tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31233658538239668552024-03-14T02:00:18.562-04:00Kat's Theory of LifeLife, as it should be.
Yeah, but it isn't. So here are some observations about
a) What's wrong with it,
b) How it can be improved, and
c) How good it feels to bitch about it.
End result:
Life as it should be...in other words, a slice of life that tastes a whole lot like pizza.Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.comBlogger314125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-3958137503347445882021-05-03T13:00:00.000-04:002021-05-03T13:00:43.459-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h1 style="text-align: left;">Take an Early Morning Drive with Me</h1><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Txp4MdTNCQ8/YJAn2Cg0BWI/AAAAAAAADu4/kJFs_j31J7gSOqicwFms3o4rMlcvIdzHACLcBGAsYHQ/s750/179231383_795611817739577_7545284090502651213_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="750" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Txp4MdTNCQ8/YJAn2Cg0BWI/AAAAAAAADu4/kJFs_j31J7gSOqicwFms3o4rMlcvIdzHACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/179231383_795611817739577_7545284090502651213_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>There's a certain softness to it, the morning light. Depending on how early it is, the sun is really just a supporting player. The main role is played by the earth. Oh Sunny will take over in importance soon enough, but before She looks down at us with a harsh glare, Momma Earth stretches gently, giving us a nudge to get moving.</p><p>I've always been a morning person, my body wakes up and is ready to go. This puts me at odds with my love of all things requiring my eyes to remain open late into the night. It's a battle I have been losing as I get older. One of the few pluses of a pandemic is there haven't been any reasons to be out late looking for fun and a touch of trouble. I am curious if I'll be able to get my game back once the music scene returns to something near normal. sigh. But I digress.</p><p>Back to mornings.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jetYYeRQJ78/YJAnF_RFj7I/AAAAAAAADuM/iVYM8Oc0BuYzMOgdFblUanDpcGJfMldswCLcBGAsYHQ/s750/179459961_305181997683302_4525912840514475909_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="750" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jetYYeRQJ78/YJAnF_RFj7I/AAAAAAAADuM/iVYM8Oc0BuYzMOgdFblUanDpcGJfMldswCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/179459961_305181997683302_4525912840514475909_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Slightly foggy morns are the best. Not dangerous fog, just a sheer curtain where everything looks airbrushed and peaceful. The radio station needs to be something mellow. Whether it's Richie Havens singing "Here Comes The Sun" or James Taylor with Carolina on his mind, it always seems something appropriate comes on to make me savor the moment. </p><p>Pull over. Take a minute to breathe, maybe take a photo. Then as the light changes ever so slightly, it's time to get back in gear and drive.</p><p>It's not a day for a road trip, only an hour drive. By the time I get to my destination, the road will be filled with cars, the sun will be giving me the side-eye, and the morning will have lost her magic. </p><p>But it was long enough to hear Bill Withers telling me it's gonna be a "Lovely Day." </p><p>Yep.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d-HkcK1DVEw/YJAq_LlsFII/AAAAAAAADvI/OgLt7gvIP4gJpsjxAS_KQ8eS13k3LTSgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/179793326_1029644034108752_6138080521603632614_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d-HkcK1DVEw/YJAq_LlsFII/AAAAAAAADvI/OgLt7gvIP4gJpsjxAS_KQ8eS13k3LTSgACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/179793326_1029644034108752_6138080521603632614_n.jpg" /></a></div><p>Thanks for riding shotgun. It's been a long, long time since I put anything down in this space. A couple of years actually. Been feeling for a bit that it's time to come back. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-49416706243793526702018-03-25T08:30:00.002-04:002018-03-25T08:30:25.542-04:00I Have Not Forgotten<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Truly I am stunned.<br />
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So many of us have forgotten or perhaps never knew, what it's like to be young, self-assured, and determined to grab the world by the balls. And to make the world listen. I haven't.<br />
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Yesterday as I watched millions of adults, both young and old, walk the walk and talk the talk, I read on facebook, the words of those who have forgotten what it's like to seize the moment. Words saying these children are not even adults, how dare they tell adults they don't agree with them, How dare they try and tell adults what to do. How dare they think for themselves. Or worse, they are being used by liberals as tools in their agenda. Yes they have forgotten.<br />
<br />
They have forgotten that it's the next generation's job to question their elders. It's the next generation's job to change the world they are going to inherit. God knows it's pretty fucked up right now so don't try and argue that they don't have the right to try and make a difference.<br />
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No, at their young age, these kids have learned more than just a basic educational curriculum at school. They have learned they can die there. They have seen their friends die there.<br />
<br />
Have you?<br />
<br />
Until you have, until you have hidden in a classroom while hearing gunshots outside the door, until you have watched your best friend have her face shot off while standing next to you, until you run through hallways filled with blood and dead bodies, until then - get out of the way. There are survivors whose voices and experience count for a whole lot more than yours.<br />
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I believe in the 2nd Amendment. I also believe in the freedoms that this country offers. I also believe in the right to go to school unafraid.<br />
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These words, written a long time ago, say it in a way I could never hope to achieve.<br />
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<i><b> "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.<br />
<br />
Life.<br />
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These young adults are making their choice. They are making their voices heard. They are more involved in shaping their future than most of us ever were.<br />
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When our Congress did nothing after Sandy Hook, we knew it would take something earthshaking for change to take place. It just may have in Parkland, Florida. And to speak directly to The Newly Press, yes there is a paradigm shift. It's called sane reasoning and the clarity of vision to realize the status quo is not acceptable.<br />
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A new generation takes up the fight. They have the power of their voices, they have the power of their number, and soon if not already, they have the power of their vote.<br />
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As we said back in the time when my generation was the one questioning authority...<br />
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"Power to the people, right on."...John Lennon. Killed by gun violence 12/8/80<br />
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:<br />
<br />Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-62327411617217349472017-06-29T09:39:00.000-04:002017-06-29T09:39:08.394-04:00A Few Toasts, A Few Tears<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>"Been talkin' 'bout the way things change</i></div>
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<i>And my family lives in a different state</i></div>
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<i>If you don't know what to make of this</i></div>
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<i>Then we will not relate."</i></div>
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..."Rivers and Roads" by The Head and the Heart</div>
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Cosmic change can be felt in a profound manner or in a very simple one. An example being when heartbreak and happiness collide and the result is a salty drop of water falling down your cheek.</div>
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Though there's a lot more happiness than sadness as part of the family moves to be closer to their integral family, there is also the realization a twenty minute car ride won't put me at their front door ever again. </div>
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And so it goes.</div>
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Last night a going away dinner of sorts was attended by most of the immediate family. As per family rules, it was loud, dripping with sarcasm and included copious amounts of food and wine.What it didn't include was a selfie to preserve the moment. That will be in our hearts and memories. It was close to the perfect sendoff. The invisible <a href="http://katstheoryofmusic.blogspot.com/2014/06/an-empty-chair.html" target="_blank">empty chair</a> where my Dad would have presided with pride over his family, was still a presence in our hearts. Next month will be five years he's gone and I must admit he's been giving me more than a few pokes in the ribs lately.</div>
