Need Video!

I really, really, REALLY need to make you all a video blog entry soon... This one will be a bit more than the pomegranate one, I promise. The title will be something like "Inside the Home of the Mad Scientist(s)".

Yeah, you guessed it, I'd take you all on a video tour of our home, which is also the workplace for both my husband and I. Obviously introducing you all to the dog and cat would be a highlight... But for now, you will have to imagine our townhouse that, if I could, I basically would never leave.

We have everything here, and yes the Swede and I both work from home. Of course you all know I blog and write, but he and I both are "tinkerers" and are right now, involved in simultaneous prototypes of (pending) inventions. So, it's a wacky time around here.

I'd also have to show off the TWO big screens (that was an accident, about which I'm certain I'll write at a later time) just in case the hubberz and I want to watch different football games on Sundays. And my daughter would never forgive me if I didn't take you through the kitchen and expose to you all my little OCD points related to it.

But basically, I would have to show you what is on all the shelves and counters of the Mad Inventors' home, and through the (currently devastated) garage where all "heavy" work is done, and even a tour of our mail, which I'm pretty certain is VERY different from yours. It's a really bizarre and eclectic mix, our house.

Sadly, while I'm otherwise occupied with a very social week for my family, and in the middle of repainting bathrooms and bedrooms, working on writing two books, finishing my grad school application up, AND occasionally blogging -- I think this video might take a while. At least for now, I can show you a small selection of the mail from the past week, along with what usually lives on our kitchen island.

I like to think of this as the "junk island"...

A Beautiful Day

Well, kids, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! Spring is sproinging all around us, the flowers are blooming, the air is warm, the sun is shining -- and as usual, we have already been to the beach!

Now, for those of you about to hate on us for our good beach fortune, remember that this also means both I and my Swede husband have got a lovely case of sunburn. Despite the dark hair, we both turn into lobsters when exposed to sunlight (have you read my post on random genes?)...

So, just for fun, I'm going to tell you a little about our trip to Savannah.

First off, I'm blessed with a family that keeps buying properties on the water. My mom has this cool place on Wilmington Island, which is just a few minutes to either Old Town Savannah or the beach at Tybee Island. As an added bonus, it has lovely views of the Bull River, the salt marshes, and the neighbors are really wonderful and friendly!

As an aside... My dad just went to FLA on vacation and bought a house in Palm Beach while he was there! Can't WAIT to visit that! And my step-mom has a place on Chesapeake Beach... Literally the shortest drive between us and surf/sand! It doesn't suck to be me....

Anyway, every time I tell someone I'm going to Savannah, they say "Oh! You HAVE to go to Paula Deen's restaurant, it's called Lady and Sons!". And every time, I giggle to myself. In almost as many trips to Savannah as I have fingers, I still have not gone to Lady and Sons, and I can give you many reasons...

#1 -- I cook circles around Paula Deen! There's not much challenge in making great Southern cooking, if you have access to copious amounts of butter-n-oil. It doesn't hurt if you have some good recipes as well -- but you, gentle reader, have ME to pass these along to you (see the end of this post).

#2 -- The line at Lady and Sons is generally around the block. People line up two and three hours in advance to be seated for a lovely, if overpriced, helping of good 'ole soul food (done white-person style), and then you don't even get to choose what you will eat.

#3 -- There is a place out by the mall in Savannah, it's a little low on ambiance BUT the food is AMAZING, and it's darn near impossible to rack up a tab of more than $50 for two people. The place is called Sweet Potato's, and it's where I learned to cook collard greens (see the end of this post).

Why wait in line and pay through the nose to get what Paula felt like cooking today, when you can waltz right in to SP's and order what you really want, pay next to nothing, and have the best meal you will have all year?

My other tips for Savannah trips are these:

Go in April, May, or September. It gets REALLY HOT in Savannah! I can't bear the weather there in June, July, or August. You will wilt! You could literally fry an egg on the hood of your car during summer there.

