2008: Year of Me

I have decided to return to blogging.

I realize that I was on hiatus for so long….two years, too long.

Quite a bit has happened in my life, that I will share in due time.

The first order of business? 2008 Goals.

2008 will be the year of ME. I came to this conclusion just before the ball dropped signifying the New Year.

In short, I broke up with my Man, the one I was with for the last 5 ½ years. The one I was set to marry. I listened to my gut on that one and canceled the wedding; deciding he was not the one I wanted to marry. We can get to that at another time.

My heart has been broken and I need to be done brooding over it. Enough is enough; I have hit my personal threshold. For the entire 5 ½ years, I have done nothing but support Him and never minded myself. I did take care of myself, though not how I would have liked, as well, I did not support my own personal interests. People change and grow. I did, but was held back from doing anything because all my focus was on Him. Now, I see, that was not healthy. Thus, I declare 2008 the Year of Me.

I made a list of everything I want to do this year; every thing that came into my mind. And looking at the list, my biggest gripe is time. I have to learn to budget my time accordingly. This could prove to be a struggle. However, it will also be a challenge.

Some of the goals that I would like to accomplish in 2008 appear to be pretty generic: read more, knit more, write more, exercise daily, and hang out with friends more. But as I previously stated, I need to learn to budget my time. I have purchased the book ‘Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress Free Productivity’ by David Allen. This book appears to be highly recommended and referenced often by friends and professionals alike. I have not tackled that book just yet, as I am currently a one-book-woman kinda gal and am currently reading ‘On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft’ by Stephen King.

In addition, I will be making some changes to the site, in hopes of making it more up-to-date and intriguing.

Stay tuned for more…..I have returned.

The Return of the Coat Hanger

Yup. Guaranteed. So for all you emergency workers and emergency room workers, be prepared to get a lot of self-attempts to abort a fetus.

The fact that a ban on abortion has already occurred in a state is very scary. Very scary. Can we just not leave it well enough alone?

Of course not because that is not the real issue. The real issue is that abortion is a right given to women. And that is the problem for most men.

My favorite quote that I have used before in a post, that clearly has a lot of weight attached to it:
“If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.”
~Florynce R. Kennedy, 1973

Aside from that, I am thoroughly too disappointed to comment further on this. I am too frustrated.

The times they are a-changing…..

Okay, you know life is different, or that times are changing. This can easily be measured by certain events that occur in one’s life or the world. For instance, take the Pope getting an iPod. Signs of change? And yet he won’t let Catholic high school sports occur after a certain time on Sundays and not past a certain time during the week. Because he feels that people need to refocus; that we have become too engaged in the current technologies of today.

I love the World. Sometimes.

THEIR territory….not OURS….

I have said it for years: we are entering unknown territory. We are entering frontiers that are not ours to enter. And yet, it’s all about the money and being the first to live in a new home, thus the new developments that keep stretching and stretching. I live in a City that is insistent on putting more and more condos in place. And the reasoning? “It will bring back the night life of the City. Our resources will not be drained because we did a study that proved that only adults live in condos, no children.” I just don’t get it.

So when I read this article about the Mountain Lion hanging out in the backyard of someone’s house, I was not surprised. I was surprised that this man shot the Mountain Lion for no apparent reason. Well, dipshit, what did you expect when you moved in there, with woods surrounding you? I live in a wooded area. I have all sorts of animals trampling through my backyard. I KNOW this because I’m not stupid. But, I also keep my animals in at night and watch them when they do go outside for the last piss before bed. And should I see one in the bright of day? I will go inside and wait it out. It could be sick or sunning itself. One will never know. But, I will remember two things: 1) I bought this already existing house that’s more than 20 years old in the middle of the woods, and 2) I’m in the middle of their territory.

Olympics: 24/7; one channel; real time broadcast

I really need to vent on this one.

There has been much hype in the news recently regarding the Olympics. Aside from the lack of extreme controversies (remember the French Judge in ice skating?), the big hype this year is about the TV ratings. Supposedly the TV ratings for these winter Olympics are at an all-time low.

Well, duh.

I remember watching the Olympics on TV when I was little. I remember that there was an entire television channel that was completely devoted to the Olympics; they were on 24/7. I also remember staying up until 1am to watch some Olympic event. Know why? Because back then, the Olympics were filmed and broadcasted LIVE and in real time. There were very few commentator interruptions throughout. Only some updates here and there. And yes, that lasted for the entire duration of the Olympics; it ended when the Closing Ceremonies ended.

Today, I do understand that there are some individuals that lead a rather hectic and involved life. I would consider myself one of them. However, I do know that there are other people in this Nation that do not. Regardless, the broadcasting of the Olympics on real time and live would benefit the hectic and non-hectic alike; some Olympic event would always be on the television. And I do feel that had the Olympics been broadcasted 24/7 on one channel, there would be higher ratings. What’s wrong with that? One word: advertising. The commercials won’t get in, then there’s the shows that won’t get to air. Do I need to give people another wake-up call? The Olympics only happen every FOUR years. In four years, your stupid sitcom probably won’t be on the air. Or if it is…why not extend the season another 2 weeks at the end of the season? What the fuck?

