Today I needed to get to the doctors office for my annual physical and I left the house in plenty of time to get there with even a little time to spare since they always have funky paperwork for me to fill out even tho nothing has changed since the last time I was there.
Anyway, I am tooling along on the highway when I come around a curve in the road and suddenly have to slam on my brakes. TRAFFIC.
Now, I know it was "rush hour" and I know that there are many cars on the road. I mean I grew up on Long Island where you were taking your life into your hands just to get onto one of the parallel roads that run the length of the island, but to do so during rush hour you were surely to be committed as suicidal.
I understand accidents and construction. I understand needing to move 3 or 4 lanes of traffic down to 2 or 3 or worse yet one, puts a strain on the already strained capacity of the roads. I guess I even understand rubber necking - that morbid curiosity that makes us all slow down to see what gore and grossness we can when there is an accident or someone changing a tire.
What I don't get is when traffic is virtually stopped, I mean sitting still turn off your engines stopped, then go, then stopped, then go - alright, you get my point, for a mile or so, then it just opens up and everyone is moving along again at sixty miles an hour and then two miles down the road it stops again and you go through the same pattern. There is no accident, there is no car stalled in the left lane, or policeman giving tickets or even one to be seen. There is no on or off ramp causing everyone to yield to incoming vehicles. I mean what the heck? Is there some giant hand descending from the heavens yielding a giant stop sign playing havoc with the commuters? Are God and Zeus having a contest to see who can piss off the most drivers in a five mile span?
Anyone????
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Vacation or Eye Opener?
I returned yesterday from a week vacation in the Caribbean islands. Gordon, Carol, Renee and I have been planning this trip for well over nine months and it came to fruition the last week in February. This was a combined birthday present for Gordon and Renee, both of whom just turned or will be 50 within the next or last 6 months! Anyway, they are my bestest friends, and travelling with them is way more than a guided tour through the tourist locations of the world. I expected and did see off the beaten track places and did things that won't soon be forgotten. However that is not the purpose of this blog today. If you would like to catch up on the fun stuff and what we spent hours and hours laughing about, look for Gordon's blog - called Skeptophilia, and read his account of two little islands.
I want to talk about being a spoiled American. I have spent my life, if not in the lap of luxury, at least comfortable in my own part of it. I have lived in nice places, done fun things, owned cars, taken vacations. I have a house that I own which most of the time is comfortable, clothes on my body of my choosing, and food on the table that is both healthy and tastes good. All that cannot be said of many in this world - and I was brought face to face with that reality on this trip.
I grew up on Long Island and my mother had a lust for the city so we went there often. Sometimes we drove in, sometimes we took the train. I have seen the homeless in the stations and the pan handlers on the streets. But nothing prepared me for the poorness of this tiny two island nation, nor the attitudes of the people living there.
For the most part the people that we came in contact with were average TT's, middle class in their standards and who looked to the viewer like happy people. The people we talked to from business and restaurant owners to cab drivers and shop owners all were extremely nice and we enjoyed our contacts with them.
However there is way more there than the average tourist sees. We were driving through a small town looking for a post office when we drove off a main street to see what was to be seen. A man ran up to our car. Thinking he needed help, or could help us find the post office, we rolled down our window to speak with him. He grabbed Gordon's arm and begged us for some money to help him eat for the day. "Only 20 dollars please, please I have no food or money to eat, please." This man had no shoes on and was running down the street (I could not walk out to the garbage bin barefoot due to how rough the streets were). Also, understand, that 20TT dollars is little more than $3 American. And this man was begging for $3 so he could eat. We had been clearly told not to give anything to people on the street and this man would not take our gentle but firm "We are sorry, but we have nothing for you". We eventually had to drive away with the man still trying to reach in the window. How can you not have feelings after that?
That was not the only time we were approached by someone asking for us to help them out. Another time a local shop keeper yelled at the man asking us for money. He told us she was simply greedy and wanted our money for herself, but she shooed him away.
We also saw a man bathing in water that any one of us would not set a toe in, much less bathe our entire bodies in or put our face in, but he was and he did. We saw a man being stoned by some teenagers. In both these cases our cab driver who was a decent fellow said the man bathing and being stoned were crack heads. He said they lived in the water front community where we saw the man bathing in the polluted water (He was making a joke, but it was hard to see the humor). We saw these "houses" which looked smaller and not as well put together as the shed in my back yard. We saw children, babies, playing naked in the streets there. Houses made of corrugated aluminum as their walls and ceilings, and in many places, not just this ghetto, sheets hanging for doors.
