I don't know what I was thinking. For my Facebook account, I have yet to get a presentable picture, but somehow I thought that today was the day. Yeah, that was a real pick-me-upper - NOT!
How is it possible to take 22 pictures and not have a single one turn out even close to decent? I looked at myself in the mirror prior to taking these, and I did not look like that! If not everybody else's pictures turned out so nicely, I would return the damn camera for only capturing ugly!
I looked through the the instructions, but there were no settings that specifically stated elimates wrinkles and makes a smirk look like a great smile....maybe it's time for some of these camera stores to not only offer classes on how to take good pictures, but also on how to be in one without showing all your worst features. I really need that class!
Im going to the bathroom now to look in the mirror again - because either it or the camera is lying!! I really hope it is the latter.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Our World
I have spent my morning looking at different news sites searching for something to be opinionated about today. There is just too much bad stuff going on, and too many sad stories. I don't feel like being sad, so instead, let's talk about how lucky we are to be born in the Western World!
Here in the good ol' USA, as a woman, I have all the choices I want. Yes, I agree, the corporate world is still to a large extent ruled by the middle aged men, and women tend to have to work harder and show better results to move up the corporate ladder. Nonetheless, the opportunities are all here.
Here I am free. I make my own choices. Nobody owns me - even with the horrific history of slavery, the idea of human beings as a commodity died with the end of slavery. Not so in too many places still. Every time I think of what women in the Middle East, certain parts of Asia and Africa has to endure, I count my blessings for being born in a Western country.
Even in today's world, countless girls and women in Africa are being mutilated so they will be "pure" resulting in lifelong pain. Girls are being attacked with acid - for getting an education. Educated women in Iran, are being reduced to beggars if they lose their husbands, since they are not allowed to work. Not to make this in to a man-bashing session, but who came up with all these idiotic ideas? Oh yeah, men who are afraid they would lose their power if women were given equal, or any rights.
OK, now I feel like standing up on my soap box, so it is probably time to stop. To all the women in the Western World - count your blessings! I hope that in my lifetime, we will see an uprising of the suppressed women of the world, and support from all the decent men who know what is happening today is wrong, to ensure these women too can enjoy the freedom and choices that we have!
Here in the good ol' USA, as a woman, I have all the choices I want. Yes, I agree, the corporate world is still to a large extent ruled by the middle aged men, and women tend to have to work harder and show better results to move up the corporate ladder. Nonetheless, the opportunities are all here.
Here I am free. I make my own choices. Nobody owns me - even with the horrific history of slavery, the idea of human beings as a commodity died with the end of slavery. Not so in too many places still. Every time I think of what women in the Middle East, certain parts of Asia and Africa has to endure, I count my blessings for being born in a Western country.
Even in today's world, countless girls and women in Africa are being mutilated so they will be "pure" resulting in lifelong pain. Girls are being attacked with acid - for getting an education. Educated women in Iran, are being reduced to beggars if they lose their husbands, since they are not allowed to work. Not to make this in to a man-bashing session, but who came up with all these idiotic ideas? Oh yeah, men who are afraid they would lose their power if women were given equal, or any rights.
OK, now I feel like standing up on my soap box, so it is probably time to stop. To all the women in the Western World - count your blessings! I hope that in my lifetime, we will see an uprising of the suppressed women of the world, and support from all the decent men who know what is happening today is wrong, to ensure these women too can enjoy the freedom and choices that we have!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Relationships and Satisfying Women
According to Chris Rock, one of my favourite comedians, we are not so easy to satisfy. Enjoy!
warning: as always, Mr. Rock uses a bit explicit language.
warning: as always, Mr. Rock uses a bit explicit language.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Teen Relationship Abuse
This was shocking to me, but according to Yahoo News one in five teens are in relationships where they are physically abused by their partner. One in five!! And these are teenagers. Where did we go wrong?
