I know this idea was stolen from Facebook, but I decided to do things my way...
I love the idea of the 30 picture challenge, although it may take me longer to post my pictures. So, starting this Friday 02/04, and every Friday after, I will post my picture from the challenge. And if everything should end on schedule, I should up the challenge right before my birthday in October, which will give me one more reason to celebrate.
So set your alarms and write it on the calendar to check back with me on Fridays for my picture challenge. I look forward to posting them all ;-)
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Just some good advertisements....
****Free online wish list****
YourListOnline.com is great for creating and sharing your online birthday list, wedding registry or holiday wish list.
I used this list for myself and my husband at Christmas time because we were constantly changing our lists and got tired of having to resend a new one to our friends and family. This way, everything was localized and anyone could see the changes we made. Plus it allowed us to add pictures and web links to show others what we wanted.
I'm also going to use this for my birthday list this year. So it's worth taking a look into for your next gift list :-)
YourListOnline.com is great for creating and sharing your online birthday list, wedding registry or holiday wish list.
I used this list for myself and my husband at Christmas time because we were constantly changing our lists and got tired of having to resend a new one to our friends and family. This way, everything was localized and anyone could see the changes we made. Plus it allowed us to add pictures and web links to show others what we wanted.
I'm also going to use this for my birthday list this year. So it's worth taking a look into for your next gift list :-)
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Cursive Writing Obsolete?
I'm addicted to the Love It or Hate It Sessions on KLTV...probably because I have to put my two cents in on everything.
"Is Cursive Writing a Dead Art" Article on KLTV.com
As a person that writes cursive on practically everything, I'm pretty biased about whether it is still useful in this so called "computer era". I'm not one of those people that claim to want to keep cursive in schools because it's 'pretty' or 'beautiful to look at'. Please. I know everything around us is controlled by computers. I get that; and, frankly, I'm so addicted to my iPod and Android phone that I have no place to argue. However, when I'm writing out letters to friends, my grocery list, or even jotting information down from callers at work, I don't consult my computer to do it for me or make my phone do the writing for me.
Schools argue that assignments are done on the computer and less activites are done with paper and pen. While this is great for the environment, it does not substitute to the fact that people still have to write on old fashioned paper. Therefore in learning how to write, you still need to learn good handwriting skills. I'm not stupid either; I know that over half the kids in school will not use cursive once the teacher stops making them. But does that mean schools stop teaching proper English just because kids will not use it after they graduate? Or maybe they should stop teaching the inner working of plant biology because, let's face it, I don't even remember that stuff.
To take out cursive handwriting lessons because it is seen as a 'dead art' and worthless in our technology age is like telling the public we're going to stop teaching basic math skills because a calculator can do it for you.
Let's not dumb down the next generation. Stop making it easier and easier to just pass through school. A little hard work and, sorry to say it, useless lessons will do a student some good. Real life is full of things you don't give a damn about but that you will sure as hell learn it.
Like the temperature to cook fries at the McDonald's grill....
"Is Cursive Writing a Dead Art" Article on KLTV.com
As a person that writes cursive on practically everything, I'm pretty biased about whether it is still useful in this so called "computer era". I'm not one of those people that claim to want to keep cursive in schools because it's 'pretty' or 'beautiful to look at'. Please. I know everything around us is controlled by computers. I get that; and, frankly, I'm so addicted to my iPod and Android phone that I have no place to argue. However, when I'm writing out letters to friends, my grocery list, or even jotting information down from callers at work, I don't consult my computer to do it for me or make my phone do the writing for me.
Schools argue that assignments are done on the computer and less activites are done with paper and pen. While this is great for the environment, it does not substitute to the fact that people still have to write on old fashioned paper. Therefore in learning how to write, you still need to learn good handwriting skills. I'm not stupid either; I know that over half the kids in school will not use cursive once the teacher stops making them. But does that mean schools stop teaching proper English just because kids will not use it after they graduate? Or maybe they should stop teaching the inner working of plant biology because, let's face it, I don't even remember that stuff.
To take out cursive handwriting lessons because it is seen as a 'dead art' and worthless in our technology age is like telling the public we're going to stop teaching basic math skills because a calculator can do it for you.
Let's not dumb down the next generation. Stop making it easier and easier to just pass through school. A little hard work and, sorry to say it, useless lessons will do a student some good. Real life is full of things you don't give a damn about but that you will sure as hell learn it.
Like the temperature to cook fries at the McDonald's grill....
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Death at a Funeral....Duh.
I'm a pretty passive person. I'm the type that can agree to disagree or feel more that I'll go one way and you go another. People disagree and they hate the way things are, I get that. I'm all for telling how you feel and letting everyone know you're pissed off that gas went up $0.25, but in the end, I'm going to walk away and continue doing what I do.