Bring lots of OFF bug spray. The local "noseeums" will eat you alive. If you can't get your hands on this bug spray, take my husband with you! The bugs there simply adore him, and will leave you mostly alone if he's within 50 yards.

Take the Ghost tour. It's pretty cool.

When you go downtown, the old Market area is great. They have a terrific cigar shop, and a place that sells top-notch knock-offs of designer perfumes for pennies on the dollar. And if you are there after 4pm, the pizza at Vinnie Van Go-Go's is worth a taste! But skip the ear jokes, they've heard them all...

Don't forget to walk up to Broughton, there is plenty of great shopping there as well. My fave is Loose Lucy's. You will dig browsing even if you've outgrown tie dyes, band tee shirts, and incense. I find it fascinating that the staff there, mostly young enough to be my children, really seem to dig the old lady who comes in with purple hair, piercings and tattoos.

There is a 24-hour Parker's near downtown (I forget the exact location!), it's on Drayton St, and you can get fresh flowers, gourmet coffees, cheeses, and gifts, beautiful jewelry, cards and wrap at all hours. Just in case you, say, forgot my birthday???

And while on Tybee, it's a bunch of fun to go to The Breakfast Club. Try to go early, though... Not only is parking on Tybee tight, but TBC tends to fill up a little like Paula Deen's. It's famous, after all! And they make their own sausages. Hmmmm.

Another bit of fun is to visit Tybee JetSki and rent yourself some kayaks. They are inexpensive, and the only place that will rent you for a half-day (6 whopping hours for $28). If you want a guide or tour, you better make a reservation. BUT, this friendly place will let you out of their sight with a kayak even if you are relatively inexperienced.

In case you are wondering -- canoeing experience DOES count! If you can paddle a canoe and not tip, a kayak is going to be a piece of cake!

Also on Tybee -- WEAR YOUR SUNSCREEN! It's a fun beach. It can be packed, but you will really get a taste of the South there. Just about everyone within two beach blankets will strike up a conversation with you. So, you don't want to get a burn, and miss a day!

Seriously, folks, go visit Savannah. It's fun, it's inexpensive, it's full of activities for the entire family.

Lemon Collards: Take a large package of frozen collards and put them in a microwave-ssafe pot. Cover them with water, then add one more cup of water, a cup of lemon juice, and a few slivers of lemon rind. Cover the pot, and microwave for 25 minutes (collards are tough, you have to cook the beejeebers out of them!). Remover the collards, drain well, then add a tablespoon of butter and two of lemon juice. Stir them up and taste -- if you have a really tough batch, you can put them back in the microwave for another 10 minutes! The lemon really brings out a nice flavor. You will enjoy these even if you don't generally like collards!

Verrrry Interrrresting...

Yes, I'm a bit of a politico at heart. You might have guessed that already from my previous posts. I suppose that is why I also studied Political Science in college, but that is neither here, nor there...

I tend to watch certain news shows, and follow some on their blogs as well. I particularly like to see how the "regular people", like you and me, weigh in on the issues. And where it comes to taxes, budget cuts, and matters of money, I remain truly perplexed by some notions I see.

Now, most people seem to fault both parties for the near-Shut-Down we almost had, and I think that makes sense. But then I see people stating things like "if the current tax cuts were allowed to expire, then 98% of America would be in an uproar..." and I think, REALLY?

The "current tax cuts" aren't enough to pay a basic cable subscription in our household. It probably amounts to the grand total we spend monthly on condiments. It's not that I don't WANT that extra $28 a month, but it sure isn't making a huge difference to me.

Now, there WAS talk earlier in the year about taxing people MORE, if they earned more than $250,000 per year. And LOTS of folks seem to think this is a BAD IDEA. I mean, I can see where if you got a raise from $230,000 a year to $260,000 a year, and found that your take-home pay was actually LESS, then yeah, you should be upset. And I do agree to a certain extent that we don't want to discourage the American Dream, that no matter who you are, if you work hard and are smart, you too can get ahead.

