I Don't Like Mondays: So Who The Hell Does

So, let's talk about Mondays.

Yes, yes, we all agree..they suck. Unless your profession forces you to work weekends, no one looks forward to Monday. The word alone is boring. Monday...mundane. It fits. It also means you have to drag your ass out of the bed, shower, get ready and go to work...all while your body is still in a "sleep-in-why-don't-you-it's-the-weekend"  mode.

Now Friday and Saturday nights are traditionally the fun nights. Sunday is the day to recoup. As you get a little, ok a lot older...one day to recover is not nearly enough. These days, for some reason, Sunday is not so much a problem. It's the next day...Monday when it really hits the fan.

Kind of like when we change the clocks for daylight savings time. The next day (Sunday) is fine...but the second day (Monday of course) leaves you barely coherent for most of the day. It's not like we've traveled across the globe going through time zones...it's one freakin' hour. On any given night, don't we all get one more or one less hour of sleep regularly? Then what gives with the changing of the clocks.

Personally, I think it's a Monday conspiracy.

The only time Monday is really enjoyable is if you are on vacation...preferably in some comfy hotel bed and you wake up and realize almost everyone you know is A) Getting ready for work, B) Already in work or C) Cursing you out.  Usually it's a combination of A+C or B+C...but C is a definite.

Working from home means I do need to get out of bed...but the shower and get ready part, while mandatory, can ease off until a bit later. The dog walk sadly...cannot.

It is now 8:05, time to get into the workday. Time to hit Monday straight on and start thinking about...the weekend.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday...too many days. Need to do something about this Monday thing. Three day weekends could be the answer. Apparently the business world didn't get the memo on that.

At the very least, Monday's should begin around 11 AM.  Lunch at noon.

Sort of like Congress.

Have a nice  (Mon)day.
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A Beer, A Laptop And A Waste Of Time

Just cracked open a beer, grabbed the laptop and went up to the bedroom to start doing some research for an interview I need to get together. Or, I might just take a nap. Those were my two options when I walked up the stairs; apparently there was another I hadn't counted on...writing a blog post.

I didn't sleep well last night, so that could account for why a nap seems so appealing right now. Or, it could be the hour and a half of weeding in the humid morning air. Followed by laundry, vacuuming, wiping down the interior and cleaning the windows of the car.

A thunderstorm stopped me from actually washing the car... which was fine by me. At least the wind and rain has cooled everything down for the time being. If the sun decides to reappear, it will get real ugly, real fast.

I have been procrastinating on the research. The timing which will work the best for the artist is closer to when her new CD drops in September. This is always a problem for me as I always work best under pressure. Too much time, means I will take most of it, then do what I always did in school...cram. Unfortunately, sometimes it also means I have too many irons in the fire at the same time and bam...worlds collide. Then it's time to juggle.

Since I've been writing this, a nap seems less likely. Which means it's time to start my research.  Did I mention, I hate doing research. Writing off the top of your head is so much easier and so much more fun.  But every once in a while that thing called discipline needs to kick in. Looks like today is the day for me.

Unless it dries out a little outside, then a walk around the lake is a possibility. Then, maybe a nap. What I need is an intern to do the research, then I could swoop in like Superwoman, take all the info and write the greatest interview of all time.

Then take a nap

The Olympics: Now and Then

I am an Olympics junkie. There, I've said it.

Every four years, or every two if you look at the different rotation it is now, I become immersed in two weeks of endless sports. Now years ago before the internet...yes before the internet, you could watch the Olympics on tape delay when they were held halfway around the world. The same is true now, many of the events are on still tape delay...the only problem now is with the internet... we all know the outcome in the blink of an eye.

This takes away a lot of the fun. While I will still watch with all the patriotic fervor I can muster, knowing the outcome before it is televised...well it sucks. It's really hard to root on your favorite athlete, when you know damn well they've lost.

And why will I be turning on the TV at 5 in the morning to watch the biathlon? It's like Mount Everest...it's there. I watch so many events where I don't even know what the rules are...like fencing or that bike race on the indoor sloped track.  I don't even know the name of the event, but I will watch with some amount of enthusiasm.

Opening ceremonies are tonight. The Yankees play the Red Sox tonight. It's hard to divide my loyalty, but I must.  Also need to be sure I have extra batteries for the TV remote...that sucker is gonna get a workout this weekend.

Go USA.

On a serious note, this Olympiad marks the 40th anniversary of the Munich Olympics where 11 Israeli athletes were murdered. I watched that Olympics too. What began with elation and pride, seeing swimmer Mark Spitz leave his stamp on Olympic history...ended with a lasting memory of TV anchor Jim McKay weeping as he reported about the massacre "They're all gone."

