Why shouldn’t we talk about gun control?

Boston, MA (Photo credit: JasonParis)

For years now, every time there’s a tragedy involving guns we have to listen to the gun activists talk about how the government is out to take away everyone’s guns.  The second amendment and all of that.  And the NRA (one of the most powerful lobbies in our country, by the way) owns so many politicians that they won’t even discuss what we might be able to do, as a country, to end this senseless violence.

I’m not suggesting that anyone should come and round up all of the guns that Americans own.  Very few people are suggesting that.  That is the fear mongering that the NRA (and the ultra right-wing conservative talk show hosts) spread throughout the country.  As long as they have people talking about that, then they don’t have to be concerned that there might actually be a discussion about what we can do to keep assault weapons out of the hands of people who will use them to kill others (and really, isn’t that what they were designed to do?  No matter how you look at it, that is the purpose of assault weapons.).

Why can’t it be more difficult for mentally ill people to obtain assault weapons?  Why, in this country, should it be more difficult to vote than it is to obtain an assault weapon?  Why is a more thorough check run on people wanting to purchase cold medication than on people wanting to buy a gun?  And why can’t we have this discussion?  Why does asking these questions automatically brand a person as a communist, nazi, bleeding heart, or (gasp) a liberal?  Are you saying that the second amendment trumps the first amendment?  I don’t think asking these questions makes me less of a patriot than the person who owns numerous weapons and thinks there should be no gun control at all.  I don’t think asking these questions makes me un-American.  I don’t think asking these questions makes me a danger to the citizens of our country or to the very survival of our country.

What I do think is that we need to find a way to reduce the violence that has become so prevalent in our society.  I do believe we need to teach our children acceptance and tolerance of those who are different, whether that difference be race, religion, political affiliation, sexual preference, whatever.  If we can teach our children that violence isn’t the answer, that it is not a solution, we’ll go a long way toward eliminating that violence.  Why can’t we discuss what it will take to accomplish this?  I think most of us want what’s best for our country.  We just don’t all agree on what that is.  But can’t we begin the process of reaching an agreement, of healing the wounds, of becoming one country again?  We’re all Americans, isn’t it time we act like it?

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My January many mini challenges

Naruto Doing Sit-Ups (Photo credit: lyk3_0n3_tym3)

How’s that for a title? Okay, okay, I know it’s a bit lame, but I really just wanted to say many mini…

Anyhow, I’ve eased into the resolution thing this year…thought I’d take a different path.  Instead of jumping in head first, I’m just sticking my big toe in for the month of January…working to re-establish healthy habits.

I’m working on eating a healthier diet…at least 3 fruits and veggies a day…no more than 1 fast food meal a week (haven’t had any yet)…at least a couple of vegetarian meals a week.

Then there’s the exercise thing…this little challenge involves doing sit-ups and push-ups every day, whatever day of the month, that’s how many of each you do on that day.  For example, today is the 8th, so I do 8 of each today…not much, I know.  But again, I’m working to make exercise a habit.  I’ll also be doing 3 days of cardio a week, although I haven’t done a lot since I’ve been so sick all month.  But tomorrow is another day.

I have my mini financial challenge…saving a certain amount of money each week for the entire year.  The first week was just $1, the second week will be $2, all the way up to the last week when I’ll save $52.  Kind of a fun little challenge.

I’ve also challenged myself to write publish a blog post every day this month.  I had to alter this challenge a bit as there are some days I end up writing two or three posts and others where I don’t write one at all.

So far, I’m making a little progress on my many mini challenges. Here’s to a successful January and beyond!

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Did you know this is Meatless Monday?

Yummy Meatless Monday Bento #152 (Photo credit: shashinjutsu)

I hadn’t given it any thought until I was going through my emails and saw the subject on one from Morningstar Farms (hey, wait a minute…do you think they have some kind of interest in making sure people eat vegetarian fare on Mondays?).  As I thought about what I’d eaten over the course of the day I realized I’d had a meatless Monday without even trying.

My protein for the day consisted of peanut butter at breakfast, hummus for lunch and Swiss cheese for dinner…yes, yes, the fat content for the day was high (especially so when you consider I ate avocado with my Swiss cheese this evening), but I sure didn’t miss the meat.  I’ve never been a huge meat-eater anyhow, so it’s not like going without meat is a struggle for me.  I am eating more vegetarian meals though…and fewer fast food meals…can’t hurt, right?