But really, folks? Over $250,000 a year is about four times the average salary in the US. And if that still isn't palatable, how about we tax the folks more, who make $1,000,000 a year or more? Up their taxes by 2%, and they'll have to get the Maserati detailed every two months or so instead of every month...

The thing that I believe escapes people is simply this: We can't all be millionaires. I mean, if we WERE, then the cost of living will have gone up so much that millionaires would be middle-class. That's how money WORKS -- there is unlimited demand, but NOT unlimited supply.

What if the government just printed off $457 trillion to pay off all our national debt? How would THAT work out? By the same principal, there has to be an elite class of people at the top, because that's the way it always HAS worked out... And then a striving middle-class that supports almost all of the economy, thereby making the rich richer... And a lower class, that will elicit our most charitable responses, and provide those rare success stories we all thrive on.

So if there is a limited amount of money, and we all really want to fund Social Security for the middle-class and free health care for the lower-class, where do you think this money is going to come from? Well, if there is a true free-market economy, we would let everyone fend for themselves.

With a completely free market, the poor would starve, including their innocent children, and they would likely die much earlier than the rest of the population because of a lack of health care. And also, in a totally free market, there would be no public education system, ensuring that anyone born into poverty would stay there forever, as would any of their offspring that managed to survive.

The middle-class in this scenario would, 98% of the time, sink slowly out of the middle-class and into the lower-class, so that one day this too would be their fate. The other 2% would be needed to take the "leadership" roles vacated by members of an "elite" class that didn't quite produce enough "heirs" to fill all the spot necessary to "lead".

And our elite class would, of course, buy up all the education and means of production they could, ensuring that over time, they and their families would be the only ones who had a chance at being in this "elite" class. Why, you say? Isn't that awfully cynical, you ask... Well, let me put it to you this way: Would you voluntarily pay 5%, 10%, or 25% more for you groceries? For your taxes? Out of the goodness of your heart? Even if your salary was doubled???

Or would you pay off the car, take that dream vacation, refinish the kitchen and bathrooms, and put money away for your children?

Well, so would the rich.

UNLESS we have no choice. Unless we are taxed into it, we won't give up our gains willingly.

SO, the only option left to support Social Security, Medicaid, Food Stamps, public educations and the like, would be to do so through taxes. This is the only way to be sure that skill, ambition, and hard work still have the opportunity to be rewarded... You can call it Socialism if you like, BUT if you believe you deserve as much as a chance as everyone else -- it's about the only way to level the playing field.

And who better to pay for these things most all of us want, than those who are IN ABSOLUTELY NO FEAR OF GOING HUNGRY? Those who make ten or twenty TIMES as much as the average family? The money has to come from somewhere... Why NOT levy more taxes on someone who should be "set" for life, to give a chance to five or ten or twenty other people?

And let's be honest... NONE of us is going to give up even 2% if we aren't mandated to... If you think differently, start tipping your cashier at the grocery store, the gas station, the teller at the bank, everyone with whom you exchange any money -- give them back 2% for the next WEEK, an then let me know how that felt, if you are going to keep it up. :)

Hellooooooo, UKRAINE!

Thanks for stopping in -- hope you enjoyed the blog, and will come back again!

Hopping Mad!

Virginians for Paying our Troops!

Time	Tuesday, April 12 · 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Location	Rep. Frank Wolf's Offices

More Info

Go tell Frank Wolf that this Budget debate has gone TOO FAR, and that we WILL NOT STAND for ANY delays in payment to our TROOPS and their families!!! Make a sign and show up at any of Frank Wolf's offices, listed below. There are offices in DC, Herndon, and Winchester. If you CAN'T go in person, PLEASE email and/or call his office to let him know he WILL be voted out if he allows our Troops to suffer. Washington Office 241 Cannon Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-5136 Herndon Office 13873 Park Center Rd Ste.130 Herndon, VA 20171 (703) 709-5800 Winchester Office 110 N. Cameron St. Winchester, VA 22601 (540) 667-0990 https://wolf.house.gov//index.cfm?sectionid=383

If you are not from VA, you can still look up your Representatives in Congress, and write, call or picket them to let them know how you feel!!! https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

My Poor Father...