In our guide book it stated that the average income for men is $12,400/year and $5500 for women (doing the same jobs). There are many inequalities between the genders, but this was huge. But even with that, it is inconceivable to imagine living on that little money! We went to the supermarket for our 5 day stay on Tobago and spent $760TT on groceries - that is equivalent to ~ $125 American dollars. That was for 5 days and we were going to eat some of our meals out. That also did not include much in the way of fresh fruits and vegetables, or meat. But yet the many Tobagan people seem to live on the money they make.
I am not even sure that everything I am writing makes sense. I just know that on the whole this was a huge eye opening experience for me. I am not sheltered, I have seen the news and met enough people to know, intellectually that the entire world does not live the way I was brought up, or even the way I live now. I guess it has just never been in my face the way it was this past week.
I am thinking that I now need to take a good hard look at what I have, where I am, and where I am going and remember that I could be a lot worse off than I am. It is all about perspective. The phrase comes to mind that "The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything that they have!" So I have taken a look at some of my goals and am looking at my life with a slightly different perspective. "The richest persons are not the ones who have the most, but the ones who need the least". My eyes have been opened.
I want to talk about being a spoiled American. I have spent my life, if not in the lap of luxury, at least comfortable in my own part of it. I have lived in nice places, done fun things, owned cars, taken vacations. I have a house that I own which most of the time is comfortable, clothes on my body of my choosing, and food on the table that is both healthy and tastes good. All that cannot be said of many in this world - and I was brought face to face with that reality on this trip.
I grew up on Long Island and my mother had a lust for the city so we went there often. Sometimes we drove in, sometimes we took the train. I have seen the homeless in the stations and the pan handlers on the streets. But nothing prepared me for the poorness of this tiny two island nation, nor the attitudes of the people living there.
For the most part the people that we came in contact with were average TT's, middle class in their standards and who looked to the viewer like happy people. The people we talked to from business and restaurant owners to cab drivers and shop owners all were extremely nice and we enjoyed our contacts with them.
However there is way more there than the average tourist sees. We were driving through a small town looking for a post office when we drove off a main street to see what was to be seen. A man ran up to our car. Thinking he needed help, or could help us find the post office, we rolled down our window to speak with him. He grabbed Gordon's arm and begged us for some money to help him eat for the day. "Only 20 dollars please, please I have no food or money to eat, please." This man had no shoes on and was running down the street (I could not walk out to the garbage bin barefoot due to how rough the streets were). Also, understand, that 20TT dollars is little more than $3 American. And this man was begging for $3 so he could eat. We had been clearly told not to give anything to people on the street and this man would not take our gentle but firm "We are sorry, but we have nothing for you". We eventually had to drive away with the man still trying to reach in the window. How can you not have feelings after that?
That was not the only time we were approached by someone asking for us to help them out. Another time a local shop keeper yelled at the man asking us for money. He told us she was simply greedy and wanted our money for herself, but she shooed him away.
We also saw a man bathing in water that any one of us would not set a toe in, much less bathe our entire bodies in or put our face in, but he was and he did. We saw a man being stoned by some teenagers. In both these cases our cab driver who was a decent fellow said the man bathing and being stoned were crack heads. He said they lived in the water front community where we saw the man bathing in the polluted water (He was making a joke, but it was hard to see the humor). We saw these "houses" which looked smaller and not as well put together as the shed in my back yard. We saw children, babies, playing naked in the streets there. Houses made of corrugated aluminum as their walls and ceilings, and in many places, not just this ghetto, sheets hanging for doors.
In our guide book it stated that the average income for men is $12,400/year and $5500 for women (doing the same jobs). There are many inequalities between the genders, but this was huge. But even with that, it is inconceivable to imagine living on that little money! We went to the supermarket for our 5 day stay on Tobago and spent $760TT on groceries - that is equivalent to ~ $125 American dollars. That was for 5 days and we were going to eat some of our meals out. That also did not include much in the way of fresh fruits and vegetables, or meat. But yet the many Tobagan people seem to live on the money they make.
I am not even sure that everything I am writing makes sense. I just know that on the whole this was a huge eye opening experience for me. I am not sheltered, I have seen the news and met enough people to know, intellectually that the entire world does not live the way I was brought up, or even the way I live now. I guess it has just never been in my face the way it was this past week.
