Did you ever get so pissed off at the world that you didn't care if you lived or died?Have you ever felt like God's whipping boy ... continuously taking lashes for every bad thing that ever happened?
Remember the time that no matter how hard you tried to be positive, everything turned out to be a negative that was thrown in your face?
Did you ever find yourself in a losing situation with nowhere to go but deeper and deeper into the mire?
Was there ever a time in your life where the good times out weighed the bad and you thought they'd never end?
When was the last time you were able to take a few minutes to appreciate what you had instead of being pressured for more of what you didn't?
Did you ever gaze into a mirror wondering why some people had all the luck and you had none?
Have you ever wondered how some people constantly hit the winning numbers on scratch off tickets and daily Pick Three lotteries?
What new excuse did you come up with to tell the bill collectors when your car payment was due and your money wasn't enough?
Do you remember what it was to have been a big fish at one time, only to find yourself ashore suffocating without water now?
Did you ever want to spend time with the kids you didn't have time to spend with when they were young ... and still don't?
Sound like the opening to a
depression medicine commercial?
Sound like an elderly person looking at their life
and living in regret?
Sound like a television news psychologist making excuses
for someone going ballistic and using a toy gun
to fake out police officers in hopes of committing suicide?
Sound like your life?
Let's see if this can take your mind off of things for a while.
Forget your troubles, grab a cup of tea, and read on to this week's edition of
TEN THINGS OF THANKFUL!!!
1) ... a Masonic Temple massacre has been averted. Samy Mohamed Hamzeh was arrested by the FBI this week on illegal weapons charges as a plan to use machine guns to kill at least thirty people in a Milwaukee Masonic Temple was thwarted. In his report, he stated that his group was Muslim and that it would be an act that if the hit had been executed, it would have been known all over the world. It was to be in defense of Islam.
I've had many Muslim friends over the years, especially during my time in the
Middle East. This is obviously an extremist that is not indicative of those
I knew, or the millions like them. However, the ideas expressed by
this individual included that he, and those like him,
were fighting on the front lines of a war.
People, the war has come to America. Stop being naive and think otherwise.
For decades, we have watched bombings and daily terrorist activities take
place overseas. True, we had our own experience on 9/11 and a few more
since then. If you don't believe in a religion or God, you are as much a target
as the Christians that do. You are the "devil" in the eyes of an extremist.
So, if a person comes up to you on the street and asks you where to purchase
machine guns and bombs, please use discretion in giving them directions.
2) ... Argentina is facing the worst plague of locusts in fifty years. Over 1.7 million acres in northern Argentina is covered by the insects. In hopes of stopping the plague, officials are fumigating the young insects.
I guess age does have its benefits!
In a special ad campaign, chocolate covered grasshoppers are now on sale at your favorite specialty store. However, remember, though the insects can be tasty, chocolate may add inches to your waistline!
3) ... those that forget the past are doomed to repeat it. A San Diego Televangelist, Morris Cerullo, wants to build a Christian themed resort in Mission Valley. Designs for this include over 120 timeshare suites, a biblical museum, a 20 feet high version of the Wailing Wall, a dome theater, and some catacombs.
It's a shame Jim Bakker's Heritage USA has been sold and developed.
Maybe Cerullo could perform the park's first exorcism on the remaining
property by getting rid of the ghost of Tammy!
4) ... a new study on coffee, tea and chocolate that proves it safe! The University of California San Francisco states that heart palpitations, heart fluttering, or other heart maladies. Researchers say it's time for doctors to "lighten up" on their stand against these drinks.
In a related story, several energy drink companies have fired their
public relations firms for not foreseeing the coffee findings.
"Damn" said one CEO,
"Just as we were replacing java as the morning drink of choice!"
5) ... Zika Virus may be transmitted by sex! Yep, here's another virus for you. The Zika Virus, which can cause brain defects and paralysis in babies, has been shown to have possibly been transmitted by sex.
Okay, here's the typical joke,
"Damn, what are babies doing having sex?"
Done laughing, yet?
Okay, so, if it is transmitted that way, I'm safe.
So is my wife.
That's what 36 years of marriage does for you
Anyone want to add the element of danger to their life?
Please?
6) ... Puerto Rico confirms eighteen new cases of the Zika Virus.
Someone's having sex.
San Juan, here I come!
