2462 Church potlucks

are ubiquitous. But golf tournaments? Who knew? They want you to take your pastor out for a game of golf--the site says 50% of the pastors have considered leaving the ministry in the last 3 months. Maybe you shouldn't wait until September (date of the event).

2461 Are you a statistics freak?

Here's a quick overview of my statistics for the past year.

There are two noticeable places where you see an increase in hits. The first is in October when I moved the site reader to the top of the page. I can't remember where I saw that hint, but apparently if it is too far down, the little robotic spiders can miss it and some hits won't be counted. Then on Jan. 5, 2006 I wrote my first Thursday Thirteen, and I think in February I started Monday Memories. These are called Memes and you invite people to participate. I see that some of you like Carmen (so far the only blogger interested in applying to be my daughter-in-law) and Lazy Daisy (a pastor's wife and mother of a librarian) get a huge number of comments on Thursday. Carmen got 106! Wow. I can't imagine how you get around to visit everyone who drops their name and address at your blog. Are you speed readers?

And you should see the dip on Saturdays and Sundays. Apparently, there's a lot of blogging going on at work.

Today TLB isn't recognizing me, and for years it has said I average 71 hits a day, which is silly because it is usually 170-180, but today, sigh, he said I don't even exist!

2460 Dr. Sanity wonders why

The only time I read the "loyal opposition" is at some of the library sites, but Dr. Sanity is questioning the left, who I think are in the media or the new media (i.e. bloggers). And she simply asks the questions we've all thought about:

"You wonder why--if America is so terrible--we have a problem with too much immigration; and people desperately trying to get into the country. You wonder why--if America is so awful a place; on the verge of dictatorship--people (especially the loudmouths on the left--aren't scrambling for the last planes in a desperate attempt to get out to the safety of, say, Chavez' Venezuela (a much more progressive and enlightened part of the world); or peaceloving Iran (whose president genuinely seeks dialog with us).

Why, if whatever we do is imperialistic, immoral, and BAD, are re-enlistments in our warmongering military at an all-time record high? Are all those men and women stupid and foolish to throw their lives away for a system that doesn't care if they live or die--as long as it gets its oil?

Why, if everything in this country is going to hell in a handbasket, does its damn economy keep growing--at a rate faster than any other country in the world to be precise--even as gas prices rise and apparently destroy anyone's ability to put food on the table, let alone enjoy American Idol or their other favorites on TV."

Actually, Dr. Sanity, I'm concerned that Americans have it so good that they have to watch American Idol to get a little tension going.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen enjoyable things I've done since last Thursday. Have I mentioned I love being retired and being able to schedule anything I want to do?

1) Had dinner at a restaurant with my daughter while our guys were out of town on Friday.

2) After dinner we browsed a jewelry store and then a book store--something our husbands would find really boring.

3) We were guests at a Kentucky Derby dinner party on Saturday. My husband picked the winner and got 1/3 of the pool (2 others picked Barbaro). Saturday morning I hung a photography show at our Lytham Rd. campus with Howard. That hanging space is not as good as our other campus, so it's a bit of a challenge.

4) Sang in choir at two services on Sunday--"God so Loved the World." It was so beautiful my teeth hurt.

5) Met with our couples group from church Sunday evening at a home settled in a beautiful ravine for an evening of sharing and prayer.

6) Helped check-in and shelve books at the church library on Monday morning. Got to look at a lot of the new titles, and even some that were added when I was the church librarian 20 years ago. Took two long walks in the wonderful Spring weather. Updated my hobby bloggy.

7) Tuesday was cover-those-roots-day, with a visit to Melissa who worked her magic. Updated my church blog. Walked 2 miles in the old neighborhood.

8) In the afternoon on Tuesday I helped for several hours with the church picture directory. This is my fourth time slot for this--the first picture directory the church has done in nine years.

9) Writing class met on Wednesday at the public library, using my suggested topic. We've decided to stop bringing snacks--no one needed them but we all ate them anyway.

