I feel like I am always saying, “On the road Again”, (Willie Nelson).  Leaving in the morning for Ohio to visit my 81 year old Father/family/and best friend from childhood Mary Jane.  How many of us can say they are still best buds with their childhood friend? Through all the moves, different states, ups and downs that both our lives have seen we still remain friends. I could write a short story about our escapades from childhood to the rebellious teenage years to young single adult years. On second thought … maybe NOT.

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. - Elizabeth Foley

I hesitated writing about this but the entire incident just seemed “weird” to me. Early yesterday evening I was on the deck watering the flowers and tending to the flower pots.  The house next door has 4 young children, ages 5, 3, 2, & 1. The Mother is rarely outside, she stays indoors with the younger 2. They moved in less than a year ago and I don’t know much about them. They keep to themselves yet wave and say Hi like most neighbors do. Since summer has arrived the older two (boy and girl) will come over to my yard to see Poco and follow me around as I am working in the flower beds and such. They are both very articulate for their age and seemed well cared for.

As I was watering I noticed the little girl (3 year old) in her backyard where a sprinkler was on from earlier in the afternoon and the kids had been playing. She had changed from bathing suit to shorts and shirt. There was no one around, the other children had gone inside. I couldn’t help but watch as she stood there so serious looking at the sprinkler spraying it’s water into the air. I could tell she wanted to play in the water again.

She took off her shorts, then her panties and was going for her shirt when I heard both parents calling from the house, “COME INSIDE NOW”. And this went on for several minutes.  The little girl just stood there, bottomless looking at the water. Finally she put her clothes back on and went inside. Immediately the garage door went down, toys left outside and the kids didn’t  come out the rest of the evening.  During this entire exchange neither parent came outside.

I don’t know about you but this seemed such an odd way of handling this situation which was obviously upsetting to the parents. Why didn’t the Mother come out with the little girls bathing suit? Or tell her to put her panties on and then let her play in the water? We have big yards, in a very nice residential area, it’s not like anyone can even see their back yard except me (and only if I’m on my deck) and the neighbor on the other side of their house. 

Early this morning the tree trimmer was at our house trimming the Bradford Pear,  their garage door went up and the toys left out last night were picked up. It’s been down the rest of the day and no children have been outside the entire day.  I feel sorry for the little girl being punished for something so innocent as wanting to run through the sprinkler naked. Something every 3 year old should be allowed to do without feeling ashamed.

Tags: childhood innocence

I’m still learning this iPod stuff. Finally a couple of weeks ago I got my iTunes account and songs moved over to the new laptop. One thing I had not done yet was create  playlists. I have my iPod in a Logitech docking station in the kitchen and it’s set to play randomly which worked fine for me. I don’t even use the earphones that often unless I’m traveling by air.

Well yesterday I was on the treadmill with IPod playing. Seemed like I would have one fast upbeat song and then the next slower. Not something you want when on a treadmill! So I’m trying to hit next  the entire time. Made mental note MAKE PLAYLIST!!

Making the playlist is quite simple, don’t know why I procrastinated so long in doing so. Once I started dropping songs into the Exercise playlist I soon discovered I need more songs! I added a few last night from the iTunes store but would like to add more from classic rock/rock/pop/alternative genre.

If anyone has any great songs they listen to while walking/jogging please share. Here are a few of mine: (much nicer on the treadmill today)

* I Love Rock ‘N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
* December - Collective Soul
* Chris Daughtry - Home
* One Headlight - The Wallflowers
* White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
* How to Save a Life - The Fray
* All I Wanna do - Sheryl Crow
* I’m the Only One - Melissa Etheridge
* Vogue - Madonna
* Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol (not really that fast but I like the song)

Tags: iPod, iTunes, playlist

Listening to CNN News this morning there was a segment on the troubled banking industry. They gave a web site to check your banks rating. With a few clicks I had a nice report on my local bank.

When you get to the page,  search by options – I put in state, that seemed the easiest.  Click on image below to check your bank.

Tags: Bank rating

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new report today on American obesity. It wasn’t good, Americans aren’t getting slimmer and the obesity rate continues to climb. More than a quarter of all Americans are now obese. The percentage rate grew by 2% between 2005 - 2007.

Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee had the worst rates, with 30 percent of adults reporting weights that made them medically obese.

Colorado had the slimmest population, with 18.7 percent of people reporting weights that put them in the obese category.

Southerners are the heaviest Americans, on average, with 27 percent obese. Just over 25 percent of adults in the Midwest, 23 percent in the Northeast, and 22 percent in the West were obese.

World health officials have agreed on a BMI of 30 as an easily remembered cutoff point for obesity. People are considered overweight when they have a BMI of 25.