Not all abusers are men, or in this instance, boys, but the statistics clearly show they are the majority. Where did they learn that it is OK to hit, slap or otherwise abuse their girlfriends? These statistics are sickening to me. As much focus as there has been on abuse the last few years, how can it be that 20% of dating teenagers still abuse their girlfriends?
After Rhianna so bravely told her story of being beaten by Chris Brown, I had hoped that more teenagers would look to her as a good example. That doesn't seem to have happened.
Obviously we have not only failed miserably in teaching the boys proper manners, but we have completely failed in teaching these girls self worth. I am not so blue eyed that I don't believe a fight between a boy- and girlfriend can escalate to become physical; although, I truly believe that it should never happen. But I do not understand why these girls think they have to stick around for more. Every girl should know that she deserves the best - and that does not include being beaten or abused psychologically. If she was unfortunate to end up in such a situation once; leave! Don't allow it to ever happen again!
Back in the days when I was 16, I dated a boy, who turned out to be a complete freak. Although he never physically hurt me, he was always playing mind games, and to a large extent, taking "ownership" of all my time. The whole break up was a weird session in itself, and he begged me to come back to him. Luckily I refused. However, the following weekend, he showed up at the party where I was. He was drunk as can be, and again begging me to come back to him. This time, when I refused, he pulled out a knife and threatened to kill himself. Normally, I would think, it would be easy to disarm a person that intoxicated; however, he also had a black belt in karate, so nobody was willing to take the chance of getting a good beating or getting stabbed. We ended up getting a hold of his brother, also with a black belt, who got the knife from him and calmed him down. By then, I of course was hysterical, but I will never forget his brother walking up to me and looking me straight in the eyes as he said: "You know this is all your fault. If you would just love him, this would have never happened!" If I was insecure in any way, I probably would have gone back to him. I would probably have felt responsible for the whole episode, as well as his ongoing well being. But bless my parents; they did a good job! Instead I looked his brother right back in the eyes and told him it was not my fault their whole family were freaks, turned my back and went back to the party, and never spoke to either of them again.
I didn't stop there though, but managed to make more bad relationship decisions in my life, and have on a couple of occasions ended up with black eyes. But I have never accepted it! Despite the incredible shame one feels as the victim in such a situation, I filed charges against the man (this was prior to the police being able to file the charges without the victim's consent), and demanded punishment. Not once have I ever stopped believing that I deserve the best!
I hope that as my children grow into their teens, that they too are secure enough in themselves to not accept anything but the best. That they treat others with respect, and don't allow anyone to treat them otherwise. I certainly hope that by then , these statistics have changed drastically for the better!
Not all abusers are men, or in this instance, boys, but the statistics clearly show they are the majority. Where did they learn that it is OK to hit, slap or otherwise abuse their girlfriends? These statistics are sickening to me. As much focus as there has been on abuse the last few years, how can it be that 20% of dating teenagers still abuse their girlfriends?
After Rhianna so bravely told her story of being beaten by Chris Brown, I had hoped that more teenagers would look to her as a good example. That doesn't seem to have happened.
Obviously we have not only failed miserably in teaching the boys proper manners, but we have completely failed in teaching these girls self worth. I am not so blue eyed that I don't believe a fight between a boy- and girlfriend can escalate to become physical; although, I truly believe that it should never happen. But I do not understand why these girls think they have to stick around for more. Every girl should know that she deserves the best - and that does not include being beaten or abused psychologically. If she was unfortunate to end up in such a situation once; leave! Don't allow it to ever happen again!