10) Choir met on Wednesday evening. Our Mozart Requiem concert has been postponed until October, so I'll be able to participate. The original date was Memorial Day Week-end. I'm still amazed they let me sing with them--it's such fun.

11) Cleaned like a possessed Flylady on Thursday, made the menu, checked it twice. Bought the whistles (see this entry).

12) Thursday the Visual Arts Ministry will finalize plans for the fall and next spring. The church will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in the fall, and that committee may need some assistance--although we have no budget. We don't hang shows in the summer, but are scheduling through 2007.

13) And finally, I'll set the table on Thursday and prepare to welcome my guests on Friday evening, relaxed and ready to enjoy myself. All events are better if the hostess is rested and happy.



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2457 More about skin care

If you are 60+, your left arm probably looks a little older than your right arm. For you youngsters, that's because in the "olden days" automobiles didn't have air conditioning, at least not the ones we drove in our teens and twenties when most of the sun damage happens. So we steered with our right hand, casually laid our left arm on the open driver's side window, with perhaps the index finger touching the steering wheel (if you're reading this across the pond, this will probably be reversed). Consequently, your left arm got a lot more sun and wind burn than your right. Pause to reflect: I'm sure Murray will correct me on this and say that the index finger controlled the car and the right arm was around his girl friend of the moment.

Or at least I thought this about my own arms as I was smearing on my Peaches and Creme this morning. So I counted brown spots, aka age spots (I'm retired and have time to do this). I have about 10 tiny spots on my right arm (if you are a Caucasian gardener or a golfer, your entire arm is probably a brown spot). My left arm is about the same but it has a slightly splotchy look, like there might be dozens of baby brown spots ready to bloom. It had one large spot which I had removed 2 weeks ago which still looks extremely mad that it got burned off. It wasn't precancerous the doctor said, just an ugly brown spot.

2456 Slip into bed

According to the beauty experts, your skin loses moisture while you sleep. "Forget the facelift" author says that you should cover your body with a rich lotion before hitting the sheets. Unless you're sleeping with my guy, then he may comment and wake you up to say something smells funny in the bedroom.

I don't care much for the current popularity of fruity or botanical fragrances. All the ones I liked died with the 60s and 70s and went to fragrance heaven (Shulton's Desert Flower, Prince Matchabelli's Summer Shower). But recently I bought a bottle of "Peaches and Creme" by Kiss My Face (got it at Trader Joe's) with alpha hydroxy acids, and I love it. I smell just like a peach pie fresh from the oven. Also, it is so much more reasonably priced than many moisturizers.

And I like alpha hydroxy products. I remember reading an article in a peer-reviewed dermatology journal about 10 years ago--they really do improve your skin. What www.kissmyface.com says:

"Alpha Hydroxy Acids are all-natural, safe and gentle substances found in fruits and sugar cane. This 4% AHA moisturizer is recommended for daily use on the face or body. This powerful moisturizer helps unblock and cleanse pores, speeds up the exfoliation process, allows new healthy skin cells to emerge, reduces discoloration and age spots, and quickly absorbs. As always, our products contain no animal ingredients, artificial colors, or unnecessary chemicals and were not tested on animals."

Thank you. Now Kiss My Face.

Kiss my face.com
moisturizer

What I've written about health

Stem Cell research

Syphilis on the increase

Dog bites

Diabesity

About safety

Chromosomes

Liberal states and high abortion rates

Americans and Brits

Accidents happen

Skin care

Whistle Stop Pot Luck

Dream Mom has a dream

Visit to the dermatologist

Socioeconomic groups and health care

It's the snacks

Pediatric obesity, downloads and deafness

Health care mess: book review

endometrial stem cells

allergies

voice problems

Mortality after hospitalization of a spouse

Health benefits of chewing gum

Death risk in 4 years

Health problems you can control

Polio epidemics

Avian Flu

FEMA--is this what you want for health care?

