Halloweenies!

Why don't witches have children? Their husbands' have Halloweenies! hahahahahaha. Love that 5th grade joke. So this morning I wake up to the newsman on my radio station giving the 3rd report of 5, as a build up to Halloween, on the county morgue. Today was particularly morbid, but I'm sure it's nothing compared to what's coming.
If you are murdered or found dead without any family to claim you, your fate is the county morgue. And in this county of 10 million, there are hundreds and hundreds of souls left to rot there. Body bags are expensive, and can only be used once, so these bodies are placed in plastic bags of sorts, and wrapped with ropes and stored on shelves and shelves of 45 degrees storage rooms. A specialized fork lift moves the bodies from intake to storage, and just hearing about it, one can only displace compassionate feelings in order to process this body factory.
The reporter described the chilly air, the smell, and the sounds. The sound is silent, except that rotting bodies create gasses. Gasses want to be released, thus creating sounds. I wasn't quite clear on whether they make a true farting sound or if it's just a whooshing sound.
The smell is not rotting, but it is bad enough of cured rotting, gas release, formaldehyde. By comparison, the reporter said, the Los Angeles smog smelled sweet. The real problem was the stink that stuck around. He kept saying it stayed in his sinuses. But I learned the real truth from CSI. The stink molecules stick in the nose hairs and continue to keep giving, all damn day long. I can relate. Years ago, when I worked on the cruise ship, some bozo peed in the sauna. Even though we washed the sauna and sprayed with a powerful deodorant and the smell was gone out of the sauna and room, I kept smelling that smell for a day.
Tomorrow should be another day of yuck. Gore. Goo.

Seriously? A Serious Man

Movie trailers are clever and sometimes misleading. The one for A Serious Man, thank you Coen Bros., is annoying yet provocative. So we saw the movie. I couldn't figure it out until the next morning. Hubby didn't care for it. And I felt it had some chuckles with some side swipes at Jewish behavior. I liked the homage to Mrs. Robinson.
At first view, I kept thinking it was a lesson in not standing up for oneself, not paying attention to one's wife or kids, and keeping faith in some quirky movie directors. But that was not it at all.
That movie is about how we spend our time worrying, dithering, solving, swearing, working, wasting time until something much bigger comes along and shakes us up a whole bunch.
I equated it to the whole global warming crowd. My personal opinion of global warming is it's something that happens in the universe. The sun is mostly responsible and then a whole bunch of other factors. Hubby thinks humans have somehow contributed to the fact, but I think our part is so infinitesimal as to not even matter. After watching shows about ice ages, I seem to feel happy we have warming. 7 miles of ice surrounding the earth is not a happy thought. But anyway, let's get back to the crowd that thinks humans need to stop the economy, make incandescent light bulbs illegal, make solar power the answer to energy, and we must paint all the roofs in the world white...those people. They want all of us to solve, manipulate, change and stand on our heads and scream like a chicken....not really for the last one, in order to tame climate change. Well, we can't. And if we do make all these changes to satisfy this crowd, it won't matter except that jobs will be lost, and we'll stay in a deep recession for many years. Well that's my opinion, but back to the movie...in A Serious Man, after many issues were resolved, skirted, played with, manipulated and finally resolved, Mother Nature took her course. I will not say how this movie ended for those of you who haven't seen it. But the next morning after watching it, this is what came into my head as it's explanation: It is the perfect analogy of the global warming crowd. They will keep us busy doing other things until Mother Nature makes a stand. The End.

I love you, Milla

I love Project Runway. Last night had a few things I really loved. Milla Jovovich was one of them.
My first encounter with her was the movie, The Fifth Element. She was perfect. Her voice, her body, her line, "Chicken." Of course, she was fully clothed and spoke in her own natural voice and accent last night. And her reaction after the elimination was a wince, a cover of her eyes, a big shake of her hands, and the question, "how do you do this every week?"
She dished it out with the rest of the judges, but in the end, showed compassion. I guess she knows her clothing line started in Target, so humility becomes her.
The other surprise, despite what the judges said, were the outfits. I liked all of them. That is usually rare. The dude who was kicked off was done so in the vein of the assignment. It was supposed to be inspiration from a well known spot on the planet. He chose Greece. He made gray, tight fitting pants made apparently of men's suit fabric, and a darling, layered white shirt. Michael Kors said, "nothing says Greece more than men's gray suit fabric." He was right, but I thought the outfit looked great on the lean, lean model. What wouldn't though?
The other two designers on the bottom made outfits that got dissed for lack of creativity. One was for New Mexico and the other was for Hollywood. I loved the New Mexico outfit. It was a short brown skirt and a leather belt with a flowy light turquoise blouse. The proportions were off, the judges said. There was no fantasy about it. My fantasy was, if I looked like that model, I'd wear that. The other designer made beautiful white jeans that looked perfect. They weren't "out there" enough. Jeans are hot but common, and must make a new statement. What does one do with jeans? Heidi said something like "they're not so bad," and Milla said something like, "if this were Project They're Not so Bad, " that would be fine.
How do these designers do all this work in a day, anyway? I admire their hard work and accomplishment. I wouldn't have a clue how to do what they do. Keep up the good work, designers.