Well, it's 4am and I can't sleep, so on top of the "normal" wee-hour pitterings and patterings -- doing laundry, packing for our trip to Savannah, GA, baking a quiche (you know, those things we ALL do when we can't sleep???)... Of course I will also blog.

And just to clarify, my father is not having financial problems. Even with a multi-year down-turn in the Real Estate market, he continues to thrive. I said "poor" because his recent travails are what has inspired this morning's blog. Either my father is a REALLY good sport, or all these years of having me for a daughter have worn him down...

AAAAAAAAAnywayzzzzz...

My poor father had to have a colonoscopy recently. I have to say at this point, that I'm really happy to have parents who are going to the doctors regularly, and doing what they need to do to stay healthy in their senior years. I want some day to get one of those 4-generation pictures, once my daughter graces us with a child of her own (NOT before I'm 50 though dammit!!!)... And I have every reason to expect my 'rents will comply quite nicely.

Also, as the reigning first-born (not to mention the only offspring within driving distance) I accompanied dear old dad on his trip to the hospital. This gave me a chance to chat with him, and to see and/or hear about the procedure and some of the preparations one would make for it.

The faint-of-heart or easily offended should tune out, right about... NOW!

OK, so the first thing is, the day BEFORE you have a colonoscopy -- which by the way is when a doctor sends a tiny camera waaaaaayyyy up your backside to have a peek around -- you have to "void" yourself of anything that might obscure the view. This means drinking some giant barrel of clear but apparently foul-tasting liquid at the rate of approximately one gallon per hour, for 24 hours prior to your procedure.

Lest this leave you with too much free time, the rest of your 24-hour period before this particular experience should, in fact, be taken up by pooping (to use the technical term, of course). It is my understanding that barfing would also be an option, and judging by the look on my dad's face when chugging his barrel-o-goop, he seriously considered it. But the point is, again, to clean out any- and everything that might be in the camera's path on "game day".

This led me to wonder, is this camera so expensive, perhaps, that they need to re-use them (shudder shudder)? And how do you sign up to be first on a camera, if so? But on to bigger and hopefully better thoughts...

My father dutifully chugged and pooped his guts out, and showed up for his appointment with the camera-weilding bum doctor 15 minutes early -- me in tow. His procedure went well, and in a timely fashion, and after about an hour or so, I was allowed back to the recovery area to see him. Because certainly, after having even a tiny camera shoved way up your butt, one would need to recover.

As we waited for the doc to come talk to us about his results, we passed the time with talk of poop, as would any normal family (???)... And it came to light that my father, being the sort to weigh himself daily, had noticed that over the past 24 hours he had lost about exactly three pounds.

The conclusion to be drawn from this, of course, is that in general, we humans are walking around with three pounds of poo in us on an average day. I found this interesting for two reasons. The first of these is that, personally I have been trying to lose weight, and I am now convinced that we should ignore that three pounds when weighing ourselves.

But my second conclusion is perhaps a bit more unsettling. Three pounds is also about the average weight of the human brain. So, at any given time, we're probably walking around being as much shit as brain. Even worse, should one literally "shit their brains out" it would be darn near impossible to figure this out from simply weighing one's self.

And then I 'm led to wonder... If you are full of shit, does that mean that on most days your poop outweighs your brains? And if you had "shit for brains", how exactly would this be diagnosed? If you get really constipated, is there any way this could adversely affect your brain? And if you swallow your gum once too often, could this cause you to wind up being full of shit?

I really hate to call this food for thought... But there it is.

BAHRAIN! MEXICO! NEW ZEALAND!

Wow, what a diverse crowd we are becoming here... I wanted to thank our new readers in new countries, and let you know we'd love to see you come back!