I am thinking that I now need to take a good hard look at what I have, where I am, and where I am going and remember that I could be a lot worse off than I am. It is all about perspective. The phrase comes to mind that "The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything that they have!" So I have taken a look at some of my goals and am looking at my life with a slightly different perspective. "The richest persons are not the ones who have the most, but the ones who need the least". My eyes have been opened.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Idle Curiosity, Morbid Curiosity, or Just Plain Rudeness?
Part of my job is in direct sales. I go to home shows and fairs and stand in a booth and talk to people about the product that I am affiliated with. I do so for more than one reason, one, it pays the bills, two, I love the product, and three, I love to people watch.
People watching is a pretty amusing passer of time. I have learned some things, that at some other point in time I might share with anyone who continues to read my blog. However, there is a line, not sure how fine a line, between watching people and interacting with them.
Recently I injured my leg. I had taken up exercising and it has been injurious to my body. Although I have been told that my hairline or stress fracture is not really a broken leg, it is being treated as such by my doctor in that I am wearing a boot up to my knee and am completely non weight bearing when I am not wearing said boot. This is not to gain sympathy from anyone, just to segway into why this whole topic has come to pass.
Because I am slightly incapacitated, wearing boot and carrying crutches, I am now the object of peoples curiosity. It s amazing to me how many complete strangers want to know the COMPLETE story of what happened, when, how, etc. etc. I mean REALLY? I could just hand out a written brochure explaining what happened, but I am finding myself a bit on the perturbed side that strangers are so rude to ask. Does it affect their lives at all? Just today a sales clerk in a store interrupted a conversation I was having with someone else to say "What happened to your leg?". I stated I broke it, and she said well at least it happened in winter and here where it is not snowy. I had two options at that point, to tell her I am really from NY and going back to the snow on Friday, or just smile and go on with the conversation with my friend. I chose the latter and the saleswoman was put off and kind of hurmphed away because I did not feel the need to get into a complete discussion with her, a stranger, about my leg. At times I have engaged people in their curiosity and mostly have had to end up listening to their life story of every broken bone they, their cousin Edith or brother Bennet ever had. Again, people watching does not actually involve engaging them in conversation!
I mean, not only what do I care how or why a person is disfigured, wearing a cast, has their arm in a sling, or is walking with a limp, unless that person is important to me. And when does it become my right to ask people about these things?
I remember when I was pregnant and feeling pretty much the same way. People felt they had the right to touch my incredibly large belly. I actually felt violated by that. To the point that I smile at women who are pregnant, but rarely ask any questions and never touch unless that person is a personal friend, and then again, only after asking!
As I drive down the highway on my morning commute I listen to the radio station in the city into which I am driving. I listen specifically to the traffic so I can avoid any major delays due to accidents (my commute is long enough without sitting in traffic over a fender bender). I think to myself on the odd occasion when I can't by pass an accident - why is this taking so long? Obviously, it takes time to condense three or two lanes of traffic into one or two lanes of traffic, I get this. And obviously one would want to slow down so as not to hurt their car or persons displaced. But I have literally seen people brake so they can crane their heads out the windows to see the accident scene. I really have no interest in seeing mangled cars and potentially mangled bodies. Am I just weird that way?
So, I ask now, again what seems to be the question of the year, Am I getting Old????? Because all this "curiosity" to me just seems to be rudeness!
People watching is a pretty amusing passer of time. I have learned some things, that at some other point in time I might share with anyone who continues to read my blog. However, there is a line, not sure how fine a line, between watching people and interacting with them.
Recently I injured my leg. I had taken up exercising and it has been injurious to my body. Although I have been told that my hairline or stress fracture is not really a broken leg, it is being treated as such by my doctor in that I am wearing a boot up to my knee and am completely non weight bearing when I am not wearing said boot. This is not to gain sympathy from anyone, just to segway into why this whole topic has come to pass.
Because I am slightly incapacitated, wearing boot and carrying crutches, I am now the object of peoples curiosity. It s amazing to me how many complete strangers want to know the COMPLETE story of what happened, when, how, etc. etc. I mean REALLY? I could just hand out a written brochure explaining what happened, but I am finding myself a bit on the perturbed side that strangers are so rude to ask. Does it affect their lives at all? Just today a sales clerk in a store interrupted a conversation I was having with someone else to say "What happened to your leg?". I stated I broke it, and she said well at least it happened in winter and here where it is not snowy. I had two options at that point, to tell her I am really from NY and going back to the snow on Friday, or just smile and go on with the conversation with my friend. I chose the latter and the saleswoman was put off and kind of hurmphed away because I did not feel the need to get into a complete discussion with her, a stranger, about my leg. At times I have engaged people in their curiosity and mostly have had to end up listening to their life story of every broken bone they, their cousin Edith or brother Bennet ever had. Again, people watching does not actually involve engaging them in conversation!