Back in the days when I was 16, I dated a boy, who turned out to be a complete freak. Although he never physically hurt me, he was always playing mind games, and to a large extent, taking "ownership" of all my time. The whole break up was a weird session in itself, and he begged me to come back to him. Luckily I refused. However, the following weekend, he showed up at the party where I was. He was drunk as can be, and again begging me to come back to him. This time, when I refused, he pulled out a knife and threatened to kill himself. Normally, I would think, it would be easy to disarm a person that intoxicated; however, he also had a black belt in karate, so nobody was willing to take the chance of getting a good beating or getting stabbed. We ended up getting a hold of his brother, also with a black belt, who got the knife from him and calmed him down. By then, I of course was hysterical, but I will never forget his brother walking up to me and looking me straight in the eyes as he said: "You know this is all your fault. If you would just love him, this would have never happened!" If I was insecure in any way, I probably would have gone back to him. I would probably have felt responsible for the whole episode, as well as his ongoing well being. But bless my parents; they did a good job! Instead I looked his brother right back in the eyes and told him it was not my fault their whole family were freaks, turned my back and went back to the party, and never spoke to either of them again.
I didn't stop there though, but managed to make more bad relationship decisions in my life, and have on a couple of occasions ended up with black eyes. But I have never accepted it! Despite the incredible shame one feels as the victim in such a situation, I filed charges against the man (this was prior to the police being able to file the charges without the victim's consent), and demanded punishment. Not once have I ever stopped believing that I deserve the best!
I hope that as my children grow into their teens, that they too are secure enough in themselves to not accept anything but the best. That they treat others with respect, and don't allow anyone to treat them otherwise. I certainly hope that by then , these statistics have changed drastically for the better!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Dating Etiquette
I am sitting here alone on a Saturday night wondering if I should be worried that my latest romantic fling is over. Why, you say? Well, life happens, and I had to cancel our date again. That was 7 hours ago, and he never even acknowledged that I canceled. I checked the message to make sure I sent it to the right person, since I have been known to sometimes create a bit ackward situations by texting the wrong guy. It is not my fault that I have too many friends with the same first name!! But this one went to the right person, and now that I see it in writing, canceling a date by text may not be the most personal way of doing it. Kind of tacky if I may say so myself.
However, if I had called, I probably would have ended up telling him that I did not even try to get a baby sitter, because I really didn't feel like going out tonight. Next weekend though, I am certain I will be in the mood. Unfortunately, by then, I may not have anybody to go out with. Crap! I guess when you cancel Valentine's dinner (even the belated ones) and the following weekend, it may seem you are not so interested.
Then again, if he wanted to see me, he could come visit me. Well, at least if I had told him where I live. But if he really wanted to see me, he could have called and said he wanted to come see me, so I am blaming this entirely on him. I am just being a good mom!
However, if I had called, I probably would have ended up telling him that I did not even try to get a baby sitter, because I really didn't feel like going out tonight. Next weekend though, I am certain I will be in the mood. Unfortunately, by then, I may not have anybody to go out with. Crap! I guess when you cancel Valentine's dinner (even the belated ones) and the following weekend, it may seem you are not so interested.
Then again, if he wanted to see me, he could come visit me. Well, at least if I had told him where I live. But if he really wanted to see me, he could have called and said he wanted to come see me, so I am blaming this entirely on him. I am just being a good mom!
Friday, February 25, 2011
NEVER WAX YOUR HOO-HA
I have not laughed so hard in weeks. OMG, it is good to know somebody else is struggling through their little crisis too. Enjoy!
All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The Epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax.
Read on..........
My night began as any other normal weeknight. Fix dinner, watch the grand kids come and go. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: 'Maybe I should get the waxing kit from the medicine cabinet.
So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom.
It was one of those 'cold wax' kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be?
I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!) So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together.
Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ('Cold wax,' yeah...right!)
I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull.
It works! OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me!
I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire!
With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the family, I sneak back into the bathroom for the ultimate hair fighting championship.
I drop my granny panties and place one foot on the toilet.
Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip).
I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRIIIPPP!!!!
I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!.....OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!!
Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip.
CRAP!
Another deep breath and RIP! Everything is spinning and spotted.
I think I may pass out.... I must stay conscious...I must stay conscious.
Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe.... OK, back to normal.
I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair.
I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it.
Where is the hair???
WHERE IS THE WAX???
Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip... it's not. I touch.. I am touching wax.
I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair.