7) ... President Obama will be proposing plans to aid (?) Americans in saving for retirement. These plans include automatically enrolling all workers in I.R.A.'s and making it easier to keep their savings when changing jobs, regardless of their income level.
Okay, for those of you that love the President, this will make you mad, as
I simply consider him another politician like all the rest (regardless of party)
making money for big business. Think about this ... how much money
has insurance companies gained in new premiums paid now that
health insurance is mandatory in the United States.
So, after filling the pockets of the insurance companies,
why not do the same for the banks?
Automatic means "mandatory" in Washington. So, regardless of how little
you're being paid, a chunk of your paycheck will go to the banks, of which
will be more than happy to take out their maintenance fees. You may
not have a home to live in, nor be able to pay either the premiums for
the health insurance you're required to have (or the fines for not having it),
but you'll be forced to put money into an I.R.A.
So, if you want something special, you'd better do it now
while you can still afford to do so.
I'm going to San Juan!
8) .. the snowstorm that covered the Midwest and Eastern United States this last weekend. Snowfall was between 5 to 40 inches in various places, and is basically mostly gone by now. Ho-hum.
Nothing like a little snow to bring families together to drink milk and eat bread.
(If you don't get this you didn't read last week's TTOT post. Your fault!)
9) ... Whole Foods has recalled 74,000 pounds of store brand frozen pizza. No, there's no illness to fear. However, the "uncured beef pepperoni" on the label is really "pork". Whole foods blamed the mistake on a change of suppliers (that couldn't friggin' read English and tell the difference between "Uncured Beef Pepperoni" and "Pork").
So, if you're a Muslim, or any other group that doesn't eat pork
(the other white meat), then you'll probably be ticked off.
Just beware of a man named Samy that is looking to purchase
machine guns and bombs in front of your local "Whole Foods" grocery.
10) ... Oregon has been chosen for the third year in a row to be the most popular state in the United States to move to. South Carolina came in second. In contrast, New Jersey has had more people move out of the state, followed by New York.
Okay, since this has happened in Oregon, housing prices have increased
11% from the same time last year. Otherwise, I can only guess that the moves
are an effort to negate the strong conservative vote in South Carolina, and
other areas of the Deep South by saturating them with the liberals
from the Northeast. After all, it is an election year.
But ... I'm still going to San Juan!
See ya next week!
Ciao!
And SMILE!!!!
**Btw, your comments are always appreciated!
 Wall, Amycake and the Dude, Consi){kind=link}
Ah, reading your post every week about the issues of your contry...this time it made me think of the new Michael Moore movie coming out in a few weeks.
ReplyDelete:-)
If my parents had all the costs for medical care for the chronic illness my brother and I had growing up they would be in heavy debt, no matter who has been in charge. Just why I like Michael's movies. He's a famous "journalist"/"documentary maker" I guess more like, biased like the rest, but he highlights how the world sees things, one country from another.
Kerry, so good of you to stop in, again!
DeleteI hadn't heard about the new MM movie. There are some things that he's done that impress me, and others that have started off and continued so biased that he's turned me off. I'll have to investigate this new endeavor of his as I'm ignorant of it entirely.
Perhaps I am biased in my opinions concerning any politician remaining free of the "machine" concepts. As long as money is a factor in politics and the personal gain of politicians, I'm afraid my opinions will not, nor cannot change. The classes have their habits, and the upper class will always take care of their own and only throw out enough scraps to make the lower believe they're being remembered. As ex-president Bush said less than a decade ago, "There are the Haves, and there are the Have-Nots." With the speed in which our middle classes are disappeared, there is no doubt to the intent of the rich. As Dickens once wrote, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Which makes it easy to point out the idiocy of the current. lol
Thanks so much for coming by each week! Many Thanks!
*country
ReplyDeleteI would have trouble making myself try the chocolate covered grasshoppers in the first place, but seeing how much that one resembles a guinea pig does not make me any less squeamish!
ReplyDeleteMay, so good to see you here!
DeleteI've traveled to some areas of the world where these are indeed a delicacy, even just roasted without the chocolate. Once I was able to push back my environmental conditioning against eating insects and give them a try, I found that they weren't the worst thing. In fact, some even remind one of roasted nuts of sorts. Still, as the "civilized" world tends to do, your being squeamish is no less the way I felt for the first time partaking of them. lol
Appreciate you reading and commenting greatly! Many Thanks!
