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So I'm as old as Earth Day. I spent it by minimizing television viewing: I didn't even turn on the TVs at work. I also tried not to use plastic containers, but phooey on Panera who didn't have glasses for my iced green tea! (I ate in instead of take-out.) I try to limit my showers to 5 minutes. I lit candles last night instead of turning on the lights. No Facebook, no radio, no iPod, no cellphone or texting. It's amazing what you can get done in a day without all these distractions. And then today, I come back to Facebook to realize I didn't really miss much. We really do need to unplug. Wouldn't it be great to go off the grid?
When I first saw Katie Stevens perform, I was blown away. The first thing I asked my nieces? Is she nice? And the answer was yes, without hesitation. Somehow, I had pre-judged her to be a diva type, maybe even the mean girl. I don't know why. Probably because she's so beautiful and talented, an honor student, a good daughter/granddaughter/sister and friend. I was probably looking for a flaw there somewhere. Which we all have a lot of anyway.
It was interesting to watch her American Idol journey, because she is judged by millions of people who don't know her. I know I was guilty of that when I first saw her. Yet people form an impression of her that couldn't be further from the truth. I've heard people say she's snobbish, stubborn and doesn't listen to the judges. And even a friend of mine who works with some teenagers said that Katie is not well-liked by teenaged girls. Perhaps a little jealousy? Are they threatened by her talent and good looks? Who knows?
Last night, Katie ended her quest to be the next Kelly Clarkson. Did she lose because not a lot of boys watch, much less vote on AI? It was very brave of her to put herself out there and live out her dream. It's a very human thing to judge other people. Even if their opinion of you is erroneous, there is nothing you can do about it. Miss Stevens can hold her up high. She did herself proud, including her family, friends and the state of Connecticut. The end of her AI aspirations could be the start of something big.
On the bright side, I can watch my Tuesday shows now and not have to suffer through another episode with Ryan Seacrest.
I found out today that a former patient of ours had OD'd on medications yesterday and passed away this morning. It turns out he had a history of depression. His wife is also an old patient and my heart just goes out to her.
Having a new found appreciation for life, I can't pretend to understand how much pain a person could be in that they think their only option is to check out. I wonder if suicidal people consider how their passing would affect their loved ones. It's interesting to think that everyday, thousands if not millions of people walk around not realizing that they do have an effect on other people. We didn't know much about K because he was quiet but pleasant. We knew enough to feel that the world is not better off without him. If only he knew that. That we all make a difference. We matter.
Maybe that's why they say we should all be kinder than necessary, because everyone is fighting some kind of battle. The briefest of encounters or even friendships can have a tremendous influence on someone. In this case, K's inner demons won. Hopefully, he can now find the peace he never found in life.
Sorry for the all-caps. Just reposting. This was a letter to the editor of a local paper.
"ANYONE WHO THINKS "TEA PARTYISM" IS ANYTHING ELSE THAN AN ATTEMPT TO
LEGITIMIZE RACISM BY DISGUISING IT AS CONCERN FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR NATION
HAS SPENT TOO MUCH TIME AT THE PLAY TABLE CONVERSING WITH ALICE AND THE MAD HATTER.
WHERE WERE THESE "PATRIOTS" WHEN GEORGE BUSH TOOK ONE OF OUR LARGEST FEDERAL
SURPLUSES AND RAN IT INTO ONE OF OUR LARGEST DEFICITS?
WHERE WERE THESE "PATRIOTS" WHEN OUR NATION WAS PLUNGED INTO AN ILLBEGOTTEN WAR BY GEORGE BUSH, A MAN AWOL-ED FROM THE MILITARY SERVICE?
WHERE WERE THESE "PATRIOTS"WHEN GEORGE BUSH REPEATEDLY TOLD US THAT OUR ECONOMY WAS SOUND AS HE STOOD BY AND WATCHED GREEDY, UNREGULATED, UNSCRUPULOUS BANKS AND FINANCIAL FIRMS LED US INTO A REECESSION AND DOUBLE-DIGIT UNEMPLOYMENT?
ALL ONE HAS TO DO IS LISTEN TO THE RHETORIC OF THIS GROUP TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE REALLY UPSET ABOUT. THE PRESIDENT, WHO BY THE WAY WAS ELECTED BY A MAJORITY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, IS NOT A WHITE MAN, AND THEREIN LIES THE RUB.
IF WE OBJECTIVELY ANALYZE THE DISTORTIONS AND HALF-TRUTHS OF THEIR "SO CALLED"
LEADERS, WE SOON REALIZE THE APPETIZER AT THESE "TEA PARTIES" IS NOT CRUMPETS, IT IS
IGNORANCE. "
KENNETH J SELTMAN
NEWBURGH, NY
Even though I may be guilty of some of these at one time or another, I reserve the right to complain.
- Not rotating photos
- Blurry pictures
- Your latest or upcoming travel adventure (Yeah, yeah, jealous I am.)
- Status generators---it's good or funny because someone else wrote it.
- Cryptic messages e.g., "sad". Which leads to an avalanche of questions or comments that almost always will get no response from the person who posted it. I'm sure if you are really good friends, then you would have gotten a call or a message already about whatever is going on.
- Breaking news! Although there have been a few that I only heard about on FB. Very few.
- People complaining about their photos. Hey, it's you! What did I have to do with it? That's what the 'remove tag' button is there for.
- I don't really care about your farm, or hotel, restaurant, sometimes even your mafia.
- What does YOUR horoscope have to do with me?
- Why do other people have to know that I liked someone's photo or commented on an activity?
Thanks to Lynn who said she wants to be a "lady who lunches", she reminded me of the brilliant revival of Company. Here's the fantastic Heather Laws followed by the amahzing Raul Esparza:
Maybe I'm a little biased because Katie Stevens is my niece's friend, but I just love her rendition of my favorite Beatles song.
I come from a Catholic country and Holy Week was always a somber occasion. While I never really liked the bunny and eggs connection ( although I see why missionaries thought it necessary to incorporate pagan rituals to make Christianity palatable to their would-be converts), attacking the Easter bunny was uncalled for. I work near this sweets shop and my heart sank when I heard about it. I wanted to shake my fists and yell "punk!"
I love how local minor league baseball team Renegades responded: They sent Rascal the mascot to protect the Bunny. I find the idea of a bat-wielding raccoon avenger with a built-in disguise---the black eye mask haha---keeping a close watch on things, hilarious.
It's always nice to get texts from friends, just saying hello, I miss you and that I'm thinking about you. Liza sent me one the other night. I spoke to my friend Pinky the next day. Turns out she got the same text. Now does that diminish the value of the message? Or should I quit my bellyaching and just appreciate the sentiment?
John Oliver on The Daily Show: "Your country's so stupid, they left a copper statue outside to turn green."