Cardiovascular Aging

Natural Tobacco

Illnesses and injuries I've had

MSMs and STDs

BMI at midlife

Exercise and Alzheimer's

Fat pills for dogs

Hand disinfection

Elizabeth Edwards

Children's sports medicine

Calorie restriction and health

Thursday Thirteen walking goals

Yoga and obesity in children

Golf swings and health issues

Government health care

Women who snore

Low birth weight and depression

Smoking and back pain

Vegetarianism and health

Testing malaria drugs on children

Protecting your skin

Statistics

Get the lead out

Chromosomes

Comparing health care costs over 40 years

Obamacare or Affordable Care Act

2455 Aging is a growth industry

because of all you baby boomers. Then Gen-X will be coming right up. Anyway, this fellow (long name) thinks we ought to have physical activity areas for older adults just like the McDonald's Playlands for children. Actually, considering how many overweight older adults I see hanging out at McDonald's, I think they should install them there.

Another U of I researcher says that physical fitness in older adults provides them a better sense of self-worth and improves their sense of happiness. "If we could bottle this stuff, we'd make a fortune selling it." says Ed McAuley, a kinesiology professor.

Both items are from Illinois Alumni, Vol. 18, Is. 4, Jan/Feb 2006, pp. 18-19

2454 Writing family memoirs

Today it is my turn to contribute the prompt for my writing group. I submitted, "List or expand on the ten pleasures, delights, frustrations, joys, or challenges of writing, collecting, or expanding family memoirs in the style you have chosen." After I started on the topic, I ended up with 4 typewritten (wp), single spaced pages, and I didn't even mention the class as one of the joys. The intent when I suggested it, was that the writer might record a map or a template for the one who follows, because you are always building a foundation for someone else's work.

I'm not going to post it here (aren't you glad). But one of the frustrations is that once I found genealogy on the internet, I was swamped and had to reinterpret who I was. Looking through family Bibles when I was young, I determined that both my parents were seventh generation Americans, both Church of the Brethren, one German descended, the other Scots-Irish. That made me eighth. For maybe 30 years, if the subject ever came up, I said, "I'm eighth generation American."

Then I joined a genealogy listserv for Church of the Brethren and found surname websites and county histories on the internet. I uncovered my foremothers' maiden names. And I found Cousin Dan. I bought his CD of my Wenger side (a lot of Mennonites) of the family "Hans and Hannah Wenger; North American Descendants" because the BOOK HAD 3,300 PAGES! Over three thousand pages of family I didn't know about until 1996!

I just printed off the "short list" from my FamilyTreeMaker for my ancestors--it runs to 20 pages, and I'm now 13th not 8th. It is messing with my mind.

Wenger Winger Wengert Wengerd Wingert Wingerd Wingard Whanger Reunion meets the 3rd week-end of August near Akron, PA. I've never attended.

Chart of the Brethren

2453 Firefox vs. Internet Explorer

Occasionally I switch to Firefox because there are certain blogs that I like that just shut down my whole operation if I try to view them in IE. It's really aggrevating, especially if you are clicking through a bunch of links through Mr. Linky's fine little program. Also, I've seen blogs that are virtually unreadable with half the text not viewable in Firefox, that are easily readable in IE. I just looked at Joan's site, Daddy's Roses, in Firefox and it is bizarro, as are her sisters'. You put up with this poor quality, Mr. Cloud, so you can keep open tabs? No thank you! I know that when I insert quotes or stories in boxes or dashes that work just fine in IE, they appear acres later in Firefox, after all the sidebar stuff.

Also, why the rush to leave blogger.com for WordPress or LiveJournal or your own domain? I've yet to see one of those that looked better, and here's why. Because often you can do MORE with them, and in reading text, MORE is not BETTER. You should strive for a bit of clarity and simplicity if you want people to READ. Blinking, flashing, burping and bouncing will make your readers ADHD if they weren't before.

Thank you for your attention. I know nothing will change. But sometimes it is important to spit into the wind.

