Shipwrecked & Comatose

Backin the early days of blogging my blog would always be full of random thoughts and observations. Sometimes I miss those prolific days.  So today I present to you a compilation of some of the dumb stuff that's been on my mind lately. The Paradox of Men I'll never understand why some situations bother guys and others don't. Brown ring in the toilet and yellow stains on the rim?  No problem! Inch-thick layer of dust on the furniture?  What dust? Mildew all over the ceiling?  It's a garden! A pair of stockings hanging out to dry in the shower?  EW YUCK!  HORRIBLE!  TAKE IT AWAY NOW! Pet Food Am I the only one scratching her head at these commercials for seemingly "gourmet" pet food? They're always showing these beautiful cuts of meat and fresh vegetables (odd considering cats and dogs are mostly carnivorous).  We're talking about animals who will eat garbage, rodents, feces, and vomit.  Cats are gross.  Dogs are even g...

Nearly 10 years later, Osama Bin Laden is dead. Okay guys.  Pack it in.  Turn off the lights and close the door behind you. Wait a minute.  Every child knows that when Mommy and Daddy turn out the lights and close the door behind them, the monsters come out of the closet and out from under the bed. 10 years ago I watched a news special where Pakistani and Afghani intellectuals were interviewed about Islam's hostility to the west.  Where does it come from? The answer was pretty universal.  The US likes to help, likes to intervene, but only to pursue its own ends.  The US was more than happy to help Afghanistan rid itself of Soviet rule, but once they accomplished this, the country was thrown to the wolves. In order to overthrow Soviet rule, in its single-minded puruist of defating communism, the US supported the very people who made Afghanistan what it is today.  Our policies had a lot to do with the creation of Osama Bin Laden....

When Charles married Diana I was 11 years old and more than eager to wake up early and see the festivities.  I have always loved weddings and certainly one of that magnitude was an extremely exciting event for me.  This was like a fairytale - a real prince was marrying his new princess.  What could be more beautiful? Or maybe not.  Being a member of royalty doesn't guarantee you a happy marriage in the real world. Will I watch the wedding of William and Kate?  Chances are if I'm awake I will turn on the news and take a gander.  I'd like to see the procession (horses!) and her dress.  I don't have any intention of hanging on every word. So many thoughts have gone through my head about this wedding, about why we care so much, and about the future of the monarchy that I really had to blog about it.  I have a few different topics on my brain. Fairytales Is this wedding a fairytale?  I keep hearing it referred to as such.  Let's sto...

What the heck is a “core”? Well, I know it’s the part of an apple you eat around and toss. It’s also the part of the tomato you cut out. It’s the ball we believe is at the center of the earth and it’s made of iron and nickel. Do we have a body part called a core? If so, what is it? According to my Core Rhythms DVDs, the core is the band of muscles above the hips, front and back: Rectus abdominus, obliques, and the erector spinae muscles. Kevin’s P90X DVDs has a core workout that seems to involve the entire torso as it contains exercises like pushups, which also engage pectorals, biceps, and triceps. Certain faddish exercise classes I have taken (whose name I will not mention for fear of offending its devotees) are obsessed with the word “core” and seem to focus mostly on the front of the body: rectus abdominus, obliques, hip flexors, and some hip adductor and abductor. The back muscles are hardly engaged at all as much of the work is done lying on the floor. The idea that...

The national deficit is rising. State deficits are rising. I’m not a math expert, but I understand why it happens. The government spends more money than it collects. There are two solutions. The first is to collect more revenue. The other is to stop spending. The most palatable solution for your average shmoe is to simply spend less and not raise taxes. It seems so simple. No one wants to pay more taxes, so let’s just cut everything. Everyone has to make a sacrifice. We all agree that sacrifices must be made. The problem is that everyone feel s that everyone else needs to make a sacrifice. “Don’t make me give up my benefits or pay taxes. That’s for the people who don’t deserve what they get.” In Wisconsin the governor decided that the highest income residents of the state were making too much of a sacrifice. They needed a break, so he gave them a giant tax cut. The next thing he knew he was faced with a giant budget shortfall. No one said the wealthiest state residents should c...

For the past two or three years I have been making an effort to eat more cleanly. I want to cut way back on sugar and as many forms of processed food as possible. I haven't always been successful. (If I were more successful, I would likely be thinner.) Even if I'm not always following the plan, one habit that has stuck is that I am a compulsive label reader. If I'm not eating something fresh, I will check the ingredients. If they don't meet certain criteria, I will put that product back on the shelf (well, usually I will). Before my Connecticut office moved to its current location, the closest supermarkets to my office were Stew Leonards and Whole Foods. I often like to shop on my lunch hour to free up my evenings for other activities. Having convenient shopping near my office was important. I tended to shop at the Whole Foods because they had a greater variety of products. It also meant spending large amounts of money. Whole Foods - or Whole Paycheck as I like to call ...

About a year ago I was beginning to notice my living room couch was looking a bit grubby. I had had that couch for over 10 years. I bought it for my first apartment. It was bound to not exactly be spotless. Even a professional steam cleaning didn't really keep it from showing its age. Sometime during the holidays it developed a rip. I was beginning to feel embarassed about my living room. The couch's framework was still solid. It had held up well over the years. Rather than replace it, I thought it would be nice to just reupholster it. After all, it would not be likely I could sell, or even freecycle a grubby, ripped couch. I didn't want a big piece of furniture cluttering up the landfills. Besides,if we went for a new couch Kevin and I would have to sofa shop together and it would be hard to carve out the time to do so. Then we would be spending endless hours in furinutre stores trying to hash out our preferences. With reupholstery, I could take home swatch books and we c...