KACK! Oh sorry was just gagging a little... the whole idea of eating something that looks like a bug dipped in chocolate... or worse.... anyhow... loved the rest of this post if you exclude the fact that you depressed the hell outta me first... but the babies were most excellent! OMG that group of quads laughing!!!
ReplyDeleteHey, Ivy, so good to see you again!
DeleteI could rewrite May's comment and reply above, but I know you'll read it anyway. lol Bugs aren't the worst thing one can eat. Besides, they're better than starving. :)
I did the depression thing to get myself out of the funk, so to speak. I've had tougher times in my life, but recently, as you're aware, times are not the best. I figured if I just put everything negative down that I could think of that it would be over with and I could continue fresh. It worked! Maybe I should patent the idea and write a self-help book about it. lol
Love ya, lady! Many Thanks!
I can only imagine that Oregonians are not terribly excited about that! I grew up in Oregon, and know that many Oregonians seemed to agree with Governor Tom McCall's statement: “I urge them to come and come many, many times to enjoy the beauty of Oregon. But I also ask them, for heaven’s sake, don’t move here to live.”
ReplyDeleteKristi, good to see you again, my friend.
DeleteThe gov sounds like an intelligent person. There have always been people moving from state to state, but now it seems they do so in masses. Regionalisms are being lost by the influx of those that only want to indulge in their own selfishness, instead of respecting the customs of others. The South shows this perhaps more than other areas as Southern Hospitality is being shoved aside and "Yankee" rudeness is beginning to prevail. I think that is why the "if I ever won the lottery I'd buy an island" concept is so strong. Many want life to continue as it is, without being told they've been doing it wrong for generation after generation.
You're always welcome and appreciated. Many Thanks!
I don't know what to say, I read the post, I thought either ok or what the hell, I can tell you I do not get depressed, well I don't if I am taking me anti-depression medication which usually I am, when I don't take it I find myself crying and getting oh so upset about nothing
ReplyDeleteJo Anne, thanks so much for commenting.
DeleteWhen I wrote the opening, I debated. I know there are those that suffer from serious depression problems and I didn't want to make it sound unimportant. Yet, there are many (including myself at times) that have used depression as an excuse instead of just moving forward. Over the years, I've found an inner strength every time I got down and out. Oh, I'm not going to say that I never considered all the extremes before reaching that point, but I pushed on through, cast the problems aside, and just got my butt up and moved on.
I started out the opening in a very depressed state. However, by the time I finished it, I said to myself, "Okay, you're here. Now what are you going to do ... cry some more or do what your readers expect from you ... attempt to put a smile on their faces?" At that point, I pushed depression aside, got my mind straight, and forced myself to do as expected while thinking, "If I throw all this stuff out in the open, and leave nothing on the table, then there's nothing to concentrate on. It's kind of like taking all of your problems, rolling them up into a tiny BB, sticking them in your pocket, and forgetting they're there!
Writing can be therapy. At least, it's that way for me at times. My wife, well, she gets down when it rains. That's when I have to push even harder to make her smile and get her out of her funk.
Sorry I tossed you on this one. I had fears that it might do that to someone, but I hoped they could overcome as they know I'm liable to pull anything out of the hat at times. lol
Hang in there and smile. Many Thanks!
We're headed to Mexico on our spring break cruise. People should be able to find us by the cloud of Deet that will surround us. The Zika virus is not something I want to bring home, and mosquitos like me.
ReplyDeleteJenn, thanks for dropping in!
DeleteForget about the Zika and enjoy your Spring Break. I never got to take one as I was employed in retail while attending college and had to stay and make up the hours for those that were able to get away. I've regretted it over the years, but I've survived. lol
Really appreciate your commenting. Many Thanks!
Hey, Sis! Great to have you back in the states!
ReplyDeleteIf the Pres has his way, the banks will get our money regardless of what we want ... just like the insurance companies are. Pretty soon, we'll all be so tapped out by mandatory contributions, we'll be working to pay only them while we live in cardboard boxes. I'm still of the the belief that A Tale Of Two Cities may be coming in our near future. At least, if change doesn't occur, I'm hoping that it does. lol
Enjoy your stay! Many Thanks!