Mozilla Firefox
Internet Explorer
Blogger.com

2452 Farewell to The New Leader

At lunch today I was reading the library's copy of The New Leader, final issue, January/April 2006. I told my husband it was a liberal magazine, folding after 82 years of publication. He asked me why. I looked through the foreword by Arthur M. Schlesigner Jr. (didn't know he was still alive--one of JFK's men) and didn't see a reason, although there was a sort of snarky remark about a conservative "small" magazine, The Nation, which "thanks to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and its editor Katrina vanden Heuvel, now claims to have 200,000 subscribers and to be approaching a profit for the first time in its history." Whoa, is that sour grapes, or what?

So I told him I thought most print magazines were struggling with subscribers and advertising revenues. But I never really did see a reason listed. However, it is a well written magazine, and this issue is sort of a historical overview by many well-known writers including George Gilder, who says when he wrote for it, an independent mind was demanded, Diane Ravtch, of the first Bush administration, and Daniel Bell, who's written 14 books. An 82 year life in the political/cultural media is nothing to sneer at.

Octogenarian, one of my links, wrote about this in January.

2451 The little blog that could

When an internet business blog, Maine Web Report, criticized Warren Kremer Paino Advertising, which advertised with the state's office of tourism, the owner Lance Dutson was sued. He tried to get help from his chamber of commerce and Nancy Marshall of the PR agency for the office of tourism, but

"My local chamber of commerce, where I am a member and vendor, and where I volunteer several hours a week of my time producing their e-newsletter, was one of Marshall’s first targets. The chamber’s website features a ‘member news’ section, and in October I had placed a fairly innocuous story about the pay-per-click campaign there.

Under pressure from Marshall, the chairman of the board of directors decided to not only censor this story, but remove the ENTIRE member news section from the site, and replace it with a blank page."

Portland Press pretty much ignored the story of the harassment of a little blogger business, possibly Lance speculates, because it uses the same attorney that filed the law suit against him. (Remember a few entries back I mentioned "Dance with the one who brought you" in media advertising?)

mock ad by Spittle mocking the Office of Tourism

You can click over to Lance's web report for several entries on this, but to cut to the chase, Media Bloggers Assocation came to his rescue with hundreds of blogs highlighting Maine's heavy handed tactics and offers of legal assistance.

So if you can't get help from your professional organization (are you listening American Library Association) and your elected officials are beholden to the folks you're criticising and your local media can't be brave because they'll lose advertising or are afraid of law suits too, who you gonna call on?

Other bloggers.

Warren Kremer Paino Advertising

Monday Memories

Did I ever tell you about my plan to open a bookstore?

After three really terrific contract librarian positions at Ohio State University from 1978-1983, I finally landed a full-time, tenure-track, faculty rank job. Problem was, it was incredibly clerical and I hated it, so I resigned. What to do? By this time the children had entered high school. "Oh, I know, I'll open a business--a book store." The kids could help--keep them off the streets, etc. We would bond. How hard could it be?

I visited the local Mom and Pop Christian bookstores and chatted up the owners. To my discerning ear these folks had no experience either in business or with books; they prayed, and poof! a store fell in their laps. Well, I could do that! So I prayed, and prayed and prayed, but I sure didn't see any doors opening up that said, "Bookstore Here." I also visited a franchise Christian bookstore and wrote to the company, and discovered that would take about $70,000 (which was a lot of money then--still is, actually). And yes, I read one book about the publishing industry (although I was a librarian I didn't have the foggiest idea how books were made and distributed).

So I thought maybe God was waiting for me to do something. Experience maybe? So I dropped in at the Pickwick Discount Books which had recently opened near us (a division of the Dayton-Hudson chain I think) and applied for a job. The assistant manager was thrilled to have me, said she could only pay me $.25 above minimum wage, but I could buy books at the employee discount. I figured it was for my education in the school of hard knocks, so I didn't care. Besides, I was on my way to my dream of owning a bookstore! Pause here for reflection: I've checked my resume, but you don't usually stick minimum wage jobs in the middle of your professional work record, so can't place the date, but I think it was fall 1983.

Reality is what wakes you up from a dream, not a nightmare. Let me count the ways that clued me in this wasn't for me. Ten things come to mind that returned me to the bosom and comfort of state employment.