It was our first real glimpse of terrorism..and it was horrific. The world was forever changed that day and not for the better. So as I watch tonight's opening ceremonies and see the stories of all the extreme security, I will think back forty years ago when eleven men came to represent their country, only to end up victims to a new world nightmare.

In their honor...Let the games begin.

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No Dicking Around This Time

It's happened again. Another, shall we say...odd story has caught my attention.

I'm sorry, but is there really anyone out there who would not click on the story with a headline which reads "Man's Penis Stolen In His Sleep."

Seriously, this goes beyond being curious. The heart of this is just basic journalistic instinct...this story smells like a winner. According to the article, this Chinese man had been playing around with a few too many of the local women, and the local men were a little pissed off about it. Result: a middle of the night slice and dice...ouch. And seeing as the police and emergency workers were unable to locate said penis... it looks like his little friend is gone for good.

Now this story is right behind the one about the man with the world's largest penis being detained at the airport because security thought he might be...packing. Well, apparently he was...just nothing illegal. Airport screeners tried as delicately as they could to frisk this guy without touching anything...not an easy task when this man is on record as being the world's "big boy."

What does this all mean? I have no idea. Life is getting more and more insane. Lately there are more and more crazy stories about things that are probably best left unsaid. Just not by me.

Shit, I need to post a photo with this blog...this could be interesting.

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My Dad's Journey: Three Months Later

Almost three months now. That's how long it has been since our family dynamic changed forever.

I miss my Dad. Although I see him five days out of seven each week, the man who raised me, taught me, and nurtured me..no longer exists. In his place is a haunted soul, painfully aware his life will never get better and terrified of what might still lie ahead.

Yet, he loves me and I know it. And I love him and he knows it. And that is the only thing which makes this nightmare tolerable. There are no longer any smiles when he sees me, no questions about my day. The conversation, such as it is, begins and ends with some worry he has at that moment.

Every action by his caretakers is suspicious. He cannot be convinced there are reasons for their actions, so all activities outside the norm are scary at best. He is getting more confused on certain things, still crystal clear on others.

Recently my niece and her husband were in Chicago. My nephew was able to bring home some ivy from clippings off the outfield wall at Wrigley Field. They brought these clippings from Chicago to Boston, and finally to Jersey...and my Dad. He is so proud of that ivy. It is one of the few things he has deemed "important." It was worth the dumpster dive, Ken...he treasures it.

It has become apparent that he has given up. He goes through the motions of eating, but only because we are there to push him. A food he ate today, may be something he won't even consider tomorrow. Yesterday was the first time he mentioned actual pain. Could it be the cancer is starting to rear its ugly head.. I don't know. I do know he has been lucky to be in so little pain thus far.

He cries so easily now. Goodbyes are increasingly painful for all of us. There no longer is any joy in the visits. We do what we need to do because of the man he was. He deserves this...and so much more.

But at the end of the day...I miss my Dad.

Love you Pops.

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Aurora: A Few Days Later

 Friday morning, right after getting word about the shooting, I wrote a blog of my thoughts at the moment. Two days later, I thought I might revisit the tragedy.

We now know 70 people were shot, 12 are dead. Senselessly murdered.

Jessica Ghawi
Alex Sullivan
Jonathan Blunk
John Larimer
Matt McQuinn
Micalya Medek
Jesse Childress
Alexander Jonathan Boik
Alex Teves
Rebecca Ann Wingo
Gordon W. Cowden
Veronica Moser-Sullivan

Strangers who never met in life, are forever united in death. Each of these people had a life, a family, a story.

The final chapter of Alex Teves life will reflect he died to save another. The same is true of Jonathan Blunk and Matthew McQuinn. How any of us would react in the face of madness is anyone's guess. These three men made a split second decision which allowed another life to continue...as they lost their own.

No story is more haunting than that of Jessica Ghawi. At the scene of a previous mass shooting last month in Toronto, instinct saved her from being a victim there. As a person who has always lived by "trusting my gut," her death just weeks later by a mass murderer is extremely disturbing. And as someone who has watched too many episodes of "Lost" and "Fringe."  it makes me wonder if the timeline of her life was altered in Toronto and corrected in Aurora. Was her fate predetermined? That is something we can never hope to know or understand.

In the days, weeks and months ahead the focus of this tragedy will move from the victims to the alleged killer. For the families and friends of the dead, the horror of this event has only begun.

This Sunday morning, just take a minute to think of those lost. And to remember no one moment in your life is too be squandered.

