Soon.....

spring is near i can feel it
even tho the rain makes my
day gloomy i know the flowers
will bloom and the air will be fresh again
soon very soon

chicago who knew 3yrs ago this would be
friends on the world wide web
it is real i have found it to be true
smiles hugs laughter
soon very soon

the eldest saying i do with time it happens
i look and see the love
amazing to me when he in my mind
is just a child one who gave me joy
i do
soon very soon

happiness so hard to come at times
the struggle of it all
it is there we just have to find it
there is a silver lining
with a rainbow
soon very soon

she is gone two years this month
think of her every day with a smile
as she would say
"yes my love"
and i knew it was all ok
when it was near i told her
soon very soon

the days turn into months our lives
continue on
we are who we are
am i where i want to be
not sure
but
soon very soon

And the Answer to the Question is....

by Shirley

Owls I have found some trivia Q & A's as well as just some questions for us all to ponder. Don't worry the last few questions aren't too deep...or are they? Enjoy!

Q. What common everyday occurrence is composed of 59% nitrogen, 21% hydrogen and 9% dioxide?
A. A fart

Q. 40% of all people who come to a party in your home do this?
A. Snoop in your medicine cabinet

Q. What stimulates 29 muscles and chemicals causing relaxation? Women seem to like it light and frequent, men like it more strenuous.
A. A kiss

Q. Married men revealed that they do what twice as often as single men?
A. Change their underwear

Q. In a recent survey, what did Americans reveal was their favorite smell?
A. Banana

Q. What do 100% of all lottery winners do?
A. Gain weight

Q. What do more women do in the bathroom than men?
A. Wash their hands. Women 80% - Men 55%

Q. Only 14% of Americans say they've done this with the opposite sex. What is it?
A. Skinny dipping

Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month?
A. Conception.

Why is it considered necessary to nail down the lid of a coffin?
Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?
Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin?
Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
Can a stupid person be a smart-ass?
Can fat people go skinny-dipping?
Why is the third hand on the watch called a second hand?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

The Exercise You Really Need~!

by Bebbi

I am MAD…! Why? Because of the lies that are being told to people about how much exercise you really need. The recommendation is 30 minutes, three times a week and a healthy diet. Well, I am here to tell you from GREAT experience that is a bunch of Malarkey!

There was a study done on this recently and I read it on Yahoo. I didn’t have to read it though, because I have been living it. I have been stuck at the same weight for over 6 months~! AND, I exercise an hour MINIMUM EVERY DAY (no days off, mind you). Also, I eat healthy…lots of fruit and veggies (okay, I do “mess up” occasionally but you would think all the exercise would compensate!). Besides elliptical, I do strength training, yoga, and Zumba. I am impressed with how much I am doing but not impressed with the results on the scale

I could go on and on about this all day. Did you know that an hour of elliptical is 600 calories and 3….yes THREE cookies can be 600 calories. So, I may “bitch and moan” but I know that my issue is a math issue, more intake than out-take in my caloric values.



The article is called, “Why Overweight Women Struggle to Slim Down” by LiveScience. Here is a little snippet, but it is worth going to read the whole article. “The study involved more than 34,000 women in the United States, and looked at how much weight they gained over a 13-year period, from 1992 to 2007.

The women were divided into three groups: those who engaged in less than 150 minutes of moderate-level physical activity per week; those who performed 150 to 420 minutes of this type of activity per week; and those who did more than 420 minutes per week, which comes out to one hour a day. Moderate-level activities included things like brisk walking, gardening and leisurely bicycling.

On average, the women gained about 6 pounds (2.6 kilograms) during the study period. Those in the two lesser activity groups (less than 150 minutes or between 150 and 420 minutes) gained significantly more weight than those who exercised more than 420 minutes a week. “

Click here to read it

So there you have it. That is the source of my anger, we are being lied to about what level of exercise will actually help us fight the battle of the bulge. How much do you exercise each week? What do you do? Did you think you could exercise 30 minutes, 3 times a week and lose weight?

Do you know how I release my anger about this? I go and EXERCISE! J

Cryin' For Me (Wayman's Song)

by Dianne

Toby Keith More CMT Music More CMT Music Videos

I wanted today's blog to go along with the blog from SHIRLEY the other day.

I mentioned in my post about losing my good friend last year. I said that I sometimes felt selfish for wishing him back. It's funny because I didn't do that with my parents as their health was so bad and they were in their 80's. My friend Darrell's health was also bad with the cancer but he was close to my age and just a very good friend for so many years. We both had children the same age and I had known him and his wife for a very long time.