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So now a new chapter begins. I now have a new excuse for a road trip. And more of an appreciation for the 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' adage. </div>
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Nothing stays the same, so embrace the new norm and enter a new address in the GPS.</div>
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Still gonna miss you all. xxxxo</div>
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Dad's story is <a href="http://katstheory.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-dads-journey-road-home.html" target="_blank">here</a></div>
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Mom's story is <a href="http://katstheory.blogspot.com/2012/09/growing-wings.html" target="_blank">here</a></div>
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Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-36263241381782503502015-07-15T10:14:00.000-04:002015-07-15T10:14:13.008-04:00Lady's Last Chapter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You may remember the story from about a year ago of an older dog who had been surrender to a shelter when she couldn't adjust to a new home with multiple small dogs, and who was then re-adopted and ran away, only to walk thirty miles back to the family who surrendered her. That family refused to take her back so she was returned to the pound.<br />
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That story then took an interesting turn. Helen Rich, heiress to the Wrigley gum fortune, heard about the dog and almost instantly dispatched her private plane to rescue her. There was a photo of the dog looking out the window of the private jet, and we could only wonder what was going through her mind.<br />
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Helen renamed the dog "Lady," and from all accounts over the past year, that's what she was. The two bonded and Lady quickly grew accustomed to her new life with five other dogs and a number of cats in the 11,000 sf home. Helen Rich is the founder of Wings of Angel Rescue and has over 300 rescue dogs, cats, cattle, horses, exotic birds and other animals in custom designed shelters on her ranch in Florida.<br />
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For almost a year, Lady was at Helen's side. They say rescue dogs always know they have been given a second chance, having had one, I would tend to agree. Helen said that Lady was always her dog, it just took a while for them to find each other.<br />
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A few weeks ago Helen posted that Lady was ill. Of course she was given the best of care available, but there are things in life no amount of assets can overcome. And so it was with Lady.<br />
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After spending one last night in her own bed and with Helen beside her, Lady was released from her suffering.<br />
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One dog's life. Funny how the first decade or so mattered to so few, and the last year, with the help of an angel, touched so many. Lady was lucky, but I would think that Helen felt even luckier.<br />
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Each year tens of thousands of dogs and cats are put down for no other reason than there is no room. No room in the shelter and no room in our hearts. If you are thinking of getting a pet, consider a rescue. People give away dogs to shelters for many reasons, the least of which is they are bad dogs. If you ever go into a shelter and actually read the reasons for surrender, your heart will break. Getting divorced, moving, got a puppy and they don't get along, no time... I could go on, but let's just say people, not the dogs, suck. Lady won the lottery, but the same is true for all dogs adopted into a loving home. Trust me, you rescue them and they rescue you. Woof.<br />
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Easy Journey Lady.<br />
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.Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-37153557899080904232015-06-15T13:37:00.002-04:002015-06-15T13:37:33.117-04:00The Sea World Commercial Makes Me Just Want To Spit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Does anyone else get as pissed off as I do every time you see the Sea World commercial with the two trainers trying convince themselves of the bullshit they are reciting about what a great place Sea World is for whales and other sea creatures? Yeah, that.<br />
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Honestly, it makes me just want to punch the screen. Really. Let's take a look at what they say, and what it really means.<br />
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<b>They haven't captured whales from the oceans in over thirty-five years.</b> What that really means is that most every one of their whales has never had the chance to actually swim in the ocean. They have spent their entire life within the Sea World compound. They are sea creatures who have never experienced swimming in the sea.<br />
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<b>Our whales are thriving.</b> Is there anyone alive who can really believe that creatures who are meant to live without boundaries and can travel 100 miles a day, are really "thriving" in a tank with a maximum depth of 50 feet and about 350 feet in length. Or think about a 100 mile play area vs. 1.5 acres. Yeah, I'll bet they're thriving.<br />
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<b>Our whales live as long as their wild counterparts</b>. Well hold on there Nelly, 30- 50 years is considered the average life expectancy in the wild, with females living considerably longer than males. Orcas in captivity have a median age expectancy of 12-16. While the Sea World whales are living longer than before, their quality of life is nothing but dismal. There can be no justification for having an intelligent mammal confined to swimming in circles for its entire existence, only to be brought out for shits and giggles in front of throngs of vacationers too giddy to think of the environment the animal has to endure.<br />
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<b>We love them. And we know you love them too.</b> You know, I think that is the part of the commercial that bothers me the most. That toothy smile on the woman who ends off the commercial is such a bullshit psychological ploy it makes me sick. No, I don't <i>love </i>the whales, I respect them as fellow creatures on this planet who should live as they were meant to live.<br />
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What is the old saying... If you love someone, set them free. Yes, I wish they would.Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-47628841604881579782015-06-04T19:50:00.000-04:002015-06-04T19:50:43.225-04:00Ladies, Start Your Engines: The "Little Pink Pill" Gets Approved<br />
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Yes I know. It's been quite some time since I've posted anything new here. Truth be told I haven't found too many things all that interesting lately. Ok, I've been lazy. That too. But today there it was on TV, my haha moment that just needed to be addressed.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://qz.com/420496/the-little-pink-pill-us-women-finally-get-their-own-sex-drive-treatment/" target="_blank">"The Food and Drug Administration’s advisory panel backed flibanserin, made by Sprout Pharmaceuticals, after a lengthy review. The advisors approved the little pink pill on condition that Sprout tries to reduce the risks of side effects, such as low blood pressure, dizziness, and fainting. The FDA had previously rejected the drug twice because of the side effects."</a></i></div>
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Flibanserin, also known as "the little pink pill," is the female equivalent of Viagra. I think we are all aware of the purpose of "the little blue pill."<br />
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Here is a partial list of Viagra's side effects:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>sudden vision loss</li>
<li>ringing in your ears, or sudden hearing loss</li>
<li>chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling</li>
<li>irregular heartbeat</li>
<li>swelling in your hands, ankles, or feet</li>
<li>shortness of breath</li>
<li>vision changes</li>
<li>feeling light-headed, fainting</li>
<li>penis erection that is painful or lasts 4 hours or longer</li>
</ul>
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Of course the last one on the list is the one that gets all the press... and the jokes. But let's compare the two lists. Viagra was approved in 2002 with a list of side effects that can leave you deaf, blind and hard as a rock, while the female version (Girosa will be the trade name) might lower your blood pressure, make you a little dizzy or possibly make you faint. Are they freakin' kidding me? If that pill works like it supposed to, I'm thinking low blood pressure is not gonna be an issue.</div>
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Does it seem weird to any of you that when the girls finally get the fun pill that the boys have had for over a decade, the FDA decided that they need to work on its side effects? Fainting vs. Vision Loss; Dizziness vs. a <i>4 Hour Hard On</i>. Really? </div>
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I don't know about you, but I'm calling bullshit on this whole FDA approval thing. </div>
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Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-15615983135057231012015-04-03T08:53:00.003-04:002015-04-03T09:27:04.314-04:00Tolerance; Remember That?<b>tolerance [tol-er-uh ns] </b><br />