Life is to be lived.
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A Dark kNight in Denver

With the "Dark Knight" comes a very dark day. A little over 10 miles away from Columbine, scene of the horrific 1999 school massacre, another mass shooting has taken place. This time, a packed movie theater in Denver became the center of what had to be a terrifying event completely unimaginable.

A dark theater, a smoke bomb, shots. Then comes the realization this is not a special effect, and you are trapped by a lunatic. At this time twelve people are dead, close to forty wounded and the alleged shooter is in custody. The next few days will tell us his story. Will it be the quiet man who snapped, or the nut case everyone knew was a ticking time bomb. It doesn't matter.

In one instant, another part of mundane American life has been taken away. If it happened there, could it happen here. It is now another place where before we would go to without a thought...and now we will think about it. It took a long time after 9/11 for anyone in the New York area to go through any of the tunnels or over the bridges, without giving a double take to the rent-a-truck driving beside you. Even if you are not directly involved in them, these incidents affect you.

In a week, most people outside of the Denver area will return back to their everyday lives. This latest shooting will be pushed into the back of the mind. Life goes on. But the next time you are in a dark, enclosed theater and a door slams loudly, or a light blows out...the hairs on the back of your neck will stand up.

We are all forever changed...again.

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A Stunningly Bad Idea

An iPhone cover that turns into a stun gun. ok. Am I the only person who thinks this is a little...crazy.

Short version of the story: After an Army Reservist was attacked in his home, he created a cover for his iPhone which will send a 650K volt of electricity at someone. But could that someone be...you?

See, here is my problem. At any given time of the day, let's just say in NYC, there are thousands of idiots walking down the street with an iPhone to their ear, aware of nothing going on around them. Again, at any given time of the day, a bad guy AKA an evildoer, grabs the iPhone out of the idiots hand and runs away. Now if the idiot had the stun gun cover and tried to get back his phone, the bad guy AKA evildoer, could use the stun gun on ...the idiot.

Can't wait for the first lawsuit to come out of that sequence of events. Not to mention another one the first time someone zaps his own ear with it.

This cover is not yet into production, they are still trying to raise funding for it...quite ingeniously, on the internet. It will cost $125. There is no doubt in my mind, this will be a huge success. The marketing video for the Yellow Jacket has the co-founder relating his personal experience of being accosted and though having firearms and a stun gun in his home...he was helpless because they were not at arm's reach.

It all sounds great until you think of just how many people in reality may be carrying around these mini-stun guns. There are a lot of crazy people out there and you know they will be the first in line to buy them. And how about when they start showing up in places they would normally be prohibited...like airplanes, courthouses or other sensitive areas. Won't that be fun.

The Yellow Jacket website contains all the suitable cautions and disclaimers, but I can't help but think it will only take one malfunction or incident where someone is tasered by accident, for the lawmakers to introduce a law to ban them.

Will it be something both sides of the aisle can agree on?
Well, that would be a shock.

And that's the latest...buzzzzz.
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I'm Melting....

Is it just me, or is everyone starting to get a bit testy from the heat?

I am not a hot weather girl. I am not a cold weather girl either. Perfect for me would be 70 degrees, no humidity and a little breezy. I love windy days. Does such a place exist...well if it does, it certainly ain't close to Jersey.

Now I know this heatwave is all over the country and everyone is suffering and I should just suck it up like the rest of you. Well, that would be just fine except for the fact that I write a blog or two...and that gives me the right to bitch. It's practically a mandate.

So this past winter was mild with no snow. Was kind of hoping summer would be a bit cooler than usual. But, no. Hitting ninety seems to be the norm lately. And of course the AC in the bedroom decided to take an extended lunch break. A problem with a sensor I think, it happened a year or so ago, and I wrote down the sequence to restart it. Unfortunately, my handwriting is closer to hieroglyphics and I can't read it. So this morning there will be a phone call to the manufacturer, which will take me on a path of talking to a computer, holding, transferring to another computer and eventually a stroke...at my end. ugh

Normally I am not a moody person. Bitchy, for sure...but not moody. What I am however, is increasingly short-tempered. I can go from 0-190 in about three seconds. Pretty it is not. Heat and the current stress level in my life has made me a little...cranky.

Just a warning. As the temperatures rise today, and I am forced to leave my climate controlled cocoon, there may be more than just the weather heating up.

And to those who say there's no such thing as global warming...I would usually say "go suck an egg," but today I'll say "go fry an egg."

...on the sidewalk.

Asking For Help: It's An Animal Thing

Time to try to do a little good today. Take it for what it is.