I guess what I am asking/mentioning/questioning is, "Am I being selfish?" When I listen to this song by Toby Keith and he's singing about losing his friend....it makes me think the same...."I'm sorry for me". Do any of you ever feel like this or can anyone say how maybe you or I can move along from this feeling. I hope you listen to the whole song as it is also a very nice friendship song.

An Ode to Maxine~!

by Bebbi

I love Maxine. All her comics really tickle my funny bone. I got a bunch of new ones from my Dad in my email today and thought that would be a perfect blog!

I think DeeDee is like Maxine. Funny, up in age and very wise! There are a few others that are like Maxine too. In my mind, Bonachichi is like a younger Maxine (Maxine in Training!). I am a Maxine-wannabe!

What comics are your favorites? Why haven’t you done a blog about them yet? I would love to hear about them!

************************

Pirates of the Internet

by Bonachichi

There is a world out there that nobody really talks about. It’s the world of torrents. Torrent technology is really, just a file transfer technology. It is insanely efficient and easy to use. People don’t talk about torrents because if you’re using them, you’re probably breaking the law. Torrents aren’t themselves illegal; they are usually used to carry out activities that are at best, questionably legal.

In a legal sense, let’s say that I had some free software to help your PCs. I could upload it to a torrent site. You would go to that site, download the software I’d put there, then use it. I’ve been tempted to do just that. Except the torrent world holds a lot of temptation. Gee, you see the latest blockbuster movie there. It’s just a download, right? You weren’t going to go see it anyway, but since it’s right there and free, why not? This is the heart of the torrent controversy.

You don’t hear much about torrents here in the U.S. They’re big news in Europe and parts of Asia; even Australia. Our movie industry, the MPAA, has gained a terrible reputation for strong-arm tactics it uses to stop this file sharing. They’re not the only ones. Sometimes people will download what they think is the newest “great” movie, book, CD or game and get a piece of software that either reports you to some international police organization, posts embarrassing information about what’s on your PC, or really screws up your computer. Not to worry, the torrent world is fighting back, and it’s a laugh a minute.

The MPAA got its own when someone hacked into their website and helpfully made torrents available directly from their webpage. Embarrassing, really. The arch-rival of the world’s most infamous pirate site, Henrik Pontén got the surprise of his life when he discovered his name had been legally changed to Pirate Pontén, courtesy of some hackers to Sweden’s tax authority. Europe’s largest electronics retailer (slogan, “I am not stupid”) got caught pirating Blu-Ray discs to demo the video on MacBooks.

A Spanish politician was fined $40,000 when her daughter downloaded an episode of a popular U.S. television show onto a government computer. Finally, with the push for tougher anti-piracy legislation world-wide, some entrepreneurs have embarked on a construction project to build new prisons to house an expected influx of inmates convicted of piracy. You can book your very own cell now.

Many of us are guilty of piracy without even knowing it. For instance including a link to a youtube video in a blog that is later recognized as copyrighted material makes the blog writer and administrator guilty of piracy. If you read the blog and perchance download the cute video to share with friends and family, you too, are a pirate. It’s like taking extra napkins home from McDonald’s. It’s stealing but we all do it, inadvertently or not. How do you feel about being a pirate?

Cancer, I Hate You!

by Shirley

Carol always writes about what is on her mind and when things are bothering her so I guess tonight I am doing the same. I should be going to bed but the thoughts just keep swirling around in my head. Maybe writing them down will make me able to settle down and sleep.

As most of you or all of you know by now my mother has terminal cancer. Over a year ago she was told she had 6-14 months left to live. My siblings and I never expected her to live till Christmas and here it is March 22 and she is still with us. But as I sit here tonight with my thoughts I have to wonder if her being here now with us is such a good thing. This damn cancer is eating her alive! Imagine that. Eating her alive.

She told me tonight that she is totally blind now in her left eye. She can see out of her right but not perfectly. Every hour of every day she is in pain. Every second she is here, alive, she is in pain. What kind of life is that? Should we feel grateful for that? No. I can't. If she wasn't here I know I would want her to be, but I don't want her living like this. No one should. In pain, depressed and not able to do the things she likes. or liked.

I have never had a close relationship with mum...never been able to really talk to her or her to me. Even tonight when she told me about her eye I didn't have any words. I'm not looking for sympathy here, just a place to speak my mind. Please hold back on your prayers too, cause I don't believe in them. I appreciate everyone here and I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings. As aweful as it may sound I wait each day for the phone to ring and someone on the other end to tell me mum has passed. Then I'll know the pain has stopped.