On another note, I’ve still been doing that little push-up/sit-up challenge…nothing too difficult yet.  I’m thinking I’m recovered enough from my cold that I may hop on the exercise bike or treadmill for a bit tomorrow (saw my doctor again today and got a guarded clean bill of health…still have a cough and temp was on the low side…hey, it’s cold here in Indiana, what can I say?).  We’re also starting that fitness challenge (company wide) next Monday…the 10,000 steps a day challenge.  The girls at work are getting excited about it…not sure if they’re more excited about getting fit or the prospect of winning prizes!  It’ll be fun, whatever they’re excited about.

So…do you eat any vegetarian meals?  What’s your favorite?

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How do you save money?

Money (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)

I’m probably the last person you’d go to for financial advice, but I’ve learned some hard lessons over the years,and isn’t that what life is all about?  We learn from our experiences (hopefully, anyhow) and then move on to the next lesson.  I’ve gone from really struggling financially to being comfortable.  I’ve learned that I don’t have to  have everything that everyone else has and that I can actually be happier with less stuff taking up space in my home and my life.I have a 401K, put in a certain percentage from each pay check, company match is okay…not the best I’ve ever seen, but it’s still free money, right?  And I don’t borrow from it…ever…I know I’m going to need this money when I’m finally able to retire.  I try to encourage the younger folks I work with to get started with planning for their retirement now, but I might as well be talking to a tree.  You know, it’s a long way off…I’ll think about it when I’m over 30 (or married, or have a better job).  I try to explain to them how much more money they’ll have if they start in their early 20s, but hey, I’m not their mom…not that they’d listen to her either.  Remember how much you knew when you were 21 or 22?

I also have an emergency fund that I’m continuing to fund.  I’ve been very fortunate and haven’t had an emergency lately so haven’t had to dip into that one either.  For years I didn’t have any kind of emergency fund…gotta say it’s much less stressful to have one.

I also save a little out of  every paycheck just for whatever…no big plans for it, but I have a little extra cash on hand if something fun comes up.

So…having said all of that…I saw something on Facebook the other day that I thought sounded kind of interesting…each week this year you save some money…the first week you save $1, second week $2 and so on until you’re saving $52 the final week of the year…I can’t remember how much money you would save over the course of the year and I’m too lazy to go look it up (or figure it out), but it sure seems like a pretty easy way to save up a nice chunk of change.  So I decided to go ahead and do this in addition to my other savings efforts…got no real plans for the money.  I honestly don’t need anything and have been making a concerted effort to not buy things just to be buying things.  I’ve been asking myself if this is something I need…if not, I’m waiting.  I’ve found that the impulse usually passes if I don’t buy it right away.  It sure has helped me save money and reduce clutter…now to do something about the clutter already in my house…hmm…maybe I should sell some of my “stuff” and save that money too.

So how do you save money?  Any tips to share with the rest of us?

Added note:  I figured out the total you’d save over the course of a year on the above plan, not figuring any kind of interest…you’d have $1378 saved relatively painlessly.

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Ch-ch-ch-chia

Dole Chia Clusters (Photo credit: theimpulsivebuy)

And I’m not talking about the chia pet, although I’ve always thought they were kind of cool…looked at the chia cat grass thing that was in stores before Christmas…was secretly hoping someone would buy one for me for a gift…but I guess it was not to be…anyhow, I’m getting off topic here.  What I’m talking about is chia seeds…one of the latest healthy food trends.

I read several healthy eating blogs and kept reading about using chia seeds in smoothies, in oatmeal, in baking…I even went so far as to look at them in the store.  That’s when I noticed how expensive they were.  Now anyone who knows me knows that I can be a little cheap  frugal and don’t like to pay a lot of money for something that I probably will end up not really liking anyhow.  So I passed on the chia seeds.

The other day I was looking at dried fruit and noticed the Dole chia & fruit clusters.  Hmm…let’s read the label…12 clusters per serving at 120 calories…okay, that’s not bad.  Ounce for ounce, chia seeds provide 2 times more omega-3 than walnuts, 3 times more fiber than oatmeal, 5 times more calcium than whole milk, 26% more protein than an egg…sounds good, huh?

So I made the plunge…made the purchase…jumped on the chia bandwagon…well…it’s okay, only okay, not awful, not gross, just okay…maybe I’ll like them more once I’ve stopped eating refined sugar for a month or so…maybe then I’ll come back and say they’re better than candy.  Oh, who am I kidding?  They’ll still be okay…but they are good for you so that has to count for something, right?  Right?