So when I read that people were starting to protest military funerals, I had to read up. Now, I, in no way, shape or form, support this 'war' we are in. I do not think America is the World Police and should take our big fat obese noses out of it. But, hey, what do I know?
Let me also add (much to the dismay of my family) that I HATE the military. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my family that has chosen to be apart of this system and doing what they have to do, but I think the military organization itself can shove it. The military used to be focused on protecting the home front and making sure we Americans were taken care of first, but that all has seem to gone to hell. In summary: Hate military org, LOVE our soldiers. It's kind of like how America says they hate the Walmart company but they can't stop shopping there.
Anyways, I digress.
Protesting at a military funeral has seem to become the new buzz lately. The more I read up on it, the more disgusted I become. The first article I read below just made me roll my eyes thinking how stupid these so called "Christians" are. My husband and I stopped going to church because of judgemental and hypocritical people that were running them. Every time I stepped foot into a church I was told what not to do with my life and to not live with my sin. Last time I read the bible (you know the one with the New Testament in it) God is a loving and forgiving God. I'm pretty sure that he loves me even if I accidently cussed that man out in the parking lot or decided to be gay.
Read Protests: Free Speech or Harassment?
A church from Kansas called Westboro Baptist Church has decided that they are going to protest military funerals because they have the right to. They picket with signs such as "Thank God for dead soldiers", "God is your enemy" and "God hates fags". This church believes that soldiers are dying because America is living in complete sin and God has decided to punish us. As stupid as it all sounds, their only defense is that they are protected under the First Amendment.
Wrong.
The First Amendment does protect freedom of speech in all mediums; it DOES NOT give you the right to say whatever the F*** you want when you want. It does not protect against racial slurs, harassment, 'fighting word' or terrorisms. You cannot go out into America and think you can degrade and belittle others and hide behind the constitution. Yes, America has it's freedoms, but it also has laws, rules. If you think America is so hard on its people and that they are trying to strip us of these 'freedoms', try living in another country and see how strict their laws are. You'd be surprised how great you had it and maybe stop bitching about it all the time.
Citizens can protest, march, picket, complain and so much more all they want. I'm not saying you can't be unhappy and want to stick it to' the man'. But I'll be damned if a group of redneck idiots with altered bibles are going to justify they're immoral and tasteless actions at a respectable funeral. Would they feel the same if Aethists protested Christian funerals? Or if racial protests were started at black, white, mexican, asian, etc funerals?
I think it threw me over the edge when I read the article Teen proposes bill to ban military protests about a boy in Maine wanting to create a bill to counteract this group as a class project. While most people admired the boy and gave him kudos for doing the research and hard work to make a difference, the Westboro Baptist Church said they want to protest his class presentation of the bill! How low can you stoop that you have to protest a kid's history class project?! Give me a break!
All this talk of banning the group has gotten Americans scared of getting their rights taken away or having their liberties reduced. For the sake of this group in Topeka, Kansas, I would be happy to take a cut in freedom of speech if it meant I could get people like this off the streets and made the idiots in this country just SHUT UP!
So, please, think about your words before opening your mouth to let them out. Yes, you have the freedom to say what you want, but at what cost?
So when I read that people were starting to protest military funerals, I had to read up. Now, I, in no way, shape or form, support this 'war' we are in. I do not think America is the World Police and should take our big fat obese noses out of it. But, hey, what do I know?
Let me also add (much to the dismay of my family) that I HATE the military. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my family that has chosen to be apart of this system and doing what they have to do, but I think the military organization itself can shove it. The military used to be focused on protecting the home front and making sure we Americans were taken care of first, but that all has seem to gone to hell. In summary: Hate military org, LOVE our soldiers. It's kind of like how America says they hate the Walmart company but they can't stop shopping there.
Anyways, I digress.
Protesting at a military funeral has seem to become the new buzz lately. The more I read up on it, the more disgusted I become. The first article I read below just made me roll my eyes thinking how stupid these so called "Christians" are. My husband and I stopped going to church because of judgemental and hypocritical people that were running them. Every time I stepped foot into a church I was told what not to do with my life and to not live with my sin. Last time I read the bible (you know the one with the New Testament in it) God is a loving and forgiving God. I'm pretty sure that he loves me even if I accidently cussed that man out in the parking lot or decided to be gay.
Read Protests: Free Speech or Harassment?
A church from Kansas called Westboro Baptist Church has decided that they are going to protest military funerals because they have the right to. They picket with signs such as "Thank God for dead soldiers", "God is your enemy" and "God hates fags". This church believes that soldiers are dying because America is living in complete sin and God has decided to punish us. As stupid as it all sounds, their only defense is that they are protected under the First Amendment.
