Bringing Out the Worst?

This week, I’ve started reading more and more news online.  I felt as though I was a bit out of touch with both local and national news so I started reading two local papers online and various national media sites.  As I read the comments of some readers, I began to wonder if only the ignorant smart-asses comment on news articles.  Here are just a couple of examples:

An article regarding parents who are having problems buying school supplies:
“I am shocked that the right wing conservative crowd is not on here yet telling poor folks to just pull themselves up by their bootstraps. I’ll bet it’s coming.”

Why do we have to make this a conservative vs. liberal issue? Plain and simple, there are families who simply can’t afford it.  I think that in our current economy, everyone feels the pinch and realizes how tight it is for some people.  An article that attempts to make readers aware of the issues some families face is not the place to jab at conservatives or liberals.

42 people found in under-construction home after God told pastor to take them there, 8 looking at possible deportation:

“Funny how this god character is responsible for so much stuff, and no one has yet to see him. What a sorry cop-out for all the losers of the world. I would bring him up on charges of trespassing, harboring illegals, for all we know they could have been planning a terrorist attack? I think put the ol reverend in a padded room and deport the rest. Do it fast so our tax dollars dont get milked out for 2 years. Funny how religion is an excuse to do wrong in some cultures.”

Was the pastor and his followers wrong?  Most definitely.  If 8 were here illegally, that needs to be dealt with, but there were many comments on this article stating that all 42 should be deported, even those here legally.  And to suggest they be charged with planning a terrorist attack????

The effects of poverty on children and ADHD:

“suppose I’m just kinda “speechless” here…I want to “JUDGE” a bit, BUT, I’M REALLY HOLDING BACK HERE!! I COMPLETELY understand “HARDSHIP” & all.. , BUT…??!! & WTF?!!!
.
THIS I WILL COMMENT ON!! ….In ALL here, I suppose I learned that you can collect SS….on “a child w/ ADHD”??!! (lol! Whose child isn’t NOWADAYS!! THAT’S just unbelieveable!! (..NOT really!!)…It’s NO WONDER “why?” I’ll NEVER be able to retire…”MY” SS will BE GONE!!!”

First, you don’t need to read this comment to be offended!  The only thing worse than all caps is caps every few words.  Am I the only one who reads inflection on the internet?  I have a headache from this one!  Second, I haven’t heard of a child with ADHD receiving SSI benefits. 

These are just a few comments I pulled while reading today.  Every day there are comments like this.  And I no longer visit any news forums because they’re even worse.  Where can a girl go to get good, intelligent conversation about current events???

Quick Bits

Here are a few things that popped into my head this week that don’t warrant their own posts…

Mount Horeb Couple has 4 winning lottery tickets:

This couple is apparently trying to patent their “formula” for picking the winning numbers.  Seems pretty simple to me, buy a ticket, play the same numbers long enough and you’re bound to win.  It could be a year, it could be 100 years.  In this case, it was 15 years of playing the same numbers.  The lottery is a game of chance, you’re odds are bound to be better if you’re not trying to pick a random set of numbers against a random set of numbers.  Sorry Adamsons, that secret is out!

Definition of a bad week:
First, a bus you own has to be evacuated on the side of the Beltline during rush hour because the driver locked the brakes.  Not exactly good publicity!  As if that wasn’t bad enough, less than a week later, you find yourself stuck in a silo because you didn’t listen to your family when they told you it was a bad idea.  Don’t worry Wayne, it has to get better!

Definition of a bad idea:
Rocking a porta-potty when you watch an off-duty deputy (who has been hired as security) walk in.  If you decide to do this, don’t get in the officers’ faces asking what you did to get thrown out!  This would be borderline for getting kicked out no matter what, but you did it to a cop!
If you get kicked out once, don’t sneak back in.  It’s not nearly as much fun to watch you get thrown out the second time.

What’s Funny

It’s time for my contribution to the AW Blog Chain. Over at Delirious, there was talk of Twilight followed by an interesting answer and question. Colby asked what book, tv, or movie had surprised us by its success. The answer on Delirious, Married With Children, followed by, “What’s funny about that?”

At first, I thought about how I could write the things I found funny about MWC. Then, I realized I can’t think of anything specific that would be funny to me in my current life. Sure, I enjoyed watching sometimes, but there is quite a bit that would tick me off if I tuned in now.

