tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24412848538412953422024-03-13T12:53:25.655-07:00Random Neural FiringsWhat happens when I think<a href="http://www.dividedwefail.org/"><img src="http://assets.aarp.org/www.aarp.org_/build/templates/issues/dwf/="></a>Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-25928674729731693662015-12-17T11:37:00.001-08:002015-12-17T11:37:08.326-08:00FORGIVEDo you know what forgiveness can do for you? It can raise your spirits. It can release you from stress. It can make your heart and mind lighter. It can set you free! <div><br></div><div>It is also very important to forgive yourself first. Every day say to yourself "I forgive myself and all others for ills perceived or real." </div><div><br></div><div>Believe it or not this will work! Try it! You can say it anyway with whatever words are easiest for you, it takes milliseconds to do. </div><div><br></div><div>FORGIVE!!</div><div><br></div>Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-2953278139682307712015-11-06T14:49:00.002-08:002015-11-06T14:49:58.595-08:00WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?I have been actively fighting depression for my entire 78+ years on this planet. I have done well on anti depressants for years, having to change medications only three times. This year I had several trips to hospital, heart problems first, but I managed to keep the expected depression under control. Then I had a very very mild stroke, and everything changed. . .for the worse! Now I am up for a day, and then down for a week. I don't want to move, leave the house, eat, bathe, or any other daily tasks. It is horrid! I feel like a yo yo! I'm afraid. I've never been afraid of much in my entire life. I hate feeling this way, my med isn't working right or something. I feel like I'm sinking in a pit, there is a ladder, but it sinks as I climb so I get nowhere! It is a nightmare way to live. I have become paranoid about my health and am afraid I'll do something that causes some other reason to be in hospital. I don't think about anyone but me. I'm turning into somebody I hate!
Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-52691113328190724682009-09-01T15:01:00.001-07:002009-09-01T15:01:43.132-07:00It's not gloomy, that's smoke!The skies here in the Victor Valley in California are hazy, the sun hasn't peeked out for a couple of days, and there is just a general feeling of malaise in the air. The problem isn't clouds, it's smoke from all the fires on the other side of the hill. The prevailing winds naturally push everything from the coast back to the mountains and then over into our valley. For several days it was palpable, smelly, and rained ashes down on everything. It doesn't smell today, but the air is still full of nasty pollutants that no one wants to breathe in. The folks that live closest to all this smoke must really be having breathing troubles, how I wish it wasn't so. We all pray for the fires to be over, knowing full well that if the wind starts really blowing it could run the fire up to the top of the mountains and back down our side. It happened in 2003, I don't want to see it again. Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-91267948330743551912009-08-26T16:13:00.000-07:002009-08-26T16:20:21.626-07:00Ted KennedyI first became aware of politics and the Kennedy family when I was a very young adult. A few years after the Korean war, Eisenhower was at the end of his second term, and here came John, roaring into the White House. Sadly John and Robert were assassinated before they could fulfill their full potential, but they were a dynamic duo, helping little brother Ted along with his political career. Senator Kennedy has been a calming force in the Senate for many years, respected by both Democrats and Republicans alike. It has only been the past few years that the parties have been so divided, and his was the voice of reason on the Senate Floor, calming and trying his best to get bi-partisan cooperation in the Senate. He cared about all the people who didn't have the means to get attention in Washington, he cared about their livelihoods, their health, their savings, and their ability to pay their rent or own a home. A compassionate and caring man, Godspeed Senator Kennedy, you will be missed by all.Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-25696346590490665322009-08-21T15:56:00.000-07:002009-08-21T16:09:39.866-07:00WannabeesI volunteer with my county sheriff's department, there are about 50 of us in our unit. The past 2 new classes have been overloaded with a bunch of people who wannabee a deputy, and argue with the higher ups when they mess up. We aren't supposed to do the deputies work, we are supposed to be an extra arm for them to use to do mundane tasks that must be done, but don't need "armed" troops. We fingerprint children, run errands, to and from the DA, and the main station 50 miles away, we cruise residential neighborhoods (well a very few of us will do it) to let people know the department knows that they are there, we check houses and businesses that are not occupied for one reason or the other, usually vacations, but also empty houses, businesses, and most importantly residences