Brains and more Brains

On our 6 day road trip, Hubby and I listened to a book on tape called, "How to Make a Good Brain Great." It was mostly interesting until the author talked about all sorts of supplements and their names and what they do for your brain. Boring. But the rest was pretty good. As the bartender said to me when I ordered a cranberry and vodka, "alcohol is bad for the brain? Why that's counter-intuitive." Haha.
It's all about how people who have seemingly minor head injuries could be permanently and dangerously brain damaged, how we shouldn't let our kids play football or use their heads to hit a soccer ball, how table tennis is the best sport ever, and that troubled brains can be helped by therapy, supplements and proper nutrition.
The growth of the brain is an interesting journey. From birth, it takes more than 2 decades for a brain to fully develop. Think of how important those early years must be?
From having a child, then working with kids with average to high intelligences, autism and disabilities, I have felt that those early years are the precious moments that will propel a lifetime of good or bad, passion or lethargy, success or failure.
My metaphor for the brain is that it's a shiny, slippery ball at birth. As the weeks and months and years pass and the child grows, the brain latches on to stimuli that the parents bring to the child.
The more exposure to life, as in reading, talking, singing, exploring, shopping, cooking, star gazing, traveling, creating, the stickier the brain gets. The stickier the brain gets, the more information adheres, the more block building occurs. After all, kids need to learn to add before they can subtract, multiply, divide, and understand equations. They have to learn the alphabet before they can learn to read. They have to learn to read to learn almost everything else.
How to make a good brain great? Be a great parent.

"Freckles," my favorite!

Sonny Boy was sent a funny poster from a frat brother. It's a Lost poster with the whole cast in character, but the faces are filled with all the frat brothers. Our kid is proudly standing as the studly Sawyer (my favorite) and all the other brothers are very well picked, even Kate and the doomed Shannon. It's posted on a network where all parties involved can see it, and the comments are worth the price of admission.
Sonny Boy is helplessly addicted to Lost. He's a maven, even taught a class on it. It's a deeply philosophical experience for him, the whole John Locke, Determinism thing. I just like Sawyer's nicknames. When Jeremy Benthem's name first came on the scene, Sonny Boy was home for winter break. The moment the name was uttered, he got 5 texts asking who That is. He could talk about Lost for hours on end, and just looking into it to make sure I had Jeremy's name right, I can see the plethora of information-saga-creating-soap-opera-esque rhetoric there is. All for a television show. It must be the key that will unlock all the answers to our embittered economy, our division of red and blue states, the coming together of beliefs of whether the earth's climate is nature or nurture.
I suppose when the series kicks off in January or February it will be bitter sweet for all of the fans. 16 blessed episodes until all the answers are revealed and the show is finished forever.
As I spoke with Sonny Boy today and he advised me to watch several of the last episodes on Hulu to catch up and refresh my memory, I can once again fill my head with the smoke monster, the evil and brilliantly portrayed Ben, all the pretty women who are murdered on that set, Sawyer's bod and his schizo boyish charm crossed faded to sullen felon mixed in with some BO.
I always wondered how Kate was such an expert following tracks, and do we as passengers really have that many drugs in our luggage? Oh yeah, I forgot, there is a full on hospital somewhere on that island, or the neighboring one.
Who would have thought that when I so seriously studied meditation and the Hindu religion that the sacred Namaste would become a catch phrase on a popular TV show?