What’s funny is relative. Growing up, there were movies that made dad crack up while the rest of us rolled our eyes.  My brother likes many movies that I watch and simply shake my head at, praying that the funny parts are coming up.  On the recommendation of many friends, I bought “Superbad” when it came out.  After watching it, I gave it to my brother because it was better to give him a random gift than have it collect dust in our home.

The beautiful thing about living where we do is that we are all entitled to our own opinion of funny.

Next up in the chain is Life in Scribbletown.

Be sure to check out all of the blogs participating this month!

Spittin’ (out words) Like a Llama
Delirious
For the First Time
Life in Scribbletown
A Blog, I Has One
Peregrinas
SouthAsiaFair
the mommy writer
Return Engagement
Neither Here nor There
Polenth’s Quill
Emily Veinglory
Blog in a Suitcase

The Reality of Self-Help Reality

Last weekend, my family was discussing what could possibly make a family call a show like “Supernanny”.  My uncle wondered how, even if things were that bad, anyone would think it was a good idea to air your dirty laundry on national television.  At first, I agreed with him.  Last night, I realized how one could think it was a good idea.

Every time you turn the channel, it seems like there’s some reality show on, and chances are about 50/50 that the show you turn on will be some self-help show.  The shows are aimed at fixing virtually every aspect of the lives of the person/family being spotlighted, whether it’s their clothes, their hair and makeup, self image, parenting skills, housekeeping skills, money management, spouse relationships, etc. 

For those watching, there are small morsels to be consumed, little things that might help out.  I will admit, there are times when I watch for validation that my clothes or my child aren’t really all that bad.  Mean, possibly, but I know I’m not alone in that.  There are also plenty of lessons I have learned from some shows, such as how to do makeup quickly without looking like I threw it on in the dark and different methods of disciplining peanut.  I would bet that many more parents have “naughty chairs” than in the past, thanks to Jo Frost, Supernanny.

The answer to my uncle’s question is desperation.  People who call these shows feel as though they have exhausted every method of tackling the problem.  They’ve seen these hosts help countless other people and are willing to do anything, even risk humiliation to make things better.  They’re at the point where they don’t care if the world knows that they have these issues as long as someone can fix it.

Would I ever go on one of these shows?  Probably not.  At the same time, if I hit that point, I can’t say I wouldn’t change my mind.  And I’m still waiting for someone to get sick and tired of the over-sized t-shirts and jeans and call “What Not to Wear” on me, so that one I would have to say I’d go on in a heartbeat!

From Hater to Addict

Looking back on my attitude towards certain foods, I feel like the girl in the Pediasure commercial.  If you’ve not seen it, there is a mother and daughter walking through the grocery store and the little girl says she doesn’t like _______ as her mom picks up that item.  The worst is, “I don’t think I like waffles” in a snotty tone.  I worried I would wind up with a child like that and have to resist the urge to smack her.  Okay, I wouldn’t really smack her, but parents understand what I mean, I hope.  Tonight, I realized I’m the one who is like the little girl.  I won’t try many new things unless one of my few “trusted people” tells me to try it.  I may love it, but I freak about even trying it.

For most of my life, I haven’t liked tea.  I only tried it a couple of times and didn’t care for it.  My good friend, Heidi, told me to try Bigelow or Stash, just once.  Since she is on the trusted list, I bought some Bigelow Vanilla Chai.  Not bad, but not my favorite.  The next time I went to the store, I bought a box of Stash Lemon Blossom.  It was much better!  And that cup was all it took to get me addicted.  Next, I bought a sampler pack.  Each night, I have been trying a new tea, including ones that sound like I won’t like them because I don’t know how one of the components tastes.  I have yet to find one that I don’t like!

I’m truly grateful to Heidi for her tea wisdom.  I feel a summer cold coming on and a cup of Lemon Blossom is just what the doctor ordered!

Any tea drinkers out there want to recommend something for me to try?

An Interesting Observation

I like to think of myself as artsy.  I’ve told myself for years that in order to be truly happy and truly succeed, I need to find something creative to do.  Today, I opened my GED transcript and found an interesting result. Two of the areas I thought would be my high points weren’t and one of my highest shocked the hell out of me.