where an older person lives alone. We also do traffic control around town as necessary and at traffic accidents. They keep us plenty busy and they treat us as if we were the best people on earth. BUT The first rule we learned was "NEVER PUT YOURSELF IN HARM'S WAY!" But these boneheads run up on calls before the deputies can get there, not paying any attention to what kind of call it is. The only ones we run up on are traffic problems. They do Uturns in traffic, turn left on realllllly yellow lights, speed, and do all sorts of other things that could get them (or even worse) another of us killed! I love doing it, but these bozos have me scared to get in a department vehicle for fear of getting whacked! I manage our little newsletter, and try to write an up to date and informative editorial each month, but the powers that be don't like it when I mention stuff like these guys doing things that aren't on our "authorized list of things we can do". So I have to write a bunch of pap that makes me mad at myself. I think I will just call a spade a spade, the people that read the news like it that way!!!!!Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-27702551938575095862008-11-15T09:29:00.001-08:002008-11-15T09:37:02.308-08:00Anticipation can be tittilatingNow we wait. Who will Obama pick for his cabinet? Who will we like, who won't we like? It is rather fun to watch all the media hype about every move Obama makes, rumor, truth, lies, which is which. Are there really leaks suddenly appearing? Are they deliberate, accidental, or just to keep us all interested in what is going on? I am having a ball, this is more fun than the entire run to the election was. I am looking forward to a new beginning for this country, I just hope that there is cooperation from everyone, no matter their party or their feelings. Let's just get together and take advantage of this great opportunity to have a President that already has respect and hopeful approval from foreign heads of state. Give him every opportunity to get the respect this nation has lost back, along with the trust from other nations. Even the Middle East nations who hate us seem to be receptive to at least talking with Obama. Let's give it a chance, maybe we can have peace in our time, it may be an uneasy peace, but give it a chance to work. Obama will be the greatest asset this country has had in years, if we all work together and support him and his cabinet, maybe this country and the world can recover from this financial crisis that is already being blamed on Obama by the radio talk show pundits. Hopefully they will lose their fair haired status soon and people will begin to see that we all need to pull together to make this a great country once again.Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-67140750325841288462008-10-18T10:12:00.001-07:002008-10-18T10:12:53.525-07:00It gets worse everyday!The GOP is really getting down into the grubbiest parts of the netherworld with their latest round of advertising and hate spreading. What would make any good human being want to vote for people that behave that way? Are they all racists at heart, are all those nice Christian people really just hate mongers, white supremists, who think that only the aryan christian bible thumpers are human and worth consideration, or all of the rest of us just fit to be slaves and objects of their hate and disdain. The so called Christians in this nation need to take another good look at themselves, they are not fit to lead this country, and they are not fit to be part of my world. I have made a conscious decision to ignore the rantings of the so called Christians and Republicans, they are all very dangerous, and frankly they scare the HELL out of me.Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-48757846832676402462008-10-16T10:39:00.000-07:002008-10-16T11:23:51.557-07:00How do we get out of this mess?As individuals we can do many things to boost our own financial situation, small insignificant things that most folks do not even think about. Start at home and with your own personal spending habits. Home: Make a list of all the utility bills you pay, and how much each one is. Examine each bill carefully to see just what it is you are paying for. Go online and see if your gas or electric company has any special rates and/or rebates they give for cutting back your usage. My electric company gives me a 20% discount all summer, just for being able to turn off my air conditioner remotely in case they need the extra power. Look at your phone bill, how much are you paying for local and long distance? Maybe you are paying a lot for unlimited local and long distance, maybe it would be cheaper to be on a "pay as you call" type of long distance, it may save you money. Cut back on your cell services, and the amount of minutes you use. DO you really need texting, Itunes, and all the other goodies they gouge us $4-5 each month per service each month. Figure out how much it would take off your bill to give up some of these extra services. Inspect your cable bill, are you paying for more "tiers" than you really use? Cut back the level of service and save there also. Shop around for cheaper internet costs. I switched from cable