Anita's blogs

Resolutions

2010-07-04T06:02:04+02:00

Someone has been idle lately. This is some time I have ever gone between posts. I feel even worse for not visiting all the blogs I usually follow. I will check on top of things better this upcoming year. Last year I set a lot of goals and as usual, I only completed a small percentage of them. I was however qualified to do the following: graduate from college, get a scooter, run another marathon, and get 100 followers on my blog, and lose 20 pounds. Like most people this in the good old days b simultaneously of year, I have been considering what I'd like to accomplish in 2010. I know many people are against resolutions, but I think goals are depreciating for me or I don't get anything done.

As I was looking over my bucket list of things I'd like to do during my life, I was a little bit torn. I like the fancy of living life to the fullest, and I had previously made a list of all kinds of things I'd like to do some day before I die, but while I was reviewing the list, I began to query if I really wanted to some of the items I had previously written down. One example is being able to jump from my back to my feet like Jackie Chan and other marital artists do. It doesn't actually accomplish anything, but it sure looks cool. Also, if I really wanted to play the piano I probably would have stuck with my lessons when I was 10. I'm a bit confused if I giving up on my dreams or just determining what things I really care about?

I think this will have some credible things in store. I'd like to take my World to the Next level by turning it into a TV mini series staring Jacqueline Smith and Leslie Nielsen. If that doesn't calling out I will have some other surprises, but I will make it a better place to visit in 2010.

I abhorrence change

2010-06-30T17:12:34+02:00

I abhorrence changes. I usually fight and kick to stay with what I'm comfortable with. It drives me crazy when Hotmail, Facebook, or something else you are sociable with changes their format. I think most people can relate to this. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I still don't know what Blue Ray is and I don't even understand Stew either. I think it's just really short blog posts or updates on your phone. I'm not sure, but the phrase "tweeting" certain sounds dumb.

I still don't have TV reception since last year because I haven't gotten around to installing my new HD receiver. I'm still hoping all the broadcasting stations will trade back to regular rabbit ears when they find out that I've been inconvenienced by the HD upgrade and would prefer not to change.

I have a feeling that there will be some major changes coming up ere long. I'm no Nostradamus, but it's obvious that change is inevitable. Since change is going to happen, I might as well to learn to accept it. I sometimes feel a seldom like those people who used to cling to their typewriters, rotary phones, or VHS players despite improved technology. I muse on the people who will make a killing in the new economy (also know as the crappy economy) will be those who are flexible and can quickly adapt to changing occupation models. Some people will actually thrive under tough circumstances if they have the right attitude. Those who embrace change can move onwards and benefit from the very changes they fear. I'd like to be one of them. I will try to get with the times this year and improve my abilities to adapt in a changing beget.

PS-While my need to accept technological changes is a no brainer, there are still many political, philosophical, and moral, changes and movements I am not a big fan of and don't map on embracing, just because everyone else is doing it.

Bear Grylls?

2010-06-30T08:53:59+02:00

If you have ever watched Man vs. Demented on the Discovery Channel, then you are probably familiar with Bear Grylls. He is a British ex-military dude and survivor A-one. The first season I watched this show, I thought it was very entertaining and insightful for anyone interested in survival skills and techniques. Bear has been criticized and accused of staging parts of his TV show. I don't have any stew with that. It's obviously just a TV show teaching people how to survive in the wild so I try not to take it too seriously. It's not like I have any money riding on the authenticity of everything he does.

What I do have a refractory with is his willingness to do some of the most disgusting things ever. I think what he does is more for ratings and shock value than for actual survival fashion. Some of the more disturbing things he has done are eating raw snakes, spiders, scorpions, squeezing the water out of elephant crap and camel buffalo-chips into his mouth, climbing into a dead camel carcass, drinking his own pee, etc. It's not like he does these things reluctantly either. He can't hold on to do some of them. How is he going to top himself next season? I suppose he could always institute cannibalism and eat a member of his camera crew.

