Friday Finally
Posted: May 25, 2012 Filed under: Meandering in My Mind | Tags: Alexis Ohanian, Business, butterfly effect, Friday, gratitude, Holiday, Holidays, Memorial Day, Military, Reddit, religion, Stephen Colbert, United States, United States Armed Forces Leave a comment »Today I’m thinking out loud about the Reddit US Troops Gift Exchange. I just tried to sign up for it, but they already have more people signed up to give gifts than troops to send them to. I think that situation will be remedied as soon as the news gets out that troops should sign up. This weekend it is especially appropriate to do something tangible to express our support of the men and women who are “over there” supporting our freedom with the commitment to give their lives if necessary.
Memorial Day is in honor of our military who have died fighting for the rest of us who “also stand and wait.” I ask all of you to stop for a moment and give thanks to whatever Higher Power you might believe in for the freedom we enjoy because of the military who make sure we have it. Prayers for the welfare of those in far and near places protecting our country are appropriate any time.
If you don’t believe in a Higher Power that is okay too….I personally believe that a thought generated anywhere in the world becomes part of the universal conscious and, like the butterfly effect, eventually circles the earth and does make a difference as it passes through the ether. So, I ask that you take a moment to give a thought of gratitude that we have the freedom to have and express our own beliefs and…please generate a thought for the safety of our troops.
This weekend and always I am proud to be an American.
Apologies!
Posted: May 23, 2012 Filed under: Meandering in My Mind | Tags: Arthropods, Bites and Stings, Conditions and Diseases, Health, healthy-living, lack of sleep, mental-health, Pollyanna, Spider, Spider bite, weight-loss, Wounds and Injuries 1 Comment »I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to writing here. I do have a legitimate excuse though….
Apparently I was bitten by a spider last week…this from my doctor who supposes that it was a spider. What followed was the sort of thing one only reads about and thinks will never happen to them. The night of the bite I had a terrible nightmare. I’d give this one a rating of 4.5 on a 5 point scale, and I do not have nightmares very often. When I do, I usually can wake myself up and go back to sleep immediately. This nightmare, however, was horrible enough for me to remember it in the morning and I couldn’t wake myself up during it. When I finally woke up in the morning I had a bruise on my arm from where I had clamped on to it with my hand trying to climb out of the nightmare. I chalked the terrible dream up to indigestion and went on with my day. The following day the site of the spider bite began to be a real irritation because it itched and burned incessantly. No nightmares that night. The third day, in the late afternoon I began to feel very ill. That continued into a nightmarish night of losing all my bodily fluids from either end of my body. (I’m trying to be delicate here) Over a period of 3 days, I lost a total of 10 pounds—unfortunately, I regained all but a few when I was able to eat again. I was very sick for 3 days and it’s taken me another 3 to begin to feel like myself. The moral of this lengthy explanation is to be very careful about spider bites! Don’t wait as long as I did to seek medical assistance. Be aware of the dangers of dehydration and lack of sleep. And, if it should ever happen to you (God forbid!) give yourself plenty of time to recover.
Which finally brings me to my thoughts for today……….
This week has been one of enlightenment for me. I’ve learned several facts that have left me concerned and set me to worrying about my future plans. It seems that I may have been mislead by the recruiter who signed me up for my on-line BS degree (ironic how it is a BS degree, huh!). I was told that my school loans could be repaid according to what I earned and that I would only be expected to repay them when I began to work. Wrong. And how gullible was I when I actually took this as fact and didn’t do my own research on it. As it turns out, I have a grace period of 6 months from the date of my graduation to find a job. Then, job or no job, the piper must be paid. Not only must he be paid, he can also garnish my social security benefits. What I live on.
That brings me to the second moral today……There is no free lunch. If it’s too good to be true….it isn’t true. I know you’ve all heard these before, but it really brings them home when it catches up to you personally. I feel terribly foolish and naive, and equally disappointed in myself for letting this happen. I also feel equally determined to pursue my future plans and to believe that I can work it all out so everyone wins. Pollyanna? Of course. But I have to be positive and it has to start today.