Wrong.
The First Amendment does protect freedom of speech in all mediums; it DOES NOT give you the right to say whatever the F*** you want when you want. It does not protect against racial slurs, harassment, 'fighting word' or terrorisms. You cannot go out into America and think you can degrade and belittle others and hide behind the constitution. Yes, America has it's freedoms, but it also has laws, rules. If you think America is so hard on its people and that they are trying to strip us of these 'freedoms', try living in another country and see how strict their laws are. You'd be surprised how great you had it and maybe stop bitching about it all the time.
Citizens can protest, march, picket, complain and so much more all they want. I'm not saying you can't be unhappy and want to stick it to' the man'. But I'll be damned if a group of redneck idiots with altered bibles are going to justify they're immoral and tasteless actions at a respectable funeral. Would they feel the same if Aethists protested Christian funerals? Or if racial protests were started at black, white, mexican, asian, etc funerals?
I think it threw me over the edge when I read the article Teen proposes bill to ban military protests about a boy in Maine wanting to create a bill to counteract this group as a class project. While most people admired the boy and gave him kudos for doing the research and hard work to make a difference, the Westboro Baptist Church said they want to protest his class presentation of the bill! How low can you stoop that you have to protest a kid's history class project?! Give me a break!
All this talk of banning the group has gotten Americans scared of getting their rights taken away or having their liberties reduced. For the sake of this group in Topeka, Kansas, I would be happy to take a cut in freedom of speech if it meant I could get people like this off the streets and made the idiots in this country just SHUT UP!
So, please, think about your words before opening your mouth to let them out. Yes, you have the freedom to say what you want, but at what cost?
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
How can I help you?
I am a telephone operator at a local hospital. In our small town, we only have three hospitals for patients to choose from. The hospital I work at, however, is the only one that has after hours services for the doctor's offices and the only ask-the-nurse line in town. And with that note.....I let out a giant *sigh*
As the operator, I receive all kinds of incoming calls, from all over the city, and even the region. So knowing that we are the only hospital that offers these great services to our patients, and even patients of other facilities, one would think I would hear patience and gratitude from the other line of the phone. You would think...
"What do you mean my doctor is gone for the day? Can't you call her cell phone?"
"I know my doctor didn't approve the refill, but can't you call it in anyway?"
"You need to stop asking me so many questions! I will only speak to the nurse! You are nobody!"
"Can't you answer my question? Didn't you go to college? Or did you even graduate high school?"
"I don't have time to wait and speak to a nurse! I guess if I have to I'll call 911 for her."
Forgive me if I thought a FREE service offered to the public would make people happy....or at least grateful. I would have thought that a srvice that goes above and beyond the patient's (so-called) expectations. Of course these actions take place over the phone, so only my co-workers in the next desk could see the many reactions that cross my face with every phone call. Don't get me wrong...I have plenty of calls where I hang up the phone with a smile because I know I helped someone who wouldn't get that kind of service elsewhere or who just found out how we can help. So each day I put on the headset and take each call blindly, hoping for the good more than the bad.
So next time you call, and I famously ask "How can I help you?", only answer me with ways I can really help you out, not with your smart remarks about what we don't do for you. Don't make me use the mute button on you.
As the operator, I receive all kinds of incoming calls, from all over the city, and even the region. So knowing that we are the only hospital that offers these great services to our patients, and even patients of other facilities, one would think I would hear patience and gratitude from the other line of the phone. You would think...
"What do you mean my doctor is gone for the day? Can't you call her cell phone?"
"I know my doctor didn't approve the refill, but can't you call it in anyway?"
"You need to stop asking me so many questions! I will only speak to the nurse! You are nobody!"
"Can't you answer my question? Didn't you go to college? Or did you even graduate high school?"
"I don't have time to wait and speak to a nurse! I guess if I have to I'll call 911 for her."
Forgive me if I thought a FREE service offered to the public would make people happy....or at least grateful. I would have thought that a srvice that goes above and beyond the patient's (so-called) expectations. Of course these actions take place over the phone, so only my co-workers in the next desk could see the many reactions that cross my face with every phone call. Don't get me wrong...I have plenty of calls where I hang up the phone with a smile because I know I helped someone who wouldn't get that kind of service elsewhere or who just found out how we can help. So each day I put on the headset and take each call blindly, hoping for the good more than the bad.
So next time you call, and I famously ask "How can I help you?", only answer me with ways I can really help you out, not with your smart remarks about what we don't do for you. Don't make me use the mute button on you.
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