If you know me, you know my love for animals, especially dogs and horses. If you don't know me, look at the picture. Her name is Hershey and she is a rescued treasure. Years ago if you adopted an animal out of a shelter, they were called strays. In this politically correct world, they are now called rescues. It's one of the few PC statements I agree with. The only question is who rescues who?

So here it is. As we all know, the economy is still in the toilet. The fact remains many humane shelters across the country are facing a losing battle in receiving the funding necessary to keep them up and running. One of these shelters is the Pike Country Humane Society in northeast Pennsylvania.

We have a weekend place in the Poconos and over the years, I have read with alarming frequency just how badly the PCHS has struggled year after year. The state cuts funding every year and just like everything else, costs increase dramatically. The PCHS has not been sitting back on their hands and doing nothing. They have come up with some of the most creative fundraisers you could think of. But right now, it is not enough.

The Pike County Humane Society will need to close its doors in three weeks, unless they receive enough donations to be able to continue. Director Barry Heim said "In the last year, we have taken in 50 percent more animals due to the economy, because people are losing their jobs, their homes, and end up having to move to places where landlords don't allow animals."

The PCHS was founded in 1963 and has a 93.6 percent adoption rate. These people do good work and need some help...fast.

Let's see what we can do.

If you can donate there are two ways.
Pike County Humane Society
PO #255
Milford, PA 18337
or online at: www.pikecountyhs.blogspot.com

IF you can't donate, please post this blog on your Facebook page or Tweet it or tell someone about it...please help to get the word out.

Animals are the best people...and they can't speak for themselves.
Help me do it for them.

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Random Thoughts From A Scattered Mind: Part Deux

It's been another week of crazy. Things are happening, some good, some not as much. But all in all, time is an issue. Never enough of it.

With so many things circling around in my brain, I know I don't have enough time to write a post about all of them, so today we have another installment of "Random Thoughts From A Scattered Mind." Just a few tidbits of things I've been thinking about.

On a serious note to start. I wasn't going to write about it at all, but the more I think on it, there is no way I can avoid it. Penn State. Joe Paterno to be exact. I'm not a big college football fan...pro yes, but I don't follow college games. But for some reason, I never liked Joe Paterno. So much blind devotion to the man kind of left me...bewildered. All everyone talked about was his legacy. To me,  there was something about him which did not resonate as true. Apparently, that thing was that he was a piece of shit. How is that legacy looking now? I hope there is a special place in hell for all these bastards who looked the other way and allowed so many lives to be ruined.. And for what...a goddamned trophy.

Next: So in a case of deju vu all over again, the US Olympic Committee has decided to dress our athletes for the upcoming games in uniforms made in, where else...China. I'm sorry, but didn't we go through this same shit at the last Olympics? In response to major criticism from...well everyone in America, the Olympic Committee responded. "Unlike most Olympic teams around the world, the U.S. Olympic Team is privately funded and we're grateful for the support of our sponsors," USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement released Thursday.

That sponsor would be Ralph Lauren. Worldwide company...didn't ya think there might me repercussions with this Made in China thing. Would it have been so very hard to contract a USA firm to make the uniforms? Does anyone even have a clue about PR...or more importantly, the right thing to do?

And for one last little tidbit.

All I can say to Katie Holmes is...well played, very well played.

Crime Is OK, Large Drinks...Not So Much

I don't live in New York City...I did for a while. I grew up a Jersey girl and for the time being...here I am again. However, I do venture into the City often enough to make the latest crime statistics a bit unnerving.

Growing up almost in the shadow of Manhattan, the pull of the city was strong. So much to explore, and I did. Actually, my mother first nurtured my love of the city when she would take to to Broadway matinees and lunch at a nice restaurant. As I got older, the music scene lured me, and I found myself at clubs where I shouldn't have been...at times when I should have been home. But that's just a part of growing up.

In all those trips into the city, never did I feel unsafe. Maybe naive, I always trusted my gut...and it never let me down. If you were smart, you were safe.

So now the third term Mayor of NYC is getting a rude awakening, and no matter how he tries to spin the numbers...violent crime is up in the city. Everyone who goes into the city with any regularity has seen the change over the past several years. While the Mayor has been focusing on salt content, smoking in the parks, trans fats and putting outdoor seating where cars used to drive...he has lost sight of the big picture.

While I'm not a smoker, it seems to me Central Park is big enough where if someone is offended by the smoke...they can move a few feet away. His latest crusade has been about oversized drinks. Again, not a fan, but when the hell was he appointed god of all things being consumed. And apparently, because a store like 7-11 is in a different category than a diner, you can buy a big gulp but not a large soda at the diner next door.