That said, my posts here will probably be less often than they have been. I’ll aim for once a week….so (as I so often say) please bear with me.
A little “bear” to boost your tolerance levels!
I Like It…I Really, Really Like It!
Posted: May 14, 2012 Filed under: Meandering in My Mind | Tags: Arts, Digital camera, Expense, Photo op, Photoblog, Photography, Techniques and Styles, Time management 8 Comments »When I first started this blog, I really had no clear idea of what a journey I’d begun. It’s been nearly six months now and I am learning so much every day from reading the blogs of those more experienced and those much more wise. And I had thought that it would be only my own thoughts that would find their way to this spot. ;o) In the next several months I hope to share with you my returning passion for photography…lots more to think about out loud!
Over the last few months I’ve developed (pun intentional) a real appreciation for people who have photo-blogs. When I was in school (way back in another century, even!) I was very interested in photography, but for several reasons (the expense of developing film being one of them) didn’t follow it after the one class I took. Life took some different turns for me and somehow the satisfaction I had felt when a “good” photo actually developed out of the gloom of the chemicals, got overtaken by other more immediate concerns.
So, here I am, enjoying my now-official cronedom and that interest in photography has come back with a vengeance! It is so exciting to see what can now be done with the new digital cameras. I am completely in love with the idea of “creating” my own photo-, dare I actually call it art? I do dare! I do! The technology today will make it easy for me to do my own “digital development” process without having to find and rent time in a photo-lab (can you believe how long ago I learned about the photo process?), and I can archive my favorite shots without ever spending a cent beyond the initial expense of buying a decent digital camera. I’ve convinced myself the initial expense will be as much an investment in my own future well-being as it will be an indulgence in something I simply want….and do not have a real need for. That’s always a consideration now that I am an official crone. Still….I really like being self-indulgent and that feeling doesn’t seem to have changed as I’ve (always hopeful here) grown wiser.
Having the desire to search for good “photo opportunities” is going to get me away from my computer and outside! It can only be better for my health and well-being to get more fresh air and more exercise….and my little dogs will surely be happier because they will have a chance to get out more, too. The decision is all but made as I’m sure you can tell! One more caveat, however….I must become a lot better at time-management so I can continue to do what little I have been doing….but a whole lot more of it….and a whole lot of new activities and interests to add to my burgeoning day-to-day life! No time to waste!
So, that’s what I’ve been thinking about out loud today. . . .What are you thinking?
Finding a New Home
Posted: May 10, 2012 Filed under: Meandering in My Mind | Tags: Blog, Blogger, Google, Publishers, RSS, Tools, Wordpress, Yes (band) 1 Comment »I am happy here with WordPress. I’ve never had a problem with my blog here. I also have not had a problem with my blog Random Thoughts on tumblr. (www.suzysomething.tumblr.com) BUT, the blogs I have (one is a personal journal that no one sees but me) with blogger have been a headache ever since Google+ decided to get involved and made it nearly impossible for me to get to my own blogs. I’ve had to jump through several hoops every time I’ve tried to get to my blogs…such as changing my password 4 times….and spending 60 minutes one day before being able to get to my own blog. Yesterday I read with dismay an error message that told me my blog had been termed as “spam” or that it might have had some “questionable content” that could be a reason for being blocked by their electronic decision-maker and that I’d need to ask to be reinstated. Questionable content? I don’t think so! I was not a happy camper.
I was especially not a happy camper 2 hours later after trying to find an actual living person to help me. I was referred to a bulletin board forum to see if others had had the same problem and what they did to fix it themselves. I did that…there were 2 comments there and both suggested that I try to “backdoor” my blog by using a different browser, and both said they had been unable to “fix” their issues; neither responded to the comment I left there asking for help. It seems that other blogger users aren’t there there either. Another site I was referred to had lots and lots of comments about blogger and Google+ and most of them were very negative. I’m being nice here and not using the words people used to f-ing describe their f-ing problem and that both blogger and Google should go, well…you get the idea. All this just trying to find out where to go to ask to get my blog back. I never did get an answer to that.