<br />
noun<br />
<i>1.</i><br />
<i>a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, beliefs, practices, racial or ethnic origins, etc., differ from one's own;freedom from bigotry.</i><br />
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It seems to me, we all used to have a lot more of it.<br />
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If there was a kid who was nerdy, dorky...someone who saw things or did things differently, you gave him the side eye, maybe busted his chops once in a while, but he was tolerated. He wasn't bullied into taking his own life.<br />
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If you were a little/lot more liberal/conservative than others, you still listened to their point of view, and maybe just sometimes, you found common ground. Different views were tolerated. Just dismissing someone else's voice because it's not the same as yours does no one any good.<br />
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If your neighbor's faith was a different than yours, their right to worship was respected; it was tolerated. There was no fear you would be slaughtered for growing up with a different belief system.<br />
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And now we have the elected powers in so many states trying to enact laws for what should just be human decency. Tolerance. In an effort to offend no one, they have offended everyone.<br />
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And those who refuse to accept what the majority has already endorsed find themselves ostracized, even ruined. Right or wrong, where is the tolerance?<br />
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It is now a time of sound bites instead of news reports, text messages instead of conversation, reality TV instead of reality. We don't take the time to listen to one another or even think for ourselves. We read a Tweet and accept its message as truth... all 140 characters of it. Our tolerance for learning the entire story is gone.<br />
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Today begins a holy weekend for most people. None of us can change overnight, but we can each try and accept... ideas and people.<br />
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If you dig deep enough, you just might find a little tolerance.<br />
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.Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-84881828827325537222015-01-25T20:16:00.000-05:002015-01-25T20:16:14.749-05:00They Put what Up Where? It's Back for 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I apologize.<br />
Here we are going into the last week in January and I have yet to post the annual list of things that have become stuck in people's orifices. Or as I like to call it... <i>They stuck what up where?</i><br />
<br />
Yes indeed, the good people at <a href="http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/what-did-we-get-stuck-in-our-rectums-last-year-1673859332" target="_blank">Deadspin</a> have combed the data banks of hospital emergency rooms, so that we may shudder, wince and say "what in the serious fuck were these people thinking?"<br />
<br />
So in the immortal words of Flick, let's see what's "stuck, Stuck, STUCK!"<br />
<br />
Starting with the <b>Ear:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>a walkie-talkie antenna...<i>hello, hello, anybody home?</i></li>
<li>glow stick... <i>I expect if you look in the other ear you would see the light, because it's obvious there's no brain matter inside of that head</i></li>
<li>a tampon...<i>I would think the label gives directions for use, perhaps not.</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Nose:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>miniature hockey puck... <i>at least they didn't try a full sized one</i></li>
<li>10 sided dice... <i>when a six sided die just isn't enough</i></li>
<li>a lithium tablet... <i>clearly this person has other issues</i></li>
<li>"used a metal coat hanger to swat a bee off of his neck and coat hanger went up his nose"...<i>this is where I started to get confused</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Penis:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>"plastic spoon and perhaps a pencil"...<i>perhaps?</i></li>
<li>"stuck a nail in urethra and it migrated up into the bladder"... <i>eew, and painful</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Vagina:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>knitting needles...<i>I can't even</i></li>
<li>bag of crystal meth... <i>I think we can imagine the circumstances for this</i></li>
<li>bathtub stopper...<i> rub-a-dub-dub</i></li>
<li>10" steak knife... <i>who the hell would do this?</i></li>
<li>billiard ball... <i>was it the 8 ball?</i></li>
<li>"put a bag of money in the vagina to hide it from her husband"... <i>guess that was someplace he didn't have access to</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
And last but not least, the<b> Rectum:</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>air freshener...<i>someone didn't read the label</i></li>
<li>tent stakes..<i>. hope it was just for a pup tent</i></li>
<li>phone cord...<i>cell phone reception must have been spotty</i></li>
<li>ice pick...<i>what's the attraction to sharp, pointy objects?</i></li>
<li>rolled up stack of plastic trash bags... no comment</li>
<li>keys... <i>so you never lose them</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
People, y'all are messed up. Just stop. Oh and for you guys who "accidentally" fall on a toothbrush holder or can of spray paint or a turkey baster... ain't no one buying that shit.<br />
<br />
As usual this was... interesting. And we get to do it again next year.<br />
<br />
.Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-1422056463828166462015-01-04T21:27:00.001-05:002015-01-04T21:27:51.749-05:00A Few Weekend Observations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
After spending a relaxing weekend driving over 1000 miles throughout seven states, here are a few things I have noticed.<br />
<br />
People have no friggin' clue how to merge onto a highway. When cars on the highway are moving at 70-75 mph and you pull onto the highway doing 40, if I don't hit your ass, I'm gonna be cursing it out.<br />
<br />
People in New Hampshire take the 30 mph speed limit a little too seriously. In Jersey, we tend to take it as a suggestion, it works better that way.<br />
<br />
People, if I'm doing 75-80 mph, in a 65 mph zone, and the highway is basically empty except for me and you, I would appreciate if you would just pass me instead of riding up my ass.<br />
<br />
I truly hate driving in the state of Massachusetts. Crossing over the state line after driving forever through Vermont without a rest area in sight, the words "Welcome Station Exit 26" were like an oasis in the desert. Unfortunately Exit 26 leaves you off in the most congested retail/fast food area you could ever imagine. And not a sign, arrow or inkling of where the Welcome Station might be.<br />
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Again in Mass., we followed an exit sign pointing to a Seafood restaurant. Where the exit led us was an industrial park, with no further signage as to where the seafood restaurant or any of the other places advertised might be.<br />
<br />
When you are driving a Taurus, or a Mini Coop or any of a hundred small cars, can you just take the 3.5 minutes it takes to clean the snow off your damn roof. Do you not think when you are driving upwards of 80 mph that the snow you were too lazy to remove isn't gonna fly off into the cars behind you? I swear I avoided at least twenty sheets of ice and snow flying right toward me today.<br />
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It was encouraging to see windmills and solar panel fields throughout Vermont. Why can't this be done everywhere?<br />
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On a fun note...Where can you pull into the parking lot of a diner and hear "Wild Thing" blaring out the speakers? Tilton NH, that's where. The Tilt'n Diner is a total throwback to the 50s, 60s, 70s and it, and the food rocks.<br />
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Though not from the diner, dark chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce and toasted hazelnuts is a gift from the heavens.<br />
<br />
I don't know how to relax.<br />
<br />
<br />Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-88032723455049207312014-11-07T20:45:00.000-05:002014-11-07T20:45:18.451-05:00Yeah, A Bug Crawled Up ThereSo a few things have been annoying me lately.<br />
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Actually more than a few but let's face it, we all have lives so I'll just vent about a few.<br />
<br />
First up on my annoyance list are Linked-In whores. Ok, that's not their actual title but it's definitely their description. You receive an invitation to connect on Linked-In so you look at their profile. They don't seem to really have much in common with your line of work, or interests for that matter, but you accept their invitation anyway. Then over the course of the day, and the next and the next, if you happen to check your feed, you see that person has connected with 672 more people. Linked-In Whore. Seriously, the whole point of Linked-In was to connect people you might do business with, or might lead to someone you might do business with. It's not freakin' Twitter where it's all about your followers. Today may have been my fastest unlink ever. Whore.<br />
