My underwear is 20 years old!!!

Too much information, you say?  I agree, but it's a phenomenon I wanted to explore.

So here's the scenario.  My mother-in-law came for a visit about 20 years ago, and we went to the local outlet mall, and she decided that she wanted to buy my some bvds, female style.  They are/were made by Hanes.   She has visited since then, but no more underwear!

Anyway, fast forward to 2013, and I'm thinking about how well these have held up, and how really old they are! I don't have all of them any more as my husband has taken it upon himself to throw out the truly holy ones.  And I think I finally gave up another pair last week, as they were beyond hope.  But there are still two or three left, and I'm kinda babying them.

Oh I've got other underwear, lots of other underwear.  But its not the same.  I've tried buying the same brand, same style, and what I thought was the same size, but that's all changed.  the sizes are "smaller" even though they have the same number on the waistband.  Or lets say they have less material!  And they don't last nearly as long.  AND...of course you've figured this out...they're NOT made in the USA. 

If you're in business, and you want repeat business, you either have to change styles dramatically to make people want the newest, latest, fanciest, or it better wear out soon, so you're forced to buy something else.

Twenty year old underwear is a merchant's nightmare!

Don't need to buy me any underwear this year, especially after Day 232!

What's in a name?

Good golly, there's a group of folks who want to change the name of the Washington redskins football team, because, they think, the name reflects badly on Native Americans (in other words, Indians.)  The "mascot" is the head of an Indian with headdress.

So I have a solution.  Keep the name and can the mascot!  There are other things that have red skins.  Red skin potatoes.  Red skin frankfurters.  You could change the team's nickname to the "spuds" or the "hot doggers."  Oscar Mayer may even chip in a few freebies if they go that route!

The only thing I worry about with my favorite team is whether they'll ever have a winning season (Chicago Cubs) on Day 231!

A letter to the president...

...wow...

if you knew then what you know now, would you still run for the presidency?

I wonder...were you bombarded, right after being sworn in, with all the secrets that you could never, ever reveal?  Did you think you'd ever be in a position to have to decide about going to war, or at least think of invading another country, such as Syria, after you voted against the original Iraq war?  All the misdeeds that the government has been running, perhaps without proper justification (like the NSA controversy?)  So many unbelievable mass shootings? Did you ever think it would appear that the whole country seems to view you as a pariah?  Or as some of the media would have you believe?

Its definitely not a position I would want.  Even the money isn't that good.  Although the perks are outstanding.  Great place to live.  Good food.  Virtually unlimited, paid-for travel to all parts of the world.  Meet and greet very important people from all walks of life.  Your own rock concerts in your own home!

I am amazed that your every move seems to be scrutinized far more than your predecessors, although whomever takes over after you, might even get worse treatment.  I was amazed at a friend of mine who was ranting that you went on a trip and had 50 people in your entourage.  Or maybe it was 150?  But nonetheless, did you invite all your friends and relatives, or did the secret service just think that was the appropriate amount due to your high visibility?  But he blamed you!

If I were you, I'd be counting the days until it was all over!  Of course you can't express that out loud, and possibly someone reading this would take that line out of context, and use it to say you were thinking just that!  That's the way of the world these days.  On the bright side, you do want the best for your girls, and what a life's worth of experiences they have had already.  They may be getting more out of this than you!  All the fun, none of the worries. 

I only have 135 days to go, myself, as this is my Day 230!



 

Just what is a superstar nowadays, anyway?

While standing in line at the grocery store a magazine cover caught my eye.   The cover line was something to the effect of "Kim Kardashian Superstar."  In fact I think the entire magazine was devoted to her, although I did not pick it up, or read any of what was inside.

All I could think of was...what made her a superstar?

When I think of superstars, I think of people who have made tremendous achievements in their lives, in their particular area of endeavor.   Think any of the astronauts who first went up into space, although anyone going up in a rocket gets my vote.   Think the l972 (I believe) Miami Dolphins who had a perfect season in football.  Think any academy-award winning actor.

But Kim Kardashian?  What has been her overwhelming contribution?  Getting a "reality TV" show about a wealthy, but dysfunctional family who happen to have a name that more than a few people might still connect with the infamous OJ trial? Getting married and then divorced after a couple days or weeks?  Then getting pregnant out of wedlock, to her supposed next husband?  (At this writing they haven't headed to the alter yet.) 

Better go back under that rock where I've been lurking for the past 228 episodes of this blog.   At this rate my head just might explode before I make it to Day 229!

Bottled Water

Why do we buy bottled water? 
What did we do before bottled water? 
Would we go without if bottled water disappeared?

This is still a phenomenon that I do not understand.  I'm not much of a water drinker to begin with, but I always get it from a water fountain, or the tap in the kitchen sink, or any other place where it runs freely.  Since I have running water in my house, why would I buy it pre-bottled? 

If I go out, and think I might need some water, I use one of my travel bottles, fill it from the tap, and go on my merry way.  I do not buy some bottled water to take with me.  That's just another bottle to throw away.

Okay, you might say your water doesn't taste good.  When you live in the country, and drink from a well, that can be an issue.  It's not the water that doesn't taste good, all "pure" water tastes the same.  It's the minerals that have found their way into the water.  Or the smell,  of which a sulfur smell can be common in well water. 

