At least I waited until it actually has been 2012 for a little while. Damn politicians and the media -- especially the media -- started back in August with the budget hang-up. Which, of course, was the other guy's fault. The other party's fault.
Thank goodness there's no need for a Democrat circus. That would detract sooo much from the Republican's parties. And we, the Great American Public, would have to find other things to worry about, like how to pay the doctors and where to find a job.
The Republican primaries have pretty much amused me. So far, the first one, New Hampshire, has been my favorite. Everyone was voting for Romney.
"Why?" the after-vote pollsters asked. "Is it his politics? His policies? His platform? His personality? His looks?"
"No," the Republican voters answered. "We just voted for him because we think he can beat Obama."
I'm still wondering what he's supposed to beat Obama with.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Cooking and Looking
Cooking shows used to be about cooking. About recipes, and following the directions. Cooking shows were the original reality TV. The smooth blends, the careful combining of dry and wet ingredients, every step demonstrated and shown, step-by-step. Oven temps and burner settings and the right type of pan. They told how to do it all, what it should look like, how it should smell.
Now, there are many, many, MANY variations of cooking shows. They have little connection to the follow-the-recipe shows of old.
Actually, they are not cooking shows. They are eating shows.
You can watch 'chefs' eat their way around a city, the important thing being who can most quickly eat the most. Any cooking or flavor components are there as clues to the next food you have to quickly ingest in spite of flavor, texture, or taste.
You can watch a fat man (how did he get that way?) wander all over the country eating the world's largest hamburger or the great steak of blank. Yeah, just watch that man eat!
Of course, the shows do go into the kitchens. They show you a powdery spice mix and tell you here's the secret ingredients -- not that you know any more about what the ingredients are. They show you how it's put on and how the food is cooked and the way to build the sandwich, if there is a sandwich.
Then there are the 'kitchen' shows. Contestants line up at prep tables and they are all supposed to make something, sometimes the same things, out of identical ingredients. They show all the cooks doing the same or different things. One contestant uses a skillet, one boils, one broils, another bakes. Sometimes the cook will tell the camera, 'I think broiling will preserve the flavor without destroying the integrity of the selection.' Huh?
I know I want to try that for supper tonight.
Then they have to be judged. The judges must consider whether the grape leaf should be tilted more to the right or the left, and if the sauce dribbled across the plate is writing in secret code or not. (Points off if they can read it.) Finally, they must decide if the food is edible enough for the prize. It doesn't matter if the idea of the food is appetizing -- that's completely nonessential.
I, for one, do not think fish flavored ice cream is ever edible, no matter how much cream and sugar is mixed in. Because that's a favorite 'strategy'. If you don't know what else to do with it, make it ice cream. YUM!
Why do people watch this? What is the fascination?
Food needs to be tasted. It needs to be smelled. It needs to be felt. One can't know the texture of a blend from looking at it on the screen. One can't inhale the aroma of good things coming together in a skillet or an oven. Most of all, one can't taste the result.
So why watch? If you want to see fat people eat, go to the fair. If you want to watch a circus, go to the circus. If you want to enjoy food, fix it for yourself. That's what appeases the appetite.
Now, there are many, many, MANY variations of cooking shows. They have little connection to the follow-the-recipe shows of old.
Actually, they are not cooking shows. They are eating shows.
You can watch 'chefs' eat their way around a city, the important thing being who can most quickly eat the most. Any cooking or flavor components are there as clues to the next food you have to quickly ingest in spite of flavor, texture, or taste.
You can watch a fat man (how did he get that way?) wander all over the country eating the world's largest hamburger or the great steak of blank. Yeah, just watch that man eat!
Of course, the shows do go into the kitchens. They show you a powdery spice mix and tell you here's the secret ingredients -- not that you know any more about what the ingredients are. They show you how it's put on and how the food is cooked and the way to build the sandwich, if there is a sandwich.
Then there are the 'kitchen' shows. Contestants line up at prep tables and they are all supposed to make something, sometimes the same things, out of identical ingredients. They show all the cooks doing the same or different things. One contestant uses a skillet, one boils, one broils, another bakes. Sometimes the cook will tell the camera, 'I think broiling will preserve the flavor without destroying the integrity of the selection.' Huh?
