When is Death not death?

Just heard a new euphamism for death "if you or your spouse should experience a loss of life." From a credit card company's pitch to buy insurance.

The Art of Accepting Gifts

For the past few years gift giving has become one my favorite parts of the Holidays. I love to give gifts and I can now afford to give gifts. I don't do lavish...usually a heavy flannel shirt or nice sweater, a hat and scarf, a pair of handmade earings. I don't spend more than $40 dollars on any one person, expect maybe Mom.

But this year, Brother3 told my husband he should curb his wife's gift-giving habit! Last year BestBrother chided me for having sent a couple of inexpensive but meaningful gifts to him and his wife...because they "hadn't got us anything."

My response to both, and all others who show this kind of reverse gratitude to friends and family...stop it! If someone giving you a gift makes you uncomfortable, suck it up!

Sister1 explained to me once that when you give a gift, you've put it 'out there', it's no longer yours and belongs not only to the person you gave it to but whomever and whatever they choose to do with it. Now she was trying to explain why our mother shouldn't get upset when she, Sister1 didn't send thank you notes, but I took the message to heart.

I give gifts, no matter the season or the reason, because giving allows me to feel connected to the receiver in a tangible fashion. Its rather like, but not as narcissistic as, giving someone a photograph of yourself. You expect that they will feel closer to you by looking at that photo. I expect that they will remember me kindly when they see, wear, or eat the gift I have given.

The true value in a gift given is not its price or even its usefullness but its abilitiy to allow me to connect with you. Your gift to me is in accepting it graciously.

Mom's getting busy

Went over to Mom's yesterday. She had a list of things she needed done. While Greg took care of the big stuff, like the bills and a crack in the basement floor, I hung a couple of curtains in the upstairs hall and bathroom. She'd made wonderful ginger cookies in Christmas shapes and stored them in a box in the spare bedroom downstairs. When I asked her why she kept them there, she asked me where I would have put them? Did it seem condescending to say 'the kitchen?'

Greg mentioned that she had turned up the heat for me and that she doesn't do it when he comes over by himself.

She's very proud of the fact that she is keeping her food budget down to $35 a week even though we explain, several times, that she doesn't need to cut corners!

As to the busy part; she called last night and told me that she's going out to a dinner with the Office on Aging tonight and tomorrow is going over to Pat's house for dinner.

Snow

It's snowing and people down in the Cincinnati office are getting some flurries as well. The standard 'I'm already tired of winter' but when I start to write that I realize that it just ain't so. I love looking out the window and seeing the snow come down. I love standing in front of the fireplace to warm my tush. I love seeing the kitties in a snuggle puddle on the sofa blanket.

Tom Delay...WTF?

Back in June and then later as the presidential campaigns heated up I began to see a face from the past...Tom Delay, R-Texas. He was mouthing off against Obama accusing him of being a Marxist "unless [Obama] proves otherwise...." At the time, this struck me as being idiotic in the extreme but then so much of what was being said by Republicans about Obama was idiotic so I didn't pay much attention. It continued to bother me, though that Tom Delay was being given any credibility as he was forced to step down as the Speaker of the House because he was indicted on several charges in his home state, all having to do in one way or another with rigging his own and Bush's election in that state.

This newest resurgence of Republican idiocy...now trying to claim some kind of nefarious connection between Obama and Blagojevich...brought Delay's comments back to the forefront of my consciousness so I went looking. Delay has still not been to trial! He was indicted back in 2005 for crimes that occurred in 2002...WTF are they waiting for...? the statute of limitations to take effect or for SPB to pardon him before he's been convicted?!! It appears Delay has found himself a judge (Pat Priest) who is willing to wait on the outcome of two appeals that were heard over a year ago, and are only barely related to the charges Delay faces.

How do you get rid of a blog you no longer want?

Detroit Bailout

I'm trying to decide how I feel about the pending Detroit bailout. The only reason I can think of to support it is the cost of failure to individual workers and those people and business that support those workers. It's that proverbial house of cards, one card fails and the entire house comes down! On the other hand, if I don't (I'm taking responsibilty for all things our government does with the hope that if more people think of My countries problems in more personal terms We/I will give up the habit of blaming "those guys in Washington") provide the bailout funds then GM, Ford, and Chrysler will have to file bankruptcy and thereby be forced to realign themselves. I do not expect, however, that any of these guys will go beyond superficial changes and they will continue to make the same bad choices once they are no longer in the lime-light. It is for that reason that I am heavily leaning toward not giving them the money.

I have to think on this some more so all thoughts and opinions are welcome.

Daily Cat Fix

I dare you to spend less than 5 minutes here!
http://icanhascheezburger.com/

SPB - Guns in My National Parks

From now until Jan 20, 2009 I will post blogs regarding our outgoing administration, or SPB - Still President Bush - and the damage he is doing to My Country. This is the first of my SPB blogs but certainly not the first bit of damage.

Today's NYTimes mentions in an editorial that SPB has signed into law authorizing the public to carry weapons, including concealed weapons, into My National and State Parks. I have been only a casual user of My National and State Parks systems but never once thought about the possiblity of being shot at either accidentally or purposefully. And this from the man who wants Me to believe that he's made My life safer.

Anticipating what Barack Obama has called “common-sense gun safety laws,” the Bush administration has rushed through a last-minute gun rule that is the antithesis of common sense. The Interior Department published a rule last week that will allow loaded, concealed weapons in nearly all of this country’s national parks.

The rule, which will take effect next month, will apply to national parks in every state that has a concealed carry law, even if guns are prohibited in state parks. The administration — again — also has ignored the point of a public comment period. It received 140,000 comments on this proposed rule change, the vast majority opposing it, and still went ahead.

Two Kitties, Please

I have two cats, or they have me. Rudy leaves notes around the house for me...maybe he should start his own blog?! Sara just likes attention...Rudy gets exhausted by attention...Rudy gets exhausted by almost everything.

I'z Serious!

Working from Home

I've been "working from home" for over 10 years. For me that means accepting assignments from someone who works in an office, setting up my travel arrangements (in another life I'll be a travel agent), traveling to the assignment, working on-site for several days and then returning home. I love the travel, crave the independence, and welcome coming home. I've been around the world, working in cities from New York to Baghdad, Carribean islands and the Far East.

Pulse 2009

I'll be attending IBM Pulse 2009 in February 09 out in Las Vegas!

Election Junkie

I admit to having spent a large majority of my waking hours over the past six months following the election.....YEAH OBAMA!!

Now I'm watching the continuing wreckage of Still President Bush as he blasts away at our Constitution, Economy, Ecology, and any other target he has set his sights on.

Getting Started

I'm getting a jump start on my New Year's resolutions...

1. Start Exercising. I've gained weight and want to take it off.
2. Get IBM Maximo 7 certification.

I'm hoping that if I keep track of my progress for both resolutions I might do better.