Then I make the next BIG mistake ... remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? So I put my foot down. Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. Sealed shut!
I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself 'Please don't let me get the urge to poop...My head may pop off!
What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand in the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right ??? *WRONG!!!!!!!*
I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit.
Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub.... in scalding hot water.
Which, by the way, does not melt cold wax.
So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!!
God bless the AT&T man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!!
I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter.
So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!
There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me.
She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, 'Are we talking cheeks or hoo-ha?'
She's laughing out loud by now ... I can hear her.
I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box.
YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night.
While we go through various solutions, I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!!
By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event.
My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.
It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. 'IT WORKS!
I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up.
I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT!
So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts.
I could have amputated my own leg at this point.
Next week I'm going to try hair color......how bad can that turn out???
Read on..........
My night began as any other normal weeknight. Fix dinner, watch the grand kids come and go. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: 'Maybe I should get the waxing kit from the medicine cabinet.
So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom.
It was one of those 'cold wax' kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be?
I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!) So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together.
Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ('Cold wax,' yeah...right!)
I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull.
It works! OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me!
I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire!
With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the family, I sneak back into the bathroom for the ultimate hair fighting championship.
I drop my granny panties and place one foot on the toilet.
Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip).
I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRIIIPPP!!!!
I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!.....OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!!
Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip.
CRAP!
Another deep breath and RIP! Everything is spinning and spotted.
I think I may pass out.... I must stay conscious...I must stay conscious.
Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe.... OK, back to normal.
I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair.
I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it.
Where is the hair???
WHERE IS THE WAX???
Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip... it's not. I touch.. I am touching wax.
I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair.
Then I make the next BIG mistake ... remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? So I put my foot down. Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. Sealed shut!
I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself 'Please don't let me get the urge to poop...My head may pop off!
What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand in the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right ??? *WRONG!!!!!!!*
I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit.
Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub.... in scalding hot water.
Which, by the way, does not melt cold wax.
So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!!
God bless the AT&T man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!!
I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter.
So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!
There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me.
She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, 'Are we talking cheeks or hoo-ha?'
She's laughing out loud by now ... I can hear her.
I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box.
YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night.
While we go through various solutions, I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!!
By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event.
My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.
It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. 'IT WORKS!
I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up.
I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT!
So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts.
I could have amputated my own leg at this point.
Next week I'm going to try hair color......how bad can that turn out???
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
It's All in the Mind
As much as I love pink, I too sometimes feel a bit blue. A little down on myself and my life in general. I have found though, that surrounding myself with positive people, and constantly reinforcing positive thinking, makes me feel as if I can conquer any obstacle.
To quote Remez Sasson : "The difference between CAN and CANNOT are only three letters. Three letters that determine your life's direction." Mr. Sasson has made a living from his positive thinking just by helping others do the same. I have no aspiration of doing the same, but isn't it funny how our perception of our life or a certain situation makes all the difference in how we handle it?
I am going through a bit of rough patch in my life, but I wake up with a smile on my face and wonder what great opportunities today will bring. And with that attitude, I enjoy (or at least try my best to) every moment of the day. If my dreams don't come true and I still have to struggle a bit to pay my bills, at least I will do it with a smile on my face and be thankful for what I do have. Because, as Herm Albright (who I know nothing about) said, "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
To quote Remez Sasson : "The difference between CAN and CANNOT are only three letters. Three letters that determine your life's direction." Mr. Sasson has made a living from his positive thinking just by helping others do the same. I have no aspiration of doing the same, but isn't it funny how our perception of our life or a certain situation makes all the difference in how we handle it?
I am going through a bit of rough patch in my life, but I wake up with a smile on my face and wonder what great opportunities today will bring. And with that attitude, I enjoy (or at least try my best to) every moment of the day. If my dreams don't come true and I still have to struggle a bit to pay my bills, at least I will do it with a smile on my face and be thankful for what I do have. Because, as Herm Albright (who I know nothing about) said, "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
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