I know I want to try that for supper tonight.
Then they have to be judged. The judges must consider whether the grape leaf should be tilted more to the right or the left, and if the sauce dribbled across the plate is writing in secret code or not. (Points off if they can read it.) Finally, they must decide if the food is edible enough for the prize. It doesn't matter if the idea of the food is appetizing -- that's completely nonessential.
I, for one, do not think fish flavored ice cream is ever edible, no matter how much cream and sugar is mixed in. Because that's a favorite 'strategy'. If you don't know what else to do with it, make it ice cream. YUM!
Why do people watch this? What is the fascination?
Food needs to be tasted. It needs to be smelled. It needs to be felt. One can't know the texture of a blend from looking at it on the screen. One can't inhale the aroma of good things coming together in a skillet or an oven. Most of all, one can't taste the result.
So why watch? If you want to see fat people eat, go to the fair. If you want to watch a circus, go to the circus. If you want to enjoy food, fix it for yourself. That's what appeases the appetite.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
where is winter?
When I went to get my mail today, I saw the daffodils in my flower bed. Full buds, lush green leaves, several inches high. How they got that big without my seeing them, I don't know, but there they were.
It's still January, and this is still Ohio.
We've had some snow, a few cold snaps, but not really any winter yet. It hasn't been really cold for a really long time (like a whole week.) We haven't had to go out and shovel the sidewalks. We've barely had to salt the roads.
It sounds like a good winter, doesn't it? Makes you wonder what I'm complaining about and why?
I can answer that. I've lived hereabouts my whole life. If we don't have weather in its 'prescribed courses' -- we pay.
We pay with day after day of tornado alerts. We pay with droughts or cold in July when the crops need warmth, or wild winds, or something.
When we have mild Januaries, we often pay with frigid Februaries and meltless Marches. In fact, we get snowed in in March, if we haven't got our fair share of the white stuff before then.
A green Christmas, any native can tell you, often means a white Easter. (Or opening Day, depending on how you reckon the seasons.)
Neighbors, family, and friends -- do not be like those precipitate daffodils. Do not creep out from your cover until it is the season for creeping. Do not be caught unprepared and unaware.
It may seem that winter has snuck in and snuck out, but chances are that wily old man is waiting for you to step outside in your shirtsleeves. He will slam your door in your face -- maybe using those March winds?-- and then he will layer you beneath the cotton flakes of snow.
BEWARE!
It's still January, and this is still Ohio.
We've had some snow, a few cold snaps, but not really any winter yet. It hasn't been really cold for a really long time (like a whole week.) We haven't had to go out and shovel the sidewalks. We've barely had to salt the roads.
It sounds like a good winter, doesn't it? Makes you wonder what I'm complaining about and why?
I can answer that. I've lived hereabouts my whole life. If we don't have weather in its 'prescribed courses' -- we pay.
We pay with day after day of tornado alerts. We pay with droughts or cold in July when the crops need warmth, or wild winds, or something.
When we have mild Januaries, we often pay with frigid Februaries and meltless Marches. In fact, we get snowed in in March, if we haven't got our fair share of the white stuff before then.
A green Christmas, any native can tell you, often means a white Easter. (Or opening Day, depending on how you reckon the seasons.)
Neighbors, family, and friends -- do not be like those precipitate daffodils. Do not creep out from your cover until it is the season for creeping. Do not be caught unprepared and unaware.
It may seem that winter has snuck in and snuck out, but chances are that wily old man is waiting for you to step outside in your shirtsleeves. He will slam your door in your face -- maybe using those March winds?-- and then he will layer you beneath the cotton flakes of snow.
BEWARE!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Where, oh, (under)Wear
There was a news story recently about 'found' panties being hung along the Purple People Bridge in Cincinnati.( http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Panties-Found-Along-Ohio-Road-To-Be-Hung-on-Bridge/jZle-W5AP0W-0BAU_UwfDw.cspx ) The panties display is intended to bring attention to cervical cancer.
No where does it say what will be done with the panties afterwards.
Will they be allowed to hang until they've fallen off or blown away? Imagine boating beneath the bridges and having women's undergarments fluttering into your vessel. Is your woman going to believe that if she isn't there at the time? Unless that story was also to make news.
