The Princess and The Pee (in progress)

 

 

 

 

… laffing so hard it’s hard to type hahahaha!

Almost there… hahahahaha… just have to pull myself together!

 

 

The Green Thing

Not ignoring what’s happening in the world these days (what with the debt ceiling about to crash down on stubborn Republican heads and the Fox News inexcusable, inaccurate reporting of the tragedy in Norway and Sarah’s ridiculous movie filmed entirely in Ignorama-Scope) – it’s just that my little corner of the world has been beyond all-consuming and I haven’t found the time of late to to properly blog, comment or vent about any of it. So several partials are in the draft folder and when I can come up for air I’ll get caught up 🙂

But in cleaning out my in-box this morning, a task I was literally FORCED to dive into because stupid Yahoo is now insisting I use their stupid NEW format instead of just leaving me alone happily using the comfortable OLD format… I stumbled upon this little gem sent by a cousin in Australia and just knew I had to take five minutes and share it with all of you. It came to me simply titled: The Green Thing

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.  The woman apologized to him and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”

The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today.  Your generation did not care enough to save our environment.”

He was right — our generation didn’t have the green thing in its day. Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over.  So they really were recycled.

But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building.. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby’s diapers because we didn’t have the throw-away kind.  We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts — wind and solar power really did dry the clothes.  Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana.  

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us.  

When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.  

Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power.  We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she’s right; we didn’t have the green thing back then. 

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. 

We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. 

We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.  And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?

 

Gavel to Gavel – Alaska 2006: Update

In researching Sarah Palin’s college transcripts, I stumbled upon this link:  Sarah Palin gubernatorial debate with Tony Knowles and Andrew Halcro 2 Nov 2006

If anyone in Alaska has either a copy of this video clip or the ability to access this site and transfer its .asf file-format to .mpeg I would love to not only see it myself, but embed it here for all of us to see.

Thanks,
OzMud

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U P D A T E
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Commenter Gunsmoke has found clips of Sarah Palin’s early debates. They can be viewed in the comment section. (Click on the word comments at the top of this post.) One of the first things that grabbed my attention is that she doesn’t sound so much like a hillbilly. (No ‘rill’ or ‘dill’ in her early days.) It makes me think her 2010 speech pattern has been fine-tuned to appeal to her more folksy audiences.You know, those folks out there who are more likely to send her their hard-earned cash than the rest of us?

Sarah’s version of an appelate court…

 

 

Oz Politics And Cute Babies…

In Australia, the political party that wins the national election for the seat of Prime Minister is considered ‘the party in power’. At any time during the Prime Minister’s term his party can vote him out of office in favour of another party member. It’s not a very nice thing to do, but it’s quite legal and pretty much tells the officer who’s fallen out of favour that he sucked at his job. Even if he didn’t.

Such was the case of recently ousted PM Kevin Rudd. His party was so distraught by – oh who knows what, it’s not like they needed an actual reason – “Mr. Rudd’s un-Prime Ministerial Behaviour” they convinced his Deputy, Julia Gillard to step up and take his place.

Now Julia Gillard makes a great PM. She’s been an active Deputy (Vice President equivalent), run the country rather successfully each time Mr. Rudd has travelled abroad and she’s easy on the eye. But now that the dust has settled, the other side of the aisle is crying foulplay. Ms. Gillard has been called a backstabber by Mr. Rudd’s fans, who now criticize every move she makes and obstruct every change she’s tried to implement for the good of the country (sound familiar?) in her short reign.

But Ms. Gillard has options. She’s called for a special election. “Let the public decide!” is her campaign motto. And it’s actually a good one because she’s not been in office long enough to make any glaring mistakes, step on too many toes, or give the opposition many reasons to disrespect her in campaign ads.

Also in her favour, the opposition doesn’t really have a strong contender for the crown.  Seat. So rather than wait for one to be groomed, why not put her PM claim to a public vote now while she’s still the fair-haired child?

I think it’s a brilliant move. And on 21 August, when the new election is held, we will see if it was a smart one.

Voting in Oz elections is a  mandatory affair.  Registered voters must vote in each and every election or face fines. Being of voting age and failing to register will cause charges to be levied against you. It really isn’t in anyone’s best interest to evade  the booths. So with every adult in the country actually voting, election results are pretty much an accurate reflection of public opinion.

The campaigning is in it’s fifth day and already the media considers it the most boring election ever proffered Australians. There’s nothing really to report. So one local television station (Channel 7 Qld) has posted this video on it’s website to give their viewers something to look at that’s less boring than their election coverage.

I howled. I have never met this baby’s parents but I can tell you unequivocally we share a deep parental bond. This video reminds me very much of having plopped my firstborn toddler onto a fabric-lined plastic tablecloth in the middle of the living room, where a big mixing bowl of chocolate cake batter awaited her discovery.

Cutest babystitting trick ever:

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And in case you know someone who’s actually expecting a baby (you know,  rather than faking expecting having a baby?)  here’s how to make the cutest salad bowl ever 🙂

 

To comment on this post, please scroll up to the title “Oz Politics And Cute Babies…” and click on the word comments just beneath.  Thanks, OzMud

 

 

 

 

Where Would We Be Without Music…

After more than a year of testing and observation, the official diagnosis has been made – my 84 year-old father-in-law has Altzheimer’s Disease. Spouse and I have renewed our decision from a few years ago, when we suspected dementia was in play, to do what we can to keep him at home for as long as this is physically practical. And so our journey begins.

When we came home from the meeting with dad’s gerontologist and psychologist, my knee-jerk reaction was to go into the garden shed and remove all the weed killers, bug killers, fertilizers and cleaners. We need to start thinking of dad as a precocious 4 yr-old and literally child-proof the house and yards.  Anything toxic he might spill on his hands and then put in his mouth needs to be discarded. Sharp objects need to be put out of reach. Dad’s power-saw laden workshop will be a child-proofing task of nightmarish proportions.  For now, we’ll just lock it up and have a good think.

Lots of changes, (some easy, some not), will need to be made in order for us to keep dad at home, safe, comfortable and well-fed. I’ve enrolled in some online courses in carer education. We’ll get there.

In the meantime, (albeit admittedly, I’m probably the last person on the planet to discover this guy), I offer you a drummer. Not just any drummer, but Steve Moore – The Mad Drummer.  One of my girls linked him to my FB page. (To cheer me up, I think – in my youth I was always a sucker for a good drummer!)  Anyway, I followed the links, watched and listened and was struck with how efficiently music washes over a person’s mind and soul, magically making everything ‘all better’.

It’s just like when you were sickies and mom leaned over to kiss you on the forehead. Only this guy’s way hotter. Enjoy –

 

Follow the toilet-seat –

 

I’ve been following about a half-dozen stories in the news and will be posting again soon. Sarah thinks she’s Shakespeare? hahahahahahahahahahaha! 

To comment on this post please scroll up to the title “Where Would We Be Without Music…” and click on the word comments just beneath.  Thanks, OzMud