The real problem right now is people are getting shot...a lot of people. It's bad for business, it's bad for your health. While the Mayor may talk a good game about the increase in shooting as a 4th of July carryover, the fact remains that compared to last year, there is a 28.3% rise in shootings for the holiday period. The Mayor gets a little testy when asked about the rise in crime. He is so much more comfortable talking about taking away our right to choose what to eat.

This has been a hot summer, we still have a lot of summer left. Going forward, this rise in crime cannot continue. It's time for Police Chief Kelly and Mayor Bloomberg to get the police back to where they are needed and stop policing things like our civil rights.

By the way, can you take care of this real soon...I plan to be in NYC tomorrow.
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Who The Hell Is This Higgs Anyway?

When I was young, I loved looking at the stars. Not unusual I know, but at one point I even thought about a career in astronomy.  That brief desire lasted until I realized just how... scientific astronomy is. It's physics and mathematics and some other stuff that probably ends with ics as well. Around 3rd grade is about when I realized I was better at the English language than I was with any subject dealing with adding, subtracting or theorizing.

Over the years, I would try to watch these scientific programs on the Discovery channel about the formation of the universe. Fascinating... for the first five minutes until my eyes would glaze over. Now, I consider myself to be somewhat intelligent (let's not bicker about exactly to what degree) and try as I might, I cannot understand what the hell they are talking about. For the longest time, I thought it was just me. Then I started asking friends who were watching these shows with me. "Interesting isn't it," I would ask. "Yes" they would always answer. But when I asked if they understood what they had just watched...aha, the answer would usually be "well, not really."  The defense rests.

Which brings me to today. Several times during the day I have heard the name Higgs Boson. Now I was pretty busy all day and I just assumed something had occurred and this was a person involved in an event. Out of the loop...it happens to me all the time. Then the name started showing up in twitter jokes, and it was trending on twitter. Think it might be time to google it.

According to Wikipedia...

"The Higgs boson is an elementary particle within the Standard Model of particle physics. It belongs to a class of particles known as bosons. On July 4, 2012, CERN announced the formal confirmation that a particle "consistent with the Higgs boson" exists, since its signature was detected in the data with a very small probability of 0.00003% (five sigma) of being produced by random fluctuations; however, particle physicists still need to verify that it is indeed the expected boson and not some other, possibly undiscovered, particle."

Well alright then. I definitely found out what the definition means. 

It means I am on a need to know basis, and I am definitely not geeky enough to need to know. Chalk it up to genetics, too many years out of the educational system or to all those brain cells I destroyed prematurely. Whatever the reason, there is no way I will ever understand what this Higgs boson thing is, or what it means to the world. And frankly, I really don't care.

Now, I did what a journalist should do, I researched. Yes I know I only looked at the Wiki definition...not exactly research. But just like Clint said "you have to know your limitations." I know mine and when the first sentence of the definition has my head spinning, well no need to dig any deeper.

Curiosity satisfied, I can now ignore all tweets and emails about Higgs. And I'll be laughing when I hear discussions about how important a discovery this is...blah, blah, blah. I may just feel the need to stick my two cents in and ask, "But do you understand it?"

Don't think it will be my eyes glazing over this time.

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A Lesson About Sex: Don't Watch...Do

There are times when I just can't help myself.  First it was the urinals in Germany made to look like a woman's mouth. Then there was the Japanese guy who served up his own genitalia for dinner. I don't know why, but when that kind of story gets my attention, I feel the need to comment on it.

Well, the latest story which has caught my eye is this guy from India who gets headaches from watching porn. This 24 year old unmarried man has been getting unbearable headaches within five minutes of turning on the skin flicks. The study of his case was published in the June issue of the Archives of Sexual Behavior, and states the man had no previous history of headaches or other medical issues. The study mentions the headaches did not occur when the man was actually having sex....either alone or with a partner.

Am I missing something here? Call me crazy, but I was always under the impression that watching porn more often than not, led to having sex...either alone or with a partner. So instead of doing what, excuse the expression, comes naturally...this guy went to the doctor. This doctor was intrigued, so he brought in another doctor and voila, a case study is born. By the way, the man was treated with pain meds and lived to view another movie or two.

Do we applaud this man for having the nerve to visit his doctor with this odd symptom, or do we just snicker and ask "what the hell is wrong with him?" Me...I'm of the inclination to say he's an idiot. If you have come to the realization that you get a headache from watching porn but not having sex...just have sex, either alone or with a partner.

Some problems in life just need to be worked out on their own...either alone or with a partner.

Popcorn, anyone?

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