Will they be washed and sanitized and repackaged into zip-lock(T) bags, tagged as sanitized, and redistributed to the poor? Auctioned off in odd lots?
I haven't been able to find the answer, although there has to be a way, especially in this information age.
The pantie disposal problem made me wonder, too. If you were in desperate need of underwear, and had no way to get any on your own, where would you go? Who would you ask? How particular would you, personally, be? Many people find the thought of second hand underwear as totally disgusting. Of course, many people think underwear unnecessary and nonessential, anyway.
I don't know what your thoughts and feelings are on the matter.
I don't care.
But I think it's worth thinking about, if you needed these items, what would you do? Who would you ask, where would you go? What would you accept, if your alternative was doing without?
Maybe you could throw a new pack into a charity basket every now and then.
Or, when you pass under the bridge, and catch an awareness-raising garment, you can donate it back to someone's cause.
Thanks.
No where does it say what will be done with the panties afterwards.
Will they be allowed to hang until they've fallen off or blown away? Imagine boating beneath the bridges and having women's undergarments fluttering into your vessel. Is your woman going to believe that if she isn't there at the time? Unless that story was also to make news.
Will they be washed and sanitized and repackaged into zip-lock(T) bags, tagged as sanitized, and redistributed to the poor? Auctioned off in odd lots?
I haven't been able to find the answer, although there has to be a way, especially in this information age.
The pantie disposal problem made me wonder, too. If you were in desperate need of underwear, and had no way to get any on your own, where would you go? Who would you ask? How particular would you, personally, be? Many people find the thought of second hand underwear as totally disgusting. Of course, many people think underwear unnecessary and nonessential, anyway.
I don't know what your thoughts and feelings are on the matter.
I don't care.
But I think it's worth thinking about, if you needed these items, what would you do? Who would you ask, where would you go? What would you accept, if your alternative was doing without?
Maybe you could throw a new pack into a charity basket every now and then.
Or, when you pass under the bridge, and catch an awareness-raising garment, you can donate it back to someone's cause.
Thanks.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Snow and ice/ not so nice
well, we had another 'winter storm' last night. This one was mostly ice, making everything slick and slippery. (Yes, both.) It was a Friday night, no big sports events. If we have to have a winter storm, that's the time to have one.
With no sunshine this morning after, the aftermath hasn't looked too impressive. That makes it more dangerous in many instances.
But it could have been so much worse.
Chicago and points not-so-far north measured snow in feet. Winds and temperatures didn't melt anything, to say the least. Traffic pictures were horrible. Seemed to be miles of cars going nowhere on the freeways. I hope there were plenty of blankets, plenty of juice, lots of blankets. I hope there was enough to share for the few and the fools who set out unprepared.
There were accidents here, too, of course, but no national station is broadcasting our stopped traffic.
This winter has been cold, but not too wintry -- as yet. It always makes me uneasy when the forecasters call for big storms that turn out to be little ones. It's not unusual for winter to not 'hit' until after Groundhog's Day. The cold usually makes an earlier appearance.
I don't want to see winter storms, but I really hate it when they are predicted to the point of hysteria, and then the reality is fractional.
I should be as thankful for that as I think people should be that they aren't more northern. But, like them, I am only annoyed that we are all inconvenienced by whatever has come our way.
And I hope everyone on that horrible roadway is safely tucked in at home tonight.
With no sunshine this morning after, the aftermath hasn't looked too impressive. That makes it more dangerous in many instances.
But it could have been so much worse.
Chicago and points not-so-far north measured snow in feet. Winds and temperatures didn't melt anything, to say the least. Traffic pictures were horrible. Seemed to be miles of cars going nowhere on the freeways. I hope there were plenty of blankets, plenty of juice, lots of blankets. I hope there was enough to share for the few and the fools who set out unprepared.
There were accidents here, too, of course, but no national station is broadcasting our stopped traffic.
This winter has been cold, but not too wintry -- as yet. It always makes me uneasy when the forecasters call for big storms that turn out to be little ones. It's not unusual for winter to not 'hit' until after Groundhog's Day. The cold usually makes an earlier appearance.
I don't want to see winter storms, but I really hate it when they are predicted to the point of hysteria, and then the reality is fractional.