Reading and Social Studies were the lowest.  I know that part of the issue with the reading was me over-analyzing the passages.  Personally, I didn’t care for the way the possible answers were worded.  I gathered a meaning or tone that wasn’t listed when I read the passage.  I read it again.  Nope, still the same.  No clue on the Social Studies, I thought I was really good at that subject.  Then again, my lows were in the 86th percentile, so I shouldn’t complain.

Math was my next highest score, 90th percentile.  I think I did well on that one because I was sure I would do poorly and studied.  A lot!  Hmmm, perhaps there is a lesson to be learned there.  I will have to remember that this fall!

I scored 750/800 on the writing portion of the test.  This put me in the 99th percentile.  Not to sound conceited, but I damned well hope I scored that high!  Writing is something I love, I’d hate for a test to tell me I’m no good!

The kicker was science.  740/800 for the 99th percentile again!  Where in the hell did that come from????  I thought I struggled with science in high school, was sure I needed to steer clear of it in college except when forced.  How did I live to be 30 years old believing that I was bad at science?

By my calculations, that puts me on par with the top 8% of “traditional high school students”, by theirs, I’m in the top 3%.  Not sure how that happens, but I’ll take it!  I must admit that I’m kicking myself even harder after looking at these results.  (dad, please don’t read the next sentence)  My parents were right.  I’m damned smart when I apply myself!

The one thing this evaluation does is give me a bit more confidence in considering Psychology as a possible major.  I will admit that I originally thought Psychology was sitting and talking to people, listening, helping.  In the past weeks, I’ve learned there’s much more to it and that a very small percentage of Psychology majors go on to be in the counseling field.  Reading how much of Psychology was research intimidated me.  “I’m no good at science.  I’d never make it through that.” was the thought filling my mind.  Even though some would say it’s just a piece of paper or doesn’t mean much of anything, my GED transcript does mean something to me and it has shown me what I am capable of.

A Space to Call My Own

Last year, when I was working from home, we shoved my desk into the “junk room” of our apartment.  Since we don’t have any storage here, it was the room where things went to be forgotten.  Since then, I’ve struggled to find peace in this space.

Thanks to a landlord who really doesn’t care about the building but does have a heart, I was able to get some paint and add some color to my office.  I firmly believe there is a condtion called “white wall woe” which is a form of depression caused by needing more color in your dwelling.  I feel a peace when I’m not surrounded by white that is unexplainable.

Tonight, I put a coat of paint on part of the walls.  Thanks to the seriously uneven surface, I have to buy more than I thought.  After that dried, we hung a properly fitting blind in the window and I moved the papasan from the living room into my personal sanctuary.  For the first time, tonight, I feel at peace in here.  It’s nothing special, it’s not complete, but it’s all me!  It’s good to find this feeling since I will more than likely spend quite a bit of time in here once school starts.

Tomorrow, I will hang the roman shade after pressing it.  For tonight, I’m going to get a cup of tea and read.

Wind Power

A blog post I read this evening talked about the health hazards and interruptions to daily activities that would be created by wind turbines being erected in our area.  A neon question mark appeared over my head upon reading the statement.  Health hazards?  Disruption to daily activities??

Being my father’s child, I decided to see if I could find out what these health hazards are and what disruption we should be expecting.  Surprisingly, the only health hazards I found when searching “wind power health hazards” dealt with a few situations. 

One was equipment malfunction.  Whether due to mere malfunction or sudden gusts of wind, the tips of turbine blades can fly off.  It would be interesting to further research this issue by talking to wind farmers throughout the country and turbine manufacturers to try and get an estimate on what percentage of turbines have had this issue.  To say it can happen doesn’t mean that it will. 

Another “health hazard” involved accidents during transport and construction.  It’s an unfortunate situation, but there are many buildings that have accidents during construction, sometimes even fatalities.  To count this as part of the health hazards seems a bit of a stretch.

I did find one study that listed true health issues from wind turbines.  Unfortunately, I’m a bit skeptical of a study that sampled 229 people within a 2 mile radius and lists the results without stating how many of those people lived in each group.  I also don’t feel that 14 people is an accurate representation to gauge health effects.  Yes, 13 of them said they noticed increased symptoms, but what would have happened if we sampled more people?  How far away from the installation did those people live?

As for disruption of daily activities, I don’t find much evidence of anyone suffering.  If I find some evidence of this, I will, of course, update.