1) The building had formerly been a pharmacy (Nicklaus, as in Jack's parents), and had no elevator, but all books and magazines were stored in the basement, which meant hand carrying them up a steep stairway for stocking the shelves. Worse though, was carrying them down. Freight operators are unionized, and their contract called for dumping the boxes of books at an address, not inside the door. If cars were in the way, they might be placed anywhere on the parking lot. We clerks had to bring these terribly heavy boxes inside on a dolly, and carry them to the basement storage. Rain or storm--we had to bring them in, and just look awful for the customers.

2) Destroying books was part of the job. For a librarian that was like drowning kittens. We had to sit in the cold basement for hours and tear covers off books that couldn't be returned (all those print runs you read about are phony statistics--printed doesn't mean sold). The covers were tracked and bundled for return and credit. Then the guts had to be carried back up the stairs and lifted over your head into the outside dumpster some distance from our building so people wouldn't steal them. Between ripping up boxes with heavy staples, and stripping covers off books, my hands felt like bad sandpaper.

3) We had to accept whatever magazines the distributor dropped off. I heard (but couldn't confirm) that the distributor in Columbus had ties to organized crime. That might explain all the obscenely trashy porn we got. We women staffers would conveniently leave most of them in the basement, bringing up only the better known titles like Hustler and Playboy, and trust me when I say they were definitely gross, but were the least objectionable. But even having to handle these disgustingly anti-female, violent porn rag sheets was traumatic.

4) The sweet assistant manager who hired me was only making $.50 more an hour than I was, but had horrid hours, and was always on call. I never did her job, which seemed to be constantly checking computerized sheets on a clipboard and sending reports. She dressed and wore her hair like a 1960s flower-child. Her live-in boyfriend also worked there and she was his supervisor. I guess it isn't nepotism if you're not married. I rode a bike to work on nice days because I lived near-by--I don't think they had a car or a choice. The stress of the job made her colitis act up and she was sick a lot.

5) The cash register was probably the latest version of computerization, and I never caught on. I couldn't clear an error, or get the drawer to open, or accept a gift certificate. I was the clerk you either feel very sorry for or hate if you're waiting in line. My self-esteem plummeted the few months I worked there. I was 43, but you become an "older learner" around age 25 (your brain cells freeze), and I never had enough time to learn anything well. The public can get a bit testy. Hateful, actually. I would almost start to tremble if I got a complicated transaction and the customer decided to be chatty.

6) Our best clerk who was a whiz with the register and bailing me out, resigned to go work as a paraprofessional in a - - library! Not once did I ever see her smile. Almost no place pays as low as libraries, so she wasn't making much either.

7) Books were disappearing and we discovered the thief was an OSU grad student who worked at the - - library!

8) Most of my tiny salary went for books because the discount was so good, and books were already discounted (many remainders and overruns).

9) The district manager was "transferred" by corporate to Minnesota when she was 8 1/2 months pregnant. Her husband was employed in Columbus, so I don't know what she did. Leaving her OB at that point, or packing for a move, would have been tough. She could barely walk, but would've needed her medical benefits.

10) But the most memorable event was the day my daughter called and said, "Mom, I've cleaned up most of the blood but you need to come home and take [her brother] to the ER." He had forgotten his key and decided to go in through a window.

No, I never opened that bookstore, but smile and nod with recognition when someone mentions that as an ideal business venture.

1. Melli, 2. Lazy Daisy, a genius in the family 3. Lady Bug, funny story about hubby 4. Carmen (a meme but no memory when I checked) 5. Chelle, a teacher we wish we all had, 6. Libragirl's memory is really fresh, 7. Renee faces life's storms, 8. Purple Kangaroo, mommy of 3 adorables, 9. Beckie, recalling blessings, 10. Shelli's dear friend

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2449 The House Always Wins

St. Casserole is a pastor who lives in the Katrina devastated area. But 11 years ago, the area witnessed a different kind of devastation.

"Eleven years ago, our poor area welcomed dockside gambling. Dockside means that the casinos perched on barges on our Coastline with their hotels on land nearby.

Overnight, people got jobs, health care and benefits. Auxiliary businesses flourished. Things got better.

