another "attack" will not happen with the next breath I take.

Added to my fears, is the element of my quality of life. I feel that much of it has been taken from me. I no longer have the courage to look ahead to something planned in in the future. I no longer find myself even wanting to participate in anything that may take me more than a few minutes to get an ambulance. In 2 weeks I am supposed to go on a boat ride through the Erie Canal locks. I don't think so!!!!! There would be no way they could get me to shore for an ambulance in time.

We all take our health for granted unless we start to lose it. Of all the things in the world, at this point, I feel that good health is of the utmost importance. We make decisions in our lives that affect us in years to come. healthwise and otherwise. We seldom think of the future, long-term consequences when we make choices when we are young. I chose to start smoking. I even quit and felt that by quitting I had erased all the consequences. I was wrong. When I smoked, I was preparing my lungs for future problems such as COPD, and didn't even realize it.

How foolish we are when we are young and think we have a whole life time ahead of us or that we are indestructable. We do not and are not. Even is we face longevity as a reality, our life time-prior choices will overpower that and will rob us of that if we make the wrong ones. This is not an entry to stop smoking (although that would be a good idea). Most of my readers are older and it is too late to reverse the damage already done. This entry is just a reality of the fact that we must all pay for our past decisions in one way or another. As the saying goes, "Youth is wasted on the young". We know no better when we are young even though we think of ourselves as being wise. Well to quote Cher, "If I could turn back time"!!

Answer to last trivia question: What 1960 movie featured this line “A boy’s best friend is his mother.”? Psycho
Today's trivia question: What was known as the Telephone Box Squash?
Thought for the day: Freedom of the press means no ironing.