Question of the Day

Here's something I'm curious about today.

There are times we need to address strangers, or get their attention politely without screaming, "Yo!". I've heard a million different ways of doing it:

• "Excuse me, Sweetie"
• "Pardon me, Lady"
• "Yes Ma'am"
• "Thank you, sir

No one seems to have a problem with "sir". (Occasionally someone might say, "Sir is my Dad..." but whatever). Everyone has a problem with "Sweetie". But when my parents put me in the spaceship and sent me here, they gave me a lot of instructions, leaving out the one that tells me how to address an unfamiliar woman without issue. "Yes, Ma'am" gets issues.

So, my question is, if "Ma'am" doesn't work, "Sweetie" would get me slapped, and "Baby" - well that's just suicidal- Ladies, how would you prefer to be addressed?

Coming Clean...The Introduction

I have been noticeably absent from the Blogger community of late. The last year as a matter of fact. There are a lot of reasons for that. It seems in times of trouble, I tend to close up ranks and fade away to work out the problems all by myself.

I have often said that there was probably one guy on the Titanic who believed if he just manned those water pumps a little longer, worked a little harder, that ship would not sink. And he believed that right up until the minute the ship went under.

Well it appears my ship is foundering, despite my best efforts. The deck is stacked against me, and no matter how well I'm playing this hand, a happy ending seems unlikely.

I've long gotten past the pity parties. I'm not feeling sorry for myself. I'm at the stage that's just past denial but not quite making it to acceptance. My world has gotten very, very small for me.

I need to put a face on the statistics of the economic damage that has been done by the greed and indifference of a lot of bad people in the financial world. A lot of their names and faces have begun to fade from the public consciousness, but the effects of their actions are still rippling through the population and the economy.

I'm at the very end of a dark road and I'm not seeing much in the way of light. I'd like to share my story, not because it could serve as a warning to anyone, and not because I'm unique. I'm going through the same situation that has a hold of many good people I know. They, and I, am not alone. Don't think that's much consolation though.

I'd like to share my story for a while. I know not many people visit here any more, but I have a feeling that the ones who do won't mind.

Hi There

I'm just going through some things here, and seems it's gotten a little dusty around these parts.

I've joined a lot of people who use Facebook and Twitter, and while they're fun for me, I miss the Blogosphere. To me it's a better way to touch base with the people I got started with. So could you all do me a favor?

Please leave a link to your Blog if you still keep it. I'd love to start visiting you all again. Thanks

A New Friend!

I've found a great new blog, just in time for summer. The Lady's name is Denise M. Smith and she's put together a great cooking blog, with recipes I can actually understand and use!


Please visit http://denisemsmith.wordpress.com/ and have a read. Please tell her Lippy sent ya!

Food Rules!

 We all love food. We spoke about food. This is a two-part rule. In part one, I'm dealing with kinda the way our government deals with illegal immigration: Nobody obeys the law, so now we'll talk about exactly in what ways you can break the laws, ok? So... without further ado, let's take a look at Part 1:
Since eating in your rooms seems to be going to happen, let's deal with that: Please return all dishes, glasses, etc to the kitchen. This should be done in the same century in which the food/drink was consumed. And before the leftovers sprout new life forms.
Part 2:
Let's be sure to scrape all excess/leftover food into the garbage can. It's right in the kitchen, the same distance you traveled to get said food.

Penalty: I really mean this one. Really. If I find food fossils in bedrooms, guess what will be on the dinner table the next evening.
Also, if I look in the sink and see a buffet in the drain strainer, guess what will be on the menu the next night.

Get it?

More Sadness

Five months after the death of actress Brittany Murphy, her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, was found dead Sunday night in the couple's Hollywood home, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

Monjack, 39, was pronounced dead after the Los Angeles Fire Department was called to the residence for a medical emergency, say authorities. Police spokesman Sgt. Louie Lozano said the preliminary cause of death was natural causes, but investigators remained at the scene.

Relocation Program

Here we go again!

Ok, I figure it's a privilege to have a TV in your room. When one is done watching said TV and leaving the room, please press the little button that says "Power". This will turn the TV set off and cease to consume vast amounts of electricity.


Failure to adhere to this request will cause the Relocation Rule to go into effect. 


Relocation Rule:
If above rule is not followed properly, TV set will be relocated to Ebay.com. Dad needs golf clubs.

The Ruling!

OK Kids, here is the first rule!

1. Clothes can only move if they're attached to your body. They will not magically fly up off of the floor by themselves, and the stationary bike is truly not part of the closet. The hamper has been placed there, not to cover a spot on the floor (although there are plenty of those), but rather to collect those garments no longer feasibly wearable.

Since you are now conceivably (pardon the pun) old enough to have children of your own, thou shalt assist with the laundry. And by assist I mean do one step more than making the clothes dirty. 

Thanks 

New Series!!!

I am now the full-time father to three kids again. I'm feeling quite good about that. My life is improving daily because of the time I spend with them.