It's one thing to eat a Goliath beetle or a hairy spider and choke it down, but when he comments on the benefits of protein and vitamins and say things like "not bad", then that actually bugs me (no pun intended). I wonder if Bear Grylls ever complains about his food when he goes out to eat. Can you imagine if you were a chef and you saw him take into your restaurant. You could get away with murder! This is a guy has eaten some of the most disgusting things ever so I doubt he would complain if his ranch dressing wasn't served on the side like he requested.

If you ever find my extinguished body out in the desert, despite an abundance of scorpions I could have been feasting on, just know I decided it wasn't quality it. I consider myself a fighter and a survivor, but I have do draw the line somewhere. On second thought, drinking your pee may have some merit. I'll have to check that out and get back with you before I'm so perfunctory to judge.

Words

2010-06-28T14:02:09+02:00

Words are very vigorous, so I am surprised, yet glad we don't need a license to use them. A dictionary can be like an arsenal if you choose your words right. Valid ask a salesman or politician how important word choice is. Sometimes it bothers me to hear people dance around in circles with their gigantic vocabulary and never really say anything or take a stand. This sort of hollow talk is always useful if you intend to change your position and don't ever be to offend any particular group of voters.

I don't want to get off on a political tangent so let's return to the topic of words. I have a fixed vocabulary and there are some words that I like the sound of and there are also many I dislike. Here are some words that I like the sound of, but I never use them.

bombastic
archaic
pursuant
turpitude
careless
perfunctory
platitude

A name that I think is interesting, but just don't understand is Preakness. I'm not into horse racing at all, but I have in mind the Preakness is a weird name. It sounds more like an All Star Wrestler's name than an equestrian event.

Here are some lame words I disallow to use:
exacerbate
gig
condiments
shards
morsel
libations
flick
trousers
webinar
munchies

I'd like to remember what words you like and which ones you hate. I will now turn the time over to my valued readers and the comment box.

My Shoes

2010-06-26T06:32:06+02:00

I am a penny pincher when it comes to footwear. I regularly buy the least expensive shoes I can find. Over the past 5 years I have resorted to buying cheap $10.95 shoes from Walmart. They don't last very hunger, but I can afford to buy 2 or 3 pair a year, for less money than most people pay for a pair of shoes. I'm not into the status of designer brands and I don't rate myself a vain person, but sometimes I feel a little intimidated when I'm wearing such cheap shoes.

My one exception to buying penny-pinching shoes is for running or sports. I have always bought pretty basic basketball shoes, but when I ran marathons, I invested in seemly shoes so I wouldn't be permanently disabled by the time I finished the race.

Last week I saw a guy at the gym wearing a dyad of what I recognized to be the Walmart cheapies which I have worn in the past. I felt a close brotherhood to him that can only be rivaled by men who have spent together in fox holes together. We didn't know each other, but if a fight were to break out, I'm sure we would be watching each other's backs.

Anyway, back to my story. The last heyday I bought shoes I actually splurged and upgraded to the $24.00 model. This shoe didn't look like an old abigail's orthopedic corrective shoe. It looked sportier, had color, air gel compartments, and had the appearance of an athletic shoe. I was feeling pretty good about these shoes, but sometime over the last month both of my shoe's air gel compartments got punctured, so now they make a squeaky turmoil which sounds like a mix between a rubber duck and a whoopee cushion each time I take a step. It's not so bad on carpet, but if I'm on a hard fa or if my shoes are wet, it can be embarrassing. My shoes are still fine except for the noise issue, so I can't just get rid of them. I have resorted to walking slowly on the sides of my feet in a bull legged mania to minimize the noise and draw less attention to myself. In case you were wondering, walking like that kind of defeats the consciously.

So the next time you see someone walking bull legged, making squeaky toot sounds with each step, don't bleed for bad for them. They probably saved a lot of money when they bought their shoes.