What didn't get better at the beginning and what isn't better now is the White Elephant We Don't Discuss.

MawMaw and PawPaw flooded into the casinos to spend the day playing slots, black jack and etc. Young people got good-paying jobs without needing an education. People who can't control gambling lost homes, families and themselves. People bragged about winnings, didn't mention losses. No one remembers as they gamble that the House always wins." St. Casserole

Ohio has had a state lottery for 30 years. I think the "profit" was designated for education about 20 years ago. We don't talk about our "white elephant" either. Has anyone seen an improvement in Ohio's education system? What about our taxes? Has anyone seen a reduction in our property taxes? Our state government? Wasn't Gov. Taft voted #50 out of 50? So we're both stealing from and addicting people AND taking more taxes from them. It is an unbelievably slick scam. Apparently, our representatives are just horn swaggled and helpless. I doubt that anyone opposing the lottery could even get elected. People are desperate to believe in something for nothing.

I remember 30 years ago there were some Ohio church coalitions that pointed out the damage to poor people, but they lost. It was a bit short sighted on their part to see this only as a problem for the poor. And that was before internet gambling and the more recent gambling glamorization on cable TV. Then there was a church coalition that tried to stop Ohio from joining that multi-state lottery, and that flopped. I don't think the issue ever even came up at our church.

When Mississippi and Louisiana turned to off-shore gambling to fill up their state coffers instead of building a strong infrastructure, they became no different than Mexico relying on money being sent home by poor people to fill the shops and restaurants of that country on the labor of the poor immigrants.

I assume all those wrecked casinos are eligible for my tax dollars to rebuild.

2448 The Whistle Stop Pot Luck

This story is fiction; absolutely fabricated. It's wishful thinking; a fantasy. But it might just work in real life. An original story by Norma Bruce.

As I moved the dust around and spiffed up the bathrooms and mirrors in preparation for our dinner guests, my husband looked at the list of errands I'd left on the counter.

"What's this item for the party supply store?"

"Whistles."

"Why do we need whistles for a dinner party?" he asked.

"Because of our age."

"Our age? What's that got to do with anything?" he said.

"Everyone will receive a small whistle on a loop of ribbon to wear around their neck. When anyone starts to talk about the three forbidden topics, the listener blasts on the whistle to put a stop to it."

"What three topics?"

"Age. Health. Weight. Any sentence or phrase or story that mentions your age or health problems or weight."

"I don't tell people my age," he said.

"Maybe not in so many words, but these are the tips to blowing the whistle on age topics.

"At my age. . ., "

"It must be my age, but. . ., "

"I must be getting old, because. . ."

Then there are subcategories. You also can't tell any story that your spouse has heard 3 times in the past year, because that just screams you're losing it."

His face turned grey. "You mean I can't tell anyone about my wonderful grandfather or your terrific mother?"

"Exactly. We've lived here for almost 40 years. There isn't a person in central Ohio who hasn't heard about Biggie or Olive. So if I hear you starting on those dear people, I'll put the whistle to my lips."

"And no operations? Not even my rotator cuff? No emergency room visits?" he whined.

"Nope. You'll get a tweet, or will have to blast the others if they start in on an organ concert," I said.

"Well," he said, "I do OK on weight, don't I? I'm not overweight and I teach an exercise class."

"Yes, but your weight encourages others to talk about theirs, so if you hear, 'How do you stay in such good shape,' you'll just have to blast 'em. Don't even think of it as a compliment--it's a lead in for them to tell you about their sluggish metabolism, their beer belly, bad knees or when they gave up smoking."

"But honey," he said quietly, "what's left to talk about if we blow the whistle on weight, age and health."

"There's always religion and politics. These days, I think I'd prefer that to calories, class reunions and colonoscopies. Then there is literature, music, theater, movies, concerts, decorating, global warming, the war, business, China, garage sales, fashion, gardening, IPOs, energy prices, sailing, technology, travel, art, and volunteer activities to name just a few. If you're absolutely desperate, I suppose you could talk about sports or grandchildren--but I'd keep those low on the list since they tend to be gender specific."