<br />
Next up are names of bands. Now listen up young band people. I covered the CMJ Music Marathon a few weeks back and in researching which bands I wanted to see, I would use the CMJ app and try to coordinate shows with days and times I would be available. Now the easiest way I found to check out the bands was to just go to Youtube and type in their name. It's better than going to the bands websites and navigating pages to find some video. But a problem comes about when bands have names that are really names of other things. Like Fishing, or Northern Lights for example. Punch those babies into Youtube and you know what you get? Videos on How to Fish, and really breathtaking stuff of the Northern Lights. The bands... yeah, didn't find them. So I moved onto the next band. So here's my advice for naming a band: Something original and unusual. Just a thought.<br />
<br />
Speaking of music. Publicists, if you're gonna inundate me daily about your clients, when I actually reply and ask you a question about the band... you might want to respond.<br />
<br />
Finally, I received a letter from my health insurance company last week telling me to expect a phone call from someone who will be my "health advocate" or some crap like that. They will discuss my present health, how often I visit a doctor, if I got a flu shot, blah, blah, blah. So I get a call yesterday and by the look of the number on caller ID, I figured it was them. And it was... sort of. It was an automated call asking if I was who they were calling. Yes, yes I am. OK, PLEASE HOLD FOR THE NEXT AVAILABLE AIDE. Da Fuck? ALL OUR AIDES ARE CURRENTLY ASSISTING OTHER CUSTOMERS, PLEASE HOLD. Are you kidding me? A bot calls me and expects me to hold on while the real people are talking with other people. Here's a novel idea: HAVE A REAL PERSON ACTUALLY CALL ME.<br />
<br />
Feeling better. I think that's enough for tonight.<br />
<br />
.<br />
<br />
<br />Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-22381998646203833362014-09-20T21:32:00.000-04:002014-09-20T21:32:11.043-04:00A Fishy SituationWhy is it whenever you have a limited amount of time to get something done, you end up surrounded by incompetent morons?<br />
<br />
Case in point, Friday afternoon I had a small window of time to run out and get a few errands done. Food shopping at Shop-Rite was one of those errands. First thing on the list was to hit the fish department for some clams for Saturday night's dinner. Because the deli area/fish department can be crowded, I ran over there first to see how much time it would take.<br />
<br />
Good news, only one woman in front of me and she's in the middle of her order. How long can it take right? Unlike cold cuts where someone might order four or five different items, fish purchases are usually only one or two items.<br />
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It seemed that the worker was taking a longer time to get the fish together than was necessary, but whatever, how long could it take right? Ok, she finishes with that item and the customer orders something else. A dozen craw-fish. A dozen crawfish. Now a dozen crawfish aren't really enough to do anything much with, but that's not my business. My business was watching the worker attempt to reach the crawfish which were in a plastic bowl toward the front of the refrigerated case.<br />
<br />
Now if it was me, I would grab that plastic bowl out of the case so I would not need to reach into it. But no. The worker decided to reach in and... stretching as far as she could and grabbing them ONE BY ONE.<br />
<br />
I stood there in total disbelief. I looked at the woman whose order was being filled and by the look on her face, this did not seem odd. That might have been even scarier than the idiot behind the counter. So after reaching into the case twelve separate times, the order was complete and it was my turn.<br />
<br />
Two dozen Little Neck clams. I thought I might lose it completely if I saw her start to grab one clam at a time, but no, something even better. There were three types of clams for sale and she did not know the difference between them. So as I stood there mentally hearing the tick-tock of minutes passing, she decided her day was too tough, gave up, and called over another worker to complete the order.<br />
<br />
It should have taken maybe seven minutes for the woman in front of me to finish her order, and mine to be filled as well. It took twenty.<br />
<br />
Tick Tock.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-31466989560845092072014-09-08T19:48:00.000-04:002014-09-08T20:18:30.789-04:00No Kidding Around<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not these Kids</td></tr>
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I don't have kids.<br />
<br />
I may have mentioned that a hundred or more times, but in case any of you may have forgotten, I don't. Never wanted them, not a kid person, give me a dog any day of the week. Oh zip it all you parents looking down your noses, I believe we should all... in the words of Dirty Harry, "know our limitations."<br />
<br />
I know mine, and it was never gonna be wiping someone else's ass for two years. And while that was indeed something that entered my mind many times when I was young enough to consider having kids, it was more of the knowledge of really not being cut out for it, and not able to cope with the 24/7, 365 day, twenty year commitment.<br />
<br />
I did however become a step-monster of a fourteen-year old a shitload of years ago. I was lucky, he was great. Love and respect were never an issue, and I could not be more proud of the man he has become. That kiddo is now thirty-nine, and will soon become a father. This makes me a sort of step-grandmonster. Sort of.<br />
<br />
Now the family is pretty small, but what we do have are some extras. As in the step kind. So the question has come up on what we all want to be known as when the baby, who won't be showing up until the spring, gets around to talking to us. oy.<br />
<br />
Now those of you who know me can stop laughing right now. We all know some little crumb crusher calling me Granny ain't never gonna happen. I thought I remembered Joan Rivers saying when her grandson was born she wanted to be called Queen. Since the nickname I've embraced for many years has been Queen Bitch, it seemed a possible option.<br />
<br />
Then it came to me; I could really dig being in a store with this barely walking toddler and he or she calls out "Hot Stuff." Hell yeah. The parents-to-be seemed to be the only ones who thought this was not an unthinkable option... and that's why I love them both. Oh and my beautiful niece thought it was cool too... but then she always thought I was a kick-ass aunt.<br />
<br />
Most others thought it would be too hard for the baby to pronounce. I don't. So unless we can come up with something just as fabulous, Hot Stuff it is. This step-grandmonster is gonna rock.<br />
<br />
Just saying.<br />
<br />Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-56599954436360897252014-08-27T08:34:00.000-04:002014-08-27T08:34:17.745-04:00Doodle Dog Books: Teaching Lessons, Helping OthersFate. Destiny. Kismet.<br />
Some of us believe in it, others are skeptical. Think on this story for a minute.<br />
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Two kids go to the same middle school, junior high, and high school. They are even in classes together. They like the same music, a lot of the same activities, but never really connect on a one-to-one level. Years later, and I won't say how many, they finally get to talking at their high school reunion, and boom. No, it's not a love story, they are both happily married. It is a story though, well at this point, three stories actually.<br />
<br />
Jim Wood and Michele Quinn started writing children's books dealing with subjects which are difficult for kids to understand, like the loss of a pet, or childhood illness. The proceeds from their books go to charity, so not only are they helping children with their stories, they are helping causes near and dear to their hearts.<br />
<br />
The first Doodle book aided a family overwhelmed with medical expenses, the second benefited an animal shelter, and profits from their latest book, <b>Doodle: When Times Get Ruff</b>, will go to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio<br />
<br />
Jim Wood is a writer, musician, dad, brother and friend. We've known each other online and in person for a few years now, and the work that he and Michele are doing is way beyond cool. Michele is a teacher, illustrator and a mom, so when you put the two of them together, how can these books be anything short of fabulous.<br />
<br />
I recently had the chance to speak with both Jim and Michele about the journey of the Doodle Dog books. Please read the interviews, then check out the links at the end and order a few books.<br />
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<b>Kath: The proceeds from the first Doodle book were donated to Ashley’s Army, to benefit the family of a child who had been undergoing cancer treatment. Is there an update on Ashley and how she’s doing?</b><br />
Michele: She’s actually doing very well. I’m happy to say the bone marrow transplant was successful. Her numbers are not 100% yet, but they are so close that we can taste it, and she’s actually going to be walking with us at the Be the Match Walk & Run to raise funds for bone marrow transplants.<br />
<br />
<b>You’re involved in a whole bunch of charity endeavors. Where did the feeling that you should do so much to help others come from?</b><br />