So why not buy a water purifier?  Oh they may cost upwards of $30, or a bit more, and they do have to have their filters changed regularly.  But how much money would you save if you're buying a case at a minimum of $3.00 a case?  You would get approximately 10 cases, not including taxes.  If you drink three cases a week (?) then this would last you a bit over 3 weeks.  That water purifier's filter should last you a month or two or three.   And should cost way less than the cost of those 10 cases of water.   And think of all the plastic that will NOT go in to the landfill!

Think bottled water is better than tap water?  That bottled water is probably just coming out of some one else's tap.  And when is the last time you heard of an outbreak of illness linked to bad water?  Of course I'm talking within the USA, not third world countries with no sanitation standards.

You know Ozarko water does not come from the Ozarks, but from San Antonio.  Do you think the people in San Antonio, who buy Ozarko water, realize they're buying their own tap water?  That they could get from their sink?  Practically for free?

As for me, I'll keep drinking from the tap, on Day 228!

Toilet paper!

"What's the big deal with toilet paper?"  I found myself wondering this the other evening.

There are so many varieties.  There's single-ply.  Double-ply.  Quilted.  Soft.  Softer than soft.   Double rolls.  Triple rolls.  Specially made for septic systems.  RV toilet paper.  Who knew?

The bottom line, no pun intended, is that it all is used primarily for the same reason, and goes into the same place...some hole underground that we tend to ignore, forget about, or just don't care, as long as it's not backing up into our bathrooms.    So why must we have so many different varieties?

I must admit, as a child, we used the single-ply, inexpensive (cheap) stuff.  I always envied the folks who had the two-ply, softer than soft.  When I was on my own,  I bought the soft stuff.  Nice.

Now, as an older adult, and more cost conscious, I've been reading the labels, which include how many squares per roll, although I do not read the size of the squares (you can become too anal) and have been trying different ones.  Haven't had any complaints from the other person living here, so I guess no one really cares as long as the job gets done!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it, on Day 230!

 

Guns stay, NRA go away!

I just finished reading the book "Glock" by Paul M. Barrett.  The book is fairly recent (2012), the controversy is not.  Wayyyyy back in the late 80s and early 90s, the very same brouhaha was going around about the new pistol, called the Glock, that everyone wanted banned for various reasons.  Just yesterday I saw one go through an estate auction, for about $600+ dollars (more on this later.)  There was also talk of limiting assault weapons, size of clips, background checks, etc, etc.  Who knew this would all be front page news 20 years later, with pretty much the same arguments?

And you know who's making out the best during all this...the gun manufacturers and dealers!  Back during the time period mentioned above, they couldn't make guns fast enough.  Think that's the case today?  According to a statement in the book, there's probably a gun in private hands for every man, woman, and child in the U.S.  I know there are plenty of people I would rather not see EVER own a gun.  And too many of those people now have conceal/carry permits too!  Doesn't that make you feel safe?

We do have guns in our house.  I'm not a righteous person saying that you shouldn't, or can't.  I'm just saying we need a few safeguards.  The biggest one, in my mind, is background checks.  If you're not a criminal, and have never been a criminal, then why should you worry?  Okay, if you were a criminal, but have proven to society that you're "rehabilitated" (and there are people out there who have done something wrong, but now are totally responsible, yet cannot own a gun) perhaps we can adjust this issue, reasonably.

Getting back to the auction mentioned above, I was talking to another auction goer, and made mention of all the guns available at auction these days, and that the prices tended to be more than retail many times.  He said that was because there are "No background checks!"   Could we have a big enough loophole in our system? 

In defense of background checks, rather recently, there was an incident where a man rammed his car into the wall of a pawn shop because they would not sell him a gun.  Reason being he didn't pass a background check.  Is that the type of person we want owning a gun?  Not me!!! 

Then we have the NRA who now want to arm school teachers?   As if teaching weren't stressful enough, you're gonna have some smart-aleck kid backtalk a teacher, and the teacher is going to crack and...   They'd probably talk about the mental health of the teacher, and how we should now arm the children! 

Why don't they put their millions towards talking about any mental health issues; poor parenting that allows kids to have access to guns; the lack of training with guns?  They used to be a pro-hunting organization, now they're more like a private militia organization.  Their messages don't come across as sympathetic, but more a form of bullying.  Essentially,  if you don't own a gun, you're a dope.

Just shooting my mouth off on Day 229!







 

Gay Marriage makes me laugh!

I stopped writing due to the elections because I was so fed up with politicians, etc, etc.  They're still making the news (those Republicans just can't seem to GET OVER IT!)  But now I have a new cause, so to speak..gay marriage! 

This past week, the supreme court justices are hearing arguments for and against gay marriage.  Since there was audio available, one of my more favored radio programs on NPR, was airing excerpts.   To hear the justices comment on the arguments made by the Anti-gay marriage attorneys was totally laughable.  Those attorneys were so tongue-tied when questioned, I wondered how they got hired in the first place!  I was driving down the road laughing out loud myself!

Then the following day I heard another correspondent talking about how even Justice Scolia was not his usual boisterous self, but more subdued.  It would seem he too was in awe of such ridiculous controversy over a case that probably shouldn't even be looked at by the court in the first place.

Let me say that I am FOR gay marriage.  I was for civil unions too, but if the "spouse" or "partner" or whomever you want to call the second person in a committed relationship cannot get benefits, that would normally be available to heterosexual couples, that's wrong, that's not equality. 

If you're not familiar with the constitution (and I admit, it's not an easy document to digest) Article IV, section 2 of the constitution says:  The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.  The first line of the Equal Rights Amendment says:  Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

Do we need any more argument on Day 228?