I should be as thankful for that as I think people should be that they aren't more northern. But, like them, I am only annoyed that we are all inconvenienced by whatever has come our way.
And I hope everyone on that horrible roadway is safely tucked in at home tonight.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
life love and other dissed illusions: Who gets the Credit for That?
life love and other dissed illusions: Who gets the Credit for That?: As part of stabilizing the economy, the money people sitting in their high-rise offices have made a bit of noise about 'fixing' credit-money...
Who gets the Credit for That?
As part of stabilizing the economy, the money people sitting in their high-rise offices have made a bit of noise about 'fixing' credit-money-grubbing mean old banks. They have busy-busy-busily passed laws that 'correct' the way these greedy places up interest rates and weasel out of paying skymiles and the other nonsense that add to the appeal of using certain credit cards as opposed to others. (What's in your wallet?)
Down here on the ground, we're glad to see these changes. Someday, they may change something for those of us who survive paycheck-to-paycheck and pay cash, check, or money order.
We'd like to see some real credit reform.
Something that matters.
Something that makes sense.
Credit reform could start with credit reports not being used for non-credit reasons. Such as getting a job. More and more often, even in retail work, hard-working candidates are being refused jobs because their credit is bad. (You know, possible employer, that just might be why they are looking for a job. Did that not occur to you?) Let's look at an employee's WORK RECORD to decide if he will WORK for us.
Then there's buying insurance. Why should anyone's auto insurance rate be based on their credit history? Shouldn't insurability and the cost thereof be based on the driving record? What do old doctor bills and unpaid utilities from childhood have to do with the need for auto insurance.
The next step is limiting credit reports to pertinent information for the situation. An example of this is apartment rental. Should an individual who has been renting for thirty years, never been evicted, never been sued for unpaid rent, never had to pay (extra) for damages -- should this person be turned away from an apartment because of unpaid doctor bills? What's right about that?
On that topic, some things just shouldn't be used at all. When the economy crashed, many people had to let their homes go into foreclosure. It was the only way the lenders would even look at refinancing. The people who did manage to refinance and are still managing to hold onto their homes are now being punished by following the protocols established by their lenders. They didn't want foreclosure, they wanted to pay a little less for a longer period of time.
Hooray for credit reform. Now that it's all been smugly settled in the bailed out offices, let's get it out on the streets, where real people can use it.
Down here on the ground, we're glad to see these changes. Someday, they may change something for those of us who survive paycheck-to-paycheck and pay cash, check, or money order.
We'd like to see some real credit reform.
Something that matters.
Something that makes sense.
Credit reform could start with credit reports not being used for non-credit reasons. Such as getting a job. More and more often, even in retail work, hard-working candidates are being refused jobs because their credit is bad. (You know, possible employer, that just might be why they are looking for a job. Did that not occur to you?) Let's look at an employee's WORK RECORD to decide if he will WORK for us.
Then there's buying insurance. Why should anyone's auto insurance rate be based on their credit history? Shouldn't insurability and the cost thereof be based on the driving record? What do old doctor bills and unpaid utilities from childhood have to do with the need for auto insurance.
The next step is limiting credit reports to pertinent information for the situation. An example of this is apartment rental. Should an individual who has been renting for thirty years, never been evicted, never been sued for unpaid rent, never had to pay (extra) for damages -- should this person be turned away from an apartment because of unpaid doctor bills? What's right about that?
On that topic, some things just shouldn't be used at all. When the economy crashed, many people had to let their homes go into foreclosure. It was the only way the lenders would even look at refinancing. The people who did manage to refinance and are still managing to hold onto their homes are now being punished by following the protocols established by their lenders. They didn't want foreclosure, they wanted to pay a little less for a longer period of time.
Hooray for credit reform. Now that it's all been smugly settled in the bailed out offices, let's get it out on the streets, where real people can use it.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Weighing in
There are weight loss doctors everywhere, or so you'd think. You can't turn on the tv, listen to the radio, surf the net without seeing or hearing them in every media. Obesity (which is a condition not a disease) has been declared an epidemic.