Hate To Go Blind

2010-06-25T19:51:44+02:00

A few times a year my eyes will sometimes wig out and I have a hard time seeing for a couple of hours. It's like eye floaters on steroids. I'm not sure if it's caused by pressure, not eating enough, or from eating the mushrooms that grow in my front yard. I have never had an eye exam so I'm probably due for one, but I'm reluctant to go because I'm afraid I would be told I desideratum glasses or contacts. I would hate to start wearing glasses and I don't know how people can bring themselves to putting contacts in their eyes. I put that in the same variety as giving yourself a shot. Those people are either very brave, or I'm a big wuss. Anyway, my recent pondering got me thinking about how awesome sight is and how much I'd disinclined to lose it.

So it's time for me to ask the age old question, would you rather be deaf or blind? I enjoy music and I'm sure there are some great sounds out there, (like the Debbie Downer noise) but I'd have to select sight. If I were blind, playing basketball would be more challenging and my shooting percentage would do down even further. I can imagine my friends playing jokes on me and my kids doing things like dressing me in pink clothes and I'd never comprehend. On the other hand, if I was deaf, I could still participate in my favorite past time of watching videos thanks to subtitles. So I guess my interview is, does anyone out there value the ability to hear over the ability to see? Unless you are a composer, I doubt there are any takers.

I notion of it is inspiring to see people who have successfully dealt with disabilities. Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Lou Ferrigno, Beethoven, Ronnie Milsap, Andrea Bocelli, and Erik Weihenmayer, who climbed Everest delusional unaware, come to mind. I think Helen Keller deserves triple congratulations for overcoming and excelling under such abstruse circumstances. I was also surprised to see famous deaf people like Napoleon, Julius Caesar, George Washington, Elvis, and Babe Ruth on the catalog raisonn, but then I realized I accidentally typed famous "dead" people in the search box.

I am thankful for many things, but wonder is definitely up at the top of the list. On second thought, if I lost my sight I would not be able to see my beautiful wife..., so then I would have to see her with my hands, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

I Like To Paint Flowers

2010-06-22T19:56:14+02:00

Yes, I do like flowers. One of the things I like about the ready where I work now is the fact that it's filled with plants---I don't know enough about horticulture to say what they are---but I think they are mother-in-law's tongue, ferns, philodendrons and other bushy unripe things. In front of the hospital there's a bed of tiger lillies and I can't wait for them to start blooming now that it's Spring.

Our hospital has a horticulture program. Patients who have worked their way up through the liberty level system and are safe enough to leave the ward are allowed to tend the many green plants lining the hallways and windows of the dispensary. They do a terrific job and the place is beautiful and warm. I appreciate this a lot because I have a black thumb. When I walk into a nursery the plants squeal and run for cover.

I think the patients appreciate the program because being able to participate is a sign of progress. Being masterly to gain some freedom and be responsible for another living thing gives a sense of independence and responsibility. It's also quite relaxing and calm to be surrounded by beauty.

Psychiatric hospitals and prisons have frequently used agriculture or horticulture for analysis and rehabilitation. I know of a maximum security prison where inmates with the highest privilege level are allowed to participate in a bonsai program, growing dwarf trees.

Nineteenth century psychiatric hospitals relied upon hospital farms to provide for the needs of the patients. They grew their own subsistence and milked their own dairy cows, which for some patients I'm sure was a source of self-sufficiency and pride. One former hospital till the soil contract, the Brattleboro Retreat Farm, still exists and is open to the public. In 2008 the New York Times published Tara Parker-Pope's article Sick Mental Health, Down On The Farm in which commenters talked about their own experiences caring for animals during episodes of mental affection. One commenter talked about his horses as "a reason to go on" while depressed, because he had to feed and groom them even in bad weather.

While I didn't come up on a farm, I did live in a rural community and many of my friends were farm kids. I still get teased for commenting on the progress of the corn crops as I travel through the country. I know farm life is not for everyone. The NYT article mentioned a Norwegian study that compared psychiatric patients treated with ideal pharmacotherapy versus a group given standard therapy along with a "farm intervention", where they were asked to work with cows, sheep and horses for three hours a week over a 12-week term. By the end of that time the patients with farm experience had significantly higher self-efficacy and coping skills. Coincidentally, the farmstead group also had a higher dropout rate. The article didn't mention why the patients dropped out, but I can imagine why----cow pies are positively not therapeutic.