to DSL and saved more than half of what I was paying, and I see no difference in the speed or anything else. Buy store brands instead of "name brands' They are just as good and can save lots of money. Buy in quantity, it is cheaper that way (usually). Do without stuff you think you just have to have. Make every trip in your car count, run errands on your way to and from work, do as many errands as you can in one trip and save gas running back and forth to the house. Buy less snacks and video games. Make the kids get off the couch and moving around, no TV or Video games or anything that uses electricity until a specific time of day. When you are not charging your phone, unplug the charger, or any other charger that you leave plugged in all the time. Change out all your lightbulbs to the flourescent kind, they are easy to find at 99 cent and dollar stores. Shop discount centers first, start with the cheapest store and work your way up. You would be surprised by what you can find in a 99 cent store. Use coupons if you insist on name brands, and combine them with sales. Don't buy produce that is priced too high, if you don't buy it and I don't buy it, they will be forced to lower the price eventually. If you are really in dire straights, and having trouble with rent, food and real necessities, give up your pets. It is more humane to give them up for adoption, than to give them cheaper food, or none. If you have an extra $20 in your pocket, put it away and save it, don't run out and spend it at JackintheBox or somewhere else. Make more than the minimum payment on your bills, pay them as soon as they come into your mailbox, use your ATM card and don't carry much cash (be sure to take expenditures out of your account though). Turn your thermostats up or down depending on the season, put on an extra layer of clothing and turn your furnace down, get some fans and turn your air down. Make sure your dishwasher is full, if it doesn't have a delay timer on it, turn it on at bedtime, electricity is cheaper then. Keep your refrigerator and freezer full even if you have to put stacks of newspaper or bottles of water in there, the less air space, the less it will run. Turn your water off when you are done washing, don't let water run, don't flush everytime you go in there. There are a million little tiny things you can do do save money, they may seem pickyune and frivolous, but they will work. Try it.Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-15661786793069250412008-10-15T13:36:00.000-07:002008-10-15T13:38:30.491-07:00!@#$%! !@#$#$*@@!@!!That's just the way I feel today. I am having a crisis in faith with my Prozac, downm, down, down. I guess I better talk to my doc about adjusting or changing the meds. I have noticed a steady decline for a month or so.Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-67637558775165621942008-10-14T13:42:00.001-07:002008-10-14T13:42:02.250-07:00Just one of those !@#$% days!First thing this morning, shortly after 8AM, the phone rings, and my friend, who has been out of town for several days, and is the secretary of the group I Volunteer with, says' I[M Mad as hell!", not "Hello", not "I had a wonderful time", No, just "I'm mad as hell". From there she went onfor about 15 minutes about things the Commander and Vice Commander were supposed to do in her absence. Everything they did was wrong. I guess she is the only person on earth who can see to it that the place runs smoothly! Now that could have gotten my day off to a really rotten start, but I let it roll off my back and went on about my business. The other day I had noticed that my Zone Alarm had stopped working. It told me my protection was up, something called UI was initializing (Never did), and would not let me into the control panel. I contacted ZA, and after a couple of days they finally said to unload it and start over. Well Gee Whiz!!! I had already done that, but would try one more time. This time it worked, but it has been an all day process that has gotten me nowhere most of the day even though it ended well. There is a crew out front ofmy house re-paving the street, they have been ther for 3 weeks now, and are just now putting down the gravel. They have scraped, dug, and filled a dozen times, in the evening I have a semblance of a driveway to get out of, but during their working hours I am liable to have to drop a foot out of my yard onto the street or sometimes even more. The mail doesn't come until long after the crew goes in the evening, as well as the trash, UPS, Fed EX and any other person trying to get their business done on this street. It is blocked off for about 6 or 8 blocks, so detours are a way of life around here. Of course they are a way of life all over town, seems like every other street is under some kind of construction. The people across the street are moving out, leaving still another empty house on our street. Every day there are more empty houses in this town, I am beginning to think more people DON"T live here than do live here. Got absolutely nothing else done this day either. Oh well, I can't complain, my house and car are paid for, I don't owe anyone any money, I live in California where the climate is great, I live in the high desert away from the dirty air and smog, I have a husband, and 8 kids that love me, what more could a person want? God Bless them all anyhow!!!Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-45202513353977723312008-10-14T10:00:00.000-07:002008-10-14T10:03:16.103-07:00For cryin' out loud . . .I will be so glad when this political stuff is over with. I hate to turn on the TV or Radio anymore, all the hot air is too much. I think John McCain is really over the top and (really) needs a mental evaluation before something awful happens and he is elected president. He is not qualified to be president. He probaby was in the past, but he sure isn't now. He is erratic, peevish, and acts like he is totally empty headed. Please, someone see to it that we don't put a demented old man in the White House!Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-50332058367344703052008-10-09T13:47:00.001-07:002008-10-09T13:47:37.920-07:00If Ayres is that bad why isn't he in jail?McCain and Company are on a rampage about Barack's relationship with this Ayres fella. If he is so scarey and bad and awful, why hasn't McCain and his Republican cohorts seen to it that he is in jail. How do they know the man and his wife are "Unrepentant"? I would imagine that they have beat themselves up more than McCain ever could. They are decent law abiding citizens now, so leave it and go on with the campaign. If I had ever been inclined to vote Republican, they sure have wiped that out!! He is using up all his credibility as a long time senator with all this BS. With me he is even wearing off his war hero status, he's nothing but a bully and a coward.Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-58484395195050542392008-10-05T10:01:00.000-07:002008-10-05T10:02:56.693-07:00Nobody ever talked about it . . . .Until just recently most people would not talk about mental health, especially if someone in their family had problems. I am greatly saddened that mental health has not been seen as the real medical problem it is and that it has always been shoved into the closet and hidden away. Now that I am in my 70s and in retrospect in can see where mental illness was a problem in my own family, my mother's side as well as my fathers. My mothers side of my heritage has apparently always suffered from undiagnosed degrees of depression, running from the milder side to BiPolar Disorder. I grew up thinking they were all just normal and so was I (I thought), until my daughter was diagnosed as BiPolar at almost 40 years of age. Because no one ever talked about mental disease, I just thought she was another one of those sour pusses from my mother's side of the family. After her diagnosis, (which coincided with the oncoming of the internet), I began doing sporadic research about depression and bipolar disorder, especially. The more I read the more I realized that one entire half of my family was affected by it. My father's side had their fair share of "oddballs" too, they were a little "batty", but mostly harmless and just plain funny once you figured out what their problem was. But the depressive side has been really the worst of all worlds. I finally admitted that I was depressive when I was in my 60s and was put on anti depressants. The difference in my personality was absolutely amazing, and I began to like myself for the first time. I often tell people that if it wasn't for Prozac they would hate me. <br />I will delve more into my own dizzyingly out of control life in a later post, but meantime, let's all be more aware of mental health and talk about it openly so people who are mentally ill don't have to suffer for years before they are helped. Now that I am somewhat better, I realize how miserable life has been and how miserable I made others because of my mental illnessJanstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-37369590952587702672008-10-01T11:10:00.001-07:002008-10-01T11:10:12.300-07:00Let's try a new gameThis afternoon the Senate will vote on this economy bailout bill. I think it is a bad idea the way it is written, and hope they have a long and serious discussion about changing this bill completely and starting over. Why should I pay for some corporations greed and stupidity? Start at the bottom and re finance all the mortgages that have ARMs, see to it that no family pays out more than 20% of their take home pay for housing, drop the interest rates on ANYTHING including mortgages drops to a number like 5% and no more. Start this bailout at the bottom and work up. Senator Kucinich had a good plan last night on Rachel Maddow, listen to him and others who want to do this thing right. Bush already pumped $630 Billion dollars into the banking system the same day this bill failed. Take a closer look at what is going on. Help the small fish and let the big ones fry. They got us and themselves into this mess in the first place, let them figure out how to get out. Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-24600504996806122008-09-30T08:38:00.000-07:002008-09-30T08:57:56.549-07:00Dumb DogToday they are tearing up all the pavement in front of my house. They have already taken up pavement for about 6 blocks south of me and my street has been closed for 3 weeks to through traffic. Now don't get me wrong, I llive on a very busy street, one of only a few North/South streets that go completely across town, and I enjoy not having as much traffic going past the house at super sonic speeds, trying to pass one another before they get to the stop sign 200 feet from my front door. But they work so slowly, are they going to tear up this street for a distance of about 3 miles before they pave it again? Is it going to be closed all that way before they pave it? Meantime, the street is down to the dirt, and even though they run this big water truck up and down spraying water every 2-3 hours, the dust still is a problem. But then, I live in the desert and dust is always a problem, pavement or not. The worst thing about having them out there in the street is the stupid dog next door. He barks every time someone walks by the house, and with all these nice people fixing the road walking back and forth most of the day, the stupid dog barks most of the day. He has been next door for about a year, and still barks at us every time we go out into our yard. He barks when our goat gets close to the fence, when the cats walk down the driveway, when birds fly over into his yard. You would think that after a year of these things happening all day everyday the stupid dog would learn wouldn't you? Does it seem unreasonable that he should get to the point where he recognizes at least the humans and not bark? We even toss him left overs over the fence and he still acts like we are breaking in, even when we are in our own driveway. I think maybe he suffers from some sort of brain damage, he must, I have never known a dog that never got to the point that he recognized at least the humans in the yard next door. Maybe he just likes the sound of his own voice, likes to hear his brain rattle, or maybe he is just a stupid dog that likes to irritate the neighbors. This particular dog is a Pit Bull, a nice looking one too. I have known many Pits in my life and not one of them have been as stupid as Rocky. Most are very intelligent and loving (except around other dogs), and soon learn to recognize people who are not their enemies. There is a Rottweiler in the same yard, Pogey, who rarely barks at anything, so "when he barks we listen". But poor Pogey is old, and Rocky has taken over as top dog, so we have to listen to the stupid one bark all the time. Pogey at least recognizes his own name and if you tell him to be quiet when he barks he will do so immediatey, Rocky doesn't seem to know his own name, if you tell him to be quiet he just gets louder and more raunchy. Just goes to show, dogs are as different as people, different personalities, different degrees of intelligence, just different. Pogey even recognizes the fact that the cats are trying to rile him up and will just lie down and watch them until they get close enough to bark at or chase back over the fence. Rocky is just a dummy who still rises to the bait no matter how many times it is tossed in his direction. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb! Oh well, Rocky has to have a place to live too, so I guess I will just continue to put up with his stupidity and barking. He spends his days locked in the back yard (probably a good thing for everybody), and he has a very large back yard to wander around in, and his masters seem to love him, he is well fed, and healthy looking, guess I'll just hope he gets old enough that he doesn't bark at every fly or leaf that comes his way. Rocky, Be Quiet!Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-42386833482773700072008-09-29T09:13:00.000-07:002008-09-29T09:23:01.868-07:00What the?. . . .is going on in this country? We have to bail out the richest people in the world because they made bad investment decisions. I don't think so. Let the buggers suffer like the rest of us do. The government has made such a botched mess of the economy in this country it is hard to believe we are not in a full blown recession or depression. They have encouraged people to spend, spend, spend, and use credit til it is stretched beyond their income. How can anyone with a good conscience give credit to people who already owe twice their paycheck out each month. I think the Bushies are trying to get us all so far down in debt that they can completely take over this country and turn it into a police state. If you listen to the Republican ticket they sound just like the Bushies only worse. Maybe we need a depression so that when people climb back out of it they will remember how hard times were til their dying day and be more frugal about how they spend their money. I am a Depression Era leftover, and believe me I know what it is to be broke, no credit, and digging for change to get to work on payday. Not to mention the big jar of leftovers in the refrigerator that turns into soup for the last couple of days before payday. It is no fun being poor, and it is not fair for these morons to keep telling people to spend spend spend when they don't have anything to spend. No wonder so many people are in trouble, keep giving them credit even if they don't have a job. That is about as ridiculous a thing as I have ever heard. When I was young a single woman couldn't even get credit of any kind. Especially if she was a single mother. I don't think single men fared any better, even in a day when most women stayed home and kept the household running smoothly and give the kids a snack when they came home from school. Oh well, drivel, drivel, drivel, I don't think anyone wants to hear it anyhow, they all want to have what the rich folks have so they believe the government and keep on spending.Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-7011774943192829762008-09-24T09:58:00.000-07:002008-09-24T10:12:23.509-07:00Didja ever think . . . .That one day you would be an old person? I can distinctly remember my thoughts when a Grammar School Teacher (yes that is what they called elementary schools in my day), in about the 4th or 5th grade asking us to try to imagine what we would be doing in the year 2000. Well believe me, that was almost unimaginable, it was such a long time away, about 50 years for cryin out loud! Not being too quick at math in my head it took me a while to figure out that I would probably be in my early 60's. Once I figured that out I figured I would probably be a crochety old woman unable to take care of myself, with no teeth, a cane, and thick glasses. That's because that is what older people looked like in my family. I don't even know how old any of them were then, because most of them lived until I was an adult and then died in their 80s and 90s. But to a 4th or 5th grader they all seemed ancient, even the thought of getting as old as my parents were at the time seemed like forever, and they seemed old too. After all 30 or 40 was an old to a 10 year old. The more I thought about it the more I dreaded the thought of being an old person who was half blind, toothless, and had a bag hanging from under my clothes. I thought about that over the years, and by the time I was in my teens I had become convinced that I would not live past the age of 35, I would be used up and done for. Mouldering in my grave! Well, when I woke up on my 35th birthday and found out I was still alive, and comparatively young, I figured that I would probably live to be a very old person. By then some of my older relatives had begun to pass on, and they were 80 and older. Both my grandfathers were way up in their 90s when they died. I guess the random thoughts of a little kid trying to imagine the future 50 years off must seem pretty scarey, it was for me. I didn't think about wars, gangs, or any of the new and modern conveniences and electronics we have now, I just thought about being an old toothless, wrinkled up old prune trying to get around, and needing the help of my children to stay alive. Tsk Tsk Tsk Now I'm 71, and with the exception of trying to keep my blood pressure under control relatively healthy. I am overweight, and can feel the age creeping around when I try to do something physical and have a hard time, but I'm still a healthy, happy, toothless (except for the store bought ones) granny plugging along through life with not a care in the world. Don't ever believe anything you believe when you are 10 about people, aging, or life.Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-8664901434543754982008-09-22T12:32:00.000-07:002008-09-22T12:40:53.099-07:00What more need one say?<a href="http://openphoto.net/volumes/brucedenney/20060406/openphotonet_Photo_082104_007.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://openphoto.net/volumes/brucedenney/20060406/openphotonet_Photo_082104_007.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><strong></strong><em></em>Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-942233703848836362008-09-19T11:02:00.001-07:002008-09-19T11:02:57.679-07:00Something so simple!I have been suffering from excessive head sweating for years. You know, the kind that feels like your head is on fire and the sweat starts like a waterfall at the top of your head and just goes out 360 from there. Sweat in your eyes, hair soaking wet, flushed, people wondering if you were ill, embarassing as all heck, always mopping up sweat. I blamed it on menopause for years, then that was over and the sweating continued. The doctor would just say to drink Gatorade if I thought I was getting dehydrated. I read or saw somewhere that acetamenophin (tylenol, et al) could cause excessing sweating in some people. That started me on an internet research safari into sweating, drugs, and other stuff that said anything at all about excess sweating. I stumbled onto an obscure website that said to take an antihistamine to help with the sweating. The article talked about some drug I had never heard of being used in a very small study into excess sweatingso, and that a small percentage of the people actually quit sweating. I looked it up and it turned out to be just plain old antihistamine! Well, egad I thought, my husband has that stuff around all the time for his allergies, Soooo I got the stuff out, read the label and started taking it as directed. Believe it or not I think it is working, I haven't lost a drop to sweating yet today. Would you believe it??? That might have been a small study, with small results, but apparently I am one of the luckier ones that the stuff will work for. HOORAY for acetamenophin!!! I'm not a doctor, just an old woman trying to stay dry, try it if you want or not. I will let you all know if it continues to work or if this is just a fluke of a day.Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-74546307268097048332008-09-18T08:05:00.001-07:002008-09-18T08:05:00.688-07:00Seems Like It All Goes At Once!In the past month we have had to repair or replace a backyard fence, a clogged sink, dripping faucet, and non working electrical switches. The front fence needs replacing, we need to update the electrical service into the house, and tnow the drawers in the kitchen are literally falling into the cupboards!. The front fence in a 30 year old eyesore it is an old "rail" fence and is so ugly it is almost funny, but it serves the purpose so now it has gone back to the bottom of the "to do" list. The electrical service only has 2 circuits for the entire house, so sometimes you have to be wary of turning on certain appliances for fear of turning the others off, for example if I turn on the swamp cooler while the TV and any other switch or electricity is on, the TV goes off. This house was built before all these new fancy contraptions that need to be plugged in, either to charge up or to work at all. We have about 50 times more electric stuff in this house than I've ever had in any house in my life, and the stuff just keeps growing. So, we need to get an electrician to build up the circuits, which I guess now is priority numbr 1. Yesterday morning I went into my poor old kitchen that was a really cheap job to begin with, and has needed majora face lift for years, and the sliverware drawer had literally fallen into the cupboard below and was hanging on by it's drawer front. We have been tinking about a kitchen overhaul for years, but since it has been functional, have put it off. Now it seems to be looming there like a big open mouthed monster, and we need to update that too. Besides all the other little water leaks that appear in the 30 year old sprinkler system, the constant battle with tumbleweeds and other weeds that "bite", trying to keep the house clean, and the outside looking respectable, Keeping up with the neighbor cats that find my cats food much more appealing than their own, a swimming pool we would like to fill in, and the constant battle with sand filtering into the house, we have it pretty good here. The house is paid for, the car is paid for, we don't owe anyone any money, we should be just tickled pink, but there is always something about your house trying to fall apart that drives you nuts! Poor old house is 30, a long time for a house, out here in the desert you always have wind and sand grinding away at everything, and sometimes the dry air isn't your friend, but all in all we have been pretty lucky. I do have a "spa tub" in my bathroom that is a royal pain though, what fool put that in there I don't know, but I sure would like to get rid of it. Don't ever buy a house with one in it, or have one put in. They are hard to keep clean, and will begin to smell like stagnate water if not run often, at least once a year the spouts all need to be disassembled and cleaned because they get some sort of slime in them that shoots out at you if you don't keep it cleaned out. I'm too old for all these luxuries. It is time to pare down the wonderful conveniences that we have and move to a simpler way of life again. I guess all this wonderful stuff is ok for the younger ones, but it sure puts a burden on us older ones. Cell phones, cordless phones, internet phones, computers, cordless electric vacuums, all the things that make life wonderful also make it a cluttered, electricity eating monster! Well, guess I will get on with my search for an electrician, and begin to really think about what I want to do with the kitchen. It is literally going to need to be gutted and start over, I did that once in Big Bear, and I am truly dreading it! Oh well, my life is really very good, and I am very happy, I guess a few little inconveniences won't rain on my parade. We aren't rich, have a limited income, but we do well with what we have, if fallen drawers, and a need for circuits is all I have to worry about I better be quiet about it don't you think??? We are both healthy even if we are old, gt around well, have lots of kids, grandkids and friends around, so to heck with the rest of it, just plug along and don't complain about it, laught it off and move on to the next thing that falls apart.Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-12880306650360934982008-09-15T09:50:00.001-07:002008-09-15T09:50:17.834-07:00EGADI was listening to NPR a while ago, and a woman was talking about getting all sorts of advice, emails, and phone calls from family and friends regarding Sarah Palin. Apparently they ranged from vote for her because she is a woman, to she is a transgender, moose hunting freak. Why did she send her kids to public school, she doesn't even like her kids, she is a horrible mother, she is a first degree moose stalking member of the NRA. SHEESH, let the poor woman alone. I won't vote for her simply because I am NOT a republican and don't like McCain anymore either. I just hope most women who receive any of these emails will use their own common sense and not take everything as the truth. THINK WOMEN, DON"T BE A BUNCH OF AIRHEADS!!!!Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-39620873213287706972008-09-14T11:10:00.000-07:002008-09-14T11:25:54.183-07:00Do You Remember?<span style="font-family:georgia;">When I was a little girl, clothing wasn't as "convenient' as it is now. For instance, underpants didn't have nice elastic bands on them. There was a strip of elastic sewed into a hem around the waist and legs. Usually the underpants outwore the elastic, and eventually it would break, leaving one in the embarassing position of having ones underpants fall down around the ankles, or try to hold them up until you could find a safety pin. Sometimes the elastic would break and women would just walk out of their underpants like they had never had them on. Of course if you were smart, you wore your garter belt on the outside of your underpants, thus assuring that they would not fall any further than the top of the garter belt, which was usually located somewhere around the top of the hip bones. Anythng that had elastic waistbands was made the same way, the strip of elastic was sewn into a casing and usually wore out long before the clothing did. Then you cut a slit in the casing, fished around for the end of the elastic, tied it into a knot, and hoped for the best. Sometimes the elastic was already stretched out and had lost its "bounce", then you were stuck with underpants that you had to tie on each time you wore them. Bras weren't much better, the straps wore out much sooner that the rest of the bra and were usually repaired with a safety pin. Mothers used to tell their daughters to be sure they had on underwear without any pins in them, just in case you were run over by the street car and had to go to the hospital, how embarassing it would be for all those people to see that you had your underwear pinned together. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. If you are waiting for a point to this entire thing, you can just keep on waiting, the only point is that your underwear is made much better these days, but I have noticed that the garments themselves stretch out and need safety pins or something to keep them from sagging in the wrong places. Men in the earlier days didn't have elastic in their underpants. They had a waistband with a button, that must have been rather uncomfortable when they gained weight, or ate a big meal, maybe the pants they unbuttoned after a big meal was their underpants, they at least had the advantage of having on trousers so their underpants couldn't be completely lost.</span>Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441284853841295342.post-7439579007379511222008-09-11T09:28:00.000-07:002008-09-11T09:41:23.747-07:00Day of RemembranceLiving in California, the tragic events of 9/11/2001 seemed distant and not totally real. Is this a matter of distance, a matter of being one of the lucky ones who knew no one who was killed or injured that day, or died later of exposure and injuries in New York? I can remember watching the news that morning when the local people said something was wrong in New York. I switched to the Broadcast networks, and they all had this horrific picture of that magnificent building billowing smoke, and as we in TV land watched a huge airplane made a turn and ran full speed into the other tower. I was stunned into disbelief, was this just some made up horror from a movie they were showing? No, it was all too real, and as the news worsened with the horrors in New York, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, it still felt like we were in some movie theater somewhere, watching the most horrible horror film ever made. Even today as I watch the ceremonies taking place around this country and especially in the three places that were directly hit, even as I watch the emotion on the faces of those left behind who have to cope with this each and every day of their lives, here it seems like a nightmare that wasn't quite real. I know it was real, I saw it unfold, I have watched the interviews with people who were involved, and those who talked to their loved ones as they were murdered that day, and it still doesn't seem like it was real. I of course know it was real, and I know that there was a horrific loss of life and innocence that awful day, but now seven years later it is bandied about like a political tool, being used for purely political gain, and that is soooo wrong. These ceremonies should not be the platform for politicians, it should be the platform for those left behind and those who survived to share their memories of that day and keep reminding us all that it did happen, and that it can happen again, but not for politicians to use as a scare tactic and wave it like a flag, claiming they are the only ones who can keep us safe from another event such as this. It should be a day without politics or politicians, without speeches and scare tactics, let it be what it should be, a day of remembrance and mourning, a day of healing and consoling each other.Janstephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10732760927655891999noreply@blogger.com0