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Jeopardy online test

Watson, Ken Jennings, and Brad Rutter in their Jeopardy! exhibition match. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Oh my gosh…I just signed up to take the online test to be a contestant on Jeopardy!!  I’ve watched that show for years…always thought I could be a contestant, maybe better than about half of the contestants that make it onto the show.  While watching tonight, Alex mentioned the upcoming online test and I rushed right over to my computer and logged on, completed the registration process and now…who knows?  Will I be the next Ken Jennings?  Yeah, probably not…that guy was awesome!  But anyhow…I think it’s kind of exciting.

While reading about the test, I found out that you have 50 questions with 15 seconds allowed for each question…simple, right?  Well…I suppose it depends on the categories. On tonight’s show, I had no clue about any of the music questions and I’m usually pretty good with those.  Movies?  Not so much.  History, politics, spelling, grammar, science…yeah, I like those categories.  Sports? Maybe, depends…if it’s, you know, yachting or cricket, I’d be sunk…basketball, football, I’d have a chance.

Am I going to study?  Nah…never did a lot of studying even when I was in school…got a brain like a steel trap…might be a little rusty now though.  But I guarantee I’d do some major studying if I happened to be lucky enough to be chosen as a contestant.

Anyhow, just wanted to share my exciting news…do, do, do, do, do, do, do…admit it, you were humming along there!

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Chaos creators

 

Reading my blogging pal’s (Amy) blog post today about cleaning house http://survivingmiddleage.wordpress.com/2013/01/03/cleaning-house-in-all-ways/#comment-2407  triggered the idea for this post…so, thanks Amy!  You know we writers are always looking for something to write about.

There are people in our lives who create chaos…some people who do it wherever they go and others who are more selective, creating chaos in certain situations.  I’ve had people in my life who live for drama, some that I’ve worked with, some that I’ve lived with, some I’m related to, and some that I’ve called friends.  With co-workers, I’m not sure there’s a lot you can do to avoid them short of getting a new job.  What I’ve learned to do is to simply not interact with them in any way other than a professional manner…don’t take breaks with them, don’t socialize with them outside of work, don’t get caught in “water cooler discussions”.  I’ve worked with people who were so negative about everything and everyone, sometimes I didn’t realize the extent until they’d left the company.  So much for my awareness, huh?  Or maybe that’s an indication that my method works…

With friends…that’s where it gets tough.  You’ve often known these people for years, you love them like family.  But they just drag you down with the dramatic tragedy that consumes their lives.  When you talk with them, it’s all about them…all about their money problems, their family problems, their job problems, and so on and so on.  Now I’m not saying that there’s not going to be some ebb and flow in a friendship…there will be times when one friend is more needy than the other.  In those times, the other friend provides support, understanding, compassion, and sometimes help such as money or groceries or a car ride to the doctor.  That’s what friendship is.  But when one friend is constantly the taker to the point of not having a clue about what’s going on in the other friend’s life…well, that’s when it might be time to rethink the friendship.  You have to decide if you can continue in a friendship that is decidedly one sided…if you can, good for you.  If not, well…then you need to figure out what to do to make the situation work for you.

Ahh….and then there’s family.  Family…the people who are supposed to love you no matter what.  And the people who know, better than anyone else in the world, how to push your buttons.  Sad to say, but in dealing with some members of my family, I’ve learned that the best thing to do is never have a conversation about hot-button topics (you know the ones…religion, politics, social issues, money). I simply won’t do it.  I’ll walk away before I do it.  Does that make me a coward?  Or does it make me a person who doesn’t want to engage in heated discussions with people I love?  Why go looking for an argument?  Of course, that’s exactly what a chaos creator does…they want to start an argument, they want to score points, they want to tell you what’s wrong in how you’re living your life.

So, if you have someone in your life who causes your blood pressure to rise every time you’re around them, every time you talk to them, every time you read their Facebook posts…well, maybe it’s time to seek a little peace in your life…or not…it’s up to you.  As for me, I’m at a place in my life where I like peace over chaos…well, except for the times I’m the instigator…uh oh…maybe I have a little chaos creativity in me as well…

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Sweet kitty antics

Aww…you just gotta love it when you have two (or more) cats and they do something sweet…you just want to kiss ’em right on the top of their furry little heads.  Now my cats have had a hate/hate relationship since I brought Scout home a few months ago.  Well, I don’t guess Scout started out hating on Spook.  I mean, she was just a little kitten and, like all kittens, wanted to play.  Spook wanted no part of playing with an interloper.  It pretty much seemed like she wanted to take any opportunity that presented itself to just kill the kitten and put an end to her interference in Spook’s idyllic life.