I mean, not only what do I care how or why a person is disfigured, wearing a cast, has their arm in a sling, or is walking with a limp, unless that person is important to me. And when does it become my right to ask people about these things?
I remember when I was pregnant and feeling pretty much the same way. People felt they had the right to touch my incredibly large belly. I actually felt violated by that. To the point that I smile at women who are pregnant, but rarely ask any questions and never touch unless that person is a personal friend, and then again, only after asking!
As I drive down the highway on my morning commute I listen to the radio station in the city into which I am driving. I listen specifically to the traffic so I can avoid any major delays due to accidents (my commute is long enough without sitting in traffic over a fender bender). I think to myself on the odd occasion when I can't by pass an accident - why is this taking so long? Obviously, it takes time to condense three or two lanes of traffic into one or two lanes of traffic, I get this. And obviously one would want to slow down so as not to hurt their car or persons displaced. But I have literally seen people brake so they can crane their heads out the windows to see the accident scene. I really have no interest in seeing mangled cars and potentially mangled bodies. Am I just weird that way?
So, I ask now, again what seems to be the question of the year, Am I getting Old????? Because all this "curiosity" to me just seems to be rudeness!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Am I Needy
I recently asked a friend why she did not have a blog. She is intelligent, well spoken, and like most of the rest of us opinionated about most things. She told me that she is not narcissistic enough to need to have her thoughts out there for the world to read. And I thought to myself, Hmmmm?
I travel for my job - often. As I move around during my trips I text certain people in my life to keep them informed of where I am, and that I am safe. On Plane, at first layover, on second flight, arrived safely. As I amen route I guess I figured those who love me want to know I am okay. Recently one of my co-workers went on a trip. She did not play the text anyone game to allow us to know when she arrived, and we only knew she was home safely when we texted to ask her, even though she had been asked by our boss to check in. I asked why I did this automatically and the other woman did not. I was told that my coworker was more independent than I am and that I am needy. I always thought I was being considerate - I guess not.
These are not the first times in my life that I have been called needy. I had a previous partner who said I was way too needy. I don’t get it? I have been thinking about this a lot lately, because I am not a hundred percent sure what this all means!
What is it to be needy in a partnership, lovership, relationship? Is it needy to want a call to say good morning, goodnight, I love you? Is it needy to want someone to want to spend time with you when they can? Or to have someone who wants to hear about your day and wants to tell you about theirs? Is it needy to want someone who wants to lay down with you at night and wake with you in the morning?
What is it to be needy in a friendship? Is it needy to want to spend time with your friends? Is it needy to want to have a friend call you as often as you call them? Is it needy to want to be included in your friends important events or to have them included in yours? Is it needy to want a call every once in a while just to find out how you are and acceptance when you call for the same?
What is it to be needy at your place of employment? Is it needy to want an attagirl or a good job? Is it needy to want a list and acknowledgement of completion? Is it needy to want recognition for going above and beyond?
I guess if the answers to the above are yes, then I will have to accept to fact that if that is considered needy, I guess I am!
I travel for my job - often. As I move around during my trips I text certain people in my life to keep them informed of where I am, and that I am safe. On Plane, at first layover, on second flight, arrived safely. As I amen route I guess I figured those who love me want to know I am okay. Recently one of my co-workers went on a trip. She did not play the text anyone game to allow us to know when she arrived, and we only knew she was home safely when we texted to ask her, even though she had been asked by our boss to check in. I asked why I did this automatically and the other woman did not. I was told that my coworker was more independent than I am and that I am needy. I always thought I was being considerate - I guess not.
These are not the first times in my life that I have been called needy. I had a previous partner who said I was way too needy. I don’t get it? I have been thinking about this a lot lately, because I am not a hundred percent sure what this all means!
What is it to be needy in a partnership, lovership, relationship? Is it needy to want a call to say good morning, goodnight, I love you? Is it needy to want someone to want to spend time with you when they can? Or to have someone who wants to hear about your day and wants to tell you about theirs? Is it needy to want someone who wants to lay down with you at night and wake with you in the morning?