There is still much research that needs to be done regarding wind energy, the benefits and the risks.  This can’t be done by a city trying to keep them away or by an investment company looking to change the landscape.  Until this happens, we will forever have tainted information and no one coming to a compromise. 

There isn’t a single source of energy that won’t have its drawbacks to the community.  It seems that everyone is for wind turbines as long as they are somewhere else.  Everyone wants to have electricity, but if that means putting a coal burning plant in their area, it’s out of the question.  Plain and simple, we live a complete NIMBY era.  Everyone wants solutions as long as they don’t disrupt their life in any way, shape, or form.

The Dreaded Sign

It’s never a good thing when there’s a sign on the daycare door that starts with “Attention Parents”.  Today was the first time I experienced this event since peanut started going to the center.  Apparently, there were two confirmed cases of head lice in the school yesterday.  One case was a classmate in her room and the other was in the room she was in when I got there.

I know it could be much worse.  At the same time, that sign gave me flashbacks of my own childhood.  I had long, thick hair as a child.  I know we had many bouts with lice, but there is one memory that sticks out.  I had to have been in first or second grade and I was taken into the school kitchen (sounds gross, but that’s where we went) and two aides were combing our hair looking for nits.  I remember feeling like I had done something bad.  I remember swearing to them that mom washed my hair.

The other thing I can remember is how awful kids can be.  I remember other kids picking on those of us who had lice.  I would go home and cry to my mom, asking why this happened to me. 

As I drove to work this morning, my head was racing.  Not that it mattered, but I started trying to think of who in peanut’s room has a sibling in the other room.  I was angry.  I shouldn’t have been, and I’m not now, but I was upset that my daughter could have them.  The protective mommy in me kicked in, wanting to spare her from the humiliation I felt as a child.  I know that children her age aren’t going to realize what’s going on, don’t have the mean nature that some will have in a few short years.  None of that mattered.

Luckily, other events of the day took precedence and the lice became a mere annoyance.  I’ll be sure to check her and keep an eye on things, but it’s not the end of the world.  And in hindsight, it’s better that I know what’s going on, that way if I did notice anything, I wouldn’t automatically wonder what I’m doing wrong at home.

Don’t Let Motherhood Cheat You Out of a GOOD Education!

This summer has been a time of research for me.  I made the decision to return to school, but wondered how I was going to be able to with a young child.  It seems like every click you take, there is a website offering a bachelor’s degree in this or that.  Many times, you don’t have to leave home.

Some of these schools look completely legitimate.  They flaunt their national accreditations in your face to show you what a great deal you’re getting.  And yes, when you graduate, you will have a piece of paper declaring that you have a bachelor’s degree in _______.  But what is that piece of paper worth in the real world?

A couple of years ago, my husband almost enrolled in one such school.  Luckily, their in your face tactics made us think twice.  Most credible schools will not call you nightly to find out when you’re going to complete paperwork and such.  They trust that if you want to go to school, you will take the initiative to get your ducks in a row.

As I researched schools, one thing became apparent.  Most “brick and mortar” schools don’t hold much value in a degree from most online schools.  If you are considering getting your bachelor’s online and then going for a higher degree from another school, you need to do your homework.  If you have an idea of where you will be going, call and ask them if the credits will transfer.  Don’t take the word of the school you’re currently looking to enroll in.  Even if you are going to a traditional tech school, the same rule applies.  You will always be better off if you ask both sides of the equation.

Also, talk to people in human resources departments with companies you would like to work for after school.  What will they say when they see a degree from a school such as Penn-Foster, University of Phoenix, American Intercontinental University, etc?  Will they view that as a valid degree?  If you start hearing negative answers, it may be time to reconsider.  I asked a few hiring managers I know in various fields and didn’t hear a single, “Yes, that’s great!”

There are many options to obtain a degree online if you simply can’t find time to attend face to face classes.  In the Madison area, MATC offers their Administrative Assistant associate’s degree entirely online, although there is usually a long waitlist.  University of Wisconsin Colleges offers a Bachelor’s of Arts and Science completely online.  You may pay more, but the peace of mind is worth it.

Just for giggles, I did a web search on a few online schools with “bad experience” and “good experience” after the school name.  Maybe it’s just that people are more likely to talk about bad experiences, but there were many more negative comments than positive.  I’m just sayin’…..