Michele: It really started in college, I became involved with my Honor Society where we did fundraising, worked with the Red Cross, assisting homeless people to find homes by sharing a home with somebody who was willing to take them in. Then I became a mom and I couldn’t just stay at home, and I started doing everything I could for my son’s school, volunteering from there. It’s just important for me to give back.<br />
<br />
<b>The second book “Doodle Meets the Pound Pup” was sort of based on your puppy. How did you ever get through the creative process?</b><br />
Michele: We kind of collaborated on that one, and yes it was a difficult book to get through. It took a long time to do the illustrations. I was crying all the time, but I felt it needed to be done. As a teacher and a parent, I noticed in children’s literature, there’s not a lot out there for dealing with those things, of dealing with the death of a loved one. So that’s one of the reasons we’re doing what we’re doing, to deal with some of those difficult circumstances that kids face now.<br />
<br />
<b>It’s very true, you can talk to a child and try to explain it, but sometimes if they see a picture and the story is written in a basic child’s voice, I think they can grasp it, and it seems more ok. If it’s written down, then someone else must have had this happen to them.</b><br />
Michele: Right, and one of the key things I’ve tried to keep, especially with the second and third books, coming again from an education standpoint and child psychology, we tried to take a lot of that pain and push it to the dog, transfer it. We’re going to deal with the friend’s friend, but we’re going to put the heavy stuff on the dog. It removes the heavy burden from the child. And it’s a book, so the child can look at it on their own and can process it in their own time.<br />
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<b>The profits from the second book went to an animal shelter and the proceeds from the third are going to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio. How did that partnership come about?</b><br />
Michele: My neighbor, Ryan Wilkins is the Community Relations & Marketing Director, and I knew him from our FaceBook Community Page. Jim wanted to donate some books to a children’s hospital and I said my neighbor works for Ronald McDonald house, do you want me to give them to him, and that’s how I actually met his wife. So it just came up through there.<br />
<br />
<b>What’s been the best experience about this whole collaboration on the Doodle books?</b><br />
Michele: It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to write a children’s book, and when Jim mentioned that he’d like to write a kid’s book someday, I said well I think I know someone who can illustrate, and it was that simple and that’s kind of how it fell into place. I’m fulfilling something I’ve wanted to do since I was a little girl, but honestly, the best part of it is that we’re doing it to give something to other people. We’re able to take the talent that we have, and do something for other people in a quiet way. With one project, we were able to give help to a family in desperate need, then for the animals, and now for the Ronald McDonald House, where Ashley’s family had to stay for two months, so it’s all connected. So that’s the best part of it for me<br />
<br />
Then I spoke with Jim Wood.<br />
<br />
<b>Kath: The first book was about a little girl checking things out in the world and wondering if God was responsible for each part of it. What made you take a spiritual entrance into the series?</b><br />
Jim: As I started writing, it was something that just came into my head. I thought about the girl and the dog and thought what could I do that’s kind of different? Just go out exploring the world “oh well, if this is like this, how can this be? How can a tree be?” Somebody made the trees, somebody made the grass, somebody made the rain, the seasons, somebody made us. Just basic fundamental questions of why are we here, what did this, and how wonderful it is that it happened, and here we are.<br />
<br />
<b>Now you are a music writer, an interviewer, and as both of us are, a ranter on your blog. How does your writing approach change when you’re writing a children’s book? Is there a different mindset that you go into it with?</b><br />
Jim: Actually I don’t think there is, because when I’m ranting I’m kind of in the mode that I feel like I could do whatever I want, but it seems whenever it’s time to write a children’s book it’s like flicking a switch. It just comes on… like, ok let’s try this, what’s this going to be about? We’ll start out by saying “let’s think about what we want to say. Like Chloe and the girl are playing and Christopher is a pain, the little kid thing. We’ll take things like that and turn them into rhyme. So it’s just like flipping a switch, it doesn’t really change at all, it’s just one way of looking at things.<br />
<br />
<b>Does the rhyming thing come natural to you?</b><br />
Jim: Oh absolutely, I come from a music background. Rhyming and songwriting and all that, it wasn’t a problem at all. The hardest part is trying to find something that hasn’t been done before, and trying to get words to rhyme that don’t normally rhyme, but kind of sound like it.<br />
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<b>As a writer I just have to ask, when you had your first book signing was there a moment when you thought that nobody would show up?</b><br />
Jim: There’s always that thought that comes into your head. Then as soon as the first person comes, as long as one person comes, that’s it. But there is that certain fear.<br />
<br />
<b>I asked Michele this same question; what has been the best experience about doing these books?</b><br />
Jim: Honestly, it’s working with her. As far as the back story goes, we hardly knew each other all the way through school. We went through middle school, junior high, high school. I didn’t know her, we never talked. It’s kind of sad because we missed out on all that, but in a way it’s good now because we’re adults and we get to work on things like these books, and get to help people. It’s given the books a purpose, and just doing them together has been the best experience for me. And now we have three, which is mind-boggling.<br />
<br />
<b>I have a dog question about this because Doodle is a Boston Terrier, and coincidentally or not, you have two of them, Doodle and Bruno. Now Doodle gets all the press while Bruno has only made an appearance in the latest book. Has this caused any problems at home?</b><br />
Jim: No, not all.<br />
<br />
<b>So Bruno is pretty happy for his brother?</b><br />
Jim: Yeah, he’s just happy to be a part of the story. He was tired of being in the shadows.<br />
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<b><br /></b>
<b>Jim and Michele are good people doing good work. Help them help others. If you have a child, the books are perfect. Don't have kids? Purchase one, two, five, or a dozen and give them to hospitals, libraries, day care centers, etc. This isn't a bucket challenge where you won't ever know where your money is going. All proceeds are going directly to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio. Helping out families of sick children. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Do a good thing, buy a book.</b><br />
<br />
To order a copy of the Doodle Dog books, click on the links below:<br />
<a href="https://www.createspace.com/3555995" target="_blank">Doodle</a><br />
A little girl and her dog explore the world around them and wonder how things were made.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.createspace.com/4444304" target="_blank">Doodle Meets the Pound Pup</a><br />
A heart-warming tale about the joys of animal adoption and coping with the loss of a beloved pet.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.createspace.com/4913123" target="_blank">Doodle: When Times Get Ruff</a><br />
"Doodle: When Times Get Ruff" tells the story of Chloe, a young girl who faces uncertainty when her younger brother Christopher becomes ill. With help and love from both family and friends, Chloe is able to overcome her fear.<br />
<br />
Follow <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DoodleDogBooks/info?ref=page_internal" target="_blank">Doodle Dog Books on FaceBook</a><br />
Jim Wood's Website: <a href="http://gojimmygo.net/">gojimmygo.net</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rmhc-centralohio.org/" target="_blank">Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio</a><br />
<br />
<br />Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-3023419286356257662014-08-26T07:52:00.000-04:002014-08-26T07:52:57.851-04:00Back-To-Back Award Shows, MehJust like Twitter is limited to 140 characters, I kind of limited the time I spent watching the VMAs and the Emmys to about 140 seconds. That was about all I could handle at any one time.<br />
<br />
So I can't actually say I watched either show, and can only comment that what I saw of each was excruciatingly awful. My views on them will be short, probably only a bit more than 140 characters.<br />
<br />
The VMAs: When did a big ass become the new big boobs standard? Does it now mean if a woman has both a big ass AND big boobs, she is now considered a Goddess? Asking for a friend.<br />
<br />
That is really all I have to say about the VMAs.<br />
<br />
The Emmys: Was it me or have the women started dressing really badly again? Girls, Less is Best. Not in the amount of material, but in how the material is being used. Way, way too much on the ruffles, draping, layering. oy. One red number: one shoulder,draping over the bust, cinched waist with beading on one side, more draping over the hips, more cinching at mid-thigh and a flouncy bottom. Really? Another pink flamingo number, and one black dress with so much badly added tulle over it, it looked like someone just decided to wrap it around her, like ten times.<br />