What is it to be needy in a friendship? Is it needy to want to spend time with your friends? Is it needy to want to have a friend call you as often as you call them? Is it needy to want to be included in your friends important events or to have them included in yours? Is it needy to want a call every once in a while just to find out how you are and acceptance when you call for the same?
What is it to be needy at your place of employment? Is it needy to want an attagirl or a good job? Is it needy to want a list and acknowledgement of completion? Is it needy to want recognition for going above and beyond?
I guess if the answers to the above are yes, then I will have to accept to fact that if that is considered needy, I guess I am!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Was I This Dumb? or When Did I Turn Into My Mother?
I know I was no goody two shoes growing up. I got into my own fair share of trouble, some of it semi serious in nature. Some on my own, and some with the help of my "friends". But I don't remember ever being blatantly disobedient (being told no and then doing something anyway), or not knowing the consequences of my actions prior to acting them out.
I remember taking a flask of wine (Manischewitz mind you) to school in seventh grade and Mr.Lewis telling me it was a really dumb idea and I should get rid of it. We all (well most of us) do stupid things around alcohol at different times in our lives. Even now I have friends who might imbibe a little too much a little too often, but as adults we pay for our own crimes.
I remember getting caught shop lifting a package of D batteries with a friend, doing it clearly to find out if we could - which obviously we couldn't.
I remember driving through stop signs on purpose then slamming on the breaks on the other side laughing hysterically at the foolishness - always with a carload of friends and usually with many more than could fit safely in our station wagon.
I remember walking on the lawn of the mean guy who lived on the end of the block and writing nasty words in the frost - in the spring his grass was brown there and we giggled as he could not hide the swear words we plodded onto his lawn.
I remember borrowing my sisters working papers because I wanted to be older than I was for some reason and she gave them to me.
I remember breaking curfew.
I remember being rude and sometimes downright belligerent to my parents.
And that's just the short list because I can tell you clearly there is plenty that I don't remember, or that I really don't want to remember.
But today the things young people do seem so grievous to me - like having a party with alcohol in the house where everyone is underage when specifically being told no - and then being surprised that they are punished when the 'crime' is found out.
Like driving so fast that I hold the door and put my foot on the break that is definitely not on the passenger side of the car.
Like not caring about feelings of others - specifically their parents and how their words and actions affect those around them.
I wish I could figure out when the turning point came. When was it that what I considered fun and normal as I grew up turned into nonsense of teenagers and non thinking actions? As I watch the actions of young people and often have to live through the actions and reactions of my son, his friends and my nieces, nephews and cousins, it just comes to hit me in a horrendous way - When did I turn into my mother?
I remember taking a flask of wine (Manischewitz mind you) to school in seventh grade and Mr.Lewis telling me it was a really dumb idea and I should get rid of it. We all (well most of us) do stupid things around alcohol at different times in our lives. Even now I have friends who might imbibe a little too much a little too often, but as adults we pay for our own crimes.
I remember getting caught shop lifting a package of D batteries with a friend, doing it clearly to find out if we could - which obviously we couldn't.
I remember driving through stop signs on purpose then slamming on the breaks on the other side laughing hysterically at the foolishness - always with a carload of friends and usually with many more than could fit safely in our station wagon.
I remember walking on the lawn of the mean guy who lived on the end of the block and writing nasty words in the frost - in the spring his grass was brown there and we giggled as he could not hide the swear words we plodded onto his lawn.
I remember borrowing my sisters working papers because I wanted to be older than I was for some reason and she gave them to me.
I remember breaking curfew.
I remember being rude and sometimes downright belligerent to my parents.
And that's just the short list because I can tell you clearly there is plenty that I don't remember, or that I really don't want to remember.
But today the things young people do seem so grievous to me - like having a party with alcohol in the house where everyone is underage when specifically being told no - and then being surprised that they are punished when the 'crime' is found out.
Like driving so fast that I hold the door and put my foot on the break that is definitely not on the passenger side of the car.
Like not caring about feelings of others - specifically their parents and how their words and actions affect those around them.
I wish I could figure out when the turning point came. When was it that what I considered fun and normal as I grew up turned into nonsense of teenagers and non thinking actions? As I watch the actions of young people and often have to live through the actions and reactions of my son, his friends and my nieces, nephews and cousins, it just comes to hit me in a horrendous way - When did I turn into my mother?