Fortunately, there have been no kitty murders in the house.  Today I saw a tiny glimmer of hope for kitty harmony in our family.  Scout was napping on the bed.  Spook jumped up to claim her spot on the soft, warm blanket and stopped when she got close to Scout.  Spook lowered her head like she wanted Scout to lick her…aww…how sweet, right?

Well, not quite…the kitten swatted Spook on the head then bit her leg as she was walking away.  Poor Spook…I guess she just learned that what they say about karma is true!

ahh…relaxation after an unexpected bath!

IU Spooky

Resolutions? Did I hear someone say resolutions?

English: New Year’s Resolutions postcard (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You know, every year I decide this is going to be the year…you know, the year I finally lose weight and keep it off, the year I get organized and decluttered, the year I get published, the year I get in shape, the year I give up diet Pepsi…and so on and so on…

I mean I guess I should be grateful that I don’t have to write that this will be the year I quit smoking, or start attending AA meetings, or give up drugs, or stop hording…but while those all seem to be major, life-affecting habits or addictions, whatever we have allowed to keep us from living life fully is a problem we need to deal with.  And it’s likely different for all of us.

For me, the weight is a symptom…I do understand that…yet I continue to try to tackle it like it’s the problem.  Hmm…what was it Einstein said?  Something like “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”  So, with that in mind, I’m going to do things a little differently this year…not going to focus on losing weight.  Instead I’ll focus on exercising three days a week and eating at least three fruits/veggies a day…that’s it.  And write, write, write (privately) about the issues that have led me to use the weight as a wall to hide behind.

The thing about delving into the issues is that it makes me feel worse and then I give up before I make it through to the other side.  You’d think, with all of this insight, I’d have managed to overcome all of this “stuff”…but giving up seems to prevent that (huh, imagine that).  There’s a lesson there for me, I just need to embrace it, learn it, and move on.

I don’t know what this means for my posts for 2013…I want to stay positive, but I’m fairly certain (hmm…can a person be fairly certain?  either you’re certain or you’re not…anyhow) there will be days when I’m not feeling so chipper, perky, happy-go-lucky.  Wait a minute, I’m not sure I’ve ever been any of those things anyhow…maybe things won’t be any different as far as my posts are concerned…guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out.

Anyhow…if you made resolutions, good luck…if you didn’t, good for you!  Happy 2013!!

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2013? How in the world did this happen?

The Jetsons (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You see, I’m old enough to remember when partying like it’s 1999 was a big thing…and now it’s 2013!  I remember my grandma talking about the olden days and now 1999 is the olden days…yikes!

I do find it interesting to think back to what we thought the world would be like in 2013 (okay, okay, I’m sure we didn’t really think about the year 2013…more like 2010, but that kind of ruins the whole concept of this post…so you’ll just have to play along with me for a while).  We thought we’d be riding around in those Jetsons-like air cars instead of the same old automobiles that we’ve been driving for decades now.  Or that space travel would be routine for every-day citizens of the world, we’d be taking our summer vacations on Jupiter or Venus rather than the Lake of the Ozarks.  And robots would be doing all of the manual labor involved in everyday living…you know, house work, yard work, routine maintenance.  Instead, we’re all still doing our own manual labor as well as holding down our paying full-time jobs.

On the other hand, I don’t think any of us imagined the role that computers would play in our lives…or, if we did, we had no idea how tiny they could be and still have so much power.  And cell phones?  Sure, we had car phones…big things in a carrying case.  But who would have thought that your cell phone could also be your computer?  And that we would be connected to our friends and family (and anyone else who might have the slightest interest) 24/7 through social media.  When I think about my grandpa doing so much research over the years to study our family’s history, how he had to travel all over the country to unearth clues to our ancestors…I imagine how much he would have enjoyed what he could do online in this day and age.

Of course, there are things that haven’t come to fruition…I thought we’d have learned how to beat cancer by now…how to take care of our planet and the creatures who reside on it…how to get along with people who are different, to accept people for who they are rather than trying to remake them into what we think they should be.  That we would figure out how to eradicate hunger and poverty, racism and intolerance.  I guess we still have a lot of work to do, but there’s no time like the present to get the work done.

Happy New Year!  Let’s make this the best year ever!

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