Puff the Magic Dragon Farms

I think the world is ready for my idea.
Legalize marijuana to be grown on large privatized farms. Marijuana would then be able to be studied for medical components, products such as clothing and paper, and it supposedly adds to the soil, rather than depleting it. It uses small amounts of water and could be marketed, sold and taxed.
The farms could be manned by our specialty groups of disfranchised souls: Sexual predators, illegal aliens, and the homeless. Each farm would have its parameters. For example, the sexual predators that cannot live near schools or parks can live on a marijuana farm that has no children and is miles from such facilities. The homeless people such as the 97 year old lady I read about in the LA Times today, would have a clean bed and shower and meals. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bessie16-2009oct16,0,7618199.story Why, because the farms would create their own revenue. No tax dollars here. Everyone would have tasks, unless they are too crazy, but perhaps a little of the maryjane would help straighten them out. haha.
So many medicines come from herbs, and this herb must have medicinal properties that could be exploited.
Think of places that would house and protect homeless people without them being on the dole.
Think of a country that has a place for registered sexual predators that would give them productive work without being around the objects of their compulsions.
Think of a legal place for illegal aliens to work without objection.
Think of the revenue that would come from these farms.
We will never have a drug free world. Why can't we cash in on a love affair of marijuana?

Mascarpone and a Little Heaven

One of my favorite things to do is to try to duplicate a dish I've had at a restaurant. Yesterday I met a friend at a glorious new restaurant that replaced a dud of an Italian diner that we went to twice, and the second time was only because of where and when we were there (timing is everything...that's a blog someday). After all, there is always pizza. The first time we went, I ordered pesto and it was crunchy, and not because it had too many pignolias. It was because they left the stems on the basil. Not good.
So, now it's a place called Brulee and the tablecloths are white, the walls are yellow, the waiters are friendly, the bread was delicious. Can't wait to go back. The waiter was smart. He brought us a little taste treat that he said they only serve in the evening. They were, to the best of my cooking knowledge, a little cream puff without the filling, but the dough was laced with mascarpone. (So he revealed) It was a light, bready, truffle sized, cheese aroma'd morsel. We dove right in.
I can see it now, I will take out my 40 year old McCall's Cookbook and find cream puffs. I have made them in the past and though they seem a mystery, they are pretty simple. I will go to Trader Joe's, pick up a container of mascarpone, and begin my adventure. Hubby's watching calories, so I will freeze some of them if I don't eat all of them myself. This is all conjecture until I really make them. I have tremendous beginner's luck. What happens after that? My first bread pudding duplication? Perfection. My second time, not so good. Where does the knack go?
Years ago I had coconut shrimp for the first time and woke up dreaming about it the next morning. Now the first time I tried, it just didn't cut it. Then cruising the bargain table at the bookstore, I came across Bubba Shrimps Cook Book. Voila. It's pancake batter and beer that makes the difference. Don't forget to add horseradish to the orange marmalade for the dip.
On a lovely little trip to Santa Cruz we happened upon Santa Cruz Week at participating restaurants. For $25 a piece we had soup to nuts, and for the first time, I had cioppino. It was a topping over a perfectly cooked piece of sea bass. That is a definite must.

Oh No, Another Tax Rant...But I'm Happy, Really

My head is filled with answers to problems.
Job creation...keep research and development of clean energy, but in the meantime, get the environmentalists off the backs of energy and build more power plants.
Think of the job creation.
At this point, clean energy is being subsidized, meaning, using tax dollars to stay afloat. Businesses that create revenue is what we need.
Cutting costs by saving energy does not lead to less expensive energy...only higher costs because the less energy you use, the more companies have to charge to cover their overhead, i.e., jobs.
Yes, drill for oil.
For awhile, don't save the delta smelt and let water flow into central California because the farms there have lost harvests (hello food) and have 40% unemployment because of it.
Cut taxes. Yes, when businesses have to pay a lot of taxes they don't hire.
When the George Bush tax cuts expire, there will be less money in your paycheck and more waste in government.
Stop the health care bills until our economy is stronger, then don't go with any of the ones that have been created.
Build a health care system from the top down, meaning, make sure there will be enough doctors, nurses, hospitals and clinics first.
The Cap and Trade Bill will burden the economy by charging businesses, thus making it less profitable thus employers will hire less employees thus, less jobs, less tax revenue, blah blah blah.
Citizens, become aware of all the waste and fraud perpetrated by legislators taking huge amount of tax dollars (your money) away from you. For example, the California Assembly hires assistants. If those assistants have worked 5 years for the Assembly, and retire at 50 years old, get your tax money for a lifetime of medical coverage. http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/v-print/story/2245509.html
Become aware of the fact that you, your children and their children are going to be heavily taxed because of the policies in place today.
If you vote yes on a bond, you are voting on borrowing, not some amazing bubble of tax free money.
OK. All my facebook buddies, I am on a tax revolt. Can you tell?