So, today I am looking for a new home for my little blogs. I would really like to be able to get to my journal blog because I use it as a list of things to do and a reminder of commitments and deadlines. I also “plant” some of my creative ideas there to let them germinate…if they do germinate, that is. In any event, I will follow up on my email to WordPress about moving my blogs from blogger, optimistically believing that I will be able to get to them to initiate the move process. With WordPress, I know I’ll receive an email response from someone, and they will be happy to help me. I never did get to an actual person on blogger or Google+—only more referrals to canned responses that did nothing to help me get to someone I could “petition” to “reinstate” my blogs. I can’t get to them and apparently they are no longer available to anyone else. And I can’t even find out what I need to do to get to the place where I can ask to have my blogs back. I’ve completely given up on ever getting to an actual person since Google+ and blogger appear to have been taken over by electronic trolls. Not a happy camper here. Please bear with all the italics…I’m using them instead of shouting.
I’ll keep you posted as the story unfolds. I don’t like blogger and Google+ and I don’t want to play anymore. I’m going to pick up my toys and go home…so there. Oh dear…I’m having the equivalent of a temper tantrum. I hate it when that happens!
Thinking Sad Thoughts Today
Posted: May 8, 2012 Filed under: Meandering in My Mind Leave a comment »I have such good memories of reading Where the Wild Things Are to my son…and to my daughter who was trying to hide outside the bedroom door because she thought she was too old for stories. But Maurice Sendak’s book transcends generations. I enjoy reading it now as much as I did then, some 39 (and counting) years ago.
When I read of his death today it surprised me that he was 83. How could he have aged when his book did not? I always thought of Maurice Sendak as forever as young as his art. I hope he never lost the sense of adventure that was so abundant in Where the Wild Things Are…or his sense of humor that was so evident in the story and his wonderful illustrations. I remember seeing his book when it first arrived in bookstores and I bought it that same day…I was captivated by it and couldn’t wait to see if it had the same effect on my children. It did…and it still does.
Like C.S. Lewis, Dr. Seuss and Charles Schulz, I think Maurice is there in that great library of the beyond swapping story ideas and laughing together…happily…forever after.
Every Once In A While . . .
Posted: April 30, 2012 Filed under: Meandering in My Mind | Tags: entertainment, fairy tale, literature, video Leave a comment »I just watched the cutest video. It’s a children’s fairy tale narrated by and acted out by small children. It is so funny and at the same time so sweet that I just had to share it here…..just to prove that when I think out loud I don’t always think serious, heavy, gloomy thoughts. If this doesn’t make you smile, then you truly must indeed be the Grinch!
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/djKHIf0vmbA?version=3&hl=en_US
The Gift of the Responsibility of Crone-hood
Posted: April 28, 2012 Filed under: Meandering in My Mind | Tags: Power of attorney, Advance health care directive, News of the World, Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch, Tom Crone, Leveson Inquiry, Colin Myler 1 Comment »Having birthdays at my age doesn’t mean much. It’s a day I’d usually like to pass very quickly without anyone noticing. But today I am 65…there, I said it, in writing even! This is a day I’ve anticipated for most of my adult life, and here I am…not enjoying it at all. I was doing okay yesterday, but when I woke up this morning I felt a year older….I felt old. My attitude is normally that one is only as old as one thinks…and I’ll be thinking that again tomorrow, but today I’m going to wallow in the experience of feeling my actual age. (just for a few moments!!)
My out-loud thinking today is of course about things we need to do when we get “more mature”. Things like writing or updating your will. In my case it was the perfect time to download and complete a Living Will and Power of Attorney for my daughter in case I am unable to make my own decisions. The Living Will states what my wishes are and the Power of Attorney gives my daughter the authority to carry out those wishes. This is not gloom and doom…it is simple reality. When we grow older, we really need to have all our ducks in a row for the sake of our children. Neither of my parents had done anything about filling out legal documents. With both of them I had to jump through so many hoops that were so discouraging and made me feel helpless. That experience made me determined to take care of all of those very important little tasks while I am still able to do so! That’s all…just the things that should be done.