"It might work," he sighed. "Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks."

"TWEET!"

2447 Dream Mom has a dream

Dream Mom has a severly disabled son. When I first read her blog and saw a photo of him sitting up in a wagon, I thought it was current. But it was a reflection on a past event, when he had learned to pull himself upright in his wagon while they were out for a walk--a huge accomplishment for which she lavished praise. Now he is bedridden and frequently hospitalized. She has lost her home, her job, her savings, her retirement--and cares for Dear Son, as she calls him in her blog. However, she writes an even more touching story here, "There's no place like home," about a little boy, much healthier than hers, whose mother gave him up. But life could be easier for all parents of disabled children, she writes, if just these things were available:

• "We need to have daycare facilities that take all children, regardless of their disabilities. While legally, they can not discriminate, they often won’t take them. They don’t make money on kids like that, even if they had employees trained to care for them. Daycare for disabled children, is practically non-existant. We need to do this so these parents can work and take good care of their children and themselves.
  
  
• We need more Respite care so when their parents are tired, they get a break.
  
  
• We need to require hospitals or medical centers that have specialty physicians who care for these children,
  
  
• and have suitable rest rooms so we can change them on a bed instead of on the bathroom floors.
  
  
• We need to have assistants located in the parking lots of our medical centers, so they can help us lift the children in/out of the car, making it easier, instead of paying people to say hello to us when we come for an outpatient visit.
  
  
• We need to allow parents to save tax free in a 401(k) for their disabled children’s retirement, in addition to their own retirement, so the children/adults will be less dependent on Medicaid, Medicare and other government programs.
  
  
• We also need to provide for medical withdrawals, based on need, for these 401(k) plans, in case of catastrophic medical bills. We could do this very easily, by using our current Social Security definitions of a disability, as a requirement for the new 401(k)."

I've come across many blogs written by parents of disabled children, who describe the challenges, heartaches, and victories of their staggering tasks. If blogging has done nothing else, it has certainly brought these exhausted and caring parents out of the closet so the rest of us can see what they deal with daily.

2446 God and Gore

In a magazine side bar today I notice a list of conversation starters and stoppers. For instance, complimenting a woman on her jewelry can be a conversation starter. Asking her how much it cost--a stopper. On the list of conversation stoppers was disagreeing with the other person on God or Al Gore.

2445 Preview of coming attractions

On Monday May 8, Monday Memories will be about my dream to open a book store, and on Monday May 15, I'll fill you in on the lost and missing beds. These seemed to be the two most popular from the May 4 Thursday Thirteen list.

Monday Memories

Thursday Thirteen

2444 Word wizards wanted

Canadian gay couples are unhappy that they aren't listed as "husband and wife" in the latest census according to an item noted by Elizabeth Marquardt at her blog at Family Scholars.

A husband is a man and a wife is a woman and these words are embedded in our English collective memory, literature, holy books, music, indeed, the very fabric of our culture. I'm puzzled that a gay man would want to be called "wife." Or a lesbian, "husband." If gays want a permanent relationship recognized by society, let them invent a word that works for them and then try it out on the general public--sing about it, write about it, and use it among their friends. Someone invented all these ridiculous terms we use with computers, and we use them without thinking in less than a generation. Considering the bad press and scorn the feminists have dumped on the institution of marriage, homosexuals may even wish to stay away from words that describe specific roles. There are probably languages or dialects that have appropriate, meaningless words, which could be borrowed for the purpose of a census until something catches on.

2443 Am I bad luck?

Recently I wrote about a film program called 168 Hour Film Project and signed up for their newsletter. The first newsletter I got announced the death by drowning in a bathtub during a seizure of one of their 14 year old actors. Then I recently linked here to a doctor, BigMamaDoc, who calls her site Fat Doctor and she was attending a conference in California the last time I looked. I checked today to find out she has had a stroke and was hospitalized for neurosurgery. She's only 37, and from reading backward in her blog, this was not her first stroke. A friend is updating her blog.