Saving is as Saving Does

Let's see if I can follow out someone else's logic with a different outcome. It was the author of a book about living life on the cheap. She had an incredibly cheap father who controlled the household purse so tightly, the author had to wear heavy clothing in the house in the winter. He kept the thermostat at 50 degrees. She picked up his habit of being cheap and saves 25 percent of her income.
She said if Americans saved like she did, our economy would not be robust.
This is the part I want to divert. I have often thought that businesses would be finished if people spent their money like I do. So, perhaps I have some of her philosophy imprinted in my own brain. I don't buy flowers, shop at little boutiques, buy art pieces, buy anything from late night TV watching, QVC or infomercials. Though, I do have to admit I bought a ShamWow as kind of a joke for Hubby. I don't buy crystal or china, expensive sheets, towels, or tablecloths. I rarely pay to have my hair or nails done...I could go on and on. I do pay a lot at the market, use the dry cleaners regularly, shop at Ross and Lowes and Target. We never leave an unpaid balance on our credit cards; we live within our means. We save a lot, but certainly not 25 percent.
But what would happen if everyone did? What if people slowly over the last 15 years had started saving more and more every month until they were up to 25 percent right now. I don't think we would be in the critical financial mess our country finds itself in (I'll keep the globe out of this, but it certainly would have had its impact).
Okay, it's 1994 and prices of houses dumped in So Cal. But at that time, loans were based on reality and the ability to pay. People had to have a 20 percent down payment and there was nary a whisper of "refinancing" to be able to handle the loan, nor this favorite "underwater" phrase.
So, let's say everyone decided to put 20 bucks a week away into their favorite savings account. There would have been a surge in money banks could use for small business loans, personal loans, construction loans. There probably would have been smaller growth in retail building, however there would have been lots of money for people to have to buy first time homes in the future. There would have been less credit cards offered because people would have been more interested in building their savings than watching money disappear on monthly statements. There would have been little loss to creditors, lowering interest rates which pay for dead beats. There would be less dead beats. People in unions would be responsible for their own pensions. There would have been a realistic simmer of growth, rather than a huge artificial growth. And in California, that would have been a lot better because of our dreaded taxes. When there is a boom in profit/growth/sales, the legislature gets giddy with power and creates zillions of new permanent programs and pensions that in turn weigh heavy on the taxpayers, i.e., businesses, which leave the state when regulations get too huge (which they are doing now)
Just think of the benefits of parents teaching their children to save back then. Teach your children well, as Crosby Stills and Nash would say. It would have been a beautiful thing.
Then and now.
http://www.nasdaq.com/newscontent/20091007/americans-expected-to-start-saving-more-money.aspx?storyid=19397342

A For Real Interview

I interviewed about 15 high schoolers today as a favor to a cousin. It was part of a curricular activity she developed for her students at the Academy of Technology program where she is a teacher. They prepared a resume, dressed appropriately and came to the interviews as if they were applying to a real job. Since I'm retired, I made up a company. I was an independent film maker and it went over pretty well, since they are all using computers to create an animated video for the rest of the school.
These students were wonderful. They were smiling and honest (I hope) and most of them have a pretty good handle on what they would like to accomplish in their lives. One of the questions I could ask them is, "What is your biggest accomplishment to date?" Many of them answered "staying in the academy." They have to maintain a certain grade point average and have good attendance. For many, this is first time in their school careers, they have found teachers who are strict, fun, interesting and stimulating. How proud should this school be for accomplishing such a task. Most of these kids are dual language speakers, and did a fine job at English while at home most parents speak only Spanish.
My favorite story of the day, if I had to pick one, was the last young lady who introduced herself confidently, handed me her resume, and waited patiently for me to read it. The interests listed were art, music and sports. I asked her what she wants to do with her life. She told me she was going into medicine. She told me she wanted to go to Oxford. I asked her about her interest in science, the body, new medical technologies, the updates on the latest communicable diseases. She told me she was going to be looking into all of that.
I asked her if she is enjoying the video the class is working on now, and her eyes lit up as well as her smile, and a tiny dance played in her voice as she said, "YES!"
So who's telling you you need to go into medicine?
She kept with the line that she really is interested in it. I told her it wasn't ringing true with me.
So she did admit her older sisters are in the medical field. I asked her if her mother told her she needs to be in medicine. She told me, "my mom supports my art."
I think she had her answer to what she should do with the rest of her life.