<br />
Fire your stylists and just take a look in the mirror.<br />
<br />
In all the rehearsals for this show, did any of the participants actually think the jokes were funny? Whenever I tuned in and caught one, I had to switch it off because they were not just bad, but dreadful. One thing about comedy, timing is everything. The greats have it, only one person I saw last night did.<br />
<br />
Billy.<br />
<br />
It wasn't his day to be funny, though along with the tears, his speech also brought a few smiles. When Robin died, we waited for what his friend Billy would have to say, and what he did say was perfect for that moment. "No Words." And it was true. He was called upon last night to choose a few, and with just the right mixture of joy and sadness, he spoke of the man he knew so well.<br />
<br />
And every word he said reminded us of how much sadder the world has become.<br />
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<br />
<br />
Robin Williams, what a concept.<br />
<br />
.<br />
<br />Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-25715810208898898372014-08-12T08:36:00.001-04:002014-08-12T08:36:41.134-04:00Robin Williams, From Laughter to Tears<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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He made me laugh.<br />
<br />
He made me laugh harder than anyone ever. He made me laugh to the point where I couldn't catch my breath. And now he's made me cry.<br />
<br />
As the first tweet came across last night, I hoped it was another internet hoax, but with the quote from the police, the report from his agent, and the sad words from his wife, it was apparently true.<br />
<br />
He was brilliant, watching him doing standup or acting in a film, there was no question he made great use of the voices inside his head. Unfortunately there were the dark voices too. We all have them, when you interact with writers and creative people as much as I do, you realize how many people struggle every day to live alongside them.<br />
<br />
I am not a huge movie person, but I will watch "The Birdcage," every time it's on to see him interact with Nathan Lane. And there was "Comic Relief," the charity event he did with Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal every year. The improvs between Billy and Robin were so ridiculously surreal, there were times when Whoopi looked as if she was holding on for dear life. But it was Robin who was trying to hold on.<br />
<br />
My uncle took his own life several years ago, and until then I hadn't really thought about how suicide affects everyone who knew the person. It shakes you down to your core and makes you question things you knew as the truth. How could we not have seen it coming? How did his heart become so dark that he could not see that he was loved.... that he <i>mattered</i> to us.<br />
<br />
Within an hour after his death was reported last night, social media lit up. It seemed 99.9% of the tweets and Facebook postings coming across were expressions of grief. It continued that way for hours. His genius touched the world as a whole, but it touched every one of us as well.<br />
<br />
Life is a balance. Was the pain Robin Williams endured through his lifetime the price he paid for the genius of his work? We can't know. We can only graciously accept all he gave us and hope his pain is gone.<br />
<br />
"“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”... Robin Williams<br />
<br />
Depression Lies. Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255<br />
<br />
Easy journey Robin.<br />
<br />
.Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-28220722663932568842014-07-21T15:59:00.000-04:002014-07-21T15:59:05.049-04:00You Guys Getting Enough Sleep on the Weekend? Didn't Think SoSocial Jet Lag.<br />
<br />
Haven't heard of it? Well, we've all experienced it. In fact, it's pretty much what we strive for every weekend. It's called paying the price for having fun.<br />
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According to an <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/21/social-jet-lag-mondays_n_5596375.html" target="_blank">article in today's Huffington Post</a>, when we stay up a <strike>little</strike> lot later on the weekend, we are throwing our circadian rhythm out of whack. To which I say "no shit Sherlock." Really, they need to do sleep studies to figure this out?<br />
<br />
Apparently in continuing the need to have a PC name for everything, we now have Social Jet Lag, or as it has been known in my circle... Partied Out. We all know if we stay up later than usual, we're gonna feel it the next day. And if you do it over the entire weekend, well, Monday comes and you're gonna be overtired and grumpy. Welcome to real life. Deal with it. Unfortunately Huff Post thinks we need to sleep more and party less. They have even set down some rules like:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Only booze one night of the weekend:</b> ???</li>
<li><b>No coffee after 2 pm:</b> So no coffee and booze only one day. Does not sound like a feasible plan</li>
<li><b>Get out in the sun: </b>After a party night? um... just say no</li>
<li><b>Exercise:</b> ???</li>
</ul>
<div>
There are a few more suggestions, but really, after reading the first one I've listed, can you even take it seriously?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Bottom line is one we've all learned a long, long time ago. If you play, you're gonna pay. Suck it up, down some Advils, keep the blinds drawn, and ease into the day. As for Monday morning? Shift into robot mode and arrive with the knowledge that everyone else feels the same way you do. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Social jet lag. According to Shelby Freedman Harris, director of Behavioral Sleep Medicine at Montifiore Medical Center in NYC, "It isn't necessarily a sleep disorder that we would actually diagnose someone with clinically, but it is a trend where we notice that people aren't sticking with the same sleep-wake schedule every day." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A trend? Like this is something new? I do believe people have been "Working For The Weekend," and looking to "Rock & Roll All Night, And Party Every Day," for as long as there has been a work week. And though I agree with Todd Rundgren's idea of "I Don't Want To Work, I Want To Bang On The Drum All Day," it is not recommended when nursing a hangover.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Party on.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-87150964771981817012014-07-12T13:50:00.001-04:002014-07-12T13:50:51.054-04:00It's the Coolest Cooler Ever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some things just suck me in.<br />
<br />
I'm sure a lot of you have seen the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryangrepper/coolest-cooler-21st-century-cooler-thats-actually" target="_blank">Kickstarter for the Coolest Cooler</a>, it's pretty much gone viral. If you haven't, here's the story.<br />
<br />
This inventor guy, Ryan Grepper, came up with a new cooler. Yeah, big whup. But this is no ordinary cooler. This one comes with a freakin' blender which works off a rechargeable battery. But wait, there's more. How about built-in waterproof speakers, USB port for charging your phone, LED lights inside the cooler for evening parties, bungee cords for hauling gear, separate compartments, plates/cutting board, knife, great wheels and a damn bottle opener. Are you kidding me?<br />
<br />
Here's the campaign video<br />
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<br />
<br />
The Kickstarter started with a goal of raising $50,000. In less than 36 hours, that goal was reached, and the money has not stopped pouring in. As I write this, the amount raised is OVER $3 MILLION DOLLARS. And, there are still 48 days to go in the funding period.<br />
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To say I am fascinated by this is an understatement. Grepper has already upped the ante with the updates for the next generation of Coolest Cooler. More color choices, better wheels and solar panels are all possibilities.<br />
<br />
The biggest question I have about this is, what took so damn long? How have we not seen the future of the cooler in such vivid detail before? Why were cooler manufacturers content to offer us the same boring crap year after year. And now that we see it is a feasible option, how can we live without one?<br />
I want one. Bad. So do 16,000+ other people who have invested in the Kickstarter.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately we will be waiting for a while for the prototype to become an retail item. But for the next 48 days, I'll be having the Coolest Cooler campaign page opened on my browser.<br />
<br />
It's just the Coolest.<br />
<br />
.Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-52454288654672115422014-07-09T18:45:00.002-04:002014-07-09T18:45:28.931-04:00It Got Weird After the Bird Broke Its Leg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Imagine this:<br />
<br />
You pull up to the private home where you will be working for the next several hours. Outside the door there is a bird on its back, lying on the ground unable to fly or stand, and it is crying.<br />
<br />
Oy.<br />
<br />