I am quite disappointed with the television cable companies that allow this lack of support to occur. And yet the viewers, the Average Joes, are getting blamed for not watching the Olympics as much. Well no shit because it’s only on for 3 hours every night. Oh and I can read in the paper that day who won the event I am watching right now. So what’s the point, then, in even watching the program that’s all edited and cropped and everything else?!

Happy Birthday, you great little wonder, you!

The Palm Pilot was introduced 10 years ago. And to think now we have Treos (aka Smartphones). Well, it is now 10 years old and very sophisticated for it’s age. At least I think so. Happy Birthday Palm!

I’m too lazy and sore to talk about my first Palm, which I do still have sitting upstairs on my desk waiting to be purged. What do I do with it? Can I sell it on eBay? Would anyone want it? I’ll figure it out sooner or later….

But over time, I am thoroughly thrilled with the smartphone. What would I do without it?

Crossover Appeal

Well, here are some more props to give to the Gays and Lesbians. It’s about time there was more recognition for them. Now there is a new wave of concern over the media (television, music, movies, etc.) as it relates to Gays and Lesbians.

Check out Media Offer New Outlets For Gay Audiences to read about this.

But is it concern or recognition? I feel that the media has always been there. The acceptance factor (of course I’m talking of gays by straights) has not been there. Now that there is more hype concerning the Crossovers (i.e. Brokeback Mountain being the latest) of course there is more attention placed on this “gay culture.” (Ummm…Hi. There is no ‘gay culture’ unless one wants to seriously start calling every aspect of life a ‘culture’).

So, now we have dubbed this sudden interest of the gay life by straights a Crossover. What the fuck? There is a specific term to describe everything that happens!?! How said is that? And it sounds so trendy…..I think that’s what is really bothering me about it all.

There is no trend or culture. This is Life. And we all live a different Life.

Where is the love?

There are some things in Life that will always make me shake my head in disbelief. This is one of them: Drives to Ban Gay Adoption Heat Up in 16 States

How can we define a family when there are so many “dysfunctional” (I use that term VERY loosely) ones out there? There is no cookie-cutter image any more. No Nuclear Family. The American Dream is beginning to be altered and yet no one is accepting it. Rather than embrace a change, there are people scrambling all over the place trying to get this or that put in place to stop a growth. Or a trend, how my favorite people, The Experts, claim this is.

I give incredible credit, support, and hugs to gays and lesbians that are making the argument of a family public. Good! It’s about damned time that someone had a set on them! And who are we to fault them if they are different from us?

I find it amazing how people only accept the change they want. That is, consider all the hi-tech equipment that exists in the world today. Awesome, yes it is. And the same people that are attempting to define a family (and a marriage) are the same ones that are using these newfound, amazing gadgets to make their life easier, etc. So where do they get off accepting that change in technology, but not within Mankind, A.K.A., ourselves?

Who the fuck are we to define a family (what sex the parent’s should be, that is), let alone love (marriage)?

Sounds pretty fucked up if you ask me….

Shit does happen….and it could be a good thing….

I absolutely LOVE reading random articles. I like to read things and then pass them onto others. My poor friends…….

No less, when I read this article, I thought it was phenomenal. And well, you learn something new every day.

I have to give some serious props to the folks out West. (And ponder why I do not live out there where I think I would have no problem fitting in).

In the article San Francisco Exams the Power of Dog Droppings the city of San Francisco makes it a point to recycle in general, roughly 60% of their garbage. Meanwhile the adoring state of Connecticut is only 25%, and that is still a goal. So, really, who is so much cooler right now? Why can I not live in San Francisco?

Now there is a goal to recycle feces…not just any kind, but dog feces. Does this world get any better?

Now here’s where I start thinking. A person could almost theoretically have a self-sufficient home. All based around dog feces. Oh and the occasional general garbage recycling. But I am curious to find out how many dogs it would take to provide one household with electricity/heat/whatever.

How cool??

How cool is PodCasting?

Though I will admit that I don’t know all the ins and outs of PodCasting, from what I do know, it’s awesome.

I am one that would not have minded becoming a very hip and amazing disc jockey. Seeing that those plans went by the wayside, and I kick myself for not being a part of my undergrad’s radio station, I think that PodCasting would suit me.

I made one small attempt to share this revelation with my Man. He gave me the Weird Look and changed the topic to something more pertinent to our current lifestyle. I couldn’t argue with him…it does come across as being a bit odd. While he is trying to become accustomed to the new Tech World that exists, he is more laidback and not as excited: “Honey, we can have our own quasi radio show?!” To which I get: “Mmmm…….”

Right. I had that same conversation with him when I told him I wanted an iPod. I still do not have one. That’s for another time, though…

So, I love to read how more and more folks across the world are becoming connected thru PodCasting whether they know it or not. Hell, there is even a “PodCasting for Dummies” book out there….I mean, do we not have a revolution or what?

So when I read this article on parents helping the world out, I thought it was a great thing: Parents Get Together Via iPod ‘Radio’

Maybe this Tech thing is going to make our lives a bit less stressful. At least the intentions are there.

Perhaps one day I will be allowed to tamper with my dream from a former life of being a DJ. I’m just not making any promises.