Complete story here:

SOURCES: Howard D. Sesso, Sc.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston; July 18, 2008, CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Tags: BMI, obesity

Last night on Jay Leno Jib Jab aired their new Election 2008 satirical video,  “Time for Some Campaignin” (to the tune of Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are a Changin”). John McCain is portrayed as a grumpy old war mongering man and Barack Obama as a unicorn in fantasy land.

Gotta love JibJab

Click on picture or links to play video.

Tags: Election 2008, JibJab

Are we finally on a path to break the cycle of obesity? Very interesting study from  Baylors College of Medicine.

ScienceDaily (July 16, 2008) — Overweight mothers give birth to offspring who become even heavier, resulting in amplification of obesity across generations, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers in Houston who found that chemical changes in the ways genes are expressed — a phenomenon called epigenetics -could affect successive generations of mice.

“There is an obesity epidemic in the United States and it’s increasingly recognized as a worldwide phenomenon,” said Dr. Robert A. Waterland, assistant professor of pediatrics — nutrition at BCM and lead author of the study that appears in the International Journal of Obesity. “Why is everyone getting heavier and heavier? One hypothesis is that maternal obesity before and during pregnancy affects the establishment of body weight regulatory mechanisms in her baby. Maternal obesity could promote obesity in the next generation.”

Continue Reading »

Tags: genetic mutations, Obesity epidemic, overweight mothers

The bumpy ride is expected to continue according to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Well I think the American people have already figured that out for themselves Mr. Bernanke.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The housing finance crisis and spiraling energy costs will remain a drag on the U.S. economy for the rest of the year, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told lawmakers in a gloomy presentation about the economic outlook.

“The economy continues to face numerous difficulties, including ongoing strains in financial markets, declining house prices, a softening labor market, and rising prices of oil, food, and some other commodities,” Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee early Tuesday.

The nation’s top central banker warned “many financial markets and institutions remain under considerable stress, in part because the outlook for the economy, and thus for credit quality, remains uncertain.”

 

Entire story here: should you care to read the gloom and doom forecast.

And from President Bush today:

“When will the economy turn around? I’m not an economist,” said Bush, responding to a reporter’s question. “But I do believe we’re growing. I’m an optimist, and there are a lot of positive things about our economy.”

So there you have it, gloom and doom from the Federal Reserve Chairman and positive things about the economy from our President. Which one do you believe?

Tags: economic outlook, energy costs, federal reserve chairman, house prices, President Bush

Hold on to your hats, Monday looks to be a wild day on Wall Street.  Like many Americans my husband and I watch our investments dwindle. From IRA’s, 401K, mutual funds, and stocks down it goes. Our investments are not risky, we’re at the age where we can’t afford to be risky.  But what the hell to do with what we do have? A question everyone is asking. We met with our Financial Advisor last week going over our portfolio and the advice is to hold. They always say that though, don’t they? It’s not their money.  We have been pulling out some (and any new money) goes into a high yield money market account and CD’s. The interest rate is not great but at least it’s safe for the time being.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — The U.S. Treasury is expected to release a statement later Sunday in support of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as the latter plans an important $3 billion securities offering Monday, according to a news report.

The Wall Street Journal cited people familiar with the matter as saying that, while the statement’s exact language was not known, it is expected to express support for the firms and reassure the markets.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported Sunday that the two lenders were in talks with the Treasury, Federal Reserve and White House officials to come up with funding plans should the beleaguered mortgage companies require financing. The report also cited people with knowledge of the discussions.

Freddie is scheduled to sell $3 billion of debt Monday, and the markets could falter again if investors balk at bidding on it. The Wall Street Journal report said Treasury officials and other regulators have been calling potential buyers of the debt over the weekend to gauge their interest and to urge them to participate.

Freddie Mac tumbled 47 percent in New York Stock Exchange composite trading last week and Washington-based Fannie Mae lost 45 percent of its value, forcing U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to pledge support for the companies. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are critical for the housing market because they guarantee almost half the $12 trillion in outstanding U.S. mortgages.

Tags: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, stock market

When asked about the fairness of insurance companies paying for Viagra but not for birth control, McCain responded, “I certainly do not want to discuss that issue.” McCain was unable to recall that he voted against a 2003 bill that would have required health insurance companies to cover prescription birth control.

From iStockAnalyst:

Health plans that cover drugs for erectile dysfunction (ED) but do not cover prescription birth control, are not only engaging in gender discrimination but also age and economic discrimination. Any form of discrimination in a society boils down to the influential group exerting power and control over another less influential group.

Tags: John McCain, straight talk express