You call your friend who is in front of a computer for the number of the nearest wildlife rescue. Holy crap, there is a BIRD rehabilitation center in the same county, about a half hour away. Seriously, what are the odds?<br />
<br />
You forget about working for a while, place the bird in a nicely cushioned box, and use your GPS to find this off-the-beaten path wildlife sanctuary. You start talking to the man who was taking the bird, and find out he was originally from the same town you live in. And the same lake community. And the same street. You can't make this shit up.<br />
<br />
Also imagine you are a Yankee fan, your husband and son are Orioles fans, and take a wild guess what kind of bird it was. Yep, a species of Oriole.<br />
<br />
An Oriole saved by a Yankee.<br />
<br />
True story.<br />
Nah, nothing odd about it at all.<br />
<br />
p.s. we will find out Friday if the bird will be ok. News at 11.<br />
<br />
.<br />
<br />Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-44346091842992756232014-07-02T07:37:00.001-04:002014-07-02T07:37:32.449-04:00The Hurricane and the HolidayAs she emerges from her quiet, peaceful cocoon, she realizes she really doesn't have much to say. eh.<br />
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It's been a slow week or so. Really haven't done much other than yard work and seeing some relatives... and we don't need to go there. Other than brief glimpses of the news and what filters over the social media feeds, I haven't even paid a lot of attention. Honestly, I have no clue where the days have gone, only that it is now July.<br />
<br />
It's Freakin' July.<br />
<br />
It is however, getting close to the 4th of July Weekend. Yay USA. Oh sorry, we lost yesterday didn't we? Well that was rude, kicking us out before our national holiday celebrating our independence. Let's just say I am not a fan of watching however many men run up and down a field for 90 minutes and not one of them scoring. In real life, for those men, scoring would never be an issue. But I digress.<br />
<br />
So now that's over, and we can plan for the weekend's festivities. Oh wait... there's a hurricane coming up the east coast for the 4th? And they raised the gas prices even before the hurricane was in the picture.<br />
<br />
It seems we have a female four-star admiral for the first time in history, while the Supreme Court forgot about the separation of church and state. Can't wait for a religiously inclined corporation to try and deny blood transfusions and chemo, based on their beliefs. Think this shit ended with the decision they handed down the other day? yeah, right.<br />
<br />
Anyway, that's about all I've noticed lately. Get ready for the weekend; stock the house with food and alcohol. Be safe out there, don't drink and drive, don't text and drive... hey don't drive, then you can do whatever the hell you want.<br />
<br />
Happy 4th.<br />
<br />
.Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-22549651360023218742014-06-23T20:43:00.000-04:002014-06-23T20:43:47.955-04:00Feelin' Better Already<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I'm in a mood. Yeah, yeah, you've heard that before.<br />
<br />
Actually, I'm not a moody person. I have an attitude, that's true. But for the most part, I take every day for what it is... a once in a lifetime experience. There are days though, for no particular reason, that just get me... well, a little pissy.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, like today, there are no real reasons other than I want to be somewhere else, doing something else, other than sitting here in my living room. It's not real unhappiness, it's more like today wasn't all it could be, and I have not made much of it. And that bothers me.<br />
<br />
I have seen, like everyone else, too many friends and family members lost or taken ill, and having their lives forever changed or taken from them. This week on FB alone, there have been friends thinking about their moms, school friends, brothers and sisters, who are gone. Just tonight one asked for prayers for a forever friend. Here's my point.<br />
<br />
We don't know what tomorrow brings, all we know is tomorrow means we have one less day on this earth. Don't waste it. Look around you, if this life is not what you want it to be, start to change it. Things won't happen overnight, but you have to envision it, then do it. Baby steps if you need to, boldly if you dare.<br />
<br />
Not much I can imagine as more true than the sentence "The only regrets I have are the things I didn't do."<br />
<br />
Tomorrow is promised to no one. Take a chance on today.<br />
<br />
.Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-22938199915457481512014-06-17T15:22:00.001-04:002014-06-17T15:22:46.611-04:00Random Thoughts From a Scattered Brain: This Day is Dragging EditionIt's been a while since I did one of these. Just some randomness today.<br />
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I am happy to say that I used Certified Organic Cotton Rounds to take off my nail polish today. The thought that I may have used acetate nail polish remover to remove the paint I put on my fingernails, and not used Certified Organic Cotton would be too upsetting for words.<br />
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So, soon there will be 250 more emoji added to the unicode keyboard. It will include one of "flipping the bird." Personally I could not be happier, check out my present cover photo on FB as evidence.<br />
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People, this quiz thing has gotten out of hand. Yes, they can be amusing. And yes, I have taken a few of them, though you won't find me posting the results on social media, but seriously?<br />
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"What kind of girlfriend are you" We should all know who we are.<br />
"What kind of pony are you?" Really?<br />
What piercing fits you best?" If you have twelve already and you don't have the one they suggest... do you really need to get Lucky 13?<br />
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And the one that is definitely a must take, because really don't we absolutely need to know<br />
"What kind of sweater are you?"<br />
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That's it. This day is dragging, this week is dragging. A scattered mind is a scary thing.<br />
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<br />Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-73964736061949576412014-05-28T19:21:00.000-04:002014-05-28T19:36:26.058-04:00Let Me Apologize In Advance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, there are a few things I need to get out of my system. Some of you may take offense, honestly I don't give a shit. Some of you may recognize yourselves, what can I say. Hopefully we can all move on once I've said what I feel like saying.<br />
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Oh yes, she's in a mood.<br />
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Social Media. I know I've vented about Facebook on Facebook. But that was then, and while some issues that were relevant back then have disappeared (read: unfriended), there are still a few things I cannot understand why people do on social media.<br />
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First, On Twitter, I don't care how many new followers you have or how many people stopped following you. When the app you have that tells you who's coming and who's going asks you if you want to tweet that vital information... just hit NO. It serves no purpose to me other than add volume to my timeline. And honestly, it kinda pisses me off.<br />
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On Facebook, parents, I truly do not give a shit whether your child has indeed taken one today or four. Chances are I don't even know your kids, and I really don't need to know if they are having a shit-a-thon, or a puke-a-thon. You all do realize that nothing is ever really gone from the internet, don't you? Do you really want your child having their bowel movements going viral when some kid in their class finds it a few years from now? Or you people fresh out of surgery. Do we really need to see the scars from that hip replacement so fresh and oozing? Just stop.<br />
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And photos. You guys post way too many pictures of your kids. Not because I don't want to see them, but because I can see ones I shouldn't be able to. And that means every perv out there can too. If I choose, I can see photos of friends of friends of friends. That's way too far down the line to be safe.<br />
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And then there are all the posts about where you are, when you will be there, and who will be with you, and who won't. Way, way too much information. People can learn your house is empty, your kids are at a sleepover, your husband is away. Seriously, time to be smarter than that. Post in generalities, tell the story after you are back, not every detail before you leave. When I post about road trips, I try not to say who's going or who's left behind... until after it's over.<br />
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Let's not forget the share this post crap. Share if you have a loved one with cancer... are you kidding? Who doesn't? How the hell does sharing a photo of a sappy saying, help anyone with cancer. It doesn't, so why not save that energy and send a message of encouragement over to the person you know who has cancer. Maybe if we all posted just a little less crap asking people to share, we would get more of the posts that FB deems unimportant and blocks from our timelines.<br />
