Sobering

Which is deadlier, french fries or car accidents?

We're far more likely to die from over consumption of trans fat.

In the United States, people have a one-in-84 chance of dying in a car accident, and one-in-five chance of dying from heart disease. That's greater than the risk of dying from cancer , which is one-in-seven [source: NYT].

http://health.howstuffworks.com/death-by-auto-accident-or-french-fry.htm

Do you know what this is?

Well.... it's gone and happened. My delux-o super duper 14 cup coffee maker has gone to the giant appliance department in the sky. A moment of silence please.

It was so nifty. 14 cups of hot fragrant coffee ready the second my feet hit the floor. Yum....

Above you'll see it's temporary replacement. and NO I did not steal it from an I Love Lucy set.
My husband bought it with real money after we had a power outage a few years ago and needed to make our coffee outside on the grill. Oh yes, we're that dedicated to coffee.
Actually mostly I am.

But the truth is , I LIKE perked coffee. A lot! it has a rich, dense flavor that the drip machines just can't match. Also, it make the kitchen smell incredible!

So, you ask, "how do you know when the coffee is done percolating? It doesn't just turn itself off you know." Very true. You know the coffee is ready when the coffee that is percolating up into the little glass dealy ( see photo) ( I don't have any idea what it is actually called). And when it smells right. Mmmmm.... The smell will always tell..
However, be advised that when you pour your coffee it will be hot. Think McDonald's lawsuit hot. Like scalding! Let it cool for a second or blow on it or something. Cream drinkers have an advantage here. The cream will do the cooling for them. I drink my coffee straight-up.
It's worth the wait .

hmmmm....

It is becoming quite clear that my brain is on hold or something.

I can not think of anything to say,
nor can I get excited about taking photos.

hope this passes soon....

musings

Why is it that so many people come to a place in their life that they quit exploring new music and listen only to stuff from their youth? Isn't that akin to eating the same food every single day?
It just seems so strange to me ..



I have noticed, that if someone expresses any kind of racism and I witness it, I never view them the same way again. On any level.
For instance, watch Michael Richard's racial tirade on You Tube then watch an episode of Seinfeld. He's not funny to me anymore. It ruins everything.
Additionally, I always tend to assume that they aren't very smart (racists)I just don't see how intelligence and racism could possibly inhabit the same brain.


What is the secret to successful childrearing?
Love?
Discipline?
Values?
Stability?


Why do so many people re-write their history? Is it unintentional? And how do I go about not doing the same if it is? I am what I am as a result of what I have participated in and witnessed thus far. I'd hate to lose that.



Just some stuff I've been thinking about the last few weeks.



9/28/08

Just feel the need to qualify my first statement here. I too listen to music from my youth as do almost everyone I know. I've just run across a few folks that listen to the oldies at the exclusion of all else. That it what I find odd.

Smart?

Remember the other day when I said that I thought Americans were fairly smart?
I may need to re-think that comment.


I'm just saying...

not for the faint hearted!

Once in awhile,something occurs in my life that I'm sure is unique to me.
Today, one such thing happened.
See, the sun is shining (finally!) and the air is fallish-warm and I thought that today would be a perfect time to clean up the living room windows and hang the insulated drapes in preparation for winter.
So far..so good...
SO, I remove the summer drapes and put them away. Then I take down the sheers to wash because I use the same ones for all seasons.
Now I run into my issue.
In the rod pocket; the deal that the curtain rod goes through, are... gawd this is weird..
a bunch of dead ants. Well maybe not a WHOLE bunch, but 8 or 10 I suppose. Little sugar ants like I do war with in the kitchen every spring.
How in the heck did these blasted ants get in there?
OK ... my ceilings are high. Ten foot probably, so the top of the sheers is w a y up there. What on earth would possess these tiny little ants to climb so high?! There's no sugar up there. Even Richard and Ricky can't manage to spill soda on the TOP of the drapes... I don't get it.
Then these poor little buggers maneuvered their way into the rod pocket to ultimately die... of starvation I suppose.
Now really.. is this a normal thing? Has Heloise addressed this in her column? I seriously doubt it.
I think it's one of those weird things ( that I normally don't bring up by the way) that happen only to me.

I Think It's Going To Be Alright

Like many Americans,I spent a few moments, now and again through out the day, thinking about terrorism. What it is and how it has affected my life. I came to some rather dismal conclusions.
See, terrorism isn't about killing people per se. Rather, it is about making people afraid. Killing people is just a pleasant side effect for the terrorist.

This is how wikipedia defines terrorism:

Terrorism is "the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion."[1] There is no internationally agreed definition of terrorism.[2][3] Most common definitions of terrorism include only those acts which are intended to create fear (terror), are perpetrated for an ideological goal (as opposed to a lone attack), and deliberately target or disregard the safety of non-combatants. Some definitions also include acts of unlawful violence and war. A common misperception of terrorist groups, especially after the 'Global War on Terror' began in 2001, is that they are solely Islamic-extremists or radical religious groups with religious motives.

Terrorism is also a form of unconventional warfare and psychological warfare. The word is politically and emotionally charged,[4] and this greatly compounds the difficulty of providing a precise definition. One 1988 study by the US Army found that over 100 definitions of the word "terrorism" have been used.[5] A person who practices terrorism is a terrorist.

Seven years ago today the most horrendous act of terrorism to ever be targeted at US citizens was carried out before our very eyes. The goal: To make America afraid.
My biggest concern is that to some extent it was successful and I find that very sad.

I miss the days when America was viewed as just a young pup with maybe too much bravado and swagger, yet always there to lend a hand when her friends and allies needed her. Sort of like best friends on the playground. Now we seem to have entered into the uncertain and difficult society of "high school" Where alliances are made and broken between 2nd and 3rd hour. Where rumors and fabrication are used to propel an individual to his or her desired status.

But what I believe, because I simply have to, is that when a society's comfort zone becomes disrupted, as it certainly did seven years ago, some of the uglier aspects of human nature are brought forward and in this case played out on a world wide stage. Additionally I believe that Americans are not stupid people on the whole; that Americans are basically kind and thoughtful and fairly smart. I think that the over zealous nuttiness of these years following 9/11 are soon to be drawn to a close, because we the people will require it to be done. It's run it's course and it's time to move on to a more mature mode. To think about our future after high school so to speak.

I think it's going to be alright.