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Bigotry, Ignorance and Hatred.
The year is 2011 and we still judge people and make comments on things that make little to no difference in our lives whatsoever. I am sickened and distressed by the small mindedness and the hatred from people who need to be looking at their own lives and not commenting on others!
"Them thars strong words little lady, what brang them on"
A few days ago, AOL did one of their little featurette blurbs on Ellen DeGeneres' vacation photos with her wife and what I suppose are her friends and family. They posted their pictures from St. Barts and I have to say that many of them were breathtaking views of the area. There were also photos of them doing vacation stuff. When viewing the photos you could feel they were having a good time and there was obvious love of each other and those who were there.
Now let me state, that in order to view these photos one had to click the link, then click through the photos. Not a lot of intelligence to do these steps, but an effort had to be made to push the buttons to view the pictures.
After the pictures there was the usual comment section. This is where my blood begins to boil, my blood pressure sky rockets, and I really am ready to lose my cool. Some of the comments were from negative hate mongers who just have to spoil a beautiful family moment. REALLY? It took effort to get to that part of the page. If you are not interested WHY GO THERE. And the things that people have the audacity to print about people they know nothing about is absurd.
Who has the right to judge what others do behind closed doors with another consenting adult? And why would anyone want to spew their ignorant bigoted blitherings on an open site?
I am not the sharpest crayon in the box, but a few of the things I learned a long time ago from my daddy were 1 - If you don't know what you are talking about don't talk, and 2 - If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. In other words, keep your freakin mouth closed and maybe you'll learn something.
We live in a world today that is very different from where it was even ten years ago. We raise our children to be able to survive in this ever changing space they are in and as adults if you don't adapt to what is going on around you, you will fail! People spout off from religious points of view that its not right, from scientific points of view that its not natural. Well wake up and look around you - It is natural to be different in every species and even the religions - ALL OF THEM are taking a look at sexual difference to see where this fits today.
I don't like spinach or asparagus, and I am uninterested in extreme sports - all of which I have tried before I came to these conclusions. I certainly don't disparage anyone who likes these things. Don't knock it til you try it, and if its not for you after you do it, then at least have an open enough mind to know that to some people its for them!
"Them thars strong words little lady, what brang them on"
A few days ago, AOL did one of their little featurette blurbs on Ellen DeGeneres' vacation photos with her wife and what I suppose are her friends and family. They posted their pictures from St. Barts and I have to say that many of them were breathtaking views of the area. There were also photos of them doing vacation stuff. When viewing the photos you could feel they were having a good time and there was obvious love of each other and those who were there.
Now let me state, that in order to view these photos one had to click the link, then click through the photos. Not a lot of intelligence to do these steps, but an effort had to be made to push the buttons to view the pictures.
After the pictures there was the usual comment section. This is where my blood begins to boil, my blood pressure sky rockets, and I really am ready to lose my cool. Some of the comments were from negative hate mongers who just have to spoil a beautiful family moment. REALLY? It took effort to get to that part of the page. If you are not interested WHY GO THERE. And the things that people have the audacity to print about people they know nothing about is absurd.
Who has the right to judge what others do behind closed doors with another consenting adult? And why would anyone want to spew their ignorant bigoted blitherings on an open site?
I am not the sharpest crayon in the box, but a few of the things I learned a long time ago from my daddy were 1 - If you don't know what you are talking about don't talk, and 2 - If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. In other words, keep your freakin mouth closed and maybe you'll learn something.
We live in a world today that is very different from where it was even ten years ago. We raise our children to be able to survive in this ever changing space they are in and as adults if you don't adapt to what is going on around you, you will fail! People spout off from religious points of view that its not right, from scientific points of view that its not natural. Well wake up and look around you - It is natural to be different in every species and even the religions - ALL OF THEM are taking a look at sexual difference to see where this fits today.
I don't like spinach or asparagus, and I am uninterested in extreme sports - all of which I have tried before I came to these conclusions. I certainly don't disparage anyone who likes these things. Don't knock it til you try it, and if its not for you after you do it, then at least have an open enough mind to know that to some people its for them!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Let's Talk Exercise
This morning I took a beginning Zumba class at the local gym I belong to. If anyone wanted to watch a comedy skit in the making they only needed to be outside the room watching the seven women inside struggling valiently to follow the instructor in moves that wiggle the hips, thrust the pelvis and generally move the body in ways I don't believe my body has ever moved, nor, honestly, ever wanted my body to move! I mean seriously!