My current class is on social gerontology…I know, I can barely spell it, let alone understand everything I have read. Still, it has been a unique experience for me because the class and text are written for the usual college age students. For me the text and class are about what I am living now, in the present….not at some vague future date. My responses in our discussions have been way more than the recommended 250 words; my responses have been very personal, perhaps hard for young people to read through or understand. I’ve felt the need to try to give them some food for thought, to make what is in the text directly applicable to someone who is actually experiencing the things we are reading about. I’ve gotten some really great responses. It makes me feel good to know that some of our young people do read things through to the end and feel empathetic amid the ether of on-line college studies.
Today my thoughts are about aging and about things that are our responsibility to take care of…now…in the present. Not at some vague future date. I hope that my blog today will cause you to think, too. And better yet…to take care of some of the little things like signing a Living Will. You can even download the form for free at www.legacy.com. The Power of Attorney isn’t free, so be careful what boxes you check.
Thoughtfully . . . SuzySomething…thinking out loud…again
Wise Woman
Posted: April 28, 2012 Filed under: Meandering in My Mind Leave a comment »
Artist Lisa Hunt portrays the crone with all her knowledge circling around her. Along with what is above and around her, she has an inner wisdom you can see in her face. An inspiration for me in my impending crone-hood.
What Happens Next, you ask…..Well, We’ll Tell You!
Posted: April 23, 2012 Filed under: Meandering in My Mind Leave a comment »^CLICK UP THERE FOR MORE…..
In The Interest of Honesty
Posted: May 6, 2012 | Author: suzysomething | Filed under: suzysomething thinks out loud | Tags: Blog, Christmas, Comments, Creature Comforts, God, Honesty, Pinterest, Social Security | Leave a comment »One of my favorite blogs is Creature Comforts and Ez is someone I admire tremendously. When she started this openness and honesty thing I was reading all the other blogs and feeling such respect for everyone who was telling things that they were afraid to put on their blogs. Today it hit me that I have blogs of my own and even though I’ve been pretty open on all of them, there are still things I haven’t mentioned for whatever reasons I have. So today, I will tell you five things that I am afraid to tell you:
1. I live every day with the pain of knowing my son took his own life. What I haven’t told anyone on my blogs is that he hung himself. He did it just before Christmas in 2008, but it is still like yesterday in my mind. I expose a lot of my feelings on my Pinterest board “Scott No Matter What”
2. I don’t write about being lonely. I am 65 years old and live alone…and it looks like I’ll be that way for the foreseeable future. I am very lucky to have a daughter who is devoted to making my life better.
3. I worry about my finances. I live on my Social Security and am working on getting my degree online and I am accruing a huge amount of student loan. My intention is that I will do grief counseling when I graduate. But my secret is that I have done nothing about trying to arrange to do my required internship to get my clinical experience. I keep “planning” to do it.
4. Even before I lost my son I suffered from clinical depression and have been on medication for it for years. Thank God for Prozac! I tend to have highs and lows, but manage to get through the days one at a time…sometimes it’s more like one hour at a time. That’s something I don’t tell anyone.
5. I am a virtual recluse. I do get out of the house, but not on a regular basis. In fact, last month I stayed home so long my car battery expired and I had to have AAA come to start my car so I could go out! I just got myself a new camera because I think it’ll give me a motive to get out and take pictures. I loved photography when I was in college and I want to feel that enthusiasm again.
There…five things I don’t write about. I don’t even talk about them! So, now my life is pretty much an open book…except for a couple of things I never talk about at all. In fact I try not to think about them, so they live in a dark corner of my mind. That’s a sixth thing I don’t want to tell you. I do want to tell Ez a big thank you for beginning all this and to Jess for telling her own secrets. It’s a good thing and we, (that’s me and the other blogs I’ve read) are better for it.
By the way, I’m really not SuzySomething. I’ll continue to use it because this site says that’s who I am, but my name is really Sara Kate.
I’ll be writing five things on my other blogs, too. Here are the links www.suzysomething.tumblr.com and www.suzysomething.blogspot.com I hope you’ll come by and visit.