Bits of life through these blue eyes . .
Aug 6th, 2008 by Elaine
This is pretty funny, Paris Hilton responds to John McCain’s nasty attack ad against rival Senator Barack Obama which portrays him as a media star.
In her response, posted on Funny or Die, she makes fun of McCain’s age and says since she’s been dragged into the presidential race, she goes ahead and spits out her energy policy.
Jul 30th, 2008 by Elaine
Seems I haven’t done much blogging lately due to road trips. But then again isn’t that what summers are all about? My trip to Ohio was wonderful, I got to spend time with my Father, Brother and S-I-L and of course my best friend Mary Jane. I even managed to squeeze in a visit with her Mom who is 92! It’s hard to see them getting older and dealing with the problems that comes from living a long life. My Father had a stroke 2 summers ago, MJ’s Mom, one year ago. Yet they both recovered and are able to live alone.
My Dad has been an avid golfer most of his adult life. He had 2 golfing buddies that made their threesome for many years. When one was in the hospital the other 2 were there visiting and ready to get him back on the course. The threesome is now down to 2 since one passed away last year. Gary is in his 90’s has had a hip replacement and yet back on the course once the doc gives the ok. Well the last year Gary and my Dad have not been golfing due to health problems. He called my Dad last week and said, ” I don’t know if I can swing the club anymore”, but do you want to go out next week? So they may not play all 9 holes but being out on the course in the golf cart will be good for both of them. My Dad had a smile on his face just talking about it.
I am leaving in the morning and driving out to DC and will stay in our apartment out there. Hub’s taking off work part of Friday and we’ll drive down to North Carolina to visit Daughter/S-I-L/ and baby Cora. Friday she will be 7 months old and I haven’t seen her since the middle of June. Since my last visit she is now crawling, eating finger foods, and was told to me last night that they heard banging coming from the nursery. They run upstairs open the door and there she is standing in the crib banging on the side with a big grin on her face. “Look what I learned to do Mom and Dad.” I can’t wait to see her again and have her all weekend as much as I want.
It’s horribly hot here in Michigan, currently 86° and humid. That may not sound too hot for those of you that live in southern states but for MI it’s HOT! I checked the forecast for North Carolina this weekend, it’s going to be 96° 97° the entire time we’re down there. I don’t know how people tolerate that kind of heat all summer. Then again they probably say the same about us up north dealing with blizzards and sub-zero temps in the winter.
I’ll be back next week. Have a great weekend everybody.
Jul 24th, 2008 by Elaine
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
Jul 22nd, 2008 by Elaine
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.
Jul 20th, 2008 by Elaine
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)
Jul 19th, 2008 by Elaine
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.
Jul 17th, 2008 by Elaine
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
Jul 16th, 2008 by Elaine
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.
Jul 16th, 2008 by Elaine
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.”
Jul 15th, 2008 by Elaine
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?
When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow.
-Anaïs Nin
Happy Meals have way too many calories to be considered healthy.
Nearly every possible combination of the children's meals at KFC, Taco Bell, Sonic and Chick-fil-A are too fattening, the report on meals at 13 major restaurants found.
The average 8-year-old should eat about 1,200 to 1,300 calories a day, or about 430 calories a meal. But 93 percent of the meals at the chains had more calories than that. Instead of fried and fatty foods, restaurants should offer more choices that include fruits and whole grains, the report said.
U.S. Confirmed deaths: 4132
Health Headlines