Lets start at the beginning. I hate to sweat. Sometimes the weather makes it so my body needs to cool itself so it perspires, but why would a somewhat sane and otherwise normal person purposely set themselves up to be uncomfortable and in for pain? I know some people say that they feel great after they exercise and feel horrible if they do not exercise. Let me emphatically state that I am not one of those people! The only reason I subject myself to the ritual of getting myself up early and getting my body to the gym is because if I did not, my shape would be BLOB. As it is, it often feels like daughter of blob!
There are exercises I do like. I love raquetball. My obvious reason for this is that I get to smash something and the ball never has to be chased too far away! To me this is a fun way to spend an hour. However the club I belong to has no courts, and I have not played in about 12 years so I probably would need to relearn to be any good, or at least passable.
Another exercise I like is actually dancing. I love to contra dance. Get instructions, keep swapping who you are dancing with, spin around, move, and everyone seems to be having a good time. In this area there are some wicked good dances and often there is a live band and plenty of people to dance with ( I might do a blog on this some other time so I won't go into too much detail now). Problem with Contra dancing is you do need to have other people, and after the third or fourth dance I need to sit down or throw up from all the spinning.
There are exercises that I absolutely despise - for instance, the exercise bike. Very similar to the treadmill in that you do a lot of work to GO NOWHERE, but worse, because when you are done your butt hurts. If I am going to ride a bike, I will go with my nice padded granny seat and feel some wind in my face, not just sit in place. Group aerobics is another of the things I hate. Nothing worse than feeling like you are going to die than doing so in a room of fifteen year olds who are ready to go another day and a half with an instructor screaming at you the whole time to "pick it up ladies, no use having sagging parts now".
Anyway, so here I am in the class, younger than most of the participants by an easy 20 years (except for the stick figure teaching the class who can't be more than 25) and not able to do any of the movements. Yes I can position two - right foot right, lift left put it back down and bring right foot back, then repeat to left. The foot motions aint the problem. I definitely do not have the swing of the hips thing happening. And its not so bad in slow motion, but play the music up to tempo and I might as well be running the boston marathon!
I think I will stick to my water aerobics and Wii (not together). Round is still a shape!
Lets start at the beginning. I hate to sweat. Sometimes the weather makes it so my body needs to cool itself so it perspires, but why would a somewhat sane and otherwise normal person purposely set themselves up to be uncomfortable and in for pain? I know some people say that they feel great after they exercise and feel horrible if they do not exercise. Let me emphatically state that I am not one of those people! The only reason I subject myself to the ritual of getting myself up early and getting my body to the gym is because if I did not, my shape would be BLOB. As it is, it often feels like daughter of blob!
There are exercises I do like. I love raquetball. My obvious reason for this is that I get to smash something and the ball never has to be chased too far away! To me this is a fun way to spend an hour. However the club I belong to has no courts, and I have not played in about 12 years so I probably would need to relearn to be any good, or at least passable.
Another exercise I like is actually dancing. I love to contra dance. Get instructions, keep swapping who you are dancing with, spin around, move, and everyone seems to be having a good time. In this area there are some wicked good dances and often there is a live band and plenty of people to dance with ( I might do a blog on this some other time so I won't go into too much detail now). Problem with Contra dancing is you do need to have other people, and after the third or fourth dance I need to sit down or throw up from all the spinning.
There are exercises that I absolutely despise - for instance, the exercise bike. Very similar to the treadmill in that you do a lot of work to GO NOWHERE, but worse, because when you are done your butt hurts. If I am going to ride a bike, I will go with my nice padded granny seat and feel some wind in my face, not just sit in place. Group aerobics is another of the things I hate. Nothing worse than feeling like you are going to die than doing so in a room of fifteen year olds who are ready to go another day and a half with an instructor screaming at you the whole time to "pick it up ladies, no use having sagging parts now".
Anyway, so here I am in the class, younger than most of the participants by an easy 20 years (except for the stick figure teaching the class who can't be more than 25) and not able to do any of the movements. Yes I can position two - right foot right, lift left put it back down and bring right foot back, then repeat to left. The foot motions aint the problem. I definitely do not have the swing of the hips thing happening. And its not so bad in slow motion, but play the music up to tempo and I might as well be running the boston marathon!
I think I will stick to my water aerobics and Wii (not together). Round is still a shape!
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