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Well, I feel a little better, sorry if you don't. For me, social media is a necessary evil, but make no mistake about it, there is a lot of evil out there. Not every part of your life needs to be documented online for eternity. Take a breath and think before you hit post.<br />
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As a wise woman always tells me, "Less is Best."<br />
Indeed.<br />
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<br />Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-66385171505769146502014-05-25T07:57:00.001-04:002015-05-25T07:19:40.742-04:00Just Crossing the Bridge: Memorial DayRepost of a repost, because it's Memorial Day... and I remember,<br />
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(May, 2013). Last week as I took off on the road trip to see Springsteen, I crossed the old wooden bridge over the Delaware River, on my way to pick up the Drum Mama. The Veterans were there selling their paper poppies for the annual Memorial Day fund drive.<br />
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These days, the soldiers are mostly Korean War Vets, sometimes younger ones, but the World War II Veterans are for the most part, gone or incapable of standing and handing out the red flowers for more than a brief period of time.<br />
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As I approached the bridge, there were several Vets taking donations. When it was my turn to donate, a Veteran whose navy colored suit seemed to overwhelm his frail body, turned to me and offered the poppy. This man who had probably seen battle, the Depression, and lived a lifetime of highs and lows, <i>was thanking me</i> for the dollar I placed in his pail.<br />
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Easily close to ninety, his eyes were still as blue as the day he enlisted. Blue the color of my father's eyes. My eyes immediately filled up, and I could barely get the words "thank <i>you</i> sir," out, over the huge lump in my throat.<br />
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For the past couple of years, I've reposted the same blog about Memorial Day, There is a reason for Memorial Day, we honor those who have given service, or their lives.<br />
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<b>Remember What Memorial Day Is All About</b><br />
(First posted 5/19/12)<br />
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It's that time of the year again. This weekend and next, all over the country, Veteran's will be outside supermarkets, at bridges and in other assorted places looking for donations in exchange for a red paper poppy.<br />
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The story of the poppy is something like this. In Belgium during World War I, in the midst of the war ravaged battlefields, wild poppies grew. Their bright red color served as a reminder of the blood shed in the fight for freedom. The poppy has since become a symbol of all the human sacrifice by the men and women in uniform.<br />
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The poppies that are distributed today are made by hospitalized veterans and they receive a small stipend for their work. For some, this is the only supplemental income they receive. All funds taken in by the sale of the poppies are used exclusively for the therapeutic and financial benefit of veterans.<br />
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Each day we lose more and more men and women from the generation who fought in World War II. Those that are left grow more tired every day. As we get closer to Memorial Day Weekend, please take a poppy from one of these brave veterans and give a donation.<br />
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And when the veteran looks at you and says thanks...please look back at him, straight in the eye and say "No, Thank You."<br />
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Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-79994656389532281112014-05-03T20:01:00.000-04:002014-05-03T20:01:36.609-04:00Sniglisms: Part 3I haven't done any ranting in a while. I've been busy, and I guess a little oblivious to what is going on around me. But this past week a few things caught my eye and I thought I should talk about it. See if you agree.<br />
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Yesterday I went food shopping for the weekend. Since there was no chicken on the menu this past week, there was no doubt it would make an appearance this week. Looking at the selection, which was marked as being on a 40% off sale, I saw this variety family pack. You know the one that has 6 drumsticks, 6 thighs, and 6 wings. I wasn't really interested in that particular assortment, but the price caught my eye. $17.55...huh?<br />
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A very young worker from the meat department was putting out more chicken and when he heard my WTF is the price of this chicken remark, he said something to the effect that I should buy it because it was ON SALE. I wanted to smack him upside the head.<br />
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While we're on the subject of food, I thought of this last week when the two popes were being made saints. Be glad you don't live in my brain. Hasn't it been a while since someone found Jesus in a grilled cheese sandwich or potato chip, and put it up on ebay? And here I am saving some cash for this very reason.<br />
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This is for the women, primarily the more mature (as in older, not more grown up) ones. WTF is with the size of calcium pills? Take a Vitamin E and no matter what the dosage, it's a little tiny pill. They give race horses smaller pills than the average size calcium supplement.<br />
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And lastly, earbuds. Do they make earbuds that actually stay in your ears? I have not had a pair yet that do. Usually one bud will fit fairly well, but the other... not so much. Are my ears out of whack? I'm not sure but I have heard from others that they have this problem as well. So why can these technological geniuses not create earbuds where you don't spend 95% of the time adjusting them?<br />
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There were a few other things that bothered me this week, but perhaps it's time to do some more constructive work. So that's my list, what's bugging you?<br />
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In case you missed them: <a href="http://katstheory.blogspot.com/2012/10/sniglisms-part-1.html" target="_blank">Sniglisms Part 1</a> and <a href="http://katstheory.blogspot.com/2012/11/sniglisms-part-2.html" target="_blank">Sniglisms Part 2</a>. And where it all began...<a href="http://katstheory.blogspot.com/2012/10/and-on-thursday-she-created-sniglisms.html" target="_blank">And On a Thursday, She Created Sniglisms</a><br />
.Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3123365853823966855.post-86250620687418651312014-04-22T19:37:00.001-04:002014-04-22T19:37:30.670-04:00Getting Down and Dirty on Earth Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have an attitude problem, some of you may have noticed. I also have a short fuse, some of you may have noticed that too. Throw in a long weekend of travel and partying, and well, things can get ugly real fast.<br />
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Seeing as I've been out of town for the above mentioned long weekend, and the fridge looked like the Three Bears had taken up residence, I went out on a noontime run to the store for some food. I try to avoid as many traffic lights as possible, so I was taking a side road. My best friend from high school used to live on this side street, so I am well acquainted with the fact that there are stop signs on each block of its entire length.<br />
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As I approached the end of the block, slowing with my foot on the brake, a woman driving through the intersection, blows her horn at me and screams at me that I was going through the stop sign. She shouldn't have done that.<br />
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Being tired, cranky and in no mood for this bitch to wrongly accuse me, instead of going straight and on my way, I made a quick right and pulled up along side of her... which put me on the wrong side of the road. I proceeded to ask her what the fuck was her problem, and she told me I wasn't stopping. SHE was telling ME what I was doing. Way wrong thing to say. The Jersey came out fast and I tell you, it was true poetry. In a well constructed few paragraphs, I do believe I utilized my entire catalog of expletives. She tried in vain to compete, even saying something about the town she was from, which was a rich bitch community, not the down and dirty town I live in. At that point I told her where to go, and it wasn't the rich bitch town she was from.<br />
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Road rage... I think not. Just a little taste of "I don't take that shit from nobody." I pulled away, she looked terrified, my work was done.<br />
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Maybe being down south for a few days, where everyone is polite and shit, caused some serious attitude repercussions for me. Or maybe it's just me getting back in the Jersey groove. Whatever.<br />
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It is what it is.<br />
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<br />Kat's Theoryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589507567057781702noreply@blogger.com3