I recently went to a doctor, because I have gained weight all out of proportion to my lifestyle changes, my activity levels, and my food intake. Imagine being told that I need to lose weight, be more active, and eat less. DUH! I tried all that; it wasn't working. That's why I'm here, doc.
Disgusted, I came home and tried doing a little research. There are huge hospitals in Cincinnati. There are research places all over the map. There are clinics and other organizations.
The first thing any of them want to know is the name of your insurance carrier and how long you've had the policy.
The next thing they do is try to sell you on their one specialty. For weight loss, the specialty of choice seems to be some form of bariatric surgery. Don't want surgery? Sorry, they can't (won't) help you.
Or you could buy magic weight loss pills, powders, or products. Take eight or ten or twelve overpriced doses three or four times a day, and you're guaranteed to lose weight on their program.
Probably because you have no money left to buy groceries.
Weight loss programs like weight watchers or nutrisystems aren't much help either. If you can scrape together the membership fees, they rely heavily on their own foods, which, as members you can buy at special prices.
If you're not losing weight, it's your fault. Whether it's because of no surgery, no special powders, or no especially pre-packaged foods, it's your fault.
Even if you are doing everything right, but still are not losing weight, it's your fault.
You are a fat lazy cow who only sits and eats and you don't try to help yourself. You are fat, so it must be your fault.
Everyone in the medical profession knows it, and every one of them will tell you so, although not always in so many words.
They make sure you know it, though.
Maybe I should just see a vet.
I recently went to a doctor, because I have gained weight all out of proportion to my lifestyle changes, my activity levels, and my food intake. Imagine being told that I need to lose weight, be more active, and eat less. DUH! I tried all that; it wasn't working. That's why I'm here, doc.
Disgusted, I came home and tried doing a little research. There are huge hospitals in Cincinnati. There are research places all over the map. There are clinics and other organizations.
The first thing any of them want to know is the name of your insurance carrier and how long you've had the policy.
The next thing they do is try to sell you on their one specialty. For weight loss, the specialty of choice seems to be some form of bariatric surgery. Don't want surgery? Sorry, they can't (won't) help you.
Or you could buy magic weight loss pills, powders, or products. Take eight or ten or twelve overpriced doses three or four times a day, and you're guaranteed to lose weight on their program.
Probably because you have no money left to buy groceries.
Weight loss programs like weight watchers or nutrisystems aren't much help either. If you can scrape together the membership fees, they rely heavily on their own foods, which, as members you can buy at special prices.
If you're not losing weight, it's your fault. Whether it's because of no surgery, no special powders, or no especially pre-packaged foods, it's your fault.
Even if you are doing everything right, but still are not losing weight, it's your fault.
You are a fat lazy cow who only sits and eats and you don't try to help yourself. You are fat, so it must be your fault.
Everyone in the medical profession knows it, and every one of them will tell you so, although not always in so many words.
They make sure you know it, though.
Maybe I should just see a vet.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
New year, new day, new blah blah
The truth is, every day is a new year from 365 days ago (or 366, next year.) Every new day is an opportunity for a new life. And most days, this new start is wasted.
It's not really anyone's fault. Try as we might to start a new life, a new attitude, the old life hangs on. We are tangled up with our pasts, and they hold and are unwilling to let go.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are things in our pasts we'd like to hold onto. Maybe even go back to. So in a way, it's only fair that even though we can't hold therm, they can, and do, hold us.
I hope this year will be better, for all of us. Too many people I know have had bad times this last year.
Most of them have had good friends to help them get through.
If they had no past, they would not have had those friends.
So, as we vow our new beginnings, it's not enough to turn our backs to our past. We need to let our pasts 'have our back'.
Tomorrow started yesterday.
It's not really anyone's fault. Try as we might to start a new life, a new attitude, the old life hangs on. We are tangled up with our pasts, and they hold and are unwilling to let go.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are things in our pasts we'd like to hold onto. Maybe even go back to. So in a way, it's only fair that even though we can't hold therm, they can, and do, hold us.
I hope this year will be better, for all of us. Too many people I know have had bad times this last year.
Most of them have had good friends to help them get through.
If they had no past, they would not have had those friends.
So, as we vow our new beginnings, it's not enough to turn our backs to our past. We need to let our pasts 'have our back'.
Tomorrow started yesterday.
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