I'm also becoming very aware of the need for some Law and Order in the household. I was a kid once, and I remember doing nothing unless I was told. I also remember doing things once I was told forty to fifty thousand times. We all have similar memories, as long as we weren't raised by the US Marine Corps.

I like to parent rationally. I like to try and do things right. So, naturally, I'll be asking for feedback from some of the smartest (and most susceptible to sucking-up) people I know. Ready, set, GO!

Protocol?

I'm curious about something, and I'd like your opinion/input please?

The electronic age has done nothing if not accelerated our immediate gratification demands. But something good happened, and I'm not too sure what to do.

I got an email from a good friend the other day. What she took time to write absolutely floored me (in a very good way). She was just so gentle, kind, compassionate and caring that I was very choked up by the whole thing.

It took me quite some time to read. And then it took some more time to digest and appreciate the time it took for her to compose such an incredible outpouring of love for me. I love my friends, one and all.

Now typically, if I get an email requesting info, or asking a simple question, if I have the answer at hand, I shoot right back. But there are occasions such as this, where I want to sit back and reply just as deeply from the heart. I don't want to just say, "thanks!" It takes a while, usually, but people are seemingly so impatient these days, that the window for a reply seems to have shrunk to minutes.

Now this doesn't apply here. She knows me well and knows I'll be writing back. But what do you folks normally do? Do you send a "Stand by for Reply" message, similar in theory to a "SAVE THE DATE" notification?

Love to hear what you think...Thanks!

The Question is Right Here

Let's put aside partisan politics for a moment. Let's look at the State of the State of NJ.

The roads are in horrendous condition because there is no money for road maintenance.

Hospitals are closing because there is no money to subsidize them.

The government wants to revamp the entire State pension system, eliminate benefits for State employees because there is no money to fund this sort of stuff.

The educational system in in complete upheaval, teachers and administrators are being let go by the hundreds because there is no money to give to the schools.

Taxes continue to increase in this State where we are considering changing the name from "New Jersey" to "New Taxes". The burden on the taxpayers is at an all-time high.

No services, no hospitals, no highways... where, exactly, is all that money going?

Things to Remember

You will only be as great as you let yourself be.

Dilemma

Last night, I dreamt that I was standing in the kitchen talking to my kids. All of a sudden, the ceiling crashed down on me, along with thousands of gallons of water. The kids laughed at me!!!

So...

Should I punish them?

The Dumb

I really hate being one of those dumb people. I hate the fact that everyone has to tell me what to do, how to do it, or that I should or shouldn't do something.

My house is flooded thanks to the endless rains of the past 200 years. But see, all her friends told her that there's no way the house should be flooded because I have French drains and two sump pumps.

Now I can just ignore all that water. It just isn't supposed to be there. So I'll put away the boots, the hoses, the Shop Vac, etc and sit and watch TV the rest of the time. Isn't that great?

Yep, those friends who earn millions of dollars a year being Experts on Everything on Earth save me so much trouble. The same folks who told me I was way too young to have a cancer a few years ago saved me countless rounds of chemo. Who needs Doctors when I have EEE's.

Anyway, I'll be downstairs swimming in the mirage.

It's not really there.

I hate being dumb.

Lease?

What has happened to me over the last month is so cliché that I'm embarrassed to even write about it because I can't do it without sounding like a bad novelist. But I have to do it. I'll take the chance.

I have a new lease on life.

That does not mean that from this day on that I'm going to look at the world through rose-colored glasses. There isn't going to be some magical transformation into Pollyanna or something. I'm still me. Just different.

I almost died. That is not a statement I made of my own volition. I was told by a fully-qualified medical doctor that the person who brought me to the Emergency Room saved my life. I was officially stupid on Friday night, February 12th. On that night, I became one of those people who insisted I knew better, that I was in control of my senses. I was an idiot.

Thank God, she was not an idiot. The doctor told me that, with what I had wrong with me, I was lucky she won out, and I was lucky to be alive.

That's pretty strong language, right?

I don't much like the thought of being dead. I know I will be someday, but now would not be a good time. I have people who depend on me, who love me, who like me with air in my lungs and who are glad that I am on this side of the dirt.

I'm trying to be a little silly with this because otherwise it makes me want to cry. A doctor wouldn't say that if it weren't true. There was no audience. Only he and I were there.

I'm having those moments of cognition. I see my kids with clearer vision. And yeah, the food I'm able to eat tastes a little better. And the dog even gets a little more attention. The world isn't nearly as annoying lately.

I spent 8 days in a hospital bed, in a very good hospital. And anyone who is familiar with the way HMO's and insurance companies run the medical field these days knows that 8 days means I must have been really, really sick.

I was.

And I haven't smoked a single cigarette (though that wasn't the root of the problem) since that Friday. Almost a month.

So, I like things a little better these days. And I don't smell as badly as I must have when I was a human chimney.

I do still like boots though, so as I said, I'm still me.

I feel as though I was an episode of "House, MD". Not completely uncool.

And I feel as though my Blogging Muse has repossessed me.

Thanks for the time you spent reading this. I hope